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Long Live The King

Can't help falling in love with Austin Butler.

By Tom Gliatto in People

ELVIS
STARRING Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Richard Roxburgh
DIRECTED BY Baz Luhrmann
RATING | TIME PG-13; 2 HRS., 39 MINS.
RELEASE DATE June 24

he power of Elvis Presley's charisma -- the voice, the moves, the curled upper lip -- is beyond analysis, as fundamental as the moon's pull on the tide or the phrase "rock and roll." He was the King, just so -- not His Royal Highness or Most Beloved Sovereign. But this isn't how director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) approaches moviemaking. Clocking in at 2 hours, 39 minutes, Elvis is a wild kaleidoscope -- split screens, overlapping visuals, racing narrative pulse. It's both exciting and exhaustingly hyperkinetic, somewhere between doing the twist and twerking.

The story is framed as the memories of Presley's unscrupulous manager Colonel Tom Parker. He's played by Tom Hanks, beneath a mountain of prostheses, as a pig-eyed villain, eager to squeeze every red cent out of his protégé. Hanks gives a funny, galumphing performance that's entertaining yet hard to take seriously. Young Elvis -- as explained in a too-neat scene that shows the boy racing from a blues club to a revival tent -- intuits his own connection between Black blues and gospel and changes the history of music. But he's no match for the Colonel, who locks him into a soul-killing Las Vegas gig (what we now call "residencies"). Austin Butler is a terrific Elvis, shaking his hips while unaware that he's writhing down into quicksand. But can anyone recapture the beautiful soft-velvet sensuality of those early years? No. Presley died at age 42.

Catching Up With Elvis star Austin Butler

by Kara Warner

ustin Butler is experiencing a whirlwind of pinch-me moments. Not only is the actor receiving positive reviews for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the new movie Elvis, but his performance also earned the all-important stamp of approval from the King of Rock and Roll's family: ex-wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa Marie and granddaughter Riley Keough.

"I can't even put into words how much it means to me, because I felt so much responsibility to them the entire time," Butler, 30, says. "That's the think that would shoot me out of bed in the morning every day [during production]. I had no idea how they were going to respond. I fell like I'm in a dream right now because they have been so warm and welcoming."

Butler has been living that dream since director Baz Luhrmann cast him in the title role, the biggest of his career so far. The Anaheim, Calif., native initially decided to give Hollywood a go after booking work as a background actor at age 13. After taking acting classes, he started landing small guest roles on Disney Channel TV shows like Hannah Montana and Zoey 101, as well as on Freeform's Switched at Birth, and he hasn't stopped working since.

His extensive preparation for Elvis naturally involved song and dance training, but he also had to delve into the psyche of the music icon, who has been dead for more than 40 years. "The thing I was most fascinated by was, who is he when you strip all that away?" says Butler. "Who was the man?"

His costar Tom Hanks -- who plays Presley's mercurial manager Col. Tom Parker -- helped him get into character. "It was such a joy what we got to do together," says Butler. "He sent a chrome typewriter from his personal collection to my door, with a letter from Col. Tom Parker that he'd written." Butler then wrote a letter back to Hanks as Elvis. "It taught me a lot about the relationship between these two men," he says. "That's just one of the things Tom did for me. He signed [the typewriter], and I have it at home."

Butler also got to keep a couple of Elvis costumes but would've loved a speedier souvenir: "He had the best cars! I wanted to take one of them home so bad."  

He's Still Alright

Kenny Loggins enters the danger zone with his no-holds-barred memoir.

By Michael Giltz in Parade

KENNY LOGGINS
STILL ALRIGHT
MEMOIR

hen he was just 17, Kenny Loggins drew upon his brother's impending fatherhood and his own fears of leaving childhood behind to write what became two of his most enduring hits: "Danny's Song" and "House at Pooh Corner." After almost 60 years (five years as part of Loggins & Messina), the Grammy-winning singer of the hits "Footloose," "I'm Alright" (from Caddyshack) and "Danger Zone" (from Top Gun and heard also in Top Gun: Maverick) continues to share his life's story. This time, the "King of Soundtracks" is telling all in the new memoir Still Alright (June 14, Hachette Books, $30), written with Jason Turbow.

"Mary Karr [the author of The Liars' Club] wrote a great book on writing autobiographically, The Art of Memoir. She talks about being as honest as possible, and that's what we strove for," says Loggins, who interviewed people in his life and career to get their perspective on how things happened. And though he might feel once burned, twice shy since his open-hearted approach to songwriting and life has sometimes been belittled, he's moving forward anyway. "I said something about [worrying over] revealing myself," Loggins, 74, says. "Lisa, my girlfriend of four years now, said, 'Honey, you did that a long time ago.'"

What books did you read to prepare to write your own?
I read my friend Richard Marx's book [Stories to Tell]. I listened to [the Who's] Roger Daltrey's book [Thanks a Lot Mr. Kibblewhite]. Peter Frampton's book [Do You Feel Like I Do?] has some cool pages about the early days, as does Graham Nash's [Wild Tales]. Oh, and I was listening to Elton John's book [Me] this morning. It's very funny.

Still Alright talks honestly about every stage of your life, from your addiction to pills to two divorces. Did you ever hesitate?
That's a good question, because that was a constant over my head: How far do I go with this? My relationship with both of my ex-wives is positive, is good. And the kids [he has five in all] benefit from that. I didn't want to poison the well.

You've successfully tackled so many genres, from folk-rock and pop to R&B and even kids' songs. And every step of the way you were advised not to take those chances.
For me, my career, my music has been, "Go where the fun is." That will be on my tombstone. It's worked.  

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