Whole lot of shakin’ going on
The passing of legend sadly marks the end of a long, long run. Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Elvis Presley’s likeness and subsequent merchandise, sent cease-and-desist letters to multiple Vegas wedding chapels that offer Elvis-themed nuptials on May 19. Lots of impersonators and Elvis themed wedding chapels are concerned and may be forced out of business. We are a family-run business, and now we’re being hung out. Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Little Chapel of Hearts with her husband said, “That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We were just hitting our stride again through COVID, then this happens.” Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn’t have come at a worse time for the sector. The city’s wedding industry generates $2 billion a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of the ceremonies performed.
The order should not translate into legal action against Elvis-themed stage shows in Las Vegas such as “All Shook Up” because impersonating someone for live performances such as shows is considered an exception under Nevada’s right of publicity law, according to Mark Tratos, a local attorney who helped write the statute. “An Elvis show is a performer essentially entertaining others by re-creating that person onstage,” Tratos said. One chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator change instead into a leather jacket, jeans and a fedora for a “rock ‘n’ roll” themed ceremony, the Review-Journal reported. Graceland Wedding Chapel, which performs 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings per year, has not been served a warning yet, according to manager Rod Musum. In the cease-and-desist letter, the company said it will halt unauthorized use of “Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise.” The letter also said “Elvis,” “Elvis Presley,” “and “The King of Rock and Roll” are protected trademarks. “They want to protect the Elvis brand. But what are they protecting by taking Elvis away from the public?”
Stories of the real Elvis
Industry Fact: When Elvis Presley died in 1977 there were 37 Elvis impersonators in the world. Today there are 48,000. If the current trend continues, by the year 2030, one out of every three people in the world will be an Elvis impersonator.
I want to go to Vegas next year
But I can’t find any information about what happens there.
“I love Vegas because of the hotels. You can see the world without ever leaving the desert and it’s better than the actual place. You can see the pyramids of Egypt, with air-conditioning, New York without getting shot, and Paris and there’s no French people.”
There’s only one way you can leave Vegas with a small fortune
Arrive with a big one
June 3rd Birthdays
1995 – Anne Winters, 1990 – Imogen Poots, 1989 – Katie Hoff, 1988 – Michelle Keegan
1925 – Tony Curtis, 1987 – Rafael Nadal, 1994 – Sean Berdy, 1986 – Al Horford