Latest news with #PriscillaPresley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic '70s Bands Unite With Elvis' Ex, Last Surviving Monkee For 'Incredible' Performance
Iconic '70s Bands Unite With Elvis' Ex, Last Surviving Monkee For 'Incredible' Performance originally appeared on Parade. A concert of epic proportions is scheduled for an iconic Chicago venue in August. , the last surviving member of the 1960s group , took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 15, to announce that he is performing in Chicago in August with none other than Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla Presley, iconic '70s band The Ides of March and Danny Seraphine, founding member of fellow iconic '70s band Chicago. "Come celebrate 100 years of music & memories at the Des Plaines Theatre Through the Decades show on Saturday, August 9!" writes Dolenz. "I'll be there alongside some incredible folks... Priscilla Presley, The Ides of March, and Danny Seraphine from Chicago... as we take a trip through the sounds of the 20s to the 80s. It's going to be one unforgettable night in one legendary venue. Hope to see you there!" The website for tickets reads, "This special show will showcase music from the past 100 years, with magnificent performances from every era! The Des Plaines Theatre Through the Decades show will begin with the 'Bourbon 'N Brass Prohibition Band' performing music from the 1920s and 1930s. Then, a short Andrews Sisters/Glenn Miller Orchestra-style salute to the 1940s will take place. The 1950s will be represented by a 30-minute rock-and roll retrospective by Priscilla Presley and Ron Onesti (Tickets for an after-show meet and greet and Q&A can be purchased separately)."The 1960s will be discussed by The Monkees founding vocalist and drummer, Micky Dolenz. The 1970s and 1980s will be remembered by the Ides of March and Jim Peterik. The band's 1970 hit, 'Vehicle,' along with the Peterick-penned Survivor smash from 1983, 'Eye of the Tiger,' will be performed by the band. Performing a few hit songs from the timeless rock band Chicago will be founding drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Danny Seraphine." Tickets range from $39 to $49. Dolenz is currently in the midst of his Songs and Stories tour. The next stop is the aforementioned epic night with Presley, Seraphine and the Ides of March, then it continues on, criss-crossing the country from Rhode Island to Arizona, running through February 2026. After that, he embarks on a 7-day Flower Power Cruise where fans can enjoy Dolenz all week long as they sail from Florida to St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Fans are super excited, with several on Facebook lamenting that they are unable to go. And one fan credits Dolenz for why he plays the drums, writing, "In 1966, I was 8 years old. I LOVED watching The Monkees on TV. I was taking guitar lessons, but that just didn't seem to be what I wanted to do. I laughed at how funny you were on the show and told my mom that I wanted to play drums. On my birthday, there was a big box with the words Red Sparkle on it. I thought my parents bought me fireworks. I was so wrong. It was a 4-piece red sparkle Pearl set of drums. I started taking lessons immediately, and I still play today. Thanks, Mickey!" 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Iconic '70s Bands Unite With Elvis' Ex, Last Surviving Monkee For 'Incredible' Performance first appeared on Parade on Jul 15, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Elvis' ex meets her old American Idol honcho boyfriend for dinner in Malibu as they share a warm embrace
Former flames Priscilla Presley and Nigel Lythgoe, 75, were seen exiting a dinner date in Malibu on Wednesday evening. Elvis Presley's former wife looked lovely at 80-years-old in a black blouse with sheer sleeves and wide-legged black slacks. Lythgoe, who produced American Idol, looked casual in a graphic t-shirt, jeans and a white sports coat. Priscilla and Nigel dated from 2006 to 2009 after meeting while American Idol was being filmed at Graceland. According to a 2011 interview with Lythgoe, Priscilla had recently broken up with her boyfriend and he freshly separated from his now ex-wife Bonne Lythgoe. He said he really needed therapy, but having dinners with Priscilla was more enjoyable. 'She was just finishing a relationship,' the So You Think You Can Dance host told the Daily Mail in 2011. 'She got me through a lot. The divorce devastated me.' He added: 'I tried a therapist but it didn't work for me. It was easier to go out to dinners with Priscilla. We had many nights of talking.' 'The divorce devastated me. I hadn't necessarily been a good boy through the 34 years,' he said. 'We'd had our ups and downs – other relationships. But we stuck together. After 34 years I guess I didn't think we'd ever split up. It was terribly, terribly hard.' And it seems that Priscilla and Nigel were not intimate with each other while they dated. 'I don't have to sleep with all my girlfriends,' he said. 'I can't because two of them wouldn't like to know about the other one. I believe a good sex life makes you healthy, but I don't think I can pin myself down to one person at the moment.' Lythgoe got the name 'Nasty Nigel' after he devastated a contestant while he was a judge on the series Pop Stars. He told told contestant Kym Marsh: 'Christmas may be gone but I see the goose is still fat,' causing her to cry. Meanwhile, Priscilla is embroiled in an ongoing elder abuse lawsuit in which she claims her business partners stole $1million from her. In the latest move in the case against Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, Vahe Sislyan and Lynn Walker Wright, Priscilla won the right to have the proceedings heard in California rather than Florida Priscilla's latest nightmare allegedly began when she met Kruse, who ran a business selling Elvis memorabilia through an auction house, the filing claimed. She claimed Kruse convinced her to discard her former financial advisors who they said were 'deceitful and incompetent', before allegedly convincing her to sign contracts and form companies under her name. But under this guise, Priscilla was allegedly signing away 80 percent of her income to Kruse and her associates. Priscilla claimed the group left her with minority shares in companies they created which profited off her 'name, image and likeness'. The lawsuit also names Priscilla Presley Partners, LLC. The lawsuit alleges $500,000 in funds from the 2023 biopic Priscilla, which starred Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny, was also misappropriated and branded Kruse a 'con artist and pathological liar'. Priscilla also claimed the group 'torpedoed' a deal for the star to get an ownership interest in Cilla cosmetics company, but instead settled for $300,000, which allegedly went straight into their bank accounts. In the most recent filing, Priscilla revealed the jaw-dropping amount the group is said to have stolen from her – more than $1million from '34 paid appearances worldwide' that were collected in just a year. Priscilla, who divorced Elvis in 1973, four years before his death, also alleged that Kruse and her associates had begun a 'barraging' campaign against her 'contractual partners, associates, personal assistants and family members' with cease and desist letters in an attempt to stop them from doing business with her. Florida-based Kruse, who auctioned multiple Elvis-owned items including the gun he bought in 1973 after he was attacked onstage, has also taken her own measures against Priscilla with a lawsuit filed in February for breach of contract. According to the memorabilia dealer, she was Priscilla's financial savior, swooping in when she was '60 days away from financial collapse' and had outstanding tax debts of $700,000.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Trendiest Hairstyle From the Year You Graduated School
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A number of classic hair trends, like bouncy blowouts and stylish cornrows, never go out of style. However, there are a handful of others that we're happy to leave in the past—and more specifically, leave in the '80s. To take a quick trip down memory lane and revisit a few timeless styles worthy of any beauty hall of fame, we've rounded up some of the top styles from the mid-1960s and beyond, worth revisiting and maybe even repeating. Keep scrolling to find the trendiest hairstyles, cuts, and colors Bazaar editors have loved through the Bardot's preference for curtain bangs, voluminous waves, and hair bows made a splash in the mid-1960s and remains one of the most popular hairstyles to this model Twiggy's bob with a deep side-part was a signature part of her iconic beauty Presley's jet-black, glossy bouffant on her wedding day to Elvis Presley is one of the most iconic wedding-day bridal hair looks of all Barbara McNair showing off a voluminous and back-combed bob with flipped ends, a hairstyle worn throughout much of the late Taylor's bejeweled updo, featuring two hanging braids, marries the primness of the 1960s with a hint of the Bohemian vibe of the Hawn pictured wearing her signature curly curtain bangs and thick face-framing layers in Fonda's short, shaggy, and punky mullet pictured in McCormick's ultra-long and glossy hair as Marcia Brady was copied by similarly blonde women all over the US in the early actress Cicely Tyson made national news when she wore her hair styled in cornrows for her role in the 1972 TV movie Sounder. Her choice is considered a pivotal moment in the cultural history of natural hair is still imitated to this day. The star's preference for ultra-long and silky-smooth hair is considered one of the 1970s' most memorable Jett's black shag haircut defined what it meant to be truly rock 'n roll in the 1970s and the 1976 version of A Star is Born, Barbara Streisand wore her hair styled in short, beautiful perhaps no style more iconic 1970s than actress Farrah Fawcett's layered 1978, Debbie Harry's iconic platinum blonde hair had become a trend that would sweep the country throughout the the disco era in full swing, women were keen on copying singer Donna Summer's gorgeous curly icon, model, and singer Grace Jones is known for her distinctive flattop and shaved hairstyles, which epitomized the new wave fashion Diana's shaggy bob hairstyle inspired millions of haircuts worldwide in the early 1980s.A longer take on the shag, Michelle Pfeiffer wore her hair in 1981 styled in layered and wispy only thing bigger than the TV show Dynasty in the 1980s was the hair on the show was all about super-sized hair in the mid-1980s, as seen on supermodel Christie '80s trend we'd happily leave in the past? Overly-crimped hair. Singer Taylor Dayne is seen here in 1985 with a head full of crimped Ringwald's curly red bob inspired both haircut and color appointments throughout the probably belongs on this list of famous hairstyles through the years more than once, but this icy platinum and layered bob was career-defining for the singer in the late Houston wore curls that were big, bouncy, and beautiful at the 1988 Grammy Naomi Campbell showcased the chic and graphic appeal of a sleek bob cut in Roberts wore her famous red curls down and natural for the 1990 Golden Globe in the early '90s was still big, but it was less teased and more natural than it had been in the previous decade. Here, Mariah Carey shows her signature Jackson's iconic box braids wouldn't make their film debut in Poetic Justice until the following year, but she wore the stunning style out and about in Tomei won her Oscar wearing a classic early 1990s updo: perfectly coiffed curls piled high on the head with face-framing tendrils left out at the Barrymore epitomized '90s chic with her flipped bob and snappy famous (or infamous?) Rachel haircut made its debut in 1995—and asking for layers at your haircut appointment would never be the Spice Girls were in full swing by 1996. Though there was a Spice-inspired hairstyle for everyone, suddenly Baby Spice's pigtails were a style seen Stone's short and shaggy pixie cut was super chic at a movie premiere in Diaz wore a retro bob haircut clipped to the side with a pin in Stefani's electric-pink hair was a major beauty moment in Spears brought back the crimped hair trend for a brief moment at the turn of the Aguilera went through a wild hair phase during her "Dirrty" and Stripped promo tour. She favored extensions in various shades like black and red, which popped against her signature blonde Berry's big Oscars moment also solidified her layered, wispy pixie cut as one of the most iconic red-carpet hair moments of all Theron's heavy bangs and choppy shoulder-grazing shag haircut were all the rage in Mendes, pictured here in 2004, looks like the living embodiment of anyone who asked for a haircut with layers in the early bangs were a major hair moment in the early and mid-aughts. Jessica Simpson is shown here rocking side bangs and a fresh mid-length haircut in Lohan's striking red hair color and preference for voluminous hair extensions were so Beckham's angled and sharp bob from 2007 is still inspiring haircuts years after she grew it punky short pixie cut with long face-framing layers from 2008 is one of the best modern pixie cuts in the last few Gaga has had her fair share of iconic hair moments, but it was her signature hair bow when she broke out onto the scene in 2009 that went immediately Perry's blue wig from her "California Girls" days inspired real women (and men!) to try the shocking shade on their real year that Kate Middleton became the Duchess of Sussex was also the year that Kate Middleton's blowout became the most-requested Stewart's bouncy auburn curls were all the rage during the height of the Twilight film series Conrad embodies the ombré hair trend of 2013 Lawrence lopped off her hair at the height of her Hunger Games journey, leading to a wave of copycat pixie lob trend—that is, long bob—happened gradually over a few years, but once Beyonce gave it her stamp of approval, it suddenly became the must-have haircut of Ariana Grande didn't invent the high pony, she did make it all her own. That's why 2016 was the year of the Ariana Grande hair was the biggest trend of 2017 because Kim Kardashian said it was (or rather, her hairstylist Chris Appleton). Essentially, it means hair that's so smooth and shiny it resembles Markle didn't just give us a royal wedding—she also jump-started the 2018 tendrils trend thanks to her go-to started as a runway and royal trend trickled into mainstream fashion—hair bows had a major moment in 2019, as seen here on Hailey Bieber at the 2019 Met Gala.A slight departure from the effortless, tousled bun of years past, this sleeker, more refined version of the popular updo was a hair staple in 2020 and beyond. Not only was the style easy to create and quickly elevated any look, but it also carried beauty enthusiasts through the pandemic when salon access was '90s and 2000s style has a way of resurfacing in both beauty and fashion, as evidenced by the popularity of 2021's braided tendrils trend, seen here on model Jamie Xie. "The tendril trend has always been an easy way to add a little 'razzle-dazzle' to any updo," celebrity stylist and natural hair expert Erinn Courtney previously told red-tinged cowboy copper hair color trend made a serious splash in 2022, worn by celebrities like Kendall Jenner on and off the the mullet, which is typically shorter in the front and longer in the back, 2023's choppier wolf cut trend featured an abundance of feathered layers for maximum height and volume. Actress Jenna Ortega's notable haircut, seen at the Academy Awards that year, still lives rent-free in our oversized stretchy headband trend served two main purposes: one, practicality to help keep hair out of your face, and the other, an effortless way to elevate your beauty look from everyday to elevated in minutes. While we've seen celebrities wear these headbands in bright colors or patterns, some, like actress and singer Coco Jones, opt for a seamless, all-black hair accessory created using a hairpin or claw clip, the French twist is having a moment in 2025. Anne Hathaway wore the elegant style on the red carpet, accented with a subtle side more than 150 years, Harper's Bazaar has been the preeminent fashion and beauty resource for women at every age. We cover what's new and what's next in beauty by working with the world's leading authorities in dermatology, plastic surgery, cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and fragrance. Every story we publish has been thoroughly researched and vetted by our team of beauty editors and industry experts. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
Miami Herald
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Heartbreak estate: Inside the legal battles of Elvis Presley's financial legacy
In the summer of 2021, Priscilla Presley seemed to be riding high. The ex-wife of the King of Rock 'n' Roll had appeared at Graceland during the annual Elvis Week celebration and later hosted a three-day festival at the famous manse extolling the virtues of elegant Southern living. Then there were the highly anticipated upcoming biopics: director Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" and Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" based on her 1985 memoir, for which she served as an executive producer. Privately, however, it was a difficult time for the actress. Priscilla was mourning the passing of her mother, just a year after her grandson, Benjamin Keough, the only son of her daughter Lisa Marie Presley, had committed suicide at 27. Adding to her personal woes, Elvis' former bride was in a serious financial hole, as court filings would later claim. Then she met Brigitte Kruse, a flamboyant, fifth-generation auctioneer and self-styled philanthropist who specialized in high-profile celebrity memorabilia, royal objects, estates and fine jewelry sales. In 2017, Kruse gained a measure of renown when she sold an abandoned private plane known as the "lost jet" once owned by Elvis for $498,000. After the pair were introduced, they launched a joint venture that would cash in on Priscilla's famous name, image and likeness through her paid public appearances and other projects. Within months of their initial meeting, Priscilla began lending her name to some of Kruse's online Elvis memorabilia auctions with GWS Auctions Inc., based in Agoura Hills, California. Less than two years later, their partnership was in tatters, with the two women trading bitter allegations in dueling lawsuits. Priscilla, 80, called Kruse, who was half her age, a "con-artist and pathological liar" who had forced her into a "form of indentured servitude," leading her into signing away 80% of her income and conning her out of more than $1 million, according to the fraud and elder abuse lawsuit she filed against Kruse and her business associates in Los Angeles last year. Kruse, who did not respond to requests for comment, has disputed Priscilla Presley's claims, depicting herself in court filings as her financial savior who faced retaliation after she sued Priscilla for breach of contract a year earlier. The litigation is the latest in a string of legal battles that Priscilla and the Presley heirs have been involved in since Elvis died nearly 50 years ago, leaving a financial legacy as messy and fraught as the King's life. While the storied Presley family has forever been enshrined in celebrity as America's reigning pop culture icons, Elvis' estate has long been the spigot of his heirs' fortunes and misfortunes, spilling out from the gates of Graceland. As Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises once said about another dispute involving the estate: "People have been trying to take from Elvis since Elvis was Elvis." Inheriting a messy estate When 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu met Elvis Presley in 1959, he was already Elvis. She was the stepdaughter of an U.S. Air Force officer, living in West Germany where the rocker, then 24, was stationed during his military service. Four years later, Priscilla moved to Memphis and stepped inside the gilded cage of Elvis' fame. In 1967, the couple married in Las Vegas. With the birth of their daughter Lisa Marie nine months later, a rock 'n' roll dynasty was born. But life inside of the irresistible mythology of Elvis proved stifling. He was mostly on tour and in a haze of drugs and affairs. At 28, Priscilla divorced the rocker, but not his stardom. She built an agile career out of the ashes of their romance. Priscilla went on to become an actress with a recurring role in the 1980s CBS hit series "Dallas," starred in several of the "Naked Gun" movies and appeared in other television shows; she also authored books and launched a fragrance. But she never strayed far from the buzzy afterlife of Elvis' orbit. When Elvis died in 1977, their daughter Lisa Marie was just 9 and his father, Vernon Presley, took the reins as executor of his estate. After Vernon died in 1979, Priscilla, a successor trustee, assumed the role of primary manager. Despite the celebrated influence and global popularity of Elvis, who was estimated to have earned anywhere between $100 million to $1 billion, his estate was in shambles - worth only about $5 million. Graceland's costly maintenance and massive IRS bills were fast depleting Lisa Marie's inheritance. The poor state of affairs was due in part to Elvis' profligate spending. He was known to lavish Cadillacs and jewelry on friends, many of whom were also on his payroll. But his fortune's wane was exacerbated by the abusive control that his longtime manager Col. Tom Parker exerted over his business affairs. The cigar-chomping Parker, who died in 1997, was a former carnival barker and a compulsive gambler. He wasn't, however, a colonel - the Dutch-born "Parker's" real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk. During his time as Elvis' manager, Parker took commissions as high as 50%, and frequently cut deals that enriched himself at the rocker's expense. Four years before Elvis died, Parker sold off his back catalog to RCA for $5.4 million (with Parker taking $2.6 million and Elvis $2.8 million), depriving the estate of untold millions in royalties. In 1981, the co-executors of Elvis' estate (an attorney separately represented Lisa Marie), sued Parker for massive fraud and mismanagement, claiming he received the "lion's share" of Elvis' income, even after his death. The parties eventually reached an out-of-court settlement. Reviving Graceland But the years of profound missteps and mismanagement left Elvis' estate facing the prospect of bankruptcy and worse, having to sell Graceland. Priscilla brought in a team of financial advisers and lawyers who engineered a stunning financial turnaround. In 1981, the Elvis Presley Trust created Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. to conduct business and manage the trust's assets, including Graceland, which was opened to the public the following year. Now a National Historic Landmark, the tourist shrine generates an estimated $10 million annually. By the time Lisa Marie inherited her father's estate upon her 25th birthday in 1993, the estate had rebounded. Two decades later, Graceland, along with the merchandising of Elvis' image and managing his music royalties, was worth upward of $500 million. Then, in 2005, Elvis' estate changed hands. Lisa Marie agreed to sell 85% of EPE's assets, including her father's likeness rights, to music entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman and his company CKX Inc. for $114 million. Under the deal, Lisa Marie retained 15% of the trust and received $50 million in cash as well as $26 million in CKX common and preferred stock. She also retained sole ownership of Graceland and her father's personal items. Priscilla received $6.5 million for the use of the family name, Fortune reported. But in 2013, CKX Inc. sold its majority interest in the estate to the intellectual property firm Authenic Brands Group for a reported $145 million. The problems that had long trailed the estate surfaced again five years later. This time it was Lisa Marie who alleged she had been duped. Then 50 and in the middle of divorcing her fourth husband Michael Lockwood, the father of her twin girls, she sued her business manager Barry Siegel. She claimed that as a result of his "reckless and negligent mismanagement" the trust had dwindled to just $14,000 and was left with $500,000 in credit card debt. Siegel denied the allegations and countersued, claiming that she had "squandered" her fortune as a result of her "excessive spending." At the time, court filings related to her divorce from Lockwood, revealed that she was $16.7 million in debt. A mother, daughter feud When Lisa Marie died suddenly in January 2023 at the age of 54, another tense legal battle erupted over the estate and the trust Lisa Marie had set up. Within weeks of her death, Priscilla went to court to challenge an amendment that removed her as a trustee, making her granddaughter, the actress Riley Keough, sole trustee. Priscilla's lawyers argued that the signature was "inconsistent" with Lisa Marie's handwriting. The matter was settled five months later. Keough was named sole trustee. In exchange for stepping down, Priscilla received a $1 million lump sum payment paid out of Lisa Marie's $25 million life insurance policy and was made a special adviser for a trust relating to EPE, for which she would receive $100,000 annually for 10 years or until her death. Priscilla was also granted permission to be buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland near Elvis' gravesite and to be given a memorial service on the property. 'Dame' Kruse By spring 2023, as Priscilla resolved her dispute with her daughter's estate, Kruse's presence and influence in her personal and business affairs deepened. When they met, Priscilla was in her mid-70s and her main source of income derived from her paid personal appearances. Kruse's suit described Presley's celebrity as "a mere shadow of what it once was, and her earning potential was only a fraction of what it previously was." Moreover, she claimed that Priscilla was 60 days away from financial disaster, and drowning under $700,000 in outstanding tax debts. Then 39, Kruse was publicly portrayed as a success, active in the worlds of celebrity and philanthropy and who spoke multiple languages. She highlighted her advocacy for children with autism and AIDS research; donating money to related causes and delivering toys to orphans in global conflict zones with her husband, Vahe Sislyan. On social media and in news releases, Kruse showcased her activities and accolades, posting images alongside various marquee names such as the pop star Gwen Stefani and President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. In 2016, seven years after Kruse and her husband founded GWS, she was the first female auctioneer to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records (for selling the largest abandoned world property). Kruse formally added the honorific title "Dame" to her name after a member of the royal Italian Medici family conferred the title of Cavaliere, a kind of knighthood, on her. In media interviews, Kruse liked to say that the sale of Elvis' "lost jet" had seared her reputation as the rocker's memorabilia dealer. Over the years she was prolific, selling a number of his items, including the Smith & Wesson that he was said to have purchased in 1973 after he was attacked onstage in Las Vegas. According to Priscilla, she first met Kruse in June 2021 after the auctioneer texted her saying she'd like to meet for lunch. They dined at Gucci Osteria in Beverly Hills followed by numerous other get-togethers in Los Angeles. Kruse introduced her to her "business partner," Kevin Fialko, "an investor, experienced businessman, and financial expert," who "would help Kruse get my financial affairs in order," according to a declaration submitted by Priscilla. "When I first met Brigitte Kruse, she wanted to involve me in her auction business," she wrote in her March declaration. From there, Kruse "quickly immersed herself" in Priscilla's life, "often sending her multiple text messages a day, and "telling her how much she loved her and admired her," according to her elder abuse complaint. She also talked up her credentials, lineage and expertise in the auction business as well as her "connections to celebrities." In September 2021, Priscilla participated in one of GWS' online auctions that featured a private lunch with her and Kruse, with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity. A number of Elvis items were also auctioned off, such as the white eyelet jumpsuit cape he wore during his 1972 performances at Madison Square Garden and a jar of his hair. "She's just such a wealth of experience and knowledge. You don't study and learn about Elvis without learning about Priscilla as well. Their names are synonymous," Kruse told People. The following year, Kruse's GWS conducted an online auction billed as "The Lost Jewelry Collection of Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker," including watches, rings and cuff links that Elvis had bought or commissioned for his manager. Although she didn't own any of the items, Priscilla provided "letters of recollection" vouching for her personal historical memories of many of them, according to the auction's online catalog notes. "There is so much product out there that is not authentic at all and that worries me," she said in a video with Reuters after viewing the collection. "I want to know for sure that that is going to go to someone who is going to care for it, love it." By January 2023, Priscilla and Kruse agreed to set up several companies to exploit Priscilla's name and image and to bolster Kruse's Elvis memorabilia auctions through Priscilla's written "recollections." The terms of their agreement gave Kruse 51% and Presley 49% of Priscilla Presley Partners LLC, according to court filings. Soon after, however, Priscilla alleged Kruse and Fialko "expanded the scope of their interest in my affairs, seeking to inject themselves into every area of my life." They gained her trust and isolated her from key advisers, setting the stage for "a meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme," intended "to drain her of every last penny she had," Presley alleged in her lawsuit. Presley says that she was "fraudulently induced" to sign documents without the opportunity to review them in advance or "advised as to the nature of the paperwork." The contracts gave Kruse a controlling interest in her name, image and likeness in perpetuity. They also granted her power of attorney over Priscilla's affairs and health care and named Kruse a trustee on her personal and family trusts, according to Priscilla's declaration. Along with Fialko, Kruse closed Priscilla's bank accounts and opened new ones "in an effort to transfer the funds of Presley's various personal, business and trust accounts." Priscilla claims she also signed a five-year lease on a house in Orlando, Florida, owned by Sislyan, that she never asked for or wanted. Further, Priscilla alleges in a declaration that Kruse and Fialko leaned on Coppola to get a credit on the biopic and diverted $120,000 of money Presley earned from the film into their own accounts. When Lisa Marie died, Priscilla contended that Kruse and Fialko improperly inserted themselves into her legal dispute over her daughter's trust, she said in her complaint. They also had the "audacity" to demand that they were allowed "to attend any memorial service for Presley in the future," she added. By August 2023, Priscilla severed ties with Kruse. A lawyer representing Kruse and Fialko did not respond to a request for comment. A few months later, Kruse, through Priscilla Presley Partners, sued for breach of contract, saying Priscilla asked Kruse to take over her business affairs, requiring her to "devote her attention full-time to managing Priscilla's life" in order to "monetize various aspects of her (Presley's) life." Kruse and Fialko maintained they worked tirelessly to keep Priscilla from "financial ruin and public embarrassment," and that she fully understood the agreements she was signing. Meanwhile, others began to question the authenticity around some of GWS's Elvis sales. When GWS held another online auction of Elvis memorabilia in January 2023 that included a one-of-a-kind grommet jacket that Elvis wore in 1972, it drew the attention of Elvis Presley Enterprises. "We know there was only one made, and guess what? We have it in our archives," Weinshanker, EPE's managing partner, told NBC News, last July. GWS said the claims were unsubstantiated: "GWS stands behind everything that it sells, and categorically denies tracking in fake or inauthentic items attributed to Elvis Presley, or otherwise." The tensions escalated last November, after GWS announced another "lost" collection auction of Elvis and Col. Parker memorabilia, comprising 400 items. The cache of documents included telegrams Elvis and Parker sent to Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and others, handwritten notes and Elvis' signed 1956 contract with the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, included in the auction, that rang alarm bells. The estate's lawyers in December sent a cease and desist letter to GWS, claiming the listed auction items were the property of Graceland and demanded their immediate return. Nonetheless, GWS went forward with the sale, contending in a letter it had acted appropriately. On Dec. 24, the estate sued GWS, Kruse and two others, claiming the items belonged to Graceland and were "improperly and illegally offered for sale at auction." They sought to recover at least 74 "irreplaceable documents," and alleged that the defendants were in "possession of perhaps thousands more such items." According to the suit, the allegedly "stolen" items were part of an enormous trove that the estate acquired from Parker in 1990 for $1.25 million. GWS has denied that it had engaged in "any wrongdoing whatsoever." Elvis' estate alleges that a former Parker employee named Greg McDonald "took possession" of the documents that should have been turned over to Graceland after Parker died. Instead, when McDonald died in 2024, his widow Sherry and son Thomas McDonald, who are named as defendants, "took possession of the Property and then delivered it to Brigitte Kruse for sale at GWS," the lawsuit states. The suit further asserted that Kruse was aware of the circumstances in which Greg McDonald obtained the items before putting them up for sale. In an email thread between Kruse and Graceland's longtime archivist in 2021, included in the filings, Kruse wrote that she had a video of her in conversation with McDonald in which he "admits to knowing of the theft," in regards to the documents. An attorney for Kruse disputed the claim, saying in a statement that when she had informed the Elvis estate of the existence of McDonald's collection in 2021, "they did not make a claim to Mr. McDonald alleging that the collection was not rightfully his." GWS "never maintained care, custody or control of any of the items" that were auctioned," the statement read. "We will continue to respect the judicial process and the outcome of the ongoing litigation." In a statement to the Los Angeles Times on behalf of himself and his mother, Thomas McDonald said: "The property in which Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises are asserting ownership has been in my family's possession for over forty years as gifts from the Colonel. I am committed to resolving this dispute and vindicating my family's rights as expediently and fairly as possible." Lawyers for EPE and Graceland Holdings did not respond to a request for comment. As the various lawsuits were unfolding, last April, GWS Auctions was suspended by the Franchise Tax board in California, effectively losing its standing to operate legally due to noncompliance with tax requirements. In court filings, Kruse and her co-defendants are cited as saying that GWS is "defunct." However, GWS' website remains active and currently lists the results of its most recent auction: the Artifacts of Hollywood and Music sale held on June 7 (that included the racing helmet Elvis wore in "Viva Las Vegas," that sold for $6,500). Last month, Elvis' former wife scored a legal win when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a motion by Kruse and her business associates to temporarily put a hold on the elder abuse lawsuit in an effort to move the litigation to Florida. In his ruling, Judge Mark H. Epstein expressed frustration with the defendants' "never-ending series of motions," underscoring that this was not a a contract-based case. Presley "is suing these defendants for fraud and elder abuse, an aspect of which was allegedly bamboozling her into signing those agreements in the first place." The ongoing clash with Kruse has left Priscilla "devastated," said her attorney, Wayne Harman. "We look forward to the court holding defendants fully accountable for their actions," he said in a statement. Amid the fallout with Kruse, the estate faced another controversy. A mysterious company, Naussany Investments & Private Lending, presented documents claiming that Lisa Marie had borrowed $3.8 million and put up Graceland as collateral but had failed to repay the loan before she died. But it was an elaborate scam, according to federal authorities, who in August arrested a Missouri woman, Lisa Jeanine Findley, alleging she used fake documents to "steal the family's ownership interest in Graceland" and attempted to put it up for sale. In February, Findley pleaded guilty to mail fraud for her role in the scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Pamela Anderson is back to her bombshell best in trailer for the new Naked Gun sequel
Pamela Anderson is back to her bombshell best in The Naked Gun movie sequel, which promises plenty of laughs thanks to its hilariously risqué and over-the-top moments. The actress stars alongside Liam Neeson in the fourth instalment of the iconic movie franchise, which was made popular by the late Leslie Nielsen in the 80s and 90s. In the latest flick, Neeson plays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Nielsen's character Frank who is desperate to live up to his father's legacy. Anderson joins him as his love interest Beth, a nightclub singer who enlists Drebin's help to solve her brother's murder. Playing a seductive femme fatale – the original role was played by Priscilla Presley –Anderson stars in a few raunchy scenes that sure push the envelope. In the official trailer released today, the actress' character is seen through a pair of infra-red binoculars seemingly engaging in a sexually explicit act with Neeson's character. Kneeling on the floor in the kitchen, it appears Beth is performing a sex act on Drebin. But as the footage rolls, it becomes clear she is cleaning the oven with Debrin stood nearby. And fans are lapping up the trailer, with many counting down to the film's August 21 release. 'It's been a while for a good old slapstick comedy,' one commented on Instagram, as another agreed, '#TheNakedGun is gonna be great. These three gags in the new trailer have me cackling.' 'Love that it is NOT a remake but a continuation with the next gen of Naked Gun and who knew Liam could be so damn funny,' another chimed in, as one wrote, 'This movie looks hella funny bringing back memory's can't wait.' 'The tone feels right lol, if I'm laughing at the trailer then I'm pretty sure I'll be laughing in the film! Nice work,' added yet another. Anderson's role has also got social media in a flurry of excitement, with fans loving the return of her blonde bombshell persona. 'I love the Pamela Anderson Renaissance!' one wrote on Instagram, as another drew parallels to her role in the 90s comedy VIP, writing, 'It seems Pamela Anderson is digging back into her V.I.P Vallery Irons Humour / acting days with this role. I love it.' 'Yes Pammyï¸�. we love to see her natural comedic skills,' read another comment, with on fan echoing, 'Pam is a perfect casting choice. She's so funny and such a babe!!' The first film, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was released in 1988, with its sequel The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear premiering in 1991. The third film, Naked Gun 33â…': The Final Insult was released in 1994. All three films combined cost around $US65 million to make but raked in almost half a billion dollars at the box office. The latest instalment is directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.
