By Tequila Mockingbird
Hollywood, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/12/22 – It’s amazing watching technology change for instance the Cinelounge is a boutique theater in an office building off Sunset Boulevard. All kinds of designer popcorn like Cleopatra Jones and Rosemary’s Baby popcorn as well as Popcorn of the Living Dead and Popzilla. It has warm drinks like coffees and teas and honestly very organic. Today I’m here on behalf of TheHollywoodTimes.Today to see Elvis. I’ve always been interested in Elvis because my aunt used to hang around with him in Paris when he was stationed there her name was Nancy Holloway. She was a French singer at the Follies. The music inside the theater is Elvis Elvis Elvis and since I’m here in the afternoon, I have the whole place to myself for a few minutes because I came early to drink in all the atmosphere.
When the show began and I laid eyes on the beautiful boy that played Elvis as a child living in a black neighborhood sneaking inside the reverend’s tent getting hit with the Holy Spirit it made me cry. Growing up surrounded by the blues with a grandfather of my own who was a deacon and those sorts of churches I knew, full well, what was in store for him. It was as if he was hit by a bolt of lightning and it made his body shake and quiver when the spirit hits all motor skills and pass bits on destiny are off the table. This Elvis begins. His grandmother was a American Indian. I always believed he was full of magic but once again after meeting Colonel Tom Parker, unknown reprobate sucker born every minute type guy, pulled one over on the young boy and kept him in his sway for over 20 years. I believe Oscars are in the mix for these two actors the Elvis character and the Colonel both played splendidly and convincingly by Tom Hanks who is almost unrecognizable in his part as a Svengali and carnival Barker and the handsome and talented newcomer Austin Butler played Elvis as if he were Elvis , as if he was born to play this part.
Why did I call this a love story? I got the feeling that the colonel was closeted and in love with Elvis wanting to possess him wanting to hurt him, wanting to love him, wanting to destroy him, which he did… Elvis cared about the world around him, the world around him did not protect him.