Brazilian fans flock to Elvis Presley exhibit

Hundreds of Brazilian fans of Elvis Presley are flocking to a special exhibit devoted to the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" in Sao Paulo this week, the first to be held outside the United States. "The Elvis Experience", which opened here Wednesday and runs through November 5, features over 600 rare artifacts, documents and photos, many of which have never left the vaults or exhibit areas of the late Elvis's mythical Graceland mansion in the US southern city of Memphis. "An Elvis Presley in Concert" is also planned here for October 2, when some of Elvis' finest performances will be projected on a large video screen, accompanied live on stage by a cast of singers and musicians who worked with him. "I have been an Elvis fan since the age of nine," said Malu Ezipato, a bank employee sporting a tattooed autograph of her idol on her ankle. "In addition to his music, his marvelous voice, his face, Elvis was a good, generous person who helped everybody. He inspired me to be a better person," added the 44-year-old woman. She said she even turned a room in her home into a "sanctuary" for her idol despite her husband's jealousy. Although she recently returned from a pilgrimage to Memphis to mark the 35th anniversary of Elvis' death, Ezipato said she absolutely had to attend the opening of the exhibit held in a Sao Paulo shopping mall. Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of the late star, was on hand and said she had fond memories of her life at Graceland where Elvis spent two decades until his untimely death at the age of 42. "In this exhibit you will be able to feel the spirit of Elvis," she said, all dressed in red. Jack Soden, president of Elvis Presley Enterprises, the corporate entity created by the singer's trust to manage its assets, told AFP that Brazil was chosen as the first foreign destination for the exhibit because the country has many Elvis fans. "We were very interested in Brazil because Elvis has many fans here. Brazil is a country of nearly 200 million people and Brazilians are very active on Elvis's Facebook page," he added. "Later we will look into prospects for taking the show to other countries." It was Brazilian businessman Rafael Reisman who came up with the idea of staging the exhibit in Sao Paulo and contacted Soden after a visit to Graceland. "To stage this exhibit was not easy. We have to look at the results, assess whether it is financially viable and try to take it to other places," he said. Reisman said bringing the show to Brazil cost around $5 million. On display here are two of Elvis' sports cars, his military uniform, pictures, a gold plated rotary dial telephone, his signature white suit and one of the American Eagle jumpsuits Elvis used for the 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" television special. There is also a copy of his initial contract with his manager Colonel Tom Parker and the first deals he signed with the RCA recording company. "I have been an Elvismaniac all my life," said 54-year-old Fatima Leite as she snapped pictures of her idol's golf carts.