The marriage didn’t last all that long, but for the Elvis Presley faithful, the wedding day is special still. And now, Elvis fans have the official, Graceland-approved Elvis and Priscilla wedding dolls to remind them of that magical time.
“This is just another way he’s making history, and we want to be part of it,” said Angel Durham, who waited all night outside a Graceland souvenir shop to be the first to hand over $65 for a boxed set of the dolls, the newest additions to Mattel’s Barbie series.
Durham, 38, of Whitney, Texas, was at the front of about 150 Elvis fans lined up to witness the official unveiling of the dolls, staged as part of Graceland’s annual weeklong fan pilgrimage to mark the anniversary of Presley’s death on Aug. 16, 1977.
Brenda Moore of Bentonville, Ark., invested less time in getting her dolls but paid out a lot more money for a one-and-only set of dolls signed by Priscilla Presley.
Moore, 59, offered the high bid of $6,800 when the autographed box set was auctioned to the fans as a fundraiser for Presley Place, an apartment building in Memphis for homeless families.
“I was so nervous, I don’t know if I saw it really well, but I think it’s a good likeness,” Moore said. “They showed them yesterday and I looked at them online. I was planning to buy them, but never dreamed we would do this.”
Moore, a claims manager at Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters, said she and husband Mitchell believe the money is for a good cause.
“Presley Place, where the money will go, we contribute to them every year,” she said. “Also, I want that on display in my living room in a curio cabinet.”
The dolls, with faces painted to look like Presley and his bride, were designed from photos of the wedding. The groom sports a black paisley tuxedo while the bride wears a white beaded gown and rhinestone tiara.
The couple married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, but had split up by early 1972. They formally separated in July 1972 and were divorced in October 1973.
Durham said she got in place Monday night to await her shot at one of the 190 boxed sets Graceland was offering with special unveiling-day stamps. The 40,000 other sets sent to retailers later this year won’t have those stamps.
Fans gathered for the unveiling were treated to slices of wedding cake and orange juice served in champagne glasses.
Mattel also issued an Elvis and Barbie doll set in the late 1990s.
Dr. Daniel Serrano, who was released last week from a 15-month jail term for injecting Dancing With the Stars contestant Priscilla Presley and other celebs with unsafe forms of silicone years ago, was arrested Wednesday by immigration officials, TMZ.com reports.
Serrano, a native of Argentina who was not licensed to practice here, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for possible “removal” from the U.S., according to TMZ.
On Tuesday, Presley’s rep admitted the 62-year-old star was treated by Serrano.
“Priscilla Presley was one of many documented victims of [Dr. Daniel Serrano],” her rep said in a statement to Usmagazine.com.
“An investigation which uncovered his misconduct ultimately lead to his imprisonment. Ms. Presley dealt with this matter years ago and everything is well.”
TMZ has learned Priscilla Presley is the victim of a botched cosmetic procedure. What’s worse — it was at the hands of a gigolo who was sent to prison for perpetrating an injectable scam on Hollywood’s elite.
Priscilla, whose face looks … strange on “Dancing with the Stars,” went to Dr. Daniel Serrano around 2003. Serrano was a good-looking doc from Argentina who hooked into Hollywood’s social A-list and started giving them what he claimed were miracle injections that worked better than Botox.
In fact, Serrano was injecting industrial, low-grade silicone similar to what’s used to lubricate auto parts in Argentina into the faces of these women. Several women, including Shawn King, Larry’s wife, and Diane Richie, Lionel’s wife at the time, held injection parties in their homes, with Serrano needling them with the non-FDA approved drug that he had smuggled in to the U.S. Shawn King has said the injections created a lump in her lip that made it difficult to speak and drink liquids. Serrano charged between $300 and $500 a pop.
But wait, it gets worse. Serrano wasn’t even a licensed doc in the U.S. The injections caused lumps, paralysis and holes in the faces of some of the women (and some men) he injected.
Serrano, who was nicknamed Dr. Jiffy Lube, was indicted by the Feds for smuggling drugs, and the conspiracy and use of unapproved drugs. He was convicted, and last week he was released and is currently being investigated by federal immigration officials and could be deported.
BTW, Diane Richie was also indicted as an accomplice. She pled out and was placed on probation.
As for Priscilla — who had no idea she was being injected with silicone — we’re told she’s undergoing corrective work.
The 25th William S Paley TV Festival – Elvis 68 Comeback Special
Priscilla Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
Michael Lockwood (aka baby daddy) and Lisa Marie Presley
Priscilla Presley may be gearing up for the sixth season of Dancing With the Stars – but she’s also excited about another milestone in her life: becoming a grandmother again.
“We are all excited about a little one,” Presley, 62, tells Access Hollywood in an interview set to air beginning March 12. “All of our kids are grown up, so this is really exciting news for all of us.”
(Lisa Marie Presley, 40, recently announced her pregnancy to PEOPLE.)
Presley also empathizes with her pregnant daughter’s recent struggles with Britain’s Daily Mail, which published photographs and articles suggesting Lisa Marie has an “unhealthy appetite” and “has gained weight like her father Elvis.” Presley has subsequently sued the paper.
“I think it’s cruel what’s happening today with people and with celebrities,” Priscilla tells Access Hollywood. “You want to be a perfectionist and do the best you possibly can and you have parasites out there trying to bring you down and take you down. It’s a very tough time for people in the limelight today.”
Dancing With the Stars begins March 17 on ABC.
Led Zeppelin – Ahmet Ertegun Tribute
Juilette Lewis and Pink
Carey Hart and Pink
Lisa Marie Presley
Priscilla Presley
Kate Moss
Naomi Campbell
