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Elvis impersonator
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== Impersonation derivatives == "There are heavily-bearded Elvis, four-year-old Elvis, and Elvis duos; Italian Elvis, Greek Elvis, Fat Elvis, a Lady Elvis, even a Black Elvis. Impersonator impresario Ed Franklin boasts, 'We've had every type of Elvis there is in the world.'"<ref>Eric Lott, p.194.</ref> Professional Elvis impersonation can be called a special branch of the entertainment industry. "Michael Chapa, an Elvis impersonator who works in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, helped entertain more than 2500 of his relatives at what is believed to be the country's largest Hispanic family reunion ..."<ref>Kristine L. Blair and Libby Allison, ''Cultural Attractions/Cultural Distractions: Critical Literacy in Contemporary Contexts'' (2000), p.88.</ref> There are also some Elvis impersonators who specialize in experimenting with gender, sexuality, race, taste and decency. According to social historian [[Eric Lott]], "the widespread embarrassment and innuendo surrounding Elvis impersonation points more directly to the [[homoerotic]] implications built into such acts."<ref>Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity," in Harry Stecopoulos and Michael Uebel, eds., ''Race and the Subject of Masculinities'' (Duke University Press, 1997), p.202.</ref> There are even some performers who satirize other Elvis impersonators.<ref>See Lois Tyson, ''Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide'' (1999), p.332.</ref> According to Gael Sweeney, Elvis impersonation offers a spectacle of the grotesque, the display of the fetishized Elvis body by impersonators who use a combination of Christian and [[New Age]] imagery and language to describe their devotion to The King. 'True' impersonators believe that they are 'chosen' by The King to continue His work and judge themselves and each other by their 'Authenticity' and ability to 'Channel' Elvis' true essence. True impersonators don't 'do Elvis' for monetary gain, but as missionaries to spread the message of The King. Especially interesting are those who do not perform, per se, that is, they don't do an Elvis act, they just 'live Elvis,' dressing as The King and spreading His Word by their example."<ref>See Gael Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture: Elvis Presley and the Aesthetics of Excess." In Annalee Newitz and Matt Wray, eds., ''White Trash: Race and Class in America'' (1996), p.262.</ref> However, the Elvis industry includes "professional Elvis impersonator registries." The international guide ''I am Elvis'', for instance, contains "photos, repertoire, and personal testimonies that serve to materialize the phenomenon of Elvis impersonation and further institutionalize it, including female Elvii, child Elvii, Black Elvii, El Vez the Mexican Elvis, and scores of British, German, Greek and Indian Elvii."<ref>Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture," p.262.</ref> According to George Plasketes, there are "legions of impersonators. Airlines have offered discount fares for look-alikes on Elvis holidays... His omnipresence hauntingly hovers..."<ref>George Plasketes, ''Images of Elvis Presley in American Culture, 1977β1997: The Mystery Terrain'' (1997), p.3.</ref> In August 1996, [[Elvis Herselvis]], a female Elvis impersonator and [[drag king]], who had been invited to take part in the Second International Elvis Presley Conference held at the [[University of Mississippi]] in order "to test the limits of race, class, sexuality and property...," was banned from this event by the conservative sponsors of [[Elvis Presley Enterprises]].<ref>For more details, see [[David S. Wall]] [http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/staff/lawdw/elvwall.pdf "Policing Elvis: Legal Action and the Shaping of Post-Mortem Celebrity Culture as Contested Space."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616021732/http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/staff/lawdw/elvwall.pdf |date=2007-06-16 }}</ref>
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