Rock News: Music's high and low notes

IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING

Nicholas Cage has impersonated Elvis Presley in films, but now that he's married Lisa Marie Presley he can wander Graceland at will and try on all those Elvis stage costumes housed in the mansion. The couple exchanged vows at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the island of Hawaii over the weekend. Cage is 38, Presley is 34. The marriage is Presley's third -- she was previously married to musician Danny Keough and pop icon Michael Jackson. It's the second marriage for Cage, who divorced actress Patricia Arquette in 2000. Guests at the wedding included Elvis Presley's wife and Lisa Marie's mom, Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie's two children and Cage's son. The British Web site Peoplenews.com reported the couple asked Elvis to approve the bond in a seance and The King granted his blessings.

PRESLEY TOPS DEAD CELEB CHARTS

Elvis Presley held his spot at the top of the dead celebrities earning's list compiled by Forbes magazine. For the second consecutive year Presley raked in more than any other deceased celebrity, a sweet $37 million from June 2001 through June 2002, including money earned from a British dance remix of his 1968 song "A Little Less Conversation," which hit No. 1 on the British charts. Charles Schulz of "Peanuts" fame was second, with $28 million in earnings. John Lennon and NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt tied for third with $20 million in earnings.

BATTLE OF ELVIS CLONES AND IMPERSONATORS?

Memphis officials are rolling out every conceivable promotion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death this Friday, Aug. 16, but city official Tom Morgan may have the wildest idea. Morgan has proposed The King be cloned using a bag of Elvis hair given to him by Presley's barber. "We can do it," said Dr. Dan Goldowitz of the Center of Excellence for Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of Tennessee. "The only problem is that there's a tendency for genetic abnormalities to occur. We'd get an Elvis, but maybe he would just want to deliver the mail."

ELVIS STUFF HITS THE ROAD

This week Presley fans have descended upon the artist's Graceland mansion in Memphis for a host of events leading up to the 25th anniversary of his death on Friday. For those who can't make it to Memphis, Trans World Entertainment's FYE division has plans to bring Elvis, or at least Elvis memorabilia, back on the road. The company is co-sponsoring a roving exhibit of Elvis memorabilia, "Mobile Graceland," a collection that features artifacts never before displayed outside of Presley's Memphis home. The memorabilia will be housed in an 18-wheel truck that will travel to 31 cities, appearing exclusively at 21 FYE stores and 22 Harrah's casinos.

DJ TRIBUTE TO ELVIS

DJ Rig Rocker -- aka Jeremy Tepper -- spins country disc every Monday night at Brooklyn's popular watering hole Union Pool, a former pool supplies store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. As big rigs sped by under the highway, Tepper mixed his usual program of truck driving songs with an unusual tribute to Elvis Presley. "His records are as good as they ever were," Tepper said. "You always get a response to them." Tepper proved his point with a set of Elvis rarities including "Gentle On My Mind" and "Polk Salad Annie."