People

EUROPEANS HONOR AMERICAN KING

It's not just fans in this country who have been going goo-goo in remembering the 25th death anniversary of Elvis Presley. It's people all over the world ... particularly Europeans. According to published reports, many on "the continent" have fond memories of the American king. One small German spa town that has been enjoying the tourist influx because of the anniversary is the city of Bad Nauheim. That's where Elvis stayed much of the time he was with the Army in the late 1950s. And, much as you might see around Graceland in Memphis, the best of Europe's Elvis look-alikes have descended on the city. By the way, there are reports that the room in which Elvis stayed, on the third floor of a hotel, is essentially the same as it was then, furnishings and all. For more information on Elvis, Graceland and memorial events, check out elvis.com on the Internet. There's even a free Elvis screensaver for downloading.

ISAAK GETS GOOD NEWS FROM SHOWTIME

Although it has consistently suffered from low ratings, singer Chris Isaak's cable TV series (for Showtime) has been a hit among critics, many of whom are quick to trash that kind of programming. Now, according to People magazine, the show has been picked up for a third season, despite its less-than-stellar number of viewers. In the series, "The Chris Isaak Show," the entertainer basically plays himself. And, like the long-running Jerry Seinfeld vehicle, this show also has a stream-of-consciousness type of plot. In past shows some high-level guests have done walk-throughs, including Stevie Nicks, Lisa Loeb and Green Day.

NAVY CHEFS GETTING EXPERT ADVICE

One of the nation's largest providers of food and food services to the U.S. military is a little-known company called Sodexho. Now, in cooperation with the Pentagon, the company tells United Press International that it's staging special cooking demonstrations on board ships anchored in California for onboard chefs. The first major session was held recently in San Diego, where some 350 sailors were treated to special meals cooked by their regular kitchen crews, but under the direction of a special panel of award-winning chefs assembled by the company. The first in a series of what are being called Sodexho Chef Exchange programs took place aboard the USS McCampbell. Among the specialty dishes prepared for the crew were: Kansas City BBQ, New York Rueben sandwiches, Hawaiian chicken wraps and a variety of San Francisco-inspired Asian dishes.

HISTORY OF HONKY-TONK BEING FILMED

Producers have put out some amazing documentaries in recent years. The king of the documentarians, Ken Burns, is well known for his series on the Civil War, the history of radio, jazz and baseball. Now, according to Country Music Television, that network is producing a special two-hour look at the history of honky-tonk music. The narrator has already been chosen. Country star Trace Adkins will provide the descriptions. Up front will be some amazing performances. Clips of early Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard will headline the presentation. Many other staples in the genre will also be featured. Three of the nation's most famous honky-tonk bars will be visited during the two hours ... Gruene (pronounced "Green") Hall in the Texas city of the same name, Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth and The Cowboy Palace in southern California. By the way, the building at Gruene only narrowly escaped the recent flooding in southern Texas. The broadcast will debut on Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. EDT.

FARM AID PREPARATIONS NEARLY COMPLETE

Willie Nelson and his crew of assistants are putting the finishing touches on this year's annual Farm Aid benefit concert series. Even though this year's multi-day event will be in the far-flung suburbs of Pittsburgh (in Somerville, Penn.), there is a special event going on in Austin, Texas, in conjunction with Farm Aid. It's called the Farm Aid 10K Run. The foot race will be held on Aug. 28 and will be run through the area. At noon a special benefit concert will be presented, starring Cory Monroe and Kevin Fowler. That night Nelson will perform for two hours and then the PBS documentary, "Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving" will be shown. The actual Farm Aid event in Pennsylvania will be on the weekend of Sept. 21, with John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Neil Young co-hosting with Farm Aid's founder, Willie Nelson.

FOXWORTHY'S HUMOR IS MOVIE-BOUND

In the wake of comic Jeff Foxworthy's successful "Blue Collar Comedy Tour," the down-home humorist has been tapped to make a movie, to be called "Blue Collar Movie." The project will also star Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White. The news provider country.com says that singer-songwriter Chris Cagle has been asked to do a special song for the movie. He will do a cover of the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit "Don't Ask Me No Questions." Cagle and his band will produce a major re-do of the song. The performance will form the final minutes of the movie.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 396

Over the weekend I attended the annual Grape-to-Glass festival in California Wine Country. The event was held in and around Guerneville, along the Russian River. So, today's question: "Are you a wine drinker? Have your feelings about wine changed over the years?" Put WINE in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 391 (ELVIS)

Last week we asked your thoughts about The King. Here is a sampling of the replies, pulled at random from the e-mail inbox: A really great comment came from "newbie" Kenneth W. He writes that he's 44, but well remembers the best of Elvis. "He pepped up rock and did some crooning songs that the women loved. He was versatile, which was great. He loved his mother. He owned a pink Cadillac. I mourned his death." He also notes that he hopes that heaven forgives the way his life ended and accepts Elvis into the fold. Haysfamily writes: "I was most definitely an Elvis fan. I'll never forget the day when he died. I was a senior in highs school and I was sewing something on my sewing machine. My sister ran into my room to tell me to turn on the television ... I cried for more than an hour." Many people loved Elvis more than the Beatles." She also remembers, "my dad would sing 'Love me Tender' to my mother." Nice memory. Keke wanted to go to Las Vegas to see Elvis but never made it before his death. A very few panned Elvis. And, a couple of respondents noted they weren't born when he was around. TOMORROW: The biggest prize of all. GBA.