In March of 2006, Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate was raised to the level of Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello. It officially became a National Historic Monument.

Of course, long before the Secretary of the Interior made this public announcement, Presley fans worldwide had made his home a popular tourist destination; Graceland already attracted more than 600,000 people every year. The designation of his home as a national landmark celebrates his widely-known contributions to American culture and music history.

Elvis Presley is among the most influential figures in 20th century music and pop culture. He was most famous as a musician and was indicted into three halls of fame: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the GMA Gospel Hall of Fame. No other artist has been honored by all three establishments. Presley also triumphed on television and starred in 33 movies.

Shortly after his rise to stardom, Elvis felt a need for privacy. In 1957 he moved out of working-class East Memphis and purchased the 14-acre Graceland estate. The price tag: $103,000 – easily purchased with proceeds from his first hit record, “Heartbreak Hotel”. Graceland would be Elvis’s primary residence for the next 20 years. His parents lived there too, as did his wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu and eventually their daughter, Lisa Marie. Elvis Presley died in an upstairs Graceland bathroom in 1977.

The Graceland estate is located south of downtown Memphis and is just a few miles north of the Mississippi border. The grounds were named after Grace Toot, the daughter of the home’s original owner. Grace inherited the property while it was still farmland. She gifted the land to a niece, Ruth Moore, who had the mansion built.

The colonial-style mansion is constructed of tan limestone with white columns. Two stone lions seem to guard the front entrance. Elvis Presley expanded the living space from about 10,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet. He is known for his extravagance and a unique sense of design; some call it kitschy. The home reflected Elvis well; he became so comfortable there that when he traveled, his hotel rooms were pre-decorated with furniture sent from Graceland.

Elvis’s indoor and outdoor estate expansions were considerable. For privacy, he constructed a fieldstone wall around the grounds. (Today it is full of visitors’ graffiti.) He added a wrought-iron privacy gate to the outside drive; it’s decorated with iron musical notes. He installed a swimming pool with adjacent jukebox in his parents’ bedroom, and the famous Jungle Room has a waterfall. Elvis also kept several televisions in the basement and was known to watch three simultaneously.

Today, audio tours begin at the lion-flanked portico. Visitors then see Elvis’s living room and the adjacent music room. The tour moves to the kitchen and dining room, and then downstairs to the basement to see side-by-side TVs, a bar, and a billiards table. The tour continues upstairs in the Jungle Room. Elvis memorabilia are displayed throughout, with his sequined jumpsuits being especially prominent. Outdoors, people can see his trophy collection, horse stables, and a shooting range. A separate building displays his car collection and two small airplanes. Public tours show much of the mansion but avoid the top floor where Elvis passed away.

Elvis died at Graceland in 1977. Medical reports vary; he apparently had a drug-induced heart attack. He was buried at a public cemetery but people attempted to rob his grave. Presley’s remains were moved to his mansion’s Meditation Gardens, where the performer joined his deceased parents and grandmother. The August 16th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death is a particularly popular time for Graceland visits. Despite a downpour of rain through Memphis, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death drew a procession of 40,000 people.

After Elvis’s death, Priscilla Presley managed the property and greatly increased its value by promoting tourism. Graceland opened to the public in 1982. The Presleys’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the estate when she turned 30 years old. She kept the mansion but sold 85% of the grounds to a private management company in 2005. The new owner, CKX, Inc., plans to make Graceland a theme park on par with Disneyland.

Hollywood Boulevard is one of the most famous areas of Los Angeles, and one that is a must-see for movie lovers who want to visit their favorite actors star on the Walk of Fame. If this is your intention on visiting the area however, be prepared – there’s now a lot of stars on that boulevard, and finding the one your looking for could take some time. Unless you’re interested in seeing who else is honored with a star, save some time and buy a guide map which will show you exactly where your idol’s star is located!

Once a part of the seedier side of LA, Hollywood Boulevard has had something of a face lift in recent years and there are now a number of interesting places worth taking a look at, as well as a modern mall which provides some relief from the California heat, as well as allowing a little retail therapy to help take your attention away from your tired feet having walked around the Boulevard! Movie lovers will have a great time at the Hollywood Museum on Highland Avenue – here they’ll find not only props and posters, but exhibits such as the Hannibal Lector’s cell from the “Silence of the Lambs”. If you prefer your exhibits to be a little more interactive and educational however, walk a little further on past the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and you’ll find the Hollywood Entertainment Museum which has, amongst other things, a backlot tour.

For those visitors who want to see the home of “Oscar”, as well as the “Hollywood” sign, Hollywood & Highland is the place to be. Here you’ll find the familiar building of the Kodak Theatre which is the current Academy Award venue, as well as an archway through which to admire the “Hollywood” sign in the distance.

There are a number of smaller museums which offer a taste of Hollywood’s past as well as the celebrities who made it famous so make sure that the first stop you make is at the Visitor’s Information Center so that you don’t miss anything on your walk down one of the world’s most famous Boulevards.

The Grammy Awards are being hosted on an annual basis to honor best music talent in the record industry and is considered equivalent to Academy Awards. Originally called as the Gramophone Awards it was started by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Usually held in February, it constitutes nearly twenty genres of music with hundred and eight categories. The categories can be broadly described as Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Artist of the Year to name a few. Regular members of the voting committee are Jon Bon Jovi, Beyonce Knowles, Prince and Paul Simon. The Recording Academy and record companies choose the works of artist who are really talented. Over hundred and fifty members review this selection and assign the works to their proper category. The members of each category who are experts in their respective fields reviews them and votes for the nominees. Deloitte Touche, who are the major independent accounting firm, then tabulates the ballots. The works, which have been produced in a time limit of past twelve months, are considered, starting from October 1.

For many years the venue for the Grammy Awards was The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California that was also the home of the Oscars. But once the categories began expanding, the venue was shifted to the Staple Center, Los Angeles, California. The nominees and other non-presenting attendees are expected to pay for the ticket to attend the ceremony. In 2007, the entree fee for the members was $750, which later went up to $2500. To attend the official post party, additional $250 should be paid. All the attendees get a gift bag with lots of goodies in it like perfumes, jewelry, CDs and gift certificates with the Grammy award seal.

The ceremony is telecast live on television and there are several live performances by renowned artists. The first Grammy Awards was aired on ABC channel in 1971. Presently it is being aired on CBS channel. On February 10, 2008, the fiftieth Annual Grammy Awards will be celebrated at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

From time to time, the Grammy Awards have been blamed that they consider only the mainstream music and do not take alternative groups into consideration. The rumor was further heightened by criticism that the big record companies are influencing Grammy Awards. Many even say that Grammy Awards doesn’t honor the artist’s talent; rather it’s just held to promote the music industry as a whole and never understood the sentiments of the common people. The critics also blame the Grammy Awards to use this platform for advertising the recording industry. Many also question the nominating and the voting process from time to time.

Sir Georg Solti received the largest number of Grammy awards in a year. He was the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and he received a total of thirty-one Grammys. U2 is the band, which received the most number of Grammys, a total of twenty-two. In a single night Rick Rubin won the maximum awards. He received five awards at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. Grammy Awards have even faced fraud when the reality of the pop group Milli Vanilli came to light. The group just lip-synced the song sung by someone else, which resulted in their Grammies being taken back from them instantly. But the awards still go on attracting people from all walks of life.

For 12 days in the month of May the city of Cannes celebrates the National Film Agency. The town is filled to capacity with more than 200,000 film makers, stargazers, and film fans, who gather on the Croisette to attend the Cannes Film Festival. During the 12 day span thousands of films are screened, careers are started, and disappointment shows itself. Stars the world over come to get their share of attention.

Since the 1950′s when Brigitte Bardot ran on the beach for the cameras in her teenie bikini, Cannes has blossomed to celebrate the worlds most favorite pastimes, cinema and sex. Cannes has grown to be the most famous of all festivals of film. Cannes is spectacular with the palm trees, red carpets, stars that come out to sparkle in the flash of paparzzi cameras, and the famed celebrity parties.

Cannes may not look like the best place to host the world’s most famous film festival. Cinema was invented in France, Paris France. The weather in Cannes is nice, but that is not the best selling point. The Cannes Film Festival exists as a result of the rise of fascism in Europe during the 1930′s. In 1932 the first competitive film festival was sponsored in Venice. This was called the Mostra di Venezia, and the awards it gave, was mostly about the prestige of the countries that participated, as it was about the films. As time went by, the fascist alliances in certain countries received favoritism when it came to judging the films and giving of awards.

In 1938 Jean Renoir’s “La Grande Illusion” was passed by for the top prize in the festival, despite being the obvious favorite of the festival attendees, and the jury members. Instead the award was given to two films, a two-part German film called “Olympia”, commissioned by Joseph Goebbels to show the Nazi success of the 1938 Berlin Olympics, and “Luciano Serra, Pilota, made with the supervision of Il Duces son. When the announcement came, the French were furious and withdrew from the festival. The American and British jury members resigned to protest the fact that fascism could walk all over artistic excellence.

Later that same year, a group of film makers and critics petitioned the French government to put run an alternative, international film festival in France. A festival where film makers could show their films and compete without censorship or bias. The French government was not very happy about going against Mussolini, and were dragging their feet. The group kept putting pressure on the government, and they finally gave consent to the event.

The competition is the main event of the festival today, this is where the glory and glamour come in. The films screened are referred to as being “in competition”. The most coveted award is the Golden Palm for best picture. This is one of the most prestigious awards on earth, and will give the film a huge boost. For low budget films and novice film makers, this can mean millions of extra dollars at the international box office, for foreign films it brings worldwide distribution. The competition is usually open to narrative films only, but there are times when a documentary is introduced. Michael Moore’s ” Fahrenheit 9/ 11″ won the top prize in 2004. The film makers are welcome to enter both features and shorts. There are awards in each category.

Global warming is an issue that is increasing in popularity. Global warming is widely discussed and debated on the television, radio, and even online. One of the many reason for this increased media coverage is due in part to celebrities. Over the past few years, a large number of celebrities have publicized their stance on global warming. In this same time frame, global warming saw an increase in media exposure. That leaves many wondering what if there is a connection and if so, is that connection doing good?

One of the many celebrities who have helped use their well known name to bring awareness to global warming is that of Al Gore. Al Gore was most well known for his role as the Vice President of the United States, under Bill Clinton. As for now, Al Gore is most well known for his fight against global warming. Al Gore is one of the first political figures to take global warming seriously. In fact, he has done more than that. His award winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has brought much needed attention to this important issue.

Leonardo DiCaprio is another well known figure who has been and who is still using his name to bring attention to the many environmental issues. This award winning actor has turned into a well known environmentalist. One of the many topics that he brings attention to is that of global warming. In addition to making numerous celebrity appearances at global warning related events, he has also created his own documentary. This documentary is titled 11th Hour. Since Leonardo DiCaprio is considered one of the greatest actors of his time, he has the ability to bring much needed attention to global warming, as well as other environmental issues.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is another well known figure that has been using his status to do good for the environment. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a well-known actor turned political figure. In addition to being outspoken on global warming with his views on the subject, he has also taken action not seen by many other politicians. In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has passed laws that reduce the greenhouse gasses emitted in the state of California and much more.

Laurie David may not be well known herself, but you may have likely heard of her husband before. Her husband is most well known as being the co-creator of Seinfeld. She worked on a documentary for HBO that covered the science behind global warming. There are also reports that she helped to bring Al Gore’s, an Inconvenient Truth, documentary into the public eye.

The above mentioned celebrities are just a few of the many who have used their celebrity status to bring much attention to the hot topic of global warming. In addition to starting their own environmental groups and making their own documentaries or television programs that focus on the issue of global warming, celebrities do much more. Many celebrities are known for providing faces and voices for documentaries, concerts, and other charity events.

Although many individuals view the association with entertainment and global warming overkill, there is a lot that these celebrities and others have done to help in the fight against global warming. For example, there are a number of documentaries on global warming, but Al Gore’s documentary saw success more than others partly because of his well known name and status. For many individuals, they may have not heard about global warning or learned the possible affects of it if it weren’t for celebrities.

Many celebrities, such as the ones outlined above are known for showing their support for the environment, but there are others who have spoken out against global warming. One of those individuals is Michael Crichton, a well-known author. In the year 2002, he wrote a book that basically claimed global warming is nothing but a conspiracy theory. In this book, he claimed that many environmentalists are using global warming as a ploy to receive more money for their organizations. His book was met with a mixture of support and criticism.

Celebrity branding is a method of advertising which uses the services of a celebrity to promote a product or service with the help of their fame and status in the society. This method has several approaches; it can involve a celebrity simply appearing in a commercial and the celebrity can be signed for attending events for promotion. Another method is to start a product line using their name as a brand. Perfume and garments are the largest product lines involving such a promotion. All the top actors, singers and models are known to give their name to a certain brand or licensed products. Jennifer Lopez started her own line of clothing a while ago which features designer clothes personally designed by her.

A customer’s buying behavior is hugely influenced by famous people. Marketing experts, using associative learning principles, analyzes the lifestyle of the celebrities to properly assign them to the brand which depicts them perfectly. Their fashion sense, appeal, awareness, fame and public image are reviewed thoroughly to assign them the right charity work or product. Repetition, blocking, CS pre-exposure, extinction, overshadowing, belongingness, and association set size are the principles on the basis of which analysis is done like the famous Miss World Aishwarya Rai of India who has very beautiful eyes was chosen to campaign for eye donation project. Some of the celebrities are known for their distinct voice. This concept led to the voice-over method in advertising. Their voices merely attract customers when used in a commercial.

Today, nearly twenty percent of the advertising industry utilizes celebrity endorsement. A celebrity is bound to endorse many products and brands over a course of time. Each time a different image of the celebrity is being projected to the public. The company should keep in mind the previous identity and play accordingly. Projecting a different person every time will sustain the interest of the customers, but at the same time the two identities shouldn’t conflict with each other. The captain of England soccer team David Beckham has endorsed many products. While advertising for Gillette, his taste for hairstyles was considered and he was given a bald look. When campaigning for Police his passion for fashion was portrayed all over and heavily jeweled David Beckham was depicted.

If a celebrity isn’t comfortable with being pictured differently each time he or she can create a graphic image or logo of their own which can be used each time they advertise for a particular product. The logo can reflect the personality of the respective celebrity, like the font can be stylish if the celebrity is fashion conscious like Jennifer Lopez who created a logo of JLO, which is used to advertise perfume and even clothing line of her own. Another advantage in this approach is that the brand can still be appealing to the crowds even after the celebrity has lost his or her looks as they won’t require visual recognition and aids in the long-term negotiations. The celebrity logo itself carries the style and attitude.

Millions of dollars are being invested by marketers to get the promotional support of super stars every year. Davie Brown Entertainment has an agency completely devoted to the purpose of choosing a celebrity for a product. They not only judge a celebrity’s caliber to affect brand affinity and consumer’s taste but also design the advertisements for the celebrities to feature in it.

Whether we idolize them or criticize their behavior, there’s no denying that celebrities now are the epitome of beauty. But how come they are often mistaken for their age- at their flattery at that. Well, let’s find out some secrets why celebrities look younger than they are.

Eating lots of citrus and vegetables

Greens and citrus like lemons, grapefruit, and oranges are high in Vitamin C, a natural antioxidant. This wonder worker serves as a primary ingredient of collagen, a glue-like protein that binds cells together to form tissues, and makes up about 25% of the whole-body protein content. Collagen production is vital to skin suppleness, firmness and averts the onset of premature wrinkling. Collagen is, in fact, a much-endorsed ingredient in facial moisturizers and hand lotions Therefore, the more citrus and veggies celebs eat, the softer their skin becomes.

Avoiding excessive alcohol

Celebrities going in and out of rehabs due to alcoholism look worn-out and spoiled. That is why a lot more celebrities keep their alcoholic intake to a minimum. Despite the sparkling delight it brings, alcohol causes skin damage and loss of moisture due to its dehydrating effects. In turn, this will cause sagging and wrinkling of skin.

A High School Musical star says its even better to soak one’s self o he beach without sun protection that drinking too much of alcohol.

Alcohol causes dilatation of the blood vessels in the skin and every time you drink, the blood vessels will dilate and stay permanently dilated until they lose their tone. Abusing alcohol will also deplete the body of Vitamin A, an important antioxidant.

Avoiding Coffee

Despite its antioxidant content, too much coffee causes skin dehydration, and even causes the body to eliminate needed liquids and minerals. It causes skin to look like crepe paper and have very little elasticity if you pinch it up into a peak. A country music diva even shared that drinking too much coffee stains her teeth and causes little winkles around her eyes to look horrible.

Celebrities who drink coffee suggest drinking a cool glass of water after a cup of coffee.

Drinking LOTS of Water

No one can dispute the role good hydration plays to a healthier skin. If hydration does not come from sodas or alcohols and only from clean water, then it has potentially helpful effects on your skin. Furthermore, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which leaves skin looking better.

Paris Hilton disclosed that she drinks more than ten glasses of water a day cause if not she notices her skin to look dull, vapid, and gray.

Limited exposure to sunlight

More exposure to sunlight puts the skin at higher risk for aging caused by free radicals. But if you cannot avoid it, use a quality high sun protection factor lotion.

A former Mickey Mouse club member uses SPF50 on her neck and face and SPF35 on her body to develop nice brownish tan where she likes.

Moisturizers

Lastly, for celebrities, using a night time moisturizer is the simplest yet one of the most necessary parts of their beauty routine. They choose a night cream with proven age-fighters like retinol.

You may have seen advertisements on the television, the radio, or online. Your celebrity is vacationing aboard a cruise ship and they want you to join them. The advertisement you heard is for a celebrity cruise. Celebrity cruises are gaining popularity in the Untied States and all around the world. The question that many want answered is, are they worth the money?

Celebrity cruises are not to be confused with the popular Celebrity Cruise Lines. Celebrity cruises are cruises that are offered by a wide range of different cruise line companies. The intention of a celebrity cruise is to attract travelers. To do this, celebrity cruises are booked with well-known television stars, movie stars, and musicians. For some reason, and they are right, cruises lines know that fans follow their idols.

If you are interested in determining whether or not a celebrity cruise is worth the money, there are a number of factors that you should first consider. One of the most important factors is the purpose of the cruise. A number of well-known musicians, television stars, and movie stars are compensated for their appearance. While this may not have a direct impact your reservation, it may be in your best interest to know.

In addition to being compensated for their appearance, a large number of movie stars, television stars, and musicians use a celebrity cruise to promote one of their upcoming shows, movies, or music albums. It is not guaranteed, but you may be granted behind the scenes information and footage. To many fans, this information makes a celebrity cruise worth it.

Promoting a charity or another good cause is another reason why a number of well-know celebrities make the decision to participate in a cruise ship voyage. If you are interested in promoting a specific charity or cause, you may find it beneficial, in more ways than one, to attend the cruise. In addition to being able to meet one of your favorite celebrities, you could be helping to bring awareness to one of the many world charities that need assistance.

Another important factor to consider when deciding on a celebrity cruise is the amount of time the celebrity will be onboard. Due to busy schedules, celebrities may be unable to stay onboard for the whole length of the cruise. To determine whether or not a celebrity cruise is worth the money, you will want to know how long each celebrity will be on board. If they will only be onboard one or two days, you may find that the cruise is not worth your time or money.

In addition to the length of a celebrity’s stay, you will want to know when certain promotional events are scheduled. These events should be established ahead of time. To determine when you may be able to dine with, meet, or get an autograph from your favorite movie star, musician, or television star, you should check the ship’s itinerary. This will enable you to determine if you will even get a chance to meet the celebrity onboard.

It is also important to estimate how many passengers will be the celebrity cruise you wish to take. The number of onboard passengers may have an impact on how much time you get to spend with the cruise ship celebrity. If there are a large number of onboard passengers and the celebrity will only be on the ship for a short period of time you may be unable to meet with them. This is something that should be closely examined when determining if a celebrity cruise is worth any value to you or your family.

Finally, the cost of the celebrity cruise should be closely examined. The cost of a celebrity cruise is often higher than other traditional cruises. This is because you are often paying to meet the person who is onboard. That is why it is important to take the above mentioned factors into consideration.

Celebrity cruises are nice, but a celebrity is not the only reason why you should plan a vacation on a cruise ship. You can still enjoy a cruise, with or without a celebrity.