So Lisa Marie Presley thought it would be a good idea to record a duet version of her late dad Elvis’ hit "In the Ghetto" with…her late dad Elvis. I’ve got just one question: Why, why, why?! These creepy studio-assisted seances never turn out well. Not for Natalie and Nat "King" Cole back in ‘91. Not for Celine Dion and Elvis himself on this spring’s American Idol stage. (Hasn’t the guy already suffered enough posthumous humiliations this year?) And not for all those tracks that stitch unused ‘Pac and B.I.G. verses together with random rappers they never met — with the possible exception of Biggie and Eminem’s extremely super-NSFW "Dead Wrong."
The fact that Lisa Marie (pictured, left) is donating all proceeds to a charity for Hurricane Katrina survivors makes me a little more sympathetic, of course. But the maudlin, patronizing "In the Ghetto" feels like a particularly odd choice for that cause. The last thing Katrina’s victims need is a lecture on the dangers of inner-city life. So go ahead and download this single when it pops up on iTunes thisFriday — but for the love of Col. Tom Parker, delete it from your harddrive the second that $0.99 charity donation goes through!
All in all, I’m pretty sure I’d rather listen to Eric Cartman’s South Park cover of this song. Anyone out there want to rush to Lisa Marie’s defense?
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Ghoulish. It was Ghoulish when Natalie Cole did it, but I think she did it without knowing it would be so ghoulish. LMP has no such excuse.
I second that comment. Plus it would be just as creepy as the Celine/Elvis duet from the “Idol Gives Back” special.
well she has to do something for her… this is so stupid am not going to finsh my sentence but it is nice there doing this for Katrina victims but why not have Elvis do a duet with Lisa’s former husband Mike anybody i’d pay money for a video of that
Glaaaadiator !!
Any postmortem duet is just lame, but they keep doin ‘em.
Or better yet, just send the Katrina victims a dollar because HER proceeds are going to charity, not the entire .99
Celine Dion also did this with Frank Sinatra. As did Bono.
I don’t agree with you though. Especially if it’s in the family. I love the Nat King Cole song AND the Frank and Celine song… and this song with Elivs actually sounds promising. It seems the only Elvis song that I think Lisa Marie would actually sound good singing… I guess I just don’t get creeped out by that kind of stuff like you seem to
Well, this is an improvement over his song in that viagra commercial…
I have less of an issue with her singing with her father, and more of an issue that she’s singing. ay caramba.
Not all have been bad. The Hank Williams Sr./Jr. “There’s A Tear In My Beer” turned out good.
As a long time Presley fan, I think it’s great! I think it’s an awesome tribute to her father.
“(pictured, left)”… I’m still laughing.
I agree with Stephen that the “Viva Viagra” ripoff is about the most offensive in a totally offensive category of ads (although the one with the guy waiting while his wife tries on a dress and I guess is anxious to get home was pretty low)… but anyway, anything new with Elvis has to be worse than anything old with him. Enough already – he’s been dead to me since his Nixon days anyway. And Lisa Marie? What a joke.
I think it did work out for Natalie Cole. She made a comeback and won Grammys. It speaks to how Lisa Marie’s career has gone nowhere that she has resorted to this.
Let’s face it, she doesn’t have much of a singing career or any career…must be tough being a trust baby.
What’s the big deal? If she wants to sing with her dad, let her.
These singers were all orphaned too young and the bond with their fathers is still strong. It’s a filial connection most of us will never understand.
I’m an Elvis fan, but c’mon – isn’t there a better song to cover besides “In The Ghetto”? Ick. As for The King, I hope he doesn’t spill his Slurpee in the spaceship when he hears this awful cover…
All Lisa Marie’s doing is trying to help a good cause and create a tribute to her late father. There’s worse things in the world that she could be doing with her time and energy.
My first response was “Wait – what’s that thumping sound? Oh! It’s Elvis doing sommersaults in his grave!” But then I thought about that atrocity that was Elvis’ “appearance” on American Idol . . . so, yeah. This ain’t so bad.
I agree that I could have done without the remake; however, I totally disagree with your crititque of the song itself; I think it’s one of his better tunes. South Park’s version of the song would offend me more, but given that I have never watched South Park and never will, I’ll be spared that horror.
I think that had I seen/heard the Celine/Elvis ‘duet’ that would have made me ill; but I didn’t watch AI that night.
And by the way, the Viva Viagra ad is the only Viagra commercial I have ever found amusing. I’ll bet Elvis would find it amusing too. Let me ask him. Just kidding, gang! Maybe. LOL
I believe everyone has a right to their opinion,but down’in other’s is plain useless! LMP has got to have more gut’s than anyone else on the planet to even attempt a singing career in her fathers shadow!! What did pop in my head was,”Katrina? Well, dont hurry or anything!!”
Saw the video on GMA this morning. I thought it was great! You go Girl!
I don’t normally trust the intentions of a company that uses its product to raise money for charity. Usually their is a cap on how much will be donated to the cause but that doesn’t mean they won’t accept your money after the fact. If the company just donated the money without making a scene, I might actually believe they care about the people and not their bottom line. It is a publicity stunt and everyone is just looking for a cheap buck. HER proceeds may be going to Katrina victmins but what about the rest of the money? What saddens me the most is that Elvis is not alive to do a proper duet with Lisa Marie. That would warm my cold, black hole of a heart but a post mortem duet is just creepy.
She was probably trying to recreate the magic that Natalie Cole did when she sang “Unforgettable” with her dad.
I don’t even care for Lisa Marie Presley. I actually wish that she could stay married to one man for more than like, 5 minutes! what number husband is she on now?
It’s pretty creepy. I agree, Simon, that it’s also in poor taste to use that particular song for the benefit of New Orleans. I only hope that unlike other agencies/charities/businesses in New Orleans, the money actually goes to the people who need it. On the positive front, I almost spit out my lunch laughing while watching the South Park clip. Almost as good as Cartman singing “Come Sail Away.”
I have no idea why anyone would sound off in a negative way. First of all I think EVERYONE has been waiting and hoping that Lisa Marie would do a duet with her father. With them looking so much a like was just enough interest in Lisa and I think she has proved she has talent. This duet can’t be compared to Nat King Cole or Celine & Elvis – it doesnt even come close to what Elvis was and is; the KING.
I agree with Yo. I think she’s doing this because of a bond she has with her dad, whom she lost early in her life. I can’t imagine what it must be like to grow up in the shadow of someone so huge, especially after they’ve passed on. I applaud her for making it into something charitable rather than just some attempt to cash in.
I just hope everyone knows that the Presleys and Elvis Presley Enterprises do not own “Viva Las Vegas” and were not thrilled with its use in the Viagra commercial.
And Lisa and Priscilla may use Elvis’ name to maintain their wealth, but they also respect him and love him. If anyone should do duets post-mortem, it should be the children of the entertainer. If you don’t like it, don’t listen!
Ok sure, this Elvis & Lisa Marie duet might turn out to be crappy.
But what was wrong with Celine & Elvis, and Nat & Natalie?
Both of those were fantastic.
Celine & Elvis particularly blew me away. Celine nailed it by understating it.
I think Lisa Marie Presley is a gutsy and phenomenal woman who has decided the best way to take a legacy and “pay it forward” is to help the less fortunate. She’s Elvis’ daughter through and through. Sing with your daddy, girl and stuff the boring negative comments!