KEEPING UP WITH JONES: KTVI’s Kevin Steincross, whose cartoonish, grinning charm places him somewhere in-between Mr. Rogers and a chipmunk, was recently interviewing Renee Zellweger in a promotional segment for her movie My One and Only. Zellwegger was piped in from one of those promotional-interview sets with a black background. The energy between her and Steincross was, to say the least, odd. Zellweger, who doesn’t come off like the most comfortable interview subject, was polite, but she surfed her own wavelength while Steincross fawned like the guy at the front of an autograph line. At the end of every question, Steincross’s face would freeze into a goofy new expression, as though somebody pushed the pause button. When the anchor asked Zellweger whether we might see her in another Bridget Jones sequel, the actress – who at all times kept her sheepishly polite composure – seemed nonplussed and somewhat taken aback. But Steincross, who clearly considered the role to be Zellweger’s quintessential movie persona, wouldn’t take no for an answer. He outwardly predicted that, come rain or shine, she would be back as Bridget Jones. Zellweger barely reacted to his vehement portent; but behind her famous squinty eyes, you could almost hear her thinking, “Please get me out of here.” Steincross ended the brief conversation with something to the effect of, “Always good talking to you, Renee.” Clearly, they’re old friends. Or maybe it’s only Bridget he’s friendly with.
WALL STREET VS. VAIN STREET: I’m perplexed. Ever since CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo literally set a new model for Wall Street reporters – a standard steeped equally in beauty and acumen – have you noticed that she’s become a stereotype for on-air financial commentators? Not that I’m complaining – I always tune out the money news, anyway – but when it comes to television, imitation has always been the sincerest form of torpidity. Those of you who miss the financial reporting of bald old men with glasses…don’t hold your breath.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING: The heyday of the Elvis impersonator is as dead as the King himself. As far as I’m concerned, the scene in Honeymoon in Vegas with the parachuting Elvises was a going-away party for the pretenders to the throne of the King. (It’s called a jumpsuit for a reason.) But while we prepare for the inevitable onslaught of Michael Jackson imitators, it’s worth noting that the art of Presley impressionism hasn’t quite died away – it’s just gone underground. Well, at least as far down as Memphis, Tennessee, the location of the Ultimate Elvis Contest. Personally, I feel it should be called the Penultimate Elvis Contest, because the ultimate Elvis will always be the man himself, whether he happens to be dead or hiding among the living. For the annual competition, Elvi from near and far descend on the King’s home city and compete for the right to wear the royal jumpsuit. A panel of judges puts the pretenders through every Elvis test you could possibly imagine, and then they make the decision. Do we have a winner? It’s a little-known fact that possibly the greatest Elvis impersonator in the entire world lives right here in St. Louis. And “greatest” isn’t a subjective call. Not only did Bill Cherry recently win the 2009 Ultimate Elvis Contest, the owner of the Record Exchange, Jean Haffner – an Elvis authority if there ever was one – has picked Cherry as the best there is, insisting he can hardly tell a difference between his singing and the mellifluous tones of the King. Haffner’s wife, Bev, believes that Cherry “has the whole package.” In her experience, most Elvis impersonators have the looks, the sound or the moves, but rarely do they coalesce into a single King. I attempted to contact Cherry by phone at his house, but since he didn’t return my calls, I can only presume he’d already left the building.
Jordan Oakes is a local journalist who has written for publications such as St. Louis Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. He has strong opinions that begin to atrophy if he doesn't exercise his right to express them. Tune in every Wednesday for another installment of Mediatribe - and if you missed last week's post, click here.
