ELVIS AND CIMORELLI

The Beginning

"For those of you who are wondering who I am, I... am the legendary... Colonel Tom Parker. I am the man who gave the world Elvis Presley. Without me, there would be no Elvis Presley... and yet, there are some who make me out to be the villain... of this here story. "

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Nashville, Tennessee - 1997

Christina Cimorelli and the rest of her family sat in the living room, flipping through the different television channels, when all of a sudden, Mrs. Cimorelli saw something on a national news channel.

"Christina, honey. Go back to channel thirty-five! There was something about Elvis and the Colonel."

Christina did so and the Cimorelli family watched in awe and anger, as they listened to the news anchor speak.

"Colonel Tom Parker was a liar, a cheat, a conman," he said. "A shocking new book reveals that Parker, who was the manager of Elvis Presley, was sued by the king of rock-n-roll's widow, Priscilla Presley, for extreme mismanagement. The Colonel worked Elvis like a mule to pay off his numerous debts and to support his own gambling addiction. Parker received fifty percent of Elvis' income. He also hired a doctor to load Presley up with drugs, so he could perform two shows a night, during his residencies at the Las Vegas International Hotel. Many believe that Colonel Tom Parker was responsible for the death of Elvis Presley."

Mr. Cimorelli grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Elvis had been like a son to him and Lynne, as well as a brother to their kids. They'd always trusted the Colonel, but this news report would change everything.

"That lying, no-good, Dutch rat!" spat Dani.

The Cimorelli kids all had tears in their eyes. Elvis had helped a lot of them through some very tough, personal life experiences. He'd been a shoulder to cry on for them, if they ever needed him. They were very close with him, up until his death in 1977. Nick, the second to youngest brother, ran upstairs, locked himself in his room, and cried. He remembered once instance where he wished he'd stood up to the Colonel.

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Las Vegas, Nevada - 1973

Elvis was walking to the backstage area, when he fell unconscious, out of nowhere. His best friend, Jerry Schilling, and the Cimorelli family grabbed a bowl of ice water and put his face into it to wake him up.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted an angry voice.

The Colonel busted through the crowd of people that surrounded Elvis. Lauren held her friend in her arms, trying to get him to wake up. Nick followed right after him and wanted to give the Colonel a piece of his mind.

"Now, you listen to me!" ordered the Colonel. "The only thing that matters is that that man gets up on that stage tonight!"

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"Nothing those fools said in their books were true. Me and Elvis? We was partners. It was Elvis the showman, and the Colonel the snowman! As an orphan, I ran away to the carnival, where I learned the art of the snow job. The job of emptying a room's wallet and leaving the audience with nothing, but the smiles on their faces. And having them walk away feeling feelings that they weren't sure if they should enjoy... but they did. And I knew if I could find such an act... I could create the greatest... show... on... Earth."