Elvis' estate rolls out Graceland ad blitz

Are you ready to discover your inner Elvis? That's the question being asked by a new national advertising campaign being launched this week by Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that hopes to make the rock legend's former home, Graceland, a tourist destination on par with larger theme parks.

The campaign is the first time the company is doing such a marketing blitz and comes on the heels of billionaire media mogul Robert F.X. Sillerman's 2005 acquisition of 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Sillerman paid $114 million for the stake and made the firm part of his publicly traded company CKX, which also owns the American Idol TV show.

Graceland was Presley's primary residence for 20 years and, since opening as a museum in 1982, is one of the most visited home museums in the US. Sillerman plans to spruce up the area around the Memphis mansion where Presley died in 1977 and double the number of visitors, currently estimated at 600,000 a year. The historic home on the property that is owned by the singer's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, has been kept intact.

Bill Wyman touts metal detector

In today's edition of the No Joke Required department, Bill Wyman is touting his new signature metal detector. The former Rolling Stones' bassist has unveiled the Bill Wyman Signature Detector, a lightweight and adjustable implement that comes with a free informational DVD, according to the product's press release. Wyman, who quit the Stones in 1993, issued an explanation for why he has his own signature metal detector.

"Metal-detecting is not just for anoraks or eccentrics; it's probably the best and the most enjoyable way of learning about our history," said Wyman, a self-described "history detective." "On any garden, country field, footpath, woodlands, beach, or moorland you can find a huge variety of historical objects, all easily located with this high quality metal detector. I hope with this new detector that more people take up the adventure and delight in personally discovering our nation's history."

Gibb promises to preserve Cash home's foundation

Former Bee Gee Barry Gibb has vowed to preserve the remaining foundation of the home that Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash shared for more than 30 years. The Hendersonville, Tennessee, home burned to the ground last week, destroying one of the most famous structures in music history, as Cash wrote much of his music and entertained US presidents, music royalty, and visiting fans at the home.

"Linda [Gibb's wife] and I have decided to build our own home on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home, and the original foundations shall be kept intact and preserved for the people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville," Gibb said in a statement.

Gibb, who purchased the home in 2006 in hopes that he and his wife would write songs there together and was performing renovations at the time of the fire, claimed the land on which the home once sat was "sacred" and "must be protected forever." The cause of the fire has yet to be announced.

Sheryl Crow in midst of eco tour

Sheryl Crow has headed back to school to talk with college students about the growing problem of global warming. Crow and environmentalist Laurie David, the wife of comedian Larry David, are in the midst of the Stop Global Warming College Tour, a bio-diesel bus tour of colleges. At the campus events, Crow is performing songs like "A Change Will Do You Good," "Everyday Is a Winding Road," and "Soak Up the Sun" acoustically with guitarist Tim Smith.

"I think we bring a little bit of comedy to the evening, but really, the objective is to light a fire under everybody, to propel this environmental movement," she said. "We open up the floor to questions and answers, to have a dialogue with students. We also want people to be part of a campaign toward leadership, and vote for people who are environmentally conscious."

While on the road, Crow and company are being trailed by a documentary film crew. "We're hoping to make a documentary, kind of following up (the David-produced film) An Inconvenient Truth, about what you can do on a personal level and in your businesses," she said. The tour wraps on Earth Day (April 22) in Washington, D.C.

Etheridge to get ASCAP award

In a year in which she has won an Oscar and become the parent of twins, Melissa Etheridge is set to receive another honor tomorrow night, this time at the 24th annual Pop Music Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Etheridge will receive the performing rights group's ASCAP Founders Award as part of ASCAP's "I Create Music Week" to celebrate songwriters and music makers.

Etheridge, who has a new album in the works, scored an Oscar for her song "I Need to Wake Up," which served as the theme song for the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which also landed an Academy Award. On July 7, Etheridge will be one of dozens of artists performing as part of Live Earth, Gore's seven-continent concert to raise awareness for what he has coined SOS, Save Our Selves: A Campaign for a Climate in Crisis.