And the Winner Is...?

Well, Elvis Dead Day isn't over yet here: We got two and a half hours left in the midwest. I've finally gotten around to watching the 1988 mini-series "Elvis and Me," and I've been thinking about this topic all day.

Just who was the best Elvis? (Well, besides the obvious answer being Elvis himself.)

Now, I have many opinions on this subject. Michael St. Gerard was a nobody who did a stunning job in the short-lived TV series "Elvis: The Early Years." I don't have many memories of the series, because I was in 4th grade when it ran. I remember Millie Perkins ("Anne Frank") was Gladys, and she was much too beautiful to be Elvis' forlorn mother (unlike the appropriately cast Camryn Mannheim in 2005's "Elvis" mini-series). St. Gerard also reprised his role as Elvis for the penultimate episode of "Quantum Leap," Memphis Melody (one of my favorite episodes of course!).


Dale Midkiff played Elvis in "Elvis and Me." This was my first real introduction to Elvis, and after this I was truly hooked. He had the voice down, so eerily down. If you close your eyes, you think it's him, but then you open your eyes, and well, you see Midkiff. This isn't a bad thing, believe you me, but it's not Elvis. He is dark, brooding, and mysterious, though. His performance is outstanding, and I think I like the fact that they didn't go to a whole lot of trouble trying to make him look exactly like Elvis, what with the pompadour, etc. Dale Midkiff was my favorite Elvis for the longest time, but as of last year, his crown has been in question. This all thanks to a little Irish boy from Dublin.


Jonathan Rhys Meyers (one of my cousin's boyfriends--she's such a playa) is perhaps hands down the best Elvis in any biopic. I admit when I heard he was playing Elvis, I was outraged. This skinny little boy with that thicker than coddled cream Irish accent can't talk like Elvis, let alone move like him. Oh my gosh, was I WRONG! He got the voice, the movements, the attitude, and the hair all perfect. The first part of the mini-series was wonderfully in-depth and accurate from all biographical accounts I've read, but the second part was horribly rushed and slapped together. It stopped at the '68 Special, but no real attention was paid to this pivotal moment in his career. Rhys Meyers took home a Golden Globe for his performance, and he was so sheepish and appreciative when he won.

So, folks, what do you think? Do you pick one of my conventional three, or do you want to think outside of the box? Maybe a Kurt Russell or a shadowy Val Kilmer? How about a huge-chinned Bruce Campbell Elvis? But if any of you stray so far off the beaten path to say Nicolas Cage or Kevin Costner, I will beat YOU.