Jack Soden's Whole lot of shaking going on at Graceland

Jack Soden's Whole lot of shaking going on at Graceland: The keeper of the flame of all things Elvis is still Jack Soden. The Kansas City native spearheaded the preservation and opening to the public of the King’s Memphis mansion Graceland in 1982. And while mum’s the word on exactly what may soon go down in the way of improvements, there’s plenty to see right now, as evidenced by the more than half-million visitors a year to Elvis’ former home.
“We’ve been buying property in our neighborhood for the last 18 years, and now we have a 120-acre campus,” Soden says. . (Right: EIN's Sanja Meegin with her friend Jack Soden)
Don’t look for a Disneyland-like theme park intruding on nearby neighborhoods, Soden says of the coming changes.
“It conjures up rides and Ferris wheels, and nobody wants that around this famous place,” Soden says. “If anything, we will build all new visitor centers, museum and parking facilities. We’re going to build everything over while carefully preserving the integrity of Graceland, because it’s a national landmark.
“People still place a great deal of value on authenticity. So it’s extremely important that Graceland be preserved the same as it was when Elvis lived here. And I think it’s important to note that just because you have 120 acres doesn’t mean you have to develop it all. A lot of it could remain green space.”
Return visitors can check out two new exhibits: Private Presley, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Elvis’ induction into the Army, and the 68 Special exhibit, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ television “comeback” where he performed the song “If I Can Dream.”
“We change an awful lot of our exhibits,” Soden says. “If you haven’t been here in several years, you’ll see a lot of things that are new.”
One thing people won’t see: Graceland’s upstairs, which will remain closed. Even President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi weren’t allowed up there when they jetted in for a schmooze two years ago.
“We were prepared that even if the White House had asked for that, we would have said no,” Soden says. “We were going to say if Koizumi was a real Elvis fan, he wouldn’t want to go upstairs. Elvis fans would consider it in poor taste to go upstairs and look at the bathroom floor where Elvis was found dead. But they never asked.”
Speaking of Bush’s visit, “The Secret Service loved being here,” Soden says. “We gave them all Elvis sunglasses.”
Countless celebs have flocked to Graceland over the years.
“Jeff Bridges is touring right now,” Soden says. “There’s always somebody. They’re making two movies in Memphis right now, one with Justin Timberlake, who is from Memphis. And Samuel L. Jackson is here. This is the third movie he’s made in Memphis.”
Incredibly, only two stars were kicked out for misbehavior, Soden says: Boy George and Courtney Love. George was acting up like he was vying for tabloid coverage, and Love wanted to engage in an unmentionable activity.
“We’re tolerant up to a point,” Soden says.

(News, Source;EIN/SanjaM)

Ah I cant wait to go back again. I thought it was great when we went but am glad they are doing things to improve it.
There is so much potential in the surrounding area to make it more Elvis themed or just safer.
I couldnt believe how dated and poverty stricken it was round there. Graceland has provided jobs for hundreds of Memphians and hopefully will provide lots more in the years to come.
Hopefully we will be back in 2012, for our 5 year anniversary... will be nice to see how it has developed since 2007.