Elvis Online

Graceland questions authenticity of Elvis memorabilia sold by auction house with ties to Priscilla!: NBC News has revealed some strange auction listings with some involving Priscilla letters of authenticity.

EPE's Joel Weinshanker has stated that he has concerns over Elvis items being sold by GWS Auctions. When GWS auction house offered to sell one of Elvis’ black jackets, he became suspicious as the black grommet jacket was a one-of-a-kind item worn by Elvis in 1972 and that very jacket was hanging up in Graceland’s private collection.

GWS Auctions, the company behind the 2023 auction of the jacket, has made a name for itself by selling Elvis memorabilia. Its owner, Brigitte Kruse, formed a relationship with Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and has even acted as her power of attorney. But the jacket was not an anomaly as Graceland is raising concerns about other items put up for auction, including a private jet and several pieces of jewelry.

Curiously some of the items were offered with a letter from Priscilla vouching for their authenticity, even though Elvis would have possessed them when they were no longer together. Kruse’s relationship with Priscilla, 79, has since imploded.

Kruse filed a lawsuit last fall accusing Priscilla of cutting her out of lucrative deals after she came to Priscilla’s financial rescue. On Thursday, Priscilla filed a countersuit, accusing Kruse and three associates of conning her out of $1 million in a financial elder abuse scheme. In a lengthy interview Kruse defended her auction sales, saying she “100%” stood by her Elvis items, and she questioned why Weinshanker would go to the media rather than raise issues with her directly.

Kruse and Priscilla met in 2021. In her suit, Priscilla said they were introduced by a mutual connection who said Kruse wanted to discuss her business selling Elvis memorabilia. In the summer of 2022, Priscilla Presley did media interviews promoting a GWS auction featuring jewelry from the collection of Elvis’ longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker. In the days before the auction, Priscilla did media interviews explaining why she was endorsing it. Priscilla said, “I want fans and people who love Elvis to know it is authentic. There’s so much product out there that is not authentic at all and that worries me.”

At Graceland, Weinshanker and other staffers grew concerned about Priscilla’s involvement and the fact that the auction house was offering items with letters signed by her. Weinshanker and other Elvis experts were especially concerned with Priscilla providing letters for items purchased outside of the years she and Elvis were together, as she might not know whether or not the items were genuine.

According to Kruse’s lawsuit, Priscilla was in dire financial straits by August 2022. To help her get out of debt, they created several companies to “exploit new income streams” and “monetize various aspects of Priscilla’s life,” the suit says. Kruse was also named a co-trustee of Priscilla’s trust and was granted powers of attorney. But after setting up a company to capitalize on Priscilla’s name and likeness, Kruse found out that Priscilla had already sold the rights to another firm, according to the breach of contract lawsuit.

The suit, which seeks at least $50,000 in damages, portrayed Priscilla as a fading celebrity facing financial ruin due in part to her diminishing fame.

Priscilla’s lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the suit, citing lack of jurisdiction. A decision is pending.
Go here for the full NBC News article

What is Priscilla Presley's Net Worth?

Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman who has a net worth of $10 million. Priscilla Presley is best known for her marriage to Elvis Presley. As an actress, she is known for starring in "The Naked Gun" film trilogy and the TV series "Dallas." Priscilla founded Elvis Presley Enterprises in 1981 and ran the company until the late 80s. She is also an author, and her 1985 memoir, "Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll," was a New York Times bestseller.

As we detail in the next section below, Priscilla was only the trustee of Elvis' estate between his death in 1977 and Lisa Marie's 25th birthday in 1990. For much of the decade following Elvis' death, the estate's financial position was in disarray. The estate eventually made a recovery thanks to licensing deals and the sale of various assets, but Priscilla was never a major beneficiary.

Following Lisa Marie Presley's death in January 2023, Priscilla's granddaughter Riley Keough was named the trust controller of Elvis' Graceland mansion and given 15% ownership of the late singer's estate. This reportedly infuriated Priscilla and began a $35 million trust fund dispute. However, Priscilla Presley recently commented on the matter, saying the legal feud drama is "a bunch of BS." The feud was settled out of court.

Upon Elvis' death in 1977 at the age of 42, he left his entire estate to his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, with Priscilla as trustee. Unfortunately, at the time of his death, Elvis' estate was in a difficult financial position and was worth just $1 million at that time. Lisa inherited full ownership of his estate upon her 25th birthday. At that point, the estate's value had grown to be worth $100 million.

In 2005, Lisa sold an 85% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises for a one-time $100 million payout. She maintained 100% ownership of Graceland mansion.

Unfortunately, Lisa Marie died suddenly in January 2023 at the age of 54. In 2016, she adjusted her will to cut her mother out and add her two eldest children, Benjamin and Riley Keough, as her sole trustees. Benjamin tragically died of suicide in 2020, which meant Riley became the sole trustee upon Lisa Marie's death. Riley has twin half-siblings through Lisa Marie's relationship with Michael Lockwood. Those twins, who were under 18 at the time of Lisa Marie's death, will eventually also own a piece of the Elvis estate.

Priscilla briefly attempted the block Riley from being the sole heir of Lisa Marie's estate. In her petition, Priscilla pointed out that her own name was misspelled at least once in the updated 2016 will, AND Lisa Marie's signature was very different from previous signatures. Riley and Priscilla ultimately settled the situation out of court, with Priscilla reportedly being given a portion of Lisa Marie's $35 million life insurance payouts.

In a February 2024 lawsuit, a former business associate. The associate claimed she came on board in 2022 to help Priscilla, who was allegedly on the brink of financial insolvency, with $700,000 in unpaid tax debt and no reliable source of future income. In the lawsuit, the former associate claimed she was brought on to "prevent Priscilla's financial ruin and public embarrassment." In response, Priscilla's lawyers claimed during their time working together, the former associate and another party were "attempting to misappropriate Ms. Presley's assets and were engaging in other wrongdoing."

As counterpoint context, in late 2020, Priscilla sold a home in Beverly Hills she had owned since 1977 for $13 million. And a few months later she bought a penthouse apartment in Los Angeles for $5 million.

Priscilla Presley was born Priscilla Ann Wagner on May 24, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Ann, had Priscilla at 19 years old, and her father, James (a Navy pilot), died in a plane crash when his daughter was just six months old. Ann married Air Force officer Paul Beaulieu in 1948, and Priscilla began using his last name instead of Wagner. The family moved every few years due to Beaulieu's Air Force career, so Presley grew up in Connecticut, New Mexico, Maine, and Texas. Paul was transferred to Germany in 1956, and that is where Priscilla met Elvis Presley, who was serving in the Army at the time.

Career

In 1973, Priscilla and friend/stylist Olivia Bis opened the Bis & Beau clothing boutique in Los Angeles; the shop, which was beloved by celebrities like Cher, Barbra Streisand, and Natalie Wood, closed in 1976. When Elvis passed away in 1977, Priscilla was the executor for Lisa Marie. After realizing how much of her daughter's inheritance would be going to Graceland (for upkeep, taxes, and other expenses), she turned Graceland into a popular tourist attraction with help from CEO Jack Soden. Graceland opened on June 7, 1982, and was a hit with Elvis fans; the museum has been a National Historic Landmark since 2006 and attracts more than 650,000 visitors each year. Priscilla served as president and chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises, and the estate was worth more than $100 million by the time Lisa Marie Presley was old enough to inherit it in 1993 officially.

Priscilla's business ventures also include a line of fragrances and linens, and she has produced several film and television projects, including "Elvis and Me" (1988), "Breakfast with Einstein" (1998), "Finding Graceland" (1998), and upcoming Netflix adult animated series "Agent King." She joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's board of directors in 2000, and she was a series regular on "Dallas" (1983-1988) and appeared in all three films in "The Naked Gun" franchise, playing Jane Spencer, the love interest of Leslie Nielsen's Lt. Frank Drebin. Priscilla was also offered a lead role in "Charlie's Angels" but turned it down.

Priscilla lived with Mike Stone right after her divorce, and they stayed together until 1975. She was in a relationship with male model Michael Edwards from 1978 to 1985. Still, she ended things when Edwards began behaving inappropriately toward Lisa Marie, who was a teenager at the time. Presley then entered into a 22-year relationship with screenwriter/computer programmer Marco Garibaldi, and the couple welcomed son Navarone on March 1, 1987. Priscilla and Marco split up in 2006, and she went on to date TV executive Nigel Lythgoe from 2006 to 2009. Presley had also been linked to lawyer Robert Kardashian and photographer Terry O'Neill.

Through Lisa Marie, Priscilla has four grandchildren, including actress Riley Keough. Her grandson, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in July of 2020. Priscilla Presley became a great-grandmother through Riley in 2022.

Priscilla's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, died from a heart attack on January 12, 2023, at age 54.

Presley has served as the Ambassador of the Dream Foundation since 2003. The organization grants wishes to terminally ill adults.

Real Estate

In 1976, Presley paid $170,000 for a home for her parents in Los Angeles. She sold this property in 2019 for $3.9 million.

For several decades, she owned a 7,000-square-foot home in Beverly Hills. She moved into the house right after her divorce from Elvis. The Italian-style villa was first built way back in 1951 but has been extensively updated at least once since then. It has seven bedrooms and eight and a half bathrooms and sits on a one-acre lot behind a large gate for security and privacy. In August 2020, Priscilla listed this Beverly Hills home for an impressive $16 million. She sold this home in December 2020 for $13 million.

In January 2021, she paid just under $5 million for a penthouse in Century City, California.

Elvis Online Conclusion / Opinion. I neither like nor hate Priscilla Presley, I am totally indifferent to her. I believe she has done some bad things and tried to fleece as much money out of the Elvis image as she can.

But on the other side of the coin I have to assume she had a lot of influence in keeping the music rolling out, did a lot of good via CD's such as Elvis Duets and so on. But I believe she now needs to gracefully retire and pass on the reins to someone else. I think she is doing no good hanging around and she is now doing more damage than good.

The Crowdstrike Screw-up

22nd July 2024

CrowdStrike has now come to the public eye after a significant incident where a faulty update led to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), causing many systems to go offline. Before that, no one knew much about the company and its reach to many enterprises and millions of users.

What is Crowdstrike Falcon Platform?

CrowdStrike Falcon Platform provides a revolutionary cloud-based endpoint protection solution. Falcon sensor (small and light) and cloud (big and powerful) work seamlessly to deliver real-time protection and visibility -- yes, even when the sensor is not connected to the internet.

How did Friday’s ‘blue screen’ outage emerge?

Friday’s disruptions began when a faulty update was pushed out from CrowdStrike for one of its tools, “Falcon.” In a statement about the ongoing situation, the company said the defect was found “in a single content update for Windows hosts” — noting that Mac and Linux systems were not impacted.

But, because scores of companies rely on CrowdStrike for their security needs with Windows as their operating system, the consequences of this kind of technical problem have been far-reaching. As a result, affected computer after computer showed the “blue screen of death” error message.

The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, noting that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.

Microsoft is often at the forefront of innovation and protection. However, people often wonder if CrowdStrike is owned by Microsoft. Since the Windows BSOD crash, many people have been blaming Microsoft for the outage, but in reality, it was CrowdStrike.

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is an American cybersecurity firm founded in 2011 by George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch, and Gregg Marston, based in Austin, Texas. The company known for its endpoint protection, threat intelligence, and incident response services. The company quickly gained a reputation for its Falcon platform, with a market value of around $83bn.

It utilizes cloud-based technology to detect and prevent security breaches in real-time. In simple term, CrowdStrike is an antivirus and software that works at the enterprise level to prevent from threat, hacking, data leak and Ransomware.

Is CrowdStrike Owned by Microsoft?

People often wonder if CrowdStrike is owned by Microsoft. In reality CrowdStrike is not owned by Microsoft. CrowdStrike and Microsoft are two different entities.

Microsoft, a tech giant with a diverse portfolio, including software, hardware, and cloud services, has also made significant strides in cybersecurity. Microsoft’s cybersecurity efforts are deeply integrated into its products, such as Windows Defender and the broader Microsoft Security suite, which includes Azure Security, Office 365 security, and enterprise-level security solutions.

CrowdStrike’s primary products are designed to block hackers and malware, but the company also specializes in investigating major data breaches. CrowdStrike not only provides security software to industries, but also investigates hacks and tracks hackers. In 2016, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hired CrowdStrike to investigate the Russian hack of its servers. Similarly, in 2014, Sony Pictures enlisted CrowdStrike to look into a cyberattack that was linked to North Korea.

Microsoft Collaborations with CrowdStrike

It’s worth noting that while CrowdStrike is not owned by Microsoft, the two companies have collaborated in the past.

CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform integrates with Microsoft’s Azure cloud services, allowing businesses to leverage the strengths of both platforms for enhanced security. In addition to Azure, CrowdStrike is also a cloud provider partner with AWS, Google Cloud, and Red Hat.

These collaborations are common in the tech industry, where interoperability between different systems can provide more robust solutions for customers.

Conclusion

CrowdStrike is not owned by Microsoft. Both companies operate independently, though they occasionally collaborate to enhance cybersecurity solutions. CrowdStrike’s cutting-edge technology and Microsoft’s extensive cybersecurity tools each bring unique strengths to the table, contributing to a safer digital environment.