`Sopranos' Celebrates Season Premier; `3,000 Miles to Graceland' a Morality Tale, Vegas Style
BILL TUSH, HOST: Coming up on SHOWBIZ THIS WEEK, Kurt Russell reprises hi role of Elvis for "3,000 Miles to Graceland." We'll peek between the covers of "Sports Illustrated"'s latest swimsuit issue. And we're right in the middle of a mob as "The Sopranos" premiers its season opener.</s>TUSH: This is like the ticket of the year in New York; Radio City Music Hall, "The Sopranos" party -- Edie Falco, Carmela Soprano, so good to see you. This is becoming an annual event for us.</s>EDIE FALCO, ACTRESS: I guess it is.</s>TUSH: We always have to get an update, but you never give us an update.</s>FALCO: Sorry; I'm just doing my job.</s>TUSH: But you're, like, the greatest housewife on television.</s>FALCO: That might be the scariest things I've ever heard.</s>TUSH: I did see a clip of the show.</s>FALCO: From this season?</s>TUSH: Where you're having a little problem with Meadow.</s>FALCO: I'm just nodding; I'm not agreeing or saying anything.</s>TUSH: We do this every year.</s>FALCO: I'll get fired! Next year there would be a premier and I wouldn't be here, and they would say, what happened, they'd say, she told somebody a plot line and they fire her.</s>TUSH: You couldn't get fired from that show. Come on; that would be like saying, get rid of Tony.</s>FALCO: Stranger things have happened. That's all I'm going to say.</s>TUSH: All right, go have good time at the premier -- the party tonight, all right. OK, and us -- where are we are going? That's the big mystery, but I'm going to fill you in. This week another event I had to miss -- boy, I hated missing this one -- "Sports Illustrated" had their annual swimsuit issue unveiled, if that's a word I may use. And here's a little tease.</s>AUDREY QUOCK: This is my third year, actually, yes. So I'm, like, a pro at this.</s>SHIRLEY MALLMANN: This is my first time, and I no idea about all of this, but I'm liking it.</s>PETRA NEMCOVA: And I am very excited and a little bit nervous about it; but it's, such a big thing to do and it's going to bring lots of new experience and a lot of new things.</s>MOLLY SIMMS: I've done it before; I'm second-year veteran. That's pretty cool, huh?</s>AURELIE CLAUDEL: It's a good thing.</s>KIM LEMANTON: This is definitely an honor; I'm very happy. It's, like, my dream ever since I was a little girl.</s>ELSA BENITEZ: I'm really happy about the one they picked, it was one of my favorite. And I also like the ones inside, but this is one, I think -- I love the makeup, the color of the bathing suit. Now we'll see. I'm so ready for everything that's going to come now.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're their fantasy which, hey, there's nothing wrong with that.</s>TUSH: Donald Chianese, uncle Junior. You've become superstar on "The Sopranos" in the past three years. A little bit crazy? Having a good time?</s>DOMINIC CHIANESE, ACTOR: I'm having a great time. I only feel that -- I hope the show just goes on and on and on. That's my own private hope.</s>TUSH: That's because you're having a good time doing it. All right; last year at the party after the show, you got up and sang, I understand. Are you going to do it tonight?</s>CHIANESE: If they ask me, I will. I'd be happy to.</s>TUSH: Well, I'm asking you -- get up there...</s>CHIANESE: Oh, sure, I'll go up and I'll sing something that everybody will enjoy, I hope.</s>TUSH: All right uncle Junior -- do people yell that to you on the street when they see you?</s>CHIANESE: They do.</s>TUSH: You're looking good; thanks so much for your time. All right, Lauren Hunter's going to tell us about Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner, both playing Elvis in a new movie called "3,000 Miles to Graceland."</s>LAUREN HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's international Elvis week in Las Vegas. In the midst of the revelry, five Elvises -- or is it Elvi? -- hit the Riviera Casino, pursuing an ex-con's version of the American dream.</s>KURT RUSSELL, ACTOR: A crazy casino heist.</s>KEVIN COSTNER, ACTOR: It was kind of like having a party next door and deciding not to turn the music down no matter who asks you to.</s>HUNTER: "3,000 Miles to Graceland" is a high-body count morality tale, Vegas style.</s>DEMIEN LICHTENSTEIN, DIRECTOR, "3,000 MILES TO GRACELAND": It's the yin and the yang. It's the -- it's the black hat, white hat Western, if you will.</s>HUNTER: Kevin Costner's the heavy; Kurt Russell, the flawed hero; and Courtney Cox, the spirited love interest.</s>RUSSELL: It was kind of fun to take the amoral characters that pervade this weird Elvis world that I think they're all sort of trapped in and be able to play the one character who, because he falls in love and, of course, doesn't know it, finds a conscience and he wants to get out of it.</s>HUNTER: But there's something about those outfits.</s>RUSSELL: With Elvis, you understand what he was going for when you put that jumpsuit on.</s>HUNTER: Russell's acting work is book-ended by the King.</s>RUSSELL: The first movie I ever did was with Elvis Presley in 1962, a picture called "It Happened at the World's Fair." (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR") ELVIS PRESLEY, ENTERTAINER: Hey, kid, how would you like to kick me in the shin?</s>RUSSELL: How would I like to kick you in the shin? Mister, are you drunk?</s>RUSSELL: He was a person who was extremely memorable, even to a kid who really wasn't paying that much attention to anything.</s>HUNTER: "3,000 miles" Director Demien Lichtenstein paid homage to that film, with a fan asking Kurt Russell's Elvis to autograph the "World's Fair" soundtrack. But the opening shot is one of the director's favorite scenes.</s>LICHTENSTEIN: I wanted to create an image that would remain in film history, something that every time you looked at it, you were like, wow, that was cool! We had 6,000 spectators and 125 police and hundreds of extras. It was quite awesome.</s>HUNTER: As for Russell, the saga of the solo guy running against all odds is as American as apple pie.</s>RUSSELL: It's like part of our DNA or something -- I don't know. We want the underdog to make it; we just want him to succeed.</s>HUNTER: But does he? You'll have to travel "3,000 Miles to Graceland" to find out. Lauren Hunter, CNN entertainment news, Hollywood.</s>TUSH: Still to come, Taye Diggs' new role in Ally McBeal makes him one of our stars of tomorrow.