is works. [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote isn't how it works anymore. with esurance, 7 1/2 minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. this is a fox news special report. elvis at 8:00. >> elvis presley of mississippi, died today. he was only 42 years old. but while he lived he revolutionized the music business and in one way or another he touched our lives. >> we just love him, just love him, that is all. he has to be watching this. he has to be so happy. >> elvis presley was an idol to many of us growing up. sexy, exciting, he didn't invent

rock and roll but made it more mainstream. he was dead at just 42 years old. and many still wonder how and why he died in his dream house in memphis, tennessee, well, over the course of the next hour, you will get more insight from insiders but more importantly from the extraordinary man from graceland. >> love me tender, love me sweet. >> on the day of elvis' death in 1977 he is the fading king of rock and roll. his records and movies are not selling the way they used to. and he supports his rich life-style with concerts. scheduled to play out of memphis, elvis is heading to portland, maine, for what would have been his 56th live show of the year. >> we returned back to graceland

at about 1:30. and elvis and i went upstairs and elvis turned on the television in his room to relax for a while. >> live-in girlfriend ginger is the last person to see him alive. about 6:30, elvis called downstairs for ricky stanley to bring up his package of medication to help him sleep. because he was so nervous, always keyed up before starting the tour. elvis took his pack of medication and started reading, he thought it would help him fall asleep. then i fell asleep. so about 8:00 i woke up, elvis said he was restless and just couldn't sleep. and ricky came up with another pack of medication. >> a second pack? >> right, elvis took that, then i went back to sleep. >> elvis spent the entire

morning inside his dressing room in graceland, and it was there ginger discovered him. >> i went inside, i opened the door. >> panicked members of his group try to revive him. the medical examiner, one of the prime architects of what i long ago labelled the elvis cover-up. the conspiracy to hide his drug abuse from his heartbroken fans. >> the result of the autopsy are the cause of death is a cardiac arrhythmia due to undetermined causes. >> i have been praying about that. i hope and pray he didn't do it on purpose. >> more than worried about money near the end, elvis is no longer the slim sex symbol who changed the world. strained and swollen, he is also

deeply troubled by a tell-all book describing among other things the drug abuse about to be published by his ex-body guard. >> did that book by the bodyguards kill him? n >> this is very hard, geraldo, because these guys were like brothers. we lived together. did it hurt him? did it contribute? as hard as i hate to say this, yes. >> in exclusive interviews that were back in the day, ginger claims not to know he was hooked on the plet had hora of drugs. dispensed by his group. >> this is very important, you personally witnessed elvis presley abusing drugs on many, many occasions almost daily? >> three times a week, i would

work a day, rick would work a day. two other guys would work. so about two to three times a week. >> but every time you were on duty? >> every time. every day. every day. past two years of elvis' life it was every day. >> the actual cause of the death was an overdose of quaaludes and other drugs in his system. george recalls getting to graceland after hearing the awful news. >> i get to graceland, the gates swing open, mr. presley runs up to me. he says george, george, i have lost my son, you lost your best friend. at the time, the doctor walks in and says gather around me. i hate to tell you this by elvis presley passed away at baptist hospital.

it was very sad, you just couldn't believe it. the guy was such a superstar. had the whole world in his hands. >> did his entourage, including you, george, did you hesitate to tell him it was inappropriate or maybe he should have taken better of himself. >> elvis thought because it came from doctors and it was a doctor's pill, he didn't buy off the street it wouldn't hurt him. but lo and behold, it did. you know what happened. >> why didn't anyone else tell elvis to stop or slow down? >> well, i'm really glad you asked that. first of all, elvis was a really proud human being and he thought his job was to help everybody else. very hard for him to take any help. >> why didn't you stop him? >> i tried on different occasions to stop elvis when i saw him take something that i thought he shouldn't be taking or taking too much of something.

and on the different times he would say like i don't understand, but he would say i need it. i don't understand. >> what would elvis do if he didn't get the drugs he wanted? >> he would get upset sometimes. we were in las vegas, like there for eight weeks. and you know elvis -- was getting his drugs but it got to a point to where his doctor wanted to shut him off in las vegas. and we couldn't reach the doctor anymore. so he jumped up on the table one day and he pulled out his .45 and said i'll buy a [ bleep ] drug store if i want to. you people better realize you're either with me or against me. >> he is speaking about elvis at the end, when we come back how elvis became the world's first rock star, elvis continues. everywhere.

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november 15th, 1966, thousands gather to catch a glimpse of 20-year-old elvis presley, as he arrives for his premiere. when we continue this fox news special report honoring elvis on what would have been his 80th birthday, january 8th. i'm geraldo rivera. >> elvis, as a cultural musical hero, what do you mean? >> elvis was the atom bomb that went off. the word rock star didn't exist

before elvis presley. >> without elvis there would not have been a beatle. or a whole lot of folks, he broke the ground morally. a lot of people said if you listen to elvis you're going straight to hell. >> born in 1935, elvis learns to sing in the services with his poor but proud family at the assembly of god church. standing on the chair, he wins fifth prize at the mississippi dairy show, his prize? $5 in rides. a year later he gets his first guitar, often bringing it to school as the presleys move to memphis, and he attends humes high, attracting attention singing a sexed up version of "can i waltz with you". >> we were like kind of the first underground sneaking down to the black shows that were

segregated. and when he went out, he didn't go out to promote black music, he went out to do what he liked. >> i think it was more of a bluesy thing. so obviously, the blues of the delta of mississippi where he was born and raised we know that that was part of it. >> one, two, three -- >> in '54, the new beat gets a new name. and the first rock star is born when elvis meets sun records producer sam philips. >> sam always knew, he said if i can get a white guy that sings like a black person and has the feeling of a black person i can make a million dollars. and had e said i got him when it

elvis. >> he used a not so subtle sex appeal that makes elvis the pelvis different from the rest. >> elvis was one of sam's proteges as i'm sure you know. he and arroroy orbison, johnny . elvis showed us what women were looking for in a man. >> elvis was amazing in that he also bridged the generation, the racial divide. the north/south divide. he was in every sense what they call now a crossover star. >> precisely, james brown, he had a great line, he was an elvis fan. he said man, elvis made it possible for the black man's

music to really be heard. >> although elvis obviously planted his roots deep in memphis across the state. and sang his heart out later in his career in las vegas it was right here in nashville that he made most of his best music. in all, he recorded 262 records here in music city beginning with the classic you hear in the background, heartbreak hotel. since heartbreak hotel he has sold over a billion records and he continues to be a best seller. >> it was a double change. there were radio stations who were in charge at that time. they immediately switched their formats. >> after trying his hand in october 1954 at the grand ole opry, he becomes country's first taylor swift, crossing over. >> the change was just overnight. the music went from frank

sinatra to elvis presley. >> elvis presley was controversy. >> hooking up with tom parker, he gets rich when his record deal is sold for an unprecedented 40 grand. with his first $5,000 advance, elvis buys a pink cadillac for his mother, gladys. he goes hollywood in 1952. >> for my darling, i love you. his dream of acting realized elvis makes and breaks records, until in january 1957, just two days after the ed sullivan show appearance, from the waist up. elvis presley gets his draft. >> if rock and roll would even

disappear or diminish in popularity, what would you do? >> well, i would probably try acting. >> on an emergency leave due to his beloved mother's illness, he is devastated. he is a self-professed mama's boy. >> he said mama, i would dig ditches just to bring you back for fives. >> a toxic seed is planted in his life. he is introduced to speed. in the words of a fellow soldier, elvis is evangelical about their benefits, for strength and weight loss. in 1960, honorably discharged, he returns to a more conservative america. with the brand of rock and roll. >> the rock and roll, the gyrations involved are something that really should disappear

from american life. how do you feel about? >> well, the generation that you're talking about as far as i'm concerned. it is something natural. just my way of expressing my song, i can't help it. >> and you will still express yourself like that in the future? >> i put it like this, if i stand still i'm dead. >> screaming fans out there. do you still like screaming girls? >> if it wasn't for them i would have to re-up in the army, i'll tell you. >> one girl he can't get enough of is the 14-year-old daughter of an army colonel he served with in germany. elvis brings her back to memphis. >> elvis, how in the hell did you talk her father, who was a general in the army to letting her come over by herself. >> he said well, i told her she would have to stay with my mom and dad and then she went to graceland. he was really a 100% southern

gentleman. >> to me, the times i cherished were the times we were alone. and you know, there were always so many people with us at all times. and we lived and breathed together with an entourage. traveled and ate together. the times we were alone, when he really reveals himself. >> coming up, we'll have more from priscilla, as we track the fall and decline. so was the 100, and the 45 highway mpg tdi clean diesel. and last but not least, the high performance gti. looks like we're gonna need a bigger podium. the volkswagen golf family. motor trend's 2015 "cars" of the year.

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elvis at 80 continues, how the king left a legacy of music. from the gold-plated piano he gave his new bride, priscilla,

to the lavish limo he rode in. everybody remembers the star, from johnny cash to taylor swift. there he is, the king of rock and roll. >> every song he sang he put his heart and soul into it. and it is hard to have a favorite song because just when you say oh, this is my favorite then you hear another song and you go oh, this is my favorite. i really have special meaning for all of them. >> but as 60 approaches, singers like bob dylan, elvis surrenders to hollywood's embrace. >> hollywood came calling, and he got sort of bit by the film bug which distracted him away from making music. he almost became a joke in the '60s, because people were just not really catching onto the films he was doing.

>> legendary filmmaker hal wallace produces nine elvis films, describing the king as the only sure thing in hollywood. >> please take another chance ♪ >> elvis stars in a series of so-so films alongside established actors like walter mathau, and mary tyler moore. although engaged to priscilla, elvis is linked to some of the most desirable ladies, nancy sinatra, and he showered lots of attention on ann margaret. >> he was slow dancing or kissing her on the neck, we were not looking at him too much, we were looking at her. he sees us and comes around and says i told you guys to get out of here, get out of here. >> and i love you so. >> elvis is making a million a

movie, but the assembly line musicals hand-picked by manager tom parker do him little good. the biographers claim he pushed elvis into the arena to pay for his own gambling debts. >> why have a great, elvis is going to make money, people are going to come. the only person that didn't believe that philosophy was elvis presley. >> did he get bad advice? was he taken for a ride? what happened? he was an intelligent person. >> elvis never claimed that colonel tom parker got 51% and he got 49. did elvis have individual counsel? could the contract have been nullified? i would say yes, but he was okay with it. if i was elvis, i would have been a son of a [ bleep ]. if i'm doing all the work and

doing all that stuff, manager respectfully would have gotten ten, no more than 20%. >> i saw them tell him, if you don't do these contracts, you won't do anything. so now here is what elvis has a choice for. is he going to walk around the rest of his life with a chip on his shoulder or is he just going to go through the motion? >> now married to priscilla but with a career in tatters in 1968, elvis is down but not out. he welcomes his only child, lisa marie. then rejecting his advice, he stages a comeback, his first in seven years. clad in black leather, he is back. >> he is back, man. >> i will never forget they

introduced me to elvis presley. super agent jerry weintrab. >> how in the world did you get past the most protective agent in the world? colonel tom parker. >> he said i'm going to give a million to go on tour. i said is there anything at all i can do for you, elvis? only thing you can do for me, promise me two things. number one, we'll always be sold out. and i want you to promise me that the first 20 rows will go to my fans. not to big shots. >> viva las vegas, he also went to hawaii and lived and died of course in graceland in memphis, tennessee, but in some ways this was the city most closely associated with the king of rock and roll. in show business terms, this is where elvis starred opposite ann margaret in the iconic movies. his home away from home here was

the las vegas hilton, elvis was there so much they called the hotel graceland west. it is also where he performed almost nightly, selling out a record 837 consecutive concerts. now called the west gate las vegas, the memory of the king is very much alive. >> elvis was happy because all he did was come down from his suite in las vegas, and there was a party every night after the show. >> this was his playground, he took me here when i was 16 years old. he would always come here for vacation. he would come here after a movie. >> who did he love? >> priscilla presley. priscilla was his first and really true love. >> although she was his one and only true life, neither is faithful. she carries on an affair with her karate teacher. >> he didn't have this rock star

mentality. he was like a southern gentleman who was trying to impress his date. >> the presleys separate in february of 1978. the year he almost overdoses, once hospitalized from demerol abuse. >> did he seem doped up to you? >> no, he didn't, he didn't drink alcohol, but took the pills the doctors described him. >> he went to richard nixon, who was president and got a ban from the dea. >> i'm sorry, he was a drug addict just like me, no better or worse, if you use them against what the doctors order, and the doctor is giving them to you illegally, can't we make that little jump -- you know, come on. >> we told elvis look, why don't you let us take you down to duke university.

you spent a month at duke university. they will get you back in good health, you will get off all that crap, lose your weight. he said well, it would be too embarrassing. >> elvis still dreams of acting greatness but misses the chance to save his movie career if not his life. when streisand came to him and wanted to star opposite him in the star is born, we said this would be the movie that would bring you back, man. >> i believe that the best of both worlds. >> incredibly colonel parker treats barbara's offer of "a star is born" with contempt. >> he said okay, we get the top billing, album for the movie. and streisand said hey, colonel, i'm a pretty big star, too. >> we look at him like a big star, but at his heart he was

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senator. landrieu failed to get the necessary 50% of the vote forcing a runoff. this would have been her fourth term. the gop will have 54 seats next month, a nine seats increase. republicans held on to two seats on saturday. and in the philippines, a powerful typhoon slamming coastal areas mowing down trees and knocking out power. it is possible there are casualties but none are confirmed. the storm gusting up to 40 miles an hour at the peak, winds are weaker but at least 50,000 people fled to shelters and higher ground. i'm robert gray, now back to geraldo rivera reports. >> the only thing he took was sleeping pills just to sleep like everybody else i guess in

his field. but i have never known elvis to take any hard drugs. >> continuing our special report, elvis at 80, speaking on the night he died. a prominent las vegas doctor is under pressure from allegations that he is the one prescribing the meds already suspected of killing the king. even in death, the doctor's family still trying to clear his name. this incredible array of prescription medicines all made out to elvis presley is proof of the stark reality in the king of rock and roll's life and death. like michael jackson after him, elvis doctor-shop man to man to insure a steady supply of prescription drugs that killed him. we have that evidence of the stark reality because of the widow of elvis' doctor here in las vegas. jodie, thank you for joining us. we're also joined by elias ii,

as your husband lay dying from four stage cancer, he told you something about a depose it box what was it? >> he said he took medications away from elvis, he wanted people to understand. he lived with a stigma that he was the one that caused the drug problems. >> the doctor was regarded as one of the doctors who helped kill elvis by over-prescribing the medication. he told you to look in the safety deposit box, and what did you see? >> i was amazed at the prescriptions given to this man. >> let's look at the drugs prescribed in the safe deposit box by dr. ganem, these are

quaaludes, this is a drug called sanilert, described by the doctor. it has the caption, capsule three times daily to keep sanity. and a sedative, anti-anxiety and tension and depression. >> i am sure that elias prescribed medications to elvis presley. he would never cross that line of jeopardizing that medical license that he worked so hard for. >> elias, what do you hope? >> the side of my story my dad wanted to tell people for so many years and that he really wanted to help elvis. he looked at him as a family member, more like a brother. and he really loved him. >> why didn't anyone tell elvis to stop or slow down? >> elvis was a real proud human

being. and he thought his job was to help everybody else. very hard for him to take any help. i tell you, i saw him at a doctor's house in las vegas. >> elias, you know him? >> yes, i was if you afurious, elvis almost incapacitated. >> the childhood friend. >> i waited for the doctor, i confronted him when he came home at 2:00 a.m., and elvis was staying at his house. and i really threatened him because i really thought i could lose my friend. boy, the next day elvis was out of bed and he was mad. when you guys get your medical degree, you know, you can tell my doctors what to do. did we do enough, no. but i tell you we couldn't have done anymore with a strong personality like elvis. >> from the geraldo vault, this

is elvis' stepbrother. >> i'll say elias seemed like he cared for elvis, but after a while he fell into it like the rest of them and just was giving him whatever he wanted. nobody hardly said no to elvis presley. >> the records indicate that especially in the last year of his life, he prescribed certain medications to elvis presley. and quite extraordinarily large amounts. >> why? >> i can't comment on that. and i don't believe that is true. >> well, the records we have, doctor -- i'll say that as gently as i possibly can, indicate that from january 20th, 1977, until august 16th, 1977, the day he died, you prescribed to elvis presley and the prescriptions are all signed by

you, over 5,000 scheduled 2 narcotics and/or amphetamines. that comes out to something like that 25 per day. >> i don't believe that. >> well, if it is something that you would like to refresh your recollection on or is it something you deny? >> i deny. >> of all the doctor feelgoods in elvis' life, the only one ever charged for misconduct to the over-prescribing for the king of rock and roll, was nick nichopolous. the man who brought the charges, joe, great to see you, it has been 35 years. >> it has. >> give me a sense of how abusive these prescriptions were. >> well, they're all schedule 2

narcot narcotics, amphetamines, and you name it. he prescribed 12,000 prescriptions for over several months before we brought charges just to elvis presley. >> 12 thousand? >> 12 thousand. >> that is a mountain of dope. >> it absolutely is. we are doing this special in recognition of elvis' upcoming 80th birthday. do you think the drug use in any way diminishes his achievements? i don't think so he was a fabulous entertainer. we all have faults. he was an addict and it is considered a disease. >> coming up, after death, how elvis is bigger than ever.

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they just didn't think it could happen. they told the house they would take better care of her... always. announcer: protect what matters. get flood insurance. nichopoul . now continuing our fox news special report, elvis at 80, when the king passed by some accounts he had a negative net worth. certainly nothing could compare to the millions he earned through managers and the like. but in death, another story. >> $48 million, please, 48 million. >> 37 years gone in some ways elvis is bigger than ever. >> 55 now. >> in november, a 1963 andy warhol painting depicting the

music icon as a gun-toting cowboy was sold to an anonymous bidder. from the highest price to pop art to the highest form of flattery, elvis imitators. elvis captivates and makes money. according to forbes magazine, elvis presley is one of the top grossing dead celebrities second only to michael jackson, but he has also spawned an industry of elvis impersonators or elvis tribute acts who have made their own living as elvis. despite selling at least half a billion records during his lifetime, when he died, the presley estate was worth less than $10 million. an extravagant life-style, huge gifts and a huge array of families and hangers-on, elvis had a huge nut to cover. the music manager, tom parker,

sold his music for a fraction of what they were worth. unable to make more royalties on songs recorded before 1973. sole heir, lisa marie, was just nine years old when elvis died. her mom took colonel parker to court. he accepted a large fee to turn over most of his interests in presley's recordings to rca and the presley family. in january of 1997, the colonel died of a stroke. under priscilla's firm guidance, graceland was born, and made into an enterprise for the public. >> elvis gave us so much. i don't know of any entertainer in the world that loved his fans like he did. in 2004, lisa marie sold the bulk of the estate including the rights to her father's name and

image for $53 million in cash, absolving graceland of any debt. >> i thought wow, this whole thing of elvis has created jobs everywhere. you know, from doing this making suits and wigs and festivals. all kinds of stuff. >> australian mark anthony won the ultimate elvis championship for the south pacific and was flown to memphis to perform. he and american dwight eisenhower, no relation to the late president are among the top elvis tribute artists in the world. >> 180,000 tributes, that is a lot of competition, how good of a living do you make? >> i do about 200 dates a year, i do it full-time, travel all over the world. there is a certain point of

elvis and his life and career that you don't really want to remember. you know, in his decline. >> they got the two different eras here, 1960s and later '60s. >> aside from the millions earned, they are another part of the global industry. >> europe, middle east. new zealand, i'm actually about to go fly back to england and then to australia. >> they pay tens of thousands to the presley estate just to perform his music. >> the preliminaries, they're sanctioned by elvis presley enterprises in venues and festivals like this one in ocean city, maryland, where the winner goes on to compete in the ultimate competition in memphis, tennessee. it is hard to explain the feeling that he generates in people. >> having met elvis in his

prime, jack harche remembers him. >> think of it, he sells more records now than he ever did. >> doug church won a 1983 air force talent show. he is now known as the voice of elvis. >> and i haven't punched a clock since 1990 myself, and right now i'm officially unemployable. he is the latest generation of elvis lovers. >> pretty impressive voice for a 17-year-old. >> i know, if he has the pipes, i tell you, he is going to go far in this business. >> how big of a business is it? how big of an industry? >> it has gotten so big now there are companies that make these costumes that actually have the licensing from elvis presley enterprises. and speaking of that, they have pretty much taken a firm hand on

the industry. >> what about this? is this something that would take over your career -- >> eventually, you will be able to grow your own side burns, right now, you have a little peach fuzz. >> hey, i'm a lot older and i still can't grow them. >> not only is elvis worth far more dead than alive he still makes a lot of money for a lot of people. >> reminds me of michael jackson. >> and his music will live forever. that story after this. just look at those two. happy. in love. and saving so much money on their car insurance by switching to geico... well, just look at this setting. do you have the ring? oh, helzberg diamonds. another beautiful setting. i'm not crying. i've just got a bit of sand in my eyes, that's all. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

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were told they were unavailable. >> ladies and gentlemen, elvis is in the building. >> every kid growing up in the '50s and '60s wanted to be elvis, he affected entertainment to this day. including chubby checkers. >> i am always doing something in regard to elvis, i met him in las vegas, we had a real good time. about two months later, my road manager told me he died. i was so sad. he was such a nice man, very pleasant and very nice to look at, too. >> he was terrific and invited us back stage. he gave my wife a scarf because it matched her outfit. and she still has it to this day. >> still the king of hearts. >> and i sat at the piano in his dressing room and we sang some

gospel songs together. and i had the thrill of my life when he recorded one of my songs called solitaire. >> america's sweetheart, brenda lee. >> geraldo, the first time i met elvis december the 13th, even though he was a bit older than i was we had an immediate connection. and we stayed friends until he passed away. and in the interim, he would come to my shows. i would go to his shows. we would call each other. he called my office one day and wanted a copy of sweet nothings au au autographed. >> he was very generous, he gave him a tour bus. >> but giving me the bus, he gave me the confidence to march forward in my own career. i kept thinking well, if elvis believed in me enough to have a

bus, maybe i have a shot. it has been a great ride, what a giver he was. >> elvis gave jerry shilling a house. >> it is just a home, geraldo, he was a very sensitive guy, he knew i lost my mother when i was a-year-old. i lived in the memphis neighborhood. and one day i was -- he gave me a check and said jerry, i know you lost your mother. and he said you never had a home. i wanted you to be the one to give it to. then he came up here, spent time. and i've been here for 40 years. ten years before that, i lived at graceland. >> elvis shared some of his anxieties about the comeback with hit singer tommy roe. >> i remember him talking about

being nervous going back in the business. i said open the show with hound dog and you will be fine. >> he remembers when they met. >> the door opened to the rehearsal hall, elvis walked in with his group. i looked at him and went wow, i think i now realized why this guy is the biggest star in the world and he was back then. he came in there, you could feel his presence in the room. he had such magnetism, such charisma. >> they did a big concert in nashville, tennessee, you could bring whoever you want. my dear friend, johnny cash. you can bring barbara streisand. you can bring frank sinatra, the rolling stones, the beatles, elvis is closing the show. because nobody wants to follow,

you ain't nothing but a hound dog. >> i wanted to be so much like him. >> you know what i'm saying. >> i sure do. >> regardless of the circumstances of his death, elvis presley enriched the cultural life in an american way. and by blending the south, north, and adding just enough sexiness, he energized music and in a small way brought the nation together. as what would have been his 80th birthday approaching, thanks for the memories, from grace land, i'm geraldo rivera reporting. thank you very much. good night. and the 45 highway mpg tdi clean diesel. and last but not least, the high performance gti.

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hi. well, tonight on "red eye." >> coming up on "red eye." are selfies the most unnecessary invention or for guys with short arms? we asked one fellow to comment. and how does the president think you should feel about shaving your best friend's back? >> sometimes that's hard to do. it is worth while. it is worth doing. >> and finally, have cats cut a secret deal with evil window blinds to attack dogs? what the canine community should do to get even. none of these stories on "red eye" tonight. >> and now let's welcome our guests. what do americans and van halen ha