Based on information and belief, it appears that Billy Ray
Cyrus used the movie script I sent him in 2011 (at Billy Ray's and his then manager's request) entitled "Elvis Came Back
to Manage Me," as the inspiration
for his new Country Music Television (CMT) sitcom called, "Still The
King," about - you guessed it - a former Elvis Presley impersonator.
Unfortunately, Billy Ray never bothered to
get my permission, never paid me for the idea and claimed sole
credit for coming up with the CMT sitcom idea. It appears Billy Ray Cyrus
has been a very naughty boy.
TIMELINE:
September 2000:
I wrote and produced a song called, "Elvis Came Back to
Manage Me." The song was based on a story I created and wrote about
a struggling, alcoholic country musician who after 20 years of going nowhere
receives a career boost from an unlikely source: Elvis Presley, an
other-worldly figure who turns out to be the musician's father.
It's a second chance at life for both of them in their newly found
relationship.
In 2010, I wrote a screenplay, a comedy based on the story I
created for "Elvis Came Back to Manage Me." Upon completion of
the screenplay, I set out to find the perfect country performer who could star in my movie. The performer had to be able to sing as well as act. And his
comedic timing had to be finely honed.
I immediately thought of Billy Ray Cyrus as a candidate to
star in my film. Billy Ray's musical talents were obvious, and his
comedic acting chops were amply demonstrated by his work on the sitcom
"Doc" and his daughter Miley's Disney show, "Hannah
Montana."
April 2011:
I reached out to Cyrus' then manager, Stuart Dill, in an email asking him if Billy Ray would have any interest in being in the movie. Included in the email was a synopsis for "Elvis Came Back to Manage Me" along with conceptual parameters.
Stuart Dill responded via phone calls and an email saying Billy Ray Cyrus wanted to see the script (see email below). I emailed Dill and Billy Ray Cyrus the script at their request.
For the next three months I repeatedly tried to follow-up with Dill and Cyrus to see how they liked the "Elvis Came Back to Manage Me" screenplay. But neither Dill nor Cyrus would return my phone calls and/or emails. After three months of attempting to follow-up with Dill and Cyrus, I gave up.
2012:
Just months after receiving my script, Cyrus shot a pilot for “Still The King” in Tennessee, a sitcom featuring Cyrus in the starring role as an Elvis Presley impersonator.
DISSOLVE TO:
April 2015:
CMT
announced on Thursday, April 2 it had picked up Cyrus’ sitcom,
“Still The King,” which features Cyrus in the starring role as Vernon Brown, an
alcoholic one-hit wonder turned Elvis Presley impersonator. When Brown crashes
into a church, he’s ordered by a judge to do community service. Instead, Brown
pretends to be the church’s new minister to avoid doing the community service.
Along the way he discovers he has a 15-year-old daughter. The show is set to
debut sometime in early 2016.
