The Beast In Me

And the Elvis in you

Comments (0) By REBECCA SCHOENKOPF Thursday, Jun 22 2006

JJ Jauregui: Viva Garden Grove. Photo by John Gilhooley

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There's "Cheesy Movie Mondays" every week at 9 p.m. (We suggested the unremitting horror that is the Olivia Newton-John vehicle Xanadu, but we'll see whether or not JJ remembers.) There are a bevy of flat-screens on which to watch our beloved Los Angeles Angels. And now there's Elvis Karaoke at Garden Grove's premier Elvis Mexican restaurant, Azteca, every single Saturday, where it only used to happen once a month.

Personally, we think every single Saturday is three Saturdays a month too many. But the karaoke ringers? The big girls in the trucker caps who stand in the spotlight and let it rip? They're perfectly happy not to have to figure out if tonight is the second or third Saturday of the month. And the old drunk guys belting out Sinatra and (always, but always!) Louis Armstrong? They're happy too.

We asked owner JJ Jauregui—he's the suaviest!—for the top Elvis songs with which you (or Jesse the Elvis, who usually shows up) can whip the audience into submission. He had trouble choosing, but we beat 'em out of him.

Top Seven Elvis Karaoke Songs (in no particular order):

"Suspicious Minds"

"Heartbreak Hotel"

"One Night With You"

"Jailhouse Rock"

"Trying to Get to You"

"Steamroller Blues"

"Love Me"

We made it a little easier on him when asking for the Top Three Elvis movies to sip tequila to:

Loving You. "It's with Lizabeth Scott, who is a dyke, and Dolores Hart, who became a nun. She's still a nun!"

Viva Las Vegas. "Ann-Margret was probably the love of Elvis's life. They were totally doing it during filming. To this day, she and Priscilla don't get along."

Jailhouse Rock. "After production, Judy Tyler, who played his love interest, and her husband were killed in a motorcycle accident. And Elvis never could bear to watch it. It has one of the greatest all-time lines. He tries to kiss her, and she pushes him off like, 'How dare you think such cheap tactics would work with me!' And he says, 'That ain't tactics, honey. It's just the beast in me.'"

Azteca Restaurant, 12911 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 638-3790. Cheesy Movie Mondays, 9 p.m. Elvis Karaoke every Saturday, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.