Mike Bravener, a 47-year-old Canadian bookstore employee, won the Elvis MySpace karaoke contest. The victory means he'll also be eligible to compete in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest in August.

Bravener's MySpace version of Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel" made him the winner Wednesday of the second Elvis MySpace Karaoke Contest and an automatic contender in the Aug. 12-13 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist showdown at The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

Elvis, who would eventually become a Grammy-winning gospel singer, had shocked much of America when his hip-swiveling rock debut in 1954 earned him the nickname "Elvis the Pelvis." It was some of those same moves that contributed to Bravener's win. "We chose him because he had a standout video. He had a great voice, a good look and a great representation of the Elvis legacy," said Howard Stovall, managing partner of Resource Entertainment Group, the Memphis entertainment agency that picked Bravener from a slate of finalists narrowed from thousands of MySpace entries.

Stovall said his agency still is judging runners-up in the contest, but quickly settled on Bravener, a bookstore cashier with a rockabilly band in Fredericton, New Brunswick, as the overall winner.

"He was head and shoulders above the other candidates in how his video connected and how his charisma projected."

Graceland spokesman Kevin Kern said the My-Space format for the contest turned it into "a global event" that exposes contestants and Memphis to the world as a prelude to the Ultimate Elvis contest, one of the most popular Elvis Week events.

Bravener, who majored in psychology before getting a master of divinity degree, said he has four children and needed a day job while working on his passion for music and entertainment. He chose a job as a bookstore cashier partly because his bosses gave him the freedom to take off if he was booked for a performance. "It gives me the freedom to go anywhere on a moment's notice."

Like Memphis. For him, the win came as a shock. "It's incredible. I was thrilled. I've been singing Elvis songs for a long time, but I've never won a major competition."

The win includes roundtrip airfare to Memphis for two, five nights hotel accommodations, VIP tickets to Graceland, passes to Sun Studio, the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, the STAX Museum of American Soul Music and a souvenir Elvis watch.

Bravener competed last year at one of the biggest Elvis tribute artist competitions in the world at Collingwood, Canada. "I didn't even make the finals."

On his MySpace page, he lists among his favorite singers Elvis and the late Freddie Mercury of Queen, which Bravener said is his "favorite all time band."

He now is debating which Elvis song to sing in the Memphis competition. He might reprise "Don't Be Cruel," but he said he is leaning toward either "One Night" or "Such A Night."

Tribute contest

Bravener's next competition will be in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest.

When: Aug. 12-13

Where: The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets: Available through Ticketmaster, $25 for remaining semifinal tickets Aug. 12. Single tickets for the Aug. 13 final are sold out, but two-day ticket packages still are available at $69 to $139.