WHEN KINGS COLLIDE

Is the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll going to do battle with King Ramses the Great?

Of 7,000 queries last month to the Memphis Visitors Bureau, “questions about Elvis and Ramses are running neck and neck.”

The Ramses the Great exhibit, on loan from Cairo and featuring a 47-ton granite statue of the monarch, already has drawn more than 400,000 since it opened in mid-April. Crowds are expected to swell during August, the closing month.

Reps for Graceland, meanwhile, predict big crowds all month, including more than 50,000 on the 10th anniversary of Presley’s death Aug. 16.

They’ll have some 40 events to choose from, including a candlelight vigil at Graceland, tours of Humes Junior High (including the auditorium where a young Elvis won a talent contest), a 5K memorial run, a memorial karate tournament and “Elvis’ Legacy in Light”--a laser show set to music of the King. Even the local Red Apple Lounge is going Elvis, with a week of Elvis movies, Elvis music, Elvis drinks and, of course, Elvis souvenirs.

Even more pandemonium ahead: On Saturday, Qiu-Hua, a 220-pound female panda, arrives on loan from Mexico City for a month’s visit to the Memphis Zoo. She’s expected to draw between 200,000-300,000.