Lydia, o Lydia, o have you seen Lydia? Groucho Marx was always on the lookout out for his illustrated lady. Well, no telling where Lydia is, but now she’s got competition for a new generation of stars. Watch today’s THINK piece (below) for my take on a woman whose pursuit of celebrity may be wilder than a crank-fueled Cloris Leachman in the mosh pit at an Anvil concert. I’ve got to wonder how the bumptious David Caruso might respond to Zoe Wade’s, er, indelible request.
Your thoughts? Share them here. Just sign on the dotted line…
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When critics compile their Top 10 lists for 2009, they will not need to go up to 11 to include ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, a rockumentary that makes SPINAL TAP
’s roadshow humiliations seem more glorious than the Eagles‘ reunion tour. Anvil — a Canadian heavy metal act fronted by Steve Kudlow and, get this, Robb Reiner — once was ground-breaking but then fell over the cutting edge, plummeting into virtual obscurity. However, that didn’t deter their dreams of a comeback even if they are incapable of making it all of the way there. The film’s funny because it’s true. The band’s ambition is naked. And while their shortcomings may be laughable, their passion is inspirational.
**Now, The Warren Report is ready to send you to see ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL this week. 25 readers will receive a run-of-engagement pass (good for two!) to see the movie by providing the smartest and/or funniest responses to this question: What did you do when you were younger that you would be thrilled for an audience to see today yet shocked that they had actually paid for the privilege?**
Entries must be posted on this blog by 10am on Monday, May 11th, 2009. Winners will be determined in accordance with my wit and whim. (Please be sure to include your e-address.)
For more information about ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, please read the studio-approved synopsis below.
At 14, Toronto school friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it.
Their band, Anvil, went on to become the “demigods of Canadian metal,” releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil’s career took a different path – straight to obscurity.
Director Sacha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful and often hilarious account of Anvil’s last-ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. His ingenious filmmaking may first lead you to think this a mockumentary, but it isn’t. Gervasi joined the legendary heavy-metal band as a roadie for a tour of Canadian hockey arenas, so he has intimate insight into the members’ eccentricities. It’s fascinating to see the reality of their day-to-day lives as they struggle to make ends meet, take a misguided European tour, and engage in antics on the road – which is not always lined with fans. Gervasi even finds a softer center to this raucous film, introducing us to band members’ ever-supportive, but long-suffering, families.
At its core, ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year. Anvil rocks – it has no other choice.”
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