Date sent: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 02:21:49 -0400 From: "Mike N. Reinemann" Subject: VH1 Original Movie 'Hysteria" (Full Release) =========== Thursday July 12, 4:46 pm Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: VH1 VH1 Original Movie 'Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story' True Story of One of The Hottest Groups of the '80s, Premieres Wednesday, July 18 at 9:00 P.M. (ET/PT) Highlighting 'Movies That Rock,' Exclusive VH1 Film Stars Karl Geary, Orlando Seale, Adam McDonald, Esteban Powell, Tat Whalley, Anthony Michael Hall and Supermodel Amber Valletta PASADENA, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In a music scene marked by excess, it's perhaps not surprising that one of the biggest rock bands of the 1980s fell victim to drug and alcohol addiction. But what's really shocking is that Def Leppard not only managed to overcome the worst kind of personal and professional tragedies -- they also re-emerged to play in front of their biggest-ever audiences. The dramatic true tale of one of the hottest metal bands of the '80s, ``Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story'' stars Orlando Seale (``Sleepy Hollow''), Tat Whalley (``Joan of Arc''), Karl Geary (``Sex and the City''), Esteban Powell (``Deal of a Lifetime,'' ``Beverly Hills 90210''), Adam MacDonald (``Nuremburg''), Anthony Michael Hall (``Freddy Got Fingered,'' ``61*'') and supermodel Amber Valletta (``What Lies Beneath''). The VH1 Original Movies presentation premieres Wednesday, July 18 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). ``Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story'' is one of VH1's ``Movies That Rock,'' feature film favorites plus all-new VH1 Original Movies made exclusively for VH1 viewers, airing every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ``Movies That Rock'' is part of ``My VH1 Primetime,'' a new programming strategy that spotlights themed destination viewing nights in a new 9:00 p.m.-midnight VH1 primetime schedule. SYNOPSIS Sheffield, England, 1977: Once the center of Britain's proud steel industry, the Northlands city of Sheffield is hovering near death, its factories mostly closed and abandoned, its people facing hard times and no future. At age 17, Joe Elliott [Orlando Seale] can be considered lucky. After all, he has a job in one of the few remaining toolworks. But it's breaking his back -- literally. The painful drudgery only reinforces his lifelong rock dreams, an intense desire to be in a band. When his friend Pete Willis [Nick Bagnall] needs a singer for his own group, however, Joe takes up the challenge, and joins lead guitarist Pete, bass player Rick ``Sav'' Savage [Adam MacDonald], and drummer Tony Kenning [Brett Watson], all teenagers. Their auditions for a second lead guitar net young Steve Clark [Karl Geary], whose cool attitude and blistering chops mask a troubling self-doubt. And while the band's debut gig goes well, Tony leaves shortly thereafter and is replaced by 15-year-old Rick Allen [Tat Whalley]. Its lineup set in stone, Def Leppard is off and running. After months of rehearsal, the quintet records an EP which gets some radio play and begins to sell decent numbers. The band is soon picked up by AC/DC's manager Peter Mensch [Dean McDermott], who sends them off as opening act for the Australian rockers' UK tour. But even as Def Leppard plays to huge concert audiences for the first time, problems arise: Pete is showing signs of a heavy drinking problem, including the cardinal sin of walking offstage mid-song. And though Steve is drinking heavily as well, the band chalks it up to his stage fright. But Pete's inner demons only lead to further trouble, and on the eve of Def Leppard's first album release, the band's founder is fired and replaced by Phil Collen. Their first U.S. tour plays to mediocre reviews, but when the boys return to England, superstar record producer Mutt Lange [Anthony Michael Hall] calls to offer his services. Lange is a perfectionist, and the Leps are forced to work harder than they ever have before. Rick wants to bolt from the pressure, but as Joe reminds him, ``This is a dream, son. Bricklayer, cabdriver, soldier, out on the dole ... or rock star. You really think there's a choice?'' Now full-fledged rock gods, the British group begins to top the U.S. charts with hits like ``Photograph'' and ``Rock of Ages,'' and head off on a major tour. ``Pyromania'' is on its way to selling nine million albums, but the band has been working nonstop for months and months, and on New Year's Eve 1984, Rick has finally had enough. Coked up and speeding down a winding English country road in his 'Vette, the drummer drag-races another car and loses control. The resulting crash leaves Rick -- one of the music world's top talents -- with a severed right arm. Def Leppard faces an incredibly difficult choice: Find a new drummer, or end the band's all-too-short career. But Rick has another idea. If only he can learn to play with one arm ... Inspired by a diagram in Popular Mechanics, Rick sets about to re-cast his standard rock & roll drum kit with the help of a technician. When it's finished, the kit is a mass of wires, rods, pulleys and computer components. But the young musician valiantly battles against severe pain, frustration and exhaustion with all his spirit -- practicing, adjusting, and practicing some more until he's drenched in sweat -- to reclaim his place in the band. Against all odds, Def Leppard -- Joe Elliott, Rick Allen, ``Sav'' Savage, Phil Collen and Steve Clark -- return to the studio and the stage, and play before their biggest audiences ever. ``Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story'' is a production of Viacom Productions. The producers are Patricia Clifford and Claudio Castravelli; directed by Robert Mandel (``School Ties,'' ``The Practice''). VH1 produces and programs a wide variety of music-based series, specials, live events and acquisition-based programming that keep viewers in touch with the music they love. VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV 2: Music Television, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land and VH1 as well as The Suite from MTV Networks, a package of ten digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide. SOURCE: VH1