The Los Angeles premier of Dio: Dreamers Never Die, the documentary film celebrating the life of heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio, was held on September 20 at the TCL Chinese Theatre 6 complex in Hollywood. Eric Blair caught up with ex-Dio/AC/DC drummer, Simon Wright, on the red carpet to talk about the excitement over the film. Watch below:
Dio: Dreamers Never Die arrived in theatres worldwide for special event screenings on September 28, and October 2, presented by BMG and Trafalgar Releasing.
Dio: Dreamers Never Die explores Dio’s incredible career with his early bands, to his days in Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, and finally cementing his status as a legendary metal icon with his own band, Dio. The film incorporates never-before-seen footage, personal photos, and scenes with his closest peers, family, and friends, including Wendy Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk, and Jack Black.
In addition to the feature-length film, this special cinema event included a hand-picked selection of outtakes from the cutting room floor, only shown at the screenings to create an exclusive experience for fans in attendance.
BraveWords' new correspondent, Ralph Viera, has issued a ten minute review/commentary on the film via his Almost Human podcast. Check it out below:
Ronnie James Dio, who died of gastric cancer in 2010, reigns as one of the most influential rock artists of all time and one of the greatest vocalists ever. With an illustrious recording career spanning from the 1950’s through to the 2000’s, the documentary follows his trajectory from sideman into singer, songwriter and frontman of not one, but three, of rock’s internationally-renowned, multi-Platinum-selling arena attractions: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and DIO. Famous for popularizing the “devil horns” hand gesture that is now synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal music, Dio was known for not wavering in his pursuit of his rock and roll dreams and continues to influence a new generation of music artists. His fans the world over remember him not only for his massive talent, but for his kindness, resulting in millions of dollars raised for cancer research in his memory.
Dio: Dreamers Never Die is fully authorized by the artist’s estate, was financed solely by BMG, was directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton (Framing John DeLorean, Believer, Last Days Here), produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive produced by Dio’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.
Rhino/WMG will release the soundtrack from Dio: Dreamers Never Die in the fall.
The Annual Bowl For Ronnie Celebrity Bowling Party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org), is set to return on Thursday, November 17 after a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event, to be held at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California, will once again be hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM’s Volume channel. The Bowl For Ronnie will feature a celebrity bowling tournament and a raffle drawing for prizes and memorabilia. The 2019 event sold out in advance and raised more than $50,000 for the cancer charity, which is now in its 13th year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for cancer research.
The evening of fun, food, and, of course, bowling with rockers and celebrities competing for trophies kicks off at 6:30 PM with open bowling and a VIP pre-party for lane sponsors, celebrities and their guests. Previous Bowl For Ronnie events have brought together entertainers and artists such as Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses, Adler’s Appetite), Jack Black & Kyle Gass (Tenacious D), Phil Buckman (Fuel, Petty Cash), Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Fred Coury (Cinderella), Art Cruz (Lamb of God), Phil Demmel (Violence, Machine Head), Marc Ferrari (Keel, Cold Sweat), David “Rock” Feinstein (Elf, The Rods), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Terry Ilous (XYZ, Great White), Richie Kotzen (Winery Dogs), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (Ozzy Osbourne), Richie Sambora, Brett Scallions (Fuel), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake), Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning) and comedy stars including Bill Burr, Jeff Ross and Whitney Cummings.
Also joining the festivities in 2019 was the #1 bowler in the world - Professional Bowling Association world champion Jason Belmonte, who bowled a ceremonial strike to open the celebrity competition and show the crowd “how it’s done. That year’s celebrity competition was the scene of fierce competition, ending with both of 2018’s top teams - captained by Eddie Trunk and Marc Ferrari respectively - defeated by a team led by Phil Buckman. This year’s celebrity bowlers will be announced shortly.
100% of the net proceeds from the Bowl For Ronnie will go to the Dio Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org). Individual tickets and lane sponsorships are now on sale, and participants are encouraged to gather friends, family and co-workers for the ultimate bowling team. The Pinz Bowling Center is located at 12655 Ventura Blvd in Studio City, California.
Tickets are now on sale, here.
- Individual Spectator: $75 per person (includes pizza and general admission)
- Individual Bowler: $100 (Join other rock 'n bowlers for open bowling from 6:30-9PM, includes pizza, shoe rental and bowling)
- Team/Corporate Lane Sponsorship: $2100 “Early Bird”* package: private lane for 6 bowlers (includes team or corporate logo displayed on lane and throughout event on flat screens, 6 VIP party passes for access to Artist/VIP lounge, 2 drink tickets per team member, 6 “Bowl For Ronnie” T-shirts, pizza and shoe rental)
* $2500 per lane after 10/15/22.
The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was formed in memory of the legendary rock singer Ronnie James Dio, who lost his life to gastric cancer in 2010. A privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund has already raised over $2 million in its history. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, and other cancer research projects. The Dio Cancer Fund has committed funds to support the research of Dr. David Wong and his team at the UCLA School of Dentistry in developing a simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer, which is in keeping with the Fund’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education.
For more information, visit diocancerfund.org.
