Paul Anka: Night of a Lifetime

He had his first hits, including “Diana” and “Puppy Love,” as a teenager in the ‘50s. He wrote the last song Buddy Holly recorded (“It Doesn't Matter Anymore,” later covered by Linda Ronstadt), the theme song for The Tonight Show, a popular Kodak commercial tune, and the English lyrics to “My Way.” All this and “Having My Baby” too! Paul Anka has had a pretty distinguished, accomplishment-filled career, which is all well and good, but still barely excuses the cringe-worthy tone of this show filmed in Las Vegas, where every audience is the greatest bunch of people to ever throw down a buck, every performance is magic, and every night is the “night of a lifetime.” Oy. When Anka introduces the Holly song and says, “Mr. Buddy Holly! Give him a hand! He's up there with Elvis...”, or when he describes Frank Sinatra as “a great entertainer and humanitarian,” you feel as if you're watching a parody of a Vegas act, not a real guy whose career “spans more than 40 years, 123 albums, and a lifetime of memories.” Still, Anka has earned this “and then I wrote…” schlocky showcase that will appeal to fans. The real buried treasure on this DVD is found in the extras: the landmark 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary short Lonely Boy, a fascinating profile of the Canadian boy wonder. Recommended, overall. Aud: P. (S. Graham)