The Adventures of Auntie Jane Lynch

Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Melanie Linn Gutowski
As diabolical cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, Jane Lynch steals every scene in the popular show “Glee,” now airing on Fox.
Lynch seems to attract quirky roles, including wacky Aunt Joni in the 2009 indie comedy "Adventures of Power."
The film tells the story of Power, a musically disinclined, though drum-loving, mine worker.
Ari Gold, who also portrays the title character, wrote the film's screenplay, basing based Lynch's character on his life with his own quirky Aunt Lucy. Following the death of his mother, Gold moved to Silver City, New Mexico and took up residence in his aunt's basement.
"The experience of living underneath my aunt, occasionally getting evicted to make space for Indian cowboys who wanted to rent the room, and growing to love this marvelously unstable relative, became the basis for my movie 'Adventures of Power,'" Gold told Savvy Auntie recently.
"Jane Lynch captures my aunt perfectly, with tenderness and craziness mixed together," Gold said.
"It's quite believable that she is a bartender and a new-ager all at once, and that she's weird enough to be supportive of my air-drumming-copper-miner character's quest."
Both Gold and his muse, Aunt Lucy, love Lynch's performance in the film, and it has only increased the screenwriter's admiration for his aunt.
"My real aunt loves to watch the hell she put me through when she housed me in her basement--she loves to see it onscreen, warts and all," Gold said.
"And that makes her a damn cool aunt."
In addition to her turn as eccentric Aunt Joni, Lynch is also a real-life auntie. Gold reports that her niece came to the Sundance Film Festival to see the film and support Auntie Jane.
Lynch recently confirmed reports that she is engaged to partner Lara Embry, which will make Auntie Jane step-mom to Embry's two children.
“Adventures of Power,”co-starring Adrian Grenier, (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Michael McKean (“This is Spinal Tap”) is expected to be released on DVD in August 2010.
Photo: NJ.com
Melanie Linn Gutowski is a freelance writer and a proud Godmother.