Leading article: Living the American Dream

This being Hollywood, an attempt just to date Drew was, of course, not sufficient. He and his friends decided that they would make a film of the enterprise.

This was not entirely a tyro exercise. Each member of what became known as the Drew Crew had worked in the entertainment industry, editing trailers, directing independent films or, in Herzlinger's case, working as a production assistant on Ally McBeal. One had even worked as an assistant to Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.

Herzlinger never got the date but the movie My Date With Drew has now opened in cinemas across the US. If this sounds like a rather sickening confection of the boy-next-door, rags-to-riches American Dream, then consider this.

Herzlinger and his friends did it all not only without any money, they didn't even have a camera. They filmed it on a camcorder they "bought" on a credit card in a deal that allowed them to return it for a full refund within 30 days if not entirely satisfied. They shot the movie, doing all the sound recording on the camcorder microphone and then took the camera back to the shop. Breathtaking entrepreneurship is the other part of the American Dream. Another myth for the making.