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Weird al yankovic
 

 

weird al yankovic
Jones, Haggard and 'Weird Al' among State Fair performers 
WFMJ Youngstown - Apr 04 6:27 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio Country music legends George Jones and Merle Haggard, rocker Pat Benatar and parody-pop star "Weird Al" Yankovic are on the schedule for this summer's Ohio State Fair.

wells fargo
Small-business owners remain optimistic, Wells Fargo study finds 
East Bay Business Times - Apr 03 2:47 PM
Wells Fargo said Tuesday that the first quarter Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index indicates small-business owners continue to be optimistic despite signs of a weakening economy.

werewolf
Man who claimed he was a werewolf will stand trial 
The Oshkosh Northwestern - Apr 04 6:51 AM
A woman whose apartment was allegedly broken into by a man who claimed he was a werewolf told the court Tuesday the man needs mental help, not prison.

wheat penny
Investigation into Contaminated Pet Food Continues While Oklahomans Worry 
RedNova - Apr 02 10:20 AM
By Penny Cockerell, The Daily Oklahoman Apr. 2--Is my pet safe? That's the question thousands of Oklahoma pet owners are asking this week following the massive recall of more than 90 brands of moist pet food.

wheels
Police: Woman looted Meals on Wheels 
The Oneida Daily Dispatch - Mar 27 7:11 PM
ONEIDA - The organization a Munnsville woman allegedly embezzled $27,000 from was the Oneida Area Meals on Wheels, which was forced to cease operating in the summer of 2004.

white pages
Today's Front Pages Analysis 
Freedom Forum Online - Mar 07 10:06 AM
U.S. front pages were filled with the conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on four felony counts of lying during an investigation into a leak about a CIA officer's identity.

white tailed deer
Group wants to turn old Romulus site into refuge for rare white deer 
Star-Gazette - Mar 22 4:28 AM
ROMULUS In a ghostlike performance, the small cluster of white deer slip in and out of sight, peacefully weaving among the hummock-shaped bunkers that once held America's war weapons.

whitney houston
WHITNEY AND BOBBY CELEBRATE DAUGHTERS B-DAY: Fresh from jail, Bobby joins ex for family outing in Beverly Hills. 
Eurweb - Mar 07 12:03 AM
*Bobbi Kristina, the daughter of divorcing entertainers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was able to celebrate her 14th birthday with both parents at her side - an accomplishment, considering Brown was just sprung from jail last week in Massachusetts.

wicca
Pagans welcome spring 
Antelope Valley Press - Mar 31 9:08 AM
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Saturday, March 31, 2007. LANCASTER - The open air and unfolding beauty of spring itself served as the backdrop for a spring equinox ceremony observed with a neopagan Druid ritual March 24 at Rawley Duntley Park.

wiffle ball
What's happening 
Contra Costa Times - Feb 17 3:28 AM
To submit an item to What's Happening, e-mail sports@cctimes.com to request a form. Put "What's Happening" in the subject line. Nonprofit organizations only. You may be asked to submit a copy of your 1099 or 501(c)3 to verify nonprofit status. Entries are edited for content and are published as space is available.

wikipedia
Wikipedia, YouTube Driven By Heavy Traffic 
WebProNews - Oct 26 6:18 AM
The comScore numbers for top global web properties saw Wikipedia and YouTube pick up 12 percent gains in their unique visitors age 15 and up from around the world. YouTube/MySpace Popularity Depends On Traffic Microsoft sites still lead the pack, with 505 million visitors arriving in September 2006 according to the comScore numbers . If you are wondering what

wilderness
1st Condor Egg In Century In Ventana Wilderness 
CBS 5 Bay Area - Apr 06 7:06 PM
No one had seen a wild condor egg in a hundred years, until one was discovered last month in a nest in the Ventana Wilderness.

willie nelson
Willie, Merle, Ray and Bon Jovi Make Chart Surges 
cmt.com - Mar 31 11:53 PM
There are no changes at the top of the Billboard charts this week, but you can see some bubbles rising. Last of the Breed , the roundly praised collection from Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price, makes its entrance at No. 7 on

willy wonka
Willy Wonka Announces His New, One-of-a-Kind WONKA(R) GOLDEN EGG Collection for Easter 2007 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 08 7:35 AM
GLENDALE, Calif.----America, it's no ordinary Easter egg. The WONKA® GOLDEN EGG is a whimsical and wacky phenomenon from legendary candy maker Willy Wonka. The collection includes a variety of sizes and flavors debuting this spring, just in time for Easter.

wind turbines
Council turns to wind for power 
BBC News - Jan 22 12:07 AM
A London local authority installs five wind turbines on its civic centre.

windows xp
Apples Mac OS X is more secure than Microsofts Windows Vista 
Mac Daily News - Apr 01 9:21 AM
"While an increasing number of bugs have been found in Apple's Mac OS X operating system, security researchers say it isn't a high security risk and it's still more secure than Windows XP," Sharon Gaudin reports for InformationWeek. "Is it more secure than Windows Vista?

winnie the pooh
Pooh' comes to life on GHS stage in April 
Greenville Advocate - Mar 29 1:25 AM
Winnie-The-Pooh: the sunny, funny, honey-loving little bear that has captured the imaginations of generations of children.

winona ryder
Television movies for the week of April 1. 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Mar 31 9:21 PM
Read this article ]


winter olympics
Baku will bid for 2016 Summer Olympics: Aliyev 
AFP via Yahoo! News - Apr 09 5:31 AM
The Azerbaijani capital Baku, flush with oil revenues, will bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, President Ilham Aliyev said Monday.


winx club

woolley
Oak Mtn. junior wins volunteer award: Woolley uses cerebral palsy to help others with disabilities 
The Shelby County Reporter - Mar 16 8:06 AM
An Oak Mountain High School student has been named one of Alabamas top two student volunteers by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards - Americas largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteerism.


world history
Bangladesh make World Cup history 
AFP via Yahoo! News - Mar 25 3:48 PM
Bangladesh made history when they qualified for the World Cup second round with a seven-wicket victory over debutants Bermuda in a rain-hit match here on Sunday.

world map
Map phenom has a sense of where he is 
Rocky Mountain News - Apr 02 1:21 PM
Antonio de la Peña sees the world in his head. Literally.

world of warcraft
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade sold through approximately 3.5 million copies within one month 
GameInfoWire - 1 hour, 37 minutes ago
Subscriber base for bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006 passes 8.5 million as expansion set continues to build on day-one sales momentum

world war 2
Iwo Jima battle commemorated / Americans, Japanese honor soldiers lost in World War II clash 
San Francisco Chronicle - Mar 19 3:53 AM
A breeze carried the scent of salt off sun-speckled waves and a pod of whales spouted playfully near shore, but it was a prayer of mourning that Yoshitaka Shindo directed toward the sand and surf that stretched before him. This was Invasion Beach,...


wwe divas
WWE News: Ashley/Playboy update, Batista speaks on being arrested, Michelle McCool 
Lords of Pain - Mar 09 8:23 AM
The digital edition of the April Playboy featuring WWE Diva Ashley Massaro is now online. One person commented by saying, "I got my digital copy of the new Playboy today. Wow, Ashley is hot. This is the best Playboy spread by far. The pages are smoking.


wyoming
Wyoming seeks Enzi's help on education law 
Casper Star-Tribune - Mar 07 1:15 AM
The No Child Left Behind act needs some changes if it is going to work well for Wyoming and other rural states, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride told U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi in a recent letter, where he proposed solutions to some problems with the 2001 landmark education law.

xanax
Local Man Arrested For Prescription Fraud 
WCTV Tallahassee - Mar 27 7:09 PM
Police said Kevin O'brien called a prescription in to the Walgreens on Tennessee Street asking for Adderall, Xanax and Percocet. Authorities said the pharmacist realized the prescription was fraudulent. The pharmacist notified the police who arrested O'brien in line at the pharmacy drive-thru.

xanga
Snap.com Teams With Xanga 
socalTech.com - Mar 06 6:27 AM
Pasadena-based Perfect Market Technologies announced Monday that it has partnered with social networking web site Xanga, to provide its Snap web site previews to the site. Xanga users will have the ability to see linked web site previews from their web pages. Perfect Market operates Snap.... (more)

xara
Linux.com: Xara LX Forked to Replace Rendering Engine 
Addict 3D - Feb 27 12:19 PM
The Xara LX vector graphics editor took a big step forward last week... You must be registered and logged in to add comments!

xbox 360
Peter Jackson to Develop Xbox 360 Games? 
PC World via Yahoo! News - Mar 08 4:00 PM
Peter Jackson, auteur of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, is reported to have signed on with Microsoft to create two interactive series for the Xbox 360 to be released in episodic format. According to a piece from gaming blog Joystiq, reporting from Wednesday's second annual "Blogger Breakfast" event at GDC, one of the series will be based on the Halo franchise while the other will ...

xxl magazine
Young Buck & Jadakiss Hit The Peace Pipe, Talib Kweli Gets Slapped Silly, Lupe Fiasco Is Not Miss Jones' "Buddy" 
SOHH - Mar 30 8:23 AM
In this week's Pulse Report, the streets are buzzing about Young Buck smoking with Jadakis, Talib Kweli getting slapped, and Miss Jones boycotting Lupe Fiasco. Visit SOHH.com for the complete story.

xzibit
Todays highlights 
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Mar 07 2:12 AM
Martha Sharon Stone; Bianca Ryan performs. (Repeat) 9 a.m. on WANE, Channel 15.

yahoo.com
Iran Economy Min: Minimizing Impact Of US Financial Restrictions 
Nasdaq - Mar 11 12:36 PM
TEHRAN (Dow Jones)-Iran has managed to minimize the negative impact of U.S. efforts to limit its access to the global financial system, and it has shifted all its foreign exchange transactions from the dollar to other major international currencies, Economy and Financial Affairs Minister Davoud Danesh- Jafari said Sunday.

yahoo emoticons
The net code  
Indian Express via Yahoo! India News - Jan 27 12:48 PM
Learn this new language for some successful office flirting "6y 1 GTG 911 bos". Sounds like complete gibberish? But in net parlance, this means: "Sexy one got to go to emergency, boss over shoulder". If you're not hooked to the instant chat or messaging, chances are you're clueless about a new emerging language, which millions of online daters, even in India, comprehend, and flirt ...

yahoo mail
Yahoo plans unlimited e-mail space 
Louisville Courier-Journal - Apr 01 3:04 AM
In another reminder of technology's quantum leaps, Yahoo's free e-mail service will provide unlimited storage space to its nearly 250 million users worldwide a concept that seemed unfathomable just a few years ago. With the move, Yahoo will trump its two largest rivals in free e-mail, Microsoft and Google, which currently provide 2 gigabytes and 2.8 gigabytes of free storage, respectively.

yamaha
Keyfax NewMedia Releases Arpeggio Editor for Yamaha Motif ES, S90ES and M0 Synthesizers 
Harmony Central - Mar 27 2:13 PM
Motif specialists KEYFAX NewMedia announce the world's first arpeggio editor for the Motif ES, S90ES, and MO series workstations.

yaoi
More On That Akihabara Tour For Foreigners 
Addict 3D - Apr 02 10:14 PM
Late last month, we did a post on an Akihabara "tour" for foreigners lead by a "hippy" with a "flag." Those "tours" are actually tours. And that "hippy" is not actually a "hippy," but a Kotaku reader. Name's Earl. He's a translator and verbose.

yasmine bleeth
Stealing the show 
The Myrtle Beach Sun News - Feb 18 12:07 AM
Gabriella Trial of Conway turns 9 in May. The third-grader sings in talent competitions, parades, area dining spots and at Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball games, with national television in her sights.

yellow pages
The Baltimore Verizon Yellow Pages -- the Number One Yellow Pages in Baltimore -- Arriving on Doorsteps Throughout Area 
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Mar 13 3:00 AM
BALTIMORE----Idearc Media Corp., publisher of the Verizon Yellow Pages and home to Superpages.com, is distributing three localized editions of the Greater Baltimore Verizon Yellow Pages, the number one yellow pages in Baltimore based on consumer possession, preference and usage.

yellow stone
Hiking: Fahnestock State Park 
The Record - 1 hour, 10 minutes ago
FEATURES: This loop hike traverses a remote area of the park, reaching an interesting rock formation with broad west-facing views and passing many old stone walls.

yellowcard
Warped Tour 
MuchMusic.com - Mar 15 8:16 AM
This year's Warped tour has announced a diverse lineup including Bad Religion, New Found Glory, Yellowcard, The Used and k-os. The 45-show tour starts in California and will make 4 Canadian stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto.

yesica toscanini

ying yang twins
Roc Monee Leaves for Next Leg of Ying Yang Twins Tour; Exclusive Live Concert + Backstage for MOTV Broadcast 
[Press Release] Market Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Apr 03 9:25 AM
RMD Entertainment Group announced today that artist Roc Monee continues to rack up popularity on the second leg of platinum artist Ying Yang Twins. The RMD artist will be performing as the opening act in the following shows this month.


yngwie malmsteen
ARTS: Our Critics Picks 
Nashville Scene - Mar 21 12:18 PM
What was originally scheduled to celebrate the release of Tupper Saussys new CD, The Chocolate Orchid Piano Bar , has instead become a celebration of his life.

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Weird al yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic.
Origin Lynwood, California, USA
Country United States
Years active 1979–present
Genre(s) Comedy, Pop, Parody, Polka
Label(s) Capitol Records (1979)
Placebo Records (1981)
TK Records (1981)
Scotti Brothers (1983-1997)
Volcano (1997-present)
Members "Weird Al" Yankovic (1979 - present)
Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz (1980 - present)
Steve Jay (1982 - present)
Jim West (1982 - present)
Rubén Valtierra (1991 - present)
Past members Joe Earley
Rick Derringer
Website(s) www.weirdal.com

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician best known for his parodies of contemporary radio hits throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His lyrics depend largely on the satirizing of popular culture including television, movies, food, music, websites and news stories. Though parodies earned him his fame, Yankovic has recorded a greater number of humorous songs with original tunes. Some of these pieces are pastiches (or style parodies), where he chooses a band's entire body of work to emulate rather than any single hit. Most of his albums include a medley which juxtaposes the choruses of various songs in a polka style, complete with accordion.

Contents

  • 1 Biography
  • 2 Yankovic's songs
  • 3 UHF
  • 4 Directing career
  • 5 Misattribution and imitators
  • 6 Weird Al Star Fund
  • 7 Awards and album certification
  • 8 Discography
    • 8.1 Compilation albums (international)
    • 8.2 Special projects
    • 8.3 Compilation albums (imports, other)
  • 9 Videography
    • 9.1 Cameos and special appearances
  • 10 Television appearances
  • 11 Trivia
  • 12 See also
  • 13 Notes and references
  • 14 External links

Biography

Yankovic, the only child of Nikolas Louis Yankovic (a Serb-American) and Mary Elizabeth Vivalda (of Italian descent), was born in Downey, California, but raised in the nearby town of Lynwood. He first started playing the accordion one day before his seventh birthday. When a door to door salesman came around offering accordion and guitar lessons, his father opted for accordion saying that there should be one more accordion playing Yankovic in the world besides Frankie Yankovic (to whom he has no relation). He mastered the instrument by age ten, after which he quit lessons to pursue it on his own. He now uses a youth sized accordion, with which he is able to jump around more vigorously.

After hearing Dr. Demento's radio show (a comedy radio program featuring humorous music), Yankovic sent the Doctor a tape of a song entitled "Belvedere Cruisin'", a song about his family's current vehicle, in 1976. Another song, included on the tape, which never received airtime, was entitled "Dr. D Superstar" and was a parody of "Jesus Christ Superstar".[1] He was a senior at Lynwood High School at the time, but that tape was the start of his eventual career.

Three years later, Yankovic was an architecture student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a disc jockey at the university's radio station (KCPR.) His air name was "Weird Al", and he has used it since. Although he has claimed that he had been referred to as "Weird Al" during high school, there is no confirming evidence of this. Since "My Sharona" by The Knack was on the charts and The Knack was scheduled to play at Cal Poly, he took his accordion into the bathroom across the hall from the radio station and recorded a parody entitled "My Bologna," with a B-side called "School Cafeteria." The Knack thought it was funny after meeting Yankovic after a show at his college, and arranged for the song to be released on their label, Capitol Records, which gave Yankovic a six-month contract. Dr. Demento's listeners put this track atop his "Funny Five" list.

In 1980, Yankovic was working in the mail room at Westwood One, Dr. Demento's radio network at the time, when he developed another parody called "Another One Rides The Bus," a parody of Queen's hit, "Another One Bites The Dust." While practicing the song outside the sound booth, he ran into Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, who told him he was a drummer and agreed to bang on Yankovic's accordion case to keep a good steady beat to the song. They rehearsed the song just a few times before going live on The Doctor Demento Show. "Another One Rides The Bus" became so popular that it got Yankovic his first television appearance, The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. On the show, he played his accordion and again Jon banged on his accordion case as well as squeaking and blowing some horns and other musical gizmos. The rare 1981 Placebo EP release of this song has as its B-side the track "Happy Birthday", an unusually (for Yankovic) dark song about the world's problems and imminent destruction ("There's garbage in the water and poison in the sky, I guess it won't be long before we're all gonna die"), with the sarcastic suggestion that denial is the natural solution ("So if you think it's scary, if it's more than you can take, just blow out the candles, and have a piece of cake!") The Placebo EP recording of that song was recently remixed into stereo by Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz for inclusion on the Hurricane Katrina charity compilation Laughter is a Powerful Weapon Volume 2: Funny Musicians for a Serious Cause.

The Dr. Demento Society, which issues yearly Christmas re-releases of material from Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes, often includes among these unreleased tracks from Yankovic's vaults, such as "Pacman", "It's Still Billy Joel To Me", or the demos for "I Love Rocky Road." The live version of "School Cafeteria" is also to be found on Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.

1981 brought Yankovic on tour for the first time as part of Dr. Demento's act. His performances were particularly interesting as few, if any, people at the time were doing parodies of rock and roll songs on accordion. His stage act caught the eye of manager Jay Levey, who loved it and became Yankovic's manager. Levey insisted that the act would sound better if he had a full band, so he held auditions. Steve Jay became Yankovic's bass player, and Jim West played guitar. With Schwartz on drums, the band was complete. In 1991, Rubén Valtierra joined the band on keyboards, to allow Yankovic to concentrate more on singing during concerts. Rick Derringer would produce all of his albums until the 1992 release Off the Deep End. After Derringer's departure, Yankovic began to produce his own albums. So far he has produced eleven albums, with a twelfth on its way sometime in 2006.

Ironically enough, Yankovic's first show with his entire band (excluding Rubén Valtierra who joined in 1991) was not successful at all. The audience threw items at Yankovic and his band and they were booed off the stage. After the show, a kid approached Yankovic and asked if he was Weird Al. Yankovic replied to the affirmative and the kid said, "You suck!"

In 1985, Yankovic co-wrote and starred in a mockumentary of his own life entitled The Compleat Al that intertwined fact and fiction of his life up to that point. The movie was co-directed by Jay Levey, who would direct UHF (see below) four years later.

Yankovic's "classic" look before eye surgery, with glasses and mustache

In January 1998, Yankovic had LASIK eye surgery and shaved off his mustache, radically changing his trademark look. Yankovic, who was revealed to be rather handsome in his conventional look, humorously commented that "Millions of girls actually found me hot for the first time!"

Yankovic married Suzanne Krajewski on February 10, 2001. Their daughter, Nina, was born February 11, 2003. He also has a pet poodle, Bela (the one sitting atop Yankovic's head on the cover of his album Poodle Hat), and a pet cockatiel named Bo.

On April 9, 2004, Yankovic's parents, Nick, 86, and Mary, 81, were found dead in their Fallbrook, California home, apparently the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning from a fire that had been burning. The night after their bodies were found, Yankovic went on with his concert in Mankato, Minnesota, saying that "since my music had helped many of my fans through tough times, maybe it would work for me as well" and that it would "at least ... give me a break from sobbing all the time."[2]

A biographical booklet was released with the 1994 compilation Permanent Record: Al In The Box[3].

Yankovic's songs

Main article: List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Yankovic is best known for his song parodies ("Eat It"), though he has actually recorded a greater number of original humorous songs ("You Don't Love Me Anymore" and "One More Minute"). The new song "You're Pitiful" was released for download on weirdal.com on June 12, 2006. His work depends largely on the satirizing of popular culture, including television (see The TV Album), movies ("The Saga Begins"), food (see The Food Album), popular music (the polkas), and sometimes issues in contemporary news ("Headline News"). Although many of his songs are parodies of contemporary radio hits, it is rare that the song's primary topic of lampooning is that artist (exceptions include "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Achy Breaky Song"). Yankovic's humor lies more in creating unexpected incongruity between an artist's image and the topic of the song, contrasting the style of the song with its content, or in pointing out trends or works which have become pop culture clichés.

In addition to his parodies, Yankovic also includes a medley of various songs on most albums, each one reinterpreted as a polka, with the choruses of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect ("Polka Your Eyes Out"). Yankovic has been known to say that converting these songs to polka was "...the way God intended".

Some of his original songs are pastiches or "style parodies," where he chooses a band's entire body of work to honor/parody rather than any single hit by that band (for example, Devo with "Dare To Be Stupid"). Sometimes, it is obvious as to which band's style Yankovic is parodying, but often times it is subjective. One person may hear influences from one band, while another may hear influences from a different band. Some style parodies are in the style of a genre of music, rather than a specific band.

Yankovic has contributed songs to several films ("This Is The Life", from Johnny Dangerously and a parody of the James Bond title sequence in Spy Hard), including his own UHF. Other songs of his have appeared in films or television series as well.

One of Yankovic's most controversial parodies was "Amish Paradise", based on "Gangsta's Paradise" by hip-hop artist Coolio. (Ironically, Coolio's work "Gangsta's Paradise" already samples heavily from a Stevie Wonder song, "Pastime Paradise," complicating the issue further.) Coolio's label gave Yankovic permission to parody his work and gave the impression that Coolio had as well, but he maintains that he never did. Coolio claimed he was upset, but legal action never materialized, and Coolio accepted royalty payments for the song. (Technically, under copyright law's "fair use" doctrine – affirmed by the United States Supreme Court — one does not need permission to record a parody, though one does need permission to record a satire.[1] However, Yankovic has always requested permission before recording parodies, as a means of maintaining good relationships within the music community). After this happened, Yankovic always made sure to speak directly with the artist of every song he parodied. At the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show Yankovic and Coolio made amends. On his website, Yankovic wrote of this event, "I don’t remember what we said to each other exactly, but it was all very friendly… I doubt I’ll be invited to Coolio’s next birthday party, but at least I can stop wearing that bulletproof vest to the mall." [4]

Recently, another tiff erupted around a Weird Al song. Al had gained the permission to parody James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", but while the album it was to go on was in final production, Blunt's label, Atlantic Records objected. Yankovic says he still has Blunt's permission, but neither Blunt nor Yankovic's label wish to start a major fight over it, so "You're Pitiful" was pulled from the album. It is, however, available for free download on Yankovic's website. [5]

UHF

Main article: UHF (film)
UHF original theatrical poster

In 1989, Yankovic starred in a full length feature film, co-written by himself and manager Jay Levey, called UHF. A satire of the television industry, also starring Michael Richards, Fran Drescher and Victoria Jackson, it was unsuccessful in theaters, but has since become a cult classic. Yankovic occasionally shows clips from the film at his concerts to the great appreciation of his fans. The Australian release of this film was titled The Vidiot From UHF.This movie has a lot of movie and show parodies in it.

Directing career

"Weird Al" Yankovic has directed many of his own music videos, the first being "Bedrock Anthem" (a parody of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away" and "Under the Bridge") in 1993. He has directed all of his own videos since then. Additionally, he has directed several by such artists as Hanson, The Black Crowes, Ben Folds, Jeff Foxworthy, and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. He also directed the title sequence to Spy Hard, in which he sang the title song.

Misattribution and imitators

Songs posted to file sharing networks are often misattributed to Yankovic due to their humorous subject matter, including songs that are racist, sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive. A young listener who had heard several of these offensive tracks by way of a file-sharing service confronted Yankovic online, threatening a boycott due to his supposedly explicit lyrics. [6] Quite a few of the songs, such as "Star Wars Cantina," "Star Wars Gangsta Rap," "Yoda Smokes Weed," "Chewbacca, What a Wookie," and several more, have a Star Wars motif. [7] Of all the songs misattributed to Yankovic, those with a Star Wars theme seem to be the most prevalent.

A list of songs not by Yankovic can be found at The Not Al List. Alternatively, a list of all songs recorded by Yankovic can be found on his website's Recording Dates Page.

Weird Al Star Fund

The Weird Al Star Fund is a campaign started by Yankovic's fans to get him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their mission is to "solicit, collect, and raise the necessary money, and to compile the information needed for the application to nominate "Weird Al" Yankovic for a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame." Fans worldwide have sent donations to raise the $15,000 needed for a nomination. In addition to the preferred method of cash donations, many methods were used to raise money for the cause, such as a live benefit Show held April 11, 2006, and selling merchandise on the official website and eBay, including t-shirts, calendars, and cookbooks.

On May 26, 2006, the campaign hit the $15,000 target -- just 5 days before the May 31, 2006 deadline to submit the necessary paperwork. If the application is accepted, he could be inducted as early as spring/summer 2007.

On June 23, 2006, according to eonline.com, Al is unfortunately not on the list of inductees for 2007. More info is available at http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,19348,00.html?rssceleb

Awards and album certification

  • Eat It — Grammy Best Comedy Recording (1984)
  • Fat — Grammy Best Concept Video (1988)
  • Poodle Hat — Grammy for Best Comedy Album (2003)
  • Six other Grammy nominations
U.S. gold records
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic
  • The Food Album
  • Alapalooza
U.S. platinum records
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
  • Dare to Be Stupid
  • Even Worse
  • Off the Deep End
  • Bad Hair Day
  • Running With Scissors
U.S. gold long form videos
  • The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library
  • Alapalooza: The Videos
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic - Live!
  • Bad Hair Day: The Videos
U.S. platinum long form videos
  • The Ultimate Video Collection
Canadian gold records
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
  • Even Worse
  • Greatest Hits
  • Greatest Hits Volume II
  • Running With Scissors
Canadian platinum records
  • Off the Deep End
  • Bad Hair Day
Canadian double platinum records
  • Alapalooza
Gold singles
  • Eat It (U.S., Canada, & Australia)


Source: Weirdal.com

Discography

Since Yankovic secured a recording contract in 1983, he has released many albums and parodies. The following is a comprehensive list of his albums to date, with release date, and highest Billboard Chart position:

Album cover Album information
"Weird Al" Yankovic
  • Released: April 26, 1983 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #139 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Ricky
"Weird Al" Yankovic In 3-D
  • Released: February 28, 1984 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #17 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Eat it, I Lost On Jeopardy, King Of Suede
Dare To Be Stupid
  • Released: June 18, 1985 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #50 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Like A Surgeon, I Want A New Duck, One More Minute, Dare To Be Stupid
Polka Party!
  • Released: October 21, 1986 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #177 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Living With A Hernia, Christmas At Ground Zero
Even Worse
  • Released: April 12, 1988 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #27 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Fat, Lasagna, I Think I'm A Clone Now
UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff
  • Released: July 18, 1989 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #146 (U.S.)
  • Singles: UHF, Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies, Isle Thing
Off the Deep End
  • Released: April 14, 1992 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #17 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Smells Like Nirvana, You Don't Love Me Anymore, Taco Grande, The White Stuff, I Can't Watch This
Alapalooza
  • Released: October 5, 1993 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #46 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Jurassic Park, Bedrock Anthem, Achy Breaky Song,
Bad Hair Day
  • Released: March 12, 1996 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
  • Chart Positions: #14 (U.S.)
  • Singles: Amish Paradise, Gump, The Night Santa Went Crazy
Running With Scissors
  • Released: June 29, 1999 (U.S.)
  • Label: Volcano
  • Chart Positions: #16 (U.S.)
  • Singles: The Saga Begins, It's All About The Pentiums
Poodle Hat
  • Released: May 20, 2003 (U.S.)
  • Label: Volcano
  • Chart Positions: #17 (U.S.)
  • Singles: -
  • As of June 7, 2006, Yankovic has completed ten songs for his twelfth album. Previously having eleven recorded for this album, Yankovic decided to release "You're Pitiful", a parody of "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, as a free download through distribution on his website. This is because Atlantic Records, Blunt's record company, denied Yankovic the rights to release it on his album. Yankovic will return to the studio in the near future, to record additional track(s). Other rumored track names that come from credible sources include "Close, But No Cigar", an original work with a music video animated by Ren & Stimpy artist John K., and "Don't Download This Song", a parody of "We Are the World" by Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson.

Compilation albums (international)

Album cover Album information
"Weird Al" Yankovic's Greatest Hits
  • Released: October 18, 1988 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
The Food Album
  • Released: June 22, 1993 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
Permanent Record: Al In The Box
  • Released: September 27, 1994 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
Greatest Hits Volume II
  • Released: October 25, 1994 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers
The TV Album
  • Released: November 7, 1995 (U.S.)
  • Label: Scotti Brothers

Special projects

  • Peter And The Wolf / Carnival of the Animals, Part II (With Wendy Carlos) - October 4, 1988
    • "This warped classical children's record featuring narration and poems written by 'Weird Al' Yankovic and music arranged, composed and performed by synthesizer whiz Wendy Carlos" - WeirdAl.com. Yankovic's text modifies the original story considerably: "The Grandfather will be played by... Don Ameche! What? He can't make it?", while the music features various innovations by Wendy Carlos over the original by Sergei Prokofiev. Side two of the album is "Carnival of the Animals, Part II" which is in part a homage to The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, with Yankovic taking the role of Ogden Nash in writing humorous poems about the snail, the shark, etc.
  • Babalu Music! - October 22, 1991
    • A collection of music from and related to the television sitcom I Love Lucy. Yankovic's contribution as producer seems not to extend past the title track.
  • Pokémon The Movie 2000 (soundtrack) - July 18, 2000; #85 (includes "Polkamon")
  • Dog Train - 2005 - A kids book/CD by Sandra Boynton. Yankovic sings a duet with Kate Winslet on "I Need A Nap".

Compilation albums (imports, other)

Album cover from the Japanese compilation album, The Saga Begins (1999)
  • Eat It - May 1, 1984 (Japanese LP)
  • The Official Music of "Weird Al" Yankovic - June 1984 (Japanese LP)
  • The Best Of Yankovic - 1992 (Korean LP)
  • The Saga Begins - December 1, 1999 (Japanese CD)

Videography

The following is a comprehensive list of his long form videos to date, with release date.

  • The Compleat Al - August 1985
  • UHF - July 21, 1989
  • The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library - May 1992
  • Alapalooza: The Videos - December 1993
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Collection - 1993
  • Bad Hair Day: The Videos - June 1996
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Videos - January 1998
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! - November 23, 1999
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection - November 3, 2003
  • The Weird Al Show - The Complete Series - August 15, 2006

Cameos and special appearances

  • Tapeheads - 1988
  • The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! - 1988
  • The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear - 1991
  • The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult - 1994
  • Spy Hard - 1996
  • Safety Patrol - 1997
  • Nothing Sacred - 1998
  • Desperation Boulevard - 2002
  • Haunted Lighthouse 4-D - 2003

Television appearances

DVD cover for The Weird Al Show

Yankovic had a short-lived TV series called The Weird Al Show, which aired from September 1997 to September 1998 on CBS. Though the show appeared to be geared at children, the humor was really more for his adult fans. The entire series has been officially announced to be released on DVD by Shout! Factory on August 15, 2006.

Yankovic has hosted AL-TV on MTV and Al Music on MuchMusic many times, generally coinciding with the release of each new album. For Poodle Hat, AL-TV appeared on VH1. The most popular part of AL-TV is Yankovic manipulating interviews for comic effect, by inserting himself into a previously conducted interview with a musician, and asking absurd questions.

VH1 produced a Behind the Music episode on Yankovic. He is so clean-cut that the producers could not find any of the typical angst-laced problems that make many rock stars' stories compelling (as Yankovic noted in an interview with BTM), so they stretched many smaller disappointments and skirmishes during his career into major downfalls to fit the program's formula. His two commercial failures, his film UHF and his 1986 album Polka Party! were presented as having a larger impact on the direction of his career and Coolio's later disapproval of "Amish Paradise" was played up as a large feud. Despite the dramatic angles given to these events, the special was accurate in discussing Yankovic's life and career and received heavy playtime well after its initial airing.

He has also appeared in cartoons such as EEK! The Cat, The Simpsons, The Brak Show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Johnny Bravo and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, lending his voice to that of the Squid Hat, a parody of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter series.

He made a celebrity cameo appearance on an episode of The Simpsons that originally aired on April 13, 2003, singing "Homer & Marge" (a parody of John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane") with his band. The episode, "Three Gays of the Condo", in which Marge hires "Weird Al" to sing the aforementioned song to Homer in an attempt to reconcile their marriage, later won an Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)".

Yankovic appeared on Solid Gold in 1985 performing "Like A Surgeon", where television viewers first saw his now-famous parody of Madonna's "virgin dance".

He played a green, "cabbage-headed" talent agent for the Earth's solar system in "Miss Stardust", an episode of Amazing Stories.

He made it to the final round on Win Ben Stein's Money.

In the early 90's Yankovic appeared in a "training video" segment for the Virtual World Entertainment corporation's Red Planet racing game. He played the part of Freeman Jack, a subversive purveyor of vectored thrust vehicle (VTV) death races on Mars in an alternate universe.

In 1991, Yankovic appeared on a segment of PBS children's math program Square One in which he performed in a music video for a song titled "Polka Patterns". As this song was not written by Yankovic it has not been officially released and it is very unlikely to appear on any of his albums.

In 1993, Yankovic played a part in another PBS series, "Living and Working in Outer Space" where he played a rock star name Giles Standish leaving a video voicemail for a lunar governor, petitioning him to hold a concert in space.

He also appeared on the 1998 FX series, Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular, performing "The Night Santa Went Crazy" on an episode of the short-lived Penn & Teller variety show that aired in March 1999. On the show, he performed the "Extra Gory Version"[8] of the song, in which Santa dies rather than going to jail.

Yankovic appeared as himself in an episode of Sabrina: The Animated Series. In the episode, Yankovic performs a parody of a song performed by the "Flavor Babes" (a parody of the Spice Girls). Yankovic wrote the parody version for the episode. During the episode, it is stated that "You know you've made it when "Weird Al" does a parody of one of your songs," which is a sentiment felt by many.

Yankovic has appeared on numerous talk shows, most notably The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, (performing "Yoda" and "Hooked On Polkas"). In August 2005 he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, backing friend Ben Folds on the tambourine.

In 2005, Yankovic made his appearance in the segment "Movies that Should've Been Made in 3D" on VH1's I Love the 80s 3-D.

Also In 2005, Weird Al Appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. On the show, he sang a song about "polka" when the girl on the show requested "Polka Dots," In a scene where Ty Pennington mishears her.

Trivia

  • Krist Novoselic of Nirvana said that the band felt they had "made it" after Yankovic recorded "Smells Like Nirvana" (parodying "Smells Like Teen Spirit"). Kurt Cobain called Yankovic an American pop rock genius in his private journals.
  • Yankovic has put two backwards messages into his songs: the first, in "Nature Trail to Hell", said "Satan Eats Cheez Whiz"; the second, in "I Remember Larry", said "Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands." [9]
  • Yankovic's signature food is a Twinkie-wiener sandwich which consists of an overturned Twinkie split open as a bun, hot dog, and Easy Cheese. Recently in several interviews, he has stated that he has switched to using vegan hot dogs due to becoming a vegan, but still enjoys them as his favorite snack. (He also likes to dip them in coffee.) This can be seen in UHF.
  • Yankovic often includes the number 27 somewhere in his songs, videos, album art, and memorabilia. For example, he wears a 27 on the cover of the Running with Scissors album, and 27 photos are included in the photo gallery on the "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! DVD. This trademark began as several coincidental appearances of the number, but Yankovic began intentionally using it after the original incidents were pointed out to him. One recent occurrence appears in the song "Hardware Store": 'And they're doing a promotional stunt // There's a great big purple sign out front that says // Every 27th customer will get a ball-peen hammer free"
  • On November 10, 2004, The Onion published Larry Groznic's editorial "I Must Take Issue With The Wikipedia Entry For 'Weird Al' Yankovic".[10]
  • While artists are generally pleased with Yankovic, there are three notable exceptions. In addition to Coolio (they have since buried the hatchet), Prince has refused to allow parodies, though Yankovic has stated in interviews that he continues to "check back with him to see if he has developed a sense of humor". Yankovic was also requested to change the video for his parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself": "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career..."
  • Despite such cases of Yankovic apparently backing down, parody is recognized as fair use under copyright laws, so he is actually free to parody any artist's work without permission. He apparently asks the permission of artists in order to maintain good relationships and avoid pointless lawsuits. In some cases, parodies for which the artist did not give permission are performed in concert while remaining unreleased in any recorded form. Yankovic also often performs a medley of song segments at some point during a concert. The content of the medley varies, and has sometimes contained partial parodies that, for whatever reason, did not reach the length of a full song and were never released on any recorded work.
  • Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is a self-proclaimed Yankovic fan, but when Yankovic wished to create a Led Zeppelin polka he refused.
  • Like Page, Michael Jackson is also a big fan of Yankovic. Jackson has allowed him to parody his songs. When he learned that Yankovic was going to do a parody of "Bad" ("Fat"), Jackson allowed him to use the same set he built for his own "Bad" parody from the Moonwalker video.
  • Paul McCartney refused Yankovic permission to record a parody of Wings' "Live and Let Die", entitled "Chicken Pot Pie", because McCartney is a vegetarian (Yankovic is now one too). It has been performed numerous times in concert, however.
  • Licensing issues for Yankovic's works are some of the most complicated in the music industry. Largely because of his polka-medleys, he sometimes performs works by dozens of artists on a single album. Because of the potentially crippling amount of royalties required for this, his record labels are required to engage in much negotiation and diplomacy.
  • Yankovic is of no relation to the famous accordionist Frankie Yankovic, but Weird Al did play accordion for "Who Stole the Kishka" on one of Frankie's final records, Songs of the Polka King, Vol. 1. Frankie Yankovic also made a cameo appearance in a special by "Weird Al" for the 1986 Grammys. Weird Al jokes that his parents made him take up accordion because, "apparently, my parents felt the world needed TWO accordion-playing Yankovics." When the elder accordionist died in 1998, a woman Weird Al knew on the east coast called him and errantly told him, "I'm sorry your dad died," which was understandably jarring to Yankovic at the time.
  • Surprisingly, Yankovic is considered to be one of the top accordionists in the world, having played at a virtuoso level since childhood.
  • Yankovic's song "The Saga Begins" (a parody of Don McLean's "American Pie") is notable because it nearly accurately states the entire plot of The Phantom Menace, despite being written before the film was released. Yankovic got everything he needed from rumor websites. He was slightly unsure about Anakin proposing to Amidala, so he attended a $500 screening to make sure. [11] Additionally, rumors persist that Don McLean performs in the video. George Lucas also loved the song and reportedly fell out of his chair from laughing so hard when he heard it for the first time.
  • While Yankovic has never had a #1 single in the United States, "Eat It" reached the #1 position in Australia in 1984.
  • Yankovic says that his favorite car is the Nash Metropolitan, and he tends to feature a brown and white Metropolitan in his films and music videos.
  • There is a hidden video on the first pressing of Yankovic's Running With Scissors CD which depicts part of Yankovic's Disney Channel special. It is not included on subsequent releases.
  • In the Season 2 finale of the television series Drawn Together (The Drawn Together Clip Show), Wooldoor Sockbat dresses like Yankovic at one point in order to disguise himself.
  • Yankovic's song "Bob" (Poodle Hat) is composed completely of palindromes. Each line can therefore be read the same forward and backwards. The song parodies the style of Bob Dylan ("Bob" also being a palindrome), hence the title.
  • In 2005 Yankovic appeared live as a surprise guest at a Presidents of the United States of America concert to perform "Gump" with them during the encore. The song is a parody of their song "Lump".
  • Yankovic directed the video to Ben Folds single "Rockin' The Suburbs" and briefly appears in the video as a producer fixing Fold's "shitty tracks".

See also

  • List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
  • List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Notes and references

  1. ^ Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994)

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
"Weird Al" Yankovic
  • Official site
  • Weird Al Videos
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic at the Internet Movie Database
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic at MusicBrainz
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic at All Music Guide
  • Weird Al Yankovic Biography, Discography and Songs
  • Weird Al fans have a discussion board at the World of Weird Al Yankovic forums.
  • Some funny Weird Al videos.
  • Weird Al Wiki, a fan-created MediaWiki-powered wiki knowledge base dedicated to everything Weird Al
  • XVR27's 'Weird Al' Yankovic homepage! is a site filled with Yankovic lyrics and other information
  • Alsongs is an extensive collection of Yankovic lyrics.
  • The Not Al Page attempts to list tracks which are often wrongly attributed to Yankovic and discover their true origins.
  • Yankovic! Parody page, Parody artist
  • Al-oholics Anonymous The largest fan-based site for Yankovic, including photos, sounds, and video clips.
  • We've Got It All On UHF
  • Weird Al Star Fund Help get "Weird Al" Yankovic his star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame
  • Weird Al: Polkas, Parodies and the Power of Satire, a PDF article about Yankovic and the band from Goldmine magazine, written by columnist Chuck Miller [14 page PDF]
  • Make the Rock Hall "Weird" The grassroots campaign for Yankovic to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  • I Must Take Issue With The Wikipedia Entry For 'Weird Al' Yankovic The Onion's biting commentary on this article (10 Nov. 2004)
  • Links to clips of "Weird Al" Yankovic songs at www.comedyclips.nl
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Band Members "Weird Al" Yankovic • Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz • Steve Jay • Jim West • Rubén Valtierra
Studio albums "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-DDare to Be StupidPolka Party!Even WorseUHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other StuffOff the Deep EndAlapaloozaBad Hair DayRunning with ScissorsPoodle Hat
Compilation Albums "Weird Al" Yankovic's Greatest HitsThe Food AlbumPermanent Record: Al in the BoxGreatest Hits Volume IIThe TV Album
Long Form Videos The Compleat AlUHFThe "Weird Al" Yankovic Video LibraryAlapalooza: The Videos"Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate CollectionBad Hair Day: The Videos"Weird Al" Yankovic: The Videos"Weird Al" Yankovic Live!"Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video CollectionThe Weird Al Show - The Complete Series
Additional Information Singles • Songs • Al TVThe Weird Al Show • Songs Parodied
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic"

Jones, Haggard and 'Weird Al' among State Fair performers 

WFMJ Youngstown - Apr 04 6:27 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio Country music legends George Jones and Merle Haggard, rocker Pat Benatar and parody-pop star "Weird Al" Yankovic are on the schedule for this summer's Ohio State Fair.
Jones, Haggard and 'Weird Al' among State Fair performers 
FOX 45 Dayton - Apr 04 6:12 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Country music legends George Jones and Merle Haggard, rocker Pat Benatar and parody-pop star "Weird Al" Yankovic are on the schedule for this summer's Ohio State Fair.

Billboard.com -- Documentary Chronicles Marley Birthday Bash 
Billboard.com - 1 hour, 21 minutes ago
"Africa Unite," the documentary film capturing the 2005 concert in Ethiopia that celebrated Bob Marley's 60th birthday, debuted Saturday in New York, with a little help from Marley's family and actor Danny Glover.

Billboard.com -- Proclaimers, Kings Of Leon Rule U.K. Charts 
Billboard.com - 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
In an unchanged top three on the new U.K. singles chart, Scottish brothers the Proclaimers' update of their own "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" (EMI), featuring comic characters Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin, started a third week at No. 1. Meanwhile, Kings Of Leon achieved their first U.K. chart-topping album as "Because of the Times" (Hand Me Down/Sony BMG) entered at the top.

Billboard.com -- Babies, Soulmates Inspire New Bedingfield CD 
Billboard.com - 51 minutes ago
U.K. pop vocalist Natasha Bedingfield will return in August with her second Epic album, "N.B." The set, which is due next week internationally, is led by first single "I Wanna Have Your Babies." That cut debuted yesterday (April 8) at No. 25 on the U.K. singles chart. Guests on the album include Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine (on "Say It Again") and rapper Eve (on "No More What Ifs").

SHOWS ON THE ROAD 
The Scranton Times-Tribune - Apr 08 1:19 AM
THE TAFFETAS: through April 22. THE ODD COUPLE: April 25 through May 13. Call 717-258-3211. Visit www.allenberry.com

MC Frontalot is the king of 'nerdcore rap.' 
Boston Herald - Apr 05 10:56 AM
Don't pick on the geeky. That scrawny kid with the Darth Vader T-shirt and the Flash disc holster might grow up to be a nerdcore star. "Nerdcore rap is like regular rapping, except you don't...

He's in business just for laughs 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Apr 05 3:03 AM
Read this article ]

Feature Stories 
Rome Observer - Apr 05 9:05 AM
Terry Goffee: A Tribute to Johnny Cash will be in the Showroom, April 6, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, $15 or $20. Tony Bennett will be in the Showroom, April 17, at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Feb. 24 and are $75.

Morissette's "lumps" not so lovely 
The Clarion-Ledger - Apr 04 4:46 PM
When Murrah High School senior Alex Bradley surfed to a You Tube link and saw it, he couldn't stop laughing at Alanis Morissette.

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