Weird Al Yankovic

Here Are All The Musical Cameos In ‘Muppets Mayhem’ Season 1

by
muppets mayhem
Getty Image

When the new Disney+ show, The Muppets Mayhem, hit the streaming service with the first season this month, fans were sure to have some celebrity cameos alongside their favorite puppets. And, as the series centers around Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem‘s band working with a record label to make an album, a lot of the surprise guests are famous in the music world.

Chris Stapleton is the first to appear in the opening episode, as one of the first talking heads to share how the fictional band influenced his music. Others in this segment include Lil Nas X and Tommy Lee — who jokingly flashes his “Mayhem” tattoo as a fake nod to the band.

Later in the show’s sequence, the Muppet music crew attends a party where Steve Aoki is the DJ and Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins performs.

Another DJ, Zedd, and Sofia Carson (Disney’s Descendants) play a larger role in the series. Nora, played by Lilly Singh, wants Zedd to produce the band’s album. Carson arrives in the picture as a singer, when the group ultimately decides to give their song to her — and it becomes a massive hit.

Kesha also stops by to help the Muppets along their journey, while she’s trying to collab with them. Ziggy Marley also tries to help the Electric Mayhem find the right direction for their song, putting his own spin on something Kesha originally performed slower. Other collaborators as potential ideas in this part include Desiigner and Deadmau5.

Other mentions for musicians in the rest of the series are The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs and Paula Abdul.

Last, but absolutely not least, “Weird Al” Yankovic appears in the show as the band is presumably having a drug hallucination. But, of course since it’s Disney+, they just ate some expired marshmallows. What a silly band!

Chris Stapleton, Lil Nas X, Tommy Lee, And Many More Pay Homage In The Hilarious ‘Muppets Mayhem’ Trailer

by

Okay, folks, this is not a drill. The Muppets Mayhem series is finally coming to Disney+, and when I say “everybody is in it,” I really mean EVERYBODY IS IN IT.

Muppets media is well-known for its hilarious cameos — who doesn’t love the Muppets? — but this musical film, which follows the house/jam band Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem as they try to record their first album after 40 years, has all the justification it needs to pack in the guest stars like fans at a Phish concert.

You want musicians? Series stars Lilly Singh and Tahj Mowry (as a pair of record execs) pair up the band with EDM stars DeadMau5 and Zedd, while an in-film documentary clip features Chris Stapleton, Lil Nas X, and Tommy Lee paying homage to the fictional band and even crediting them with their influence.

Weird Al makes an appearance in the clip above, as do Cheech and Chong. Kesha shows up. Not only does Morgan Freeman show up, but he also does so rocking a bright blue wig and matching fedora! There’s even a Grease/Anchorman-style Stan gang war after Dr. Teeth accidentally upsets the Beyhive AND the Swifties at the same time (have mercy on his soul, Jesus)!

You can check out the trailer above and catch all episodes of the series on Disney+ beginning May 10.

Why Did ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic And Coolio Have Beef?

by
Weird Al Yankovic 2021
Getty Image

Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit song “Gangsta’s Paradise,” died at age 59 earlier this week. Following the news, many in the music industry posted tributes to the late rapper. However, one post caught fans’ attention, from none other than “Weird Al” Yankovic — who Coolio had a documented beef with in the ’90s.

The tension between the two started after Yankovic wanted to parody Coolio’s song, which eventually was released as 1996’s “Amish Paradise.” Coolio originally denied Yankovic’s request for the song, but given fair use laws, he couldn’t stop a parody from happening. Thus, the beef began. Coolio even threw in a line about Yankovic in his song “Throwdown 2000,” which appeared to be a diss.

By some point around the 2000s, Coolio and Yankovic had hung out and eventually put their drama aside. Yankovic even wanted the rapper to appear in his 2006 movie, Al’s Brain, but Coolio declined due to the financial aspect of the deal. Prior to his passing, he even noted that he found Yankovic (and the parody of his song) hilarious.

“Let me say this: I apologized to Weird Al a long time ago and I was wrong,” Coolio told Vice in 2014. “Y’all remember that, everybody out there who reads this sh*t. Real men and real people should be able to admit when they’re wrong and I was wrong, bro. Come on, who the f*ck am I, bro?”

“He did parodies of Michael Jackson, he did parodies of all kinds of people and I took offense to it because I was being cocky and sh*t and being stupid and I was wrong and I should’ve embraced that sh*t and went with it,” he continued. “I listened to it a couple years after that and it’s actually funny as sh*t. It’s one of those things where I made a wrong call and nobody stopped me. That’s one thing I’m still upset about — my management at the time. Somebody should’ve stopped me from making that statement because it was dumb. And I think it hurt me a little bit. It made me seem stupid.”

Despite their beef history, Coolio and Yankovic still maintained a clear respect for one another.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Uses A Meaningful Photo To Honor Coolio, The Rap Icon Who Inspired ‘Amish Paradise,’ After His Death

by
Weird Al Yankovic Amish Paradise video
YouTube

Yesterday, the world learned that Coolio, the legendary rapper behind “Gangsta’s Paradise,” died at 59 years old. Reactions have since poured out, including a meaningful one from “Weird Al” Yankovic. He shared a photo of Coolio and himself (more on the picture in a bit) and wrote simply, “RIP Coolio.”

Coolio is of course a major part of Yankovic’s legacy thanks to the latter’s “Amish Paradise.” The song, a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” is one of Yankovic’s biggest hits: It’s his most-streamed song on Spotify and one of a handful of Yankovic songs to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The rapper was initially not pleased with Yankovic’s parody but later expressed regret over his response to it on multiple occasions. In a 2011 interview, for example, he said, “I sat down, and I really thought it out. I was like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I was like, ‘Coolio, who the f*ck do you think you are? He did Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson didn’t get mad..’ […] I’ve since apologized to him. Again, that was so stupid. […] That was a stupid thing for me to do. That was one of the dumbest things I did in my career.”

As for the photo Yankovic chose to share, it’s a significant one. The pic shows the two hugging at the XM Satellite booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. As Vulture notes, this occasion marked the pair’s public reconciliation after years of tension between them due to “Amish Paradise.” Yankovic later said of the encounter, “I don’t remember what we said to each other exactly, but it was all very friendly and after a minute, he was gone. I turned to the next person in line and said, ‘Did that really just happen?’”

Revisit our 2016 interview with Coolio here.

Evan Rachel Wood Is Crossing Her Fingers That Madonna Is Still ‘Cool’ With Her After Her ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ Performance

by
Evan Rachel Wood As Madonna In Weird Al Biopic
Roku

As the Weird Al Yankovic biopic makes it’s debut at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, Evan Rachel Wood is hoping that Madonna is “cool” with her performance as the legendary pop star. In a new interview for Weird‘s TIFF premiere, Wood revealed that she’s actually interacted with Madonna over the years, which helped prepare her for taking on the iconic role in the Daniel Radcliffe-fronted film.

“I love Madonna,” Wood told IndieWire. “I’ve met her before. We’ve been very friendly. So I think we’re cool. I’m hoping we’re cool.”

Working in Wood’s favor is the fact that the film is heavily fictionalized, and also, Madonna has a pretty busy schedule these days:

“The good news is nothing in this movie actually happened, so I’m a little safe there.”

Plus, Wood is doubtful that Madonna will address her portrayal of her short-lived romance with Weird Al, who co-wrote and produced the film. “I don’t think she’s going to respond at all,” Wood said. “She has other things on her mind and other things to do.”

On top of being one of the biggest pop sensations in the world, Madonna is currently working on a biopic of herself. The film, which Madonna will also direct, locked down Ozark‘s Julia Garner for the title role. However, it wasn’t an easy process. Garner faced tough competition (Florence Pugh and Odessa Young were among the top contenders.) and everyone who auditioned reportedly had to take part in a grueling “Madonna boot camp,” which Wood wisely dodged by going the comedy biopic route.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story starts streaming November 4 on The Roku Channel.

(Via IndieWire)

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Is ‘Amazed’ That His Lawyers Let Him Make ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’

by
weird al
roku channel

In the trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, “Weird Al” Yankovic asks Madonna whether her song “Like a Virgin” is autobiographical. “Yes, she responds, “except for the fact that I’ve had a lot of sex.” They then make out and, presumably, get weird.

This did not happen in real life. This “Weird Al” and Madonna are played by Daniel Racliffe and Evan Rachel Wood, respectively, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a satirical biopic. But the real “Weird Al,” the one who never yelled “you’re all a bunch of normals, I’m the weird one” to his bandmates, is still surprised the film got made. “I’m amazed the lawyers let us get away with this movie, frankly. But they’re like, Oh, yeah, all public figures — go for it,” Yankovic told the New York Times, which added in a parenthetical, “A representative for Madonna did not respond to a request for comment.”

Here’s more:

Daniel Radcliffe is “Weird” Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him. With Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, and an A-list cast of thousands their agents won’t let us reveal.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story comes to the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4.

(Via the New York Times)

Daniel Radcliffe Is A Hard-Partying ‘Weird Al’ (And Gets Steamy With Madonna) In The ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ Trailer

by

“It would be WEIRD if you didn’t watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”

Sorry, I’m just trying to get a pull quote on the poster for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a tongue-in-cheek biography about song parody icon “Weird Al” Yankovic. In the Roku Channel original movie, he’s played by Daniel Radcliffe, who shares his dream in the hilarious trailer above: “My whole life, all I wanted is to make up new words to a song that already exists.” That polka-filled origin story eventually leads to “My Bologna” and “The Saga Begins” and “White and Nerdy,” as well as originals like “Christmas at Ground Zero” and “Albuquerque” (where’s Weird Al’s statue, huh?).

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story also stars Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento (who calls “Weird Al” the “future of music”), Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey, and Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. “Is that song autobiographical?” “Weird Al” asks Madonna about “Like a Virgin.” Yes, she responds, “except for the fact that I’ve had a lot of sex.” Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is the Walk Hard of polka biopics, and I, for one, cannot wait.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Daniel Radcliffe is “Weird” Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him. With Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, and an A-list cast of thousands their agents won’t let us reveal.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story comes to the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4.

Wow, Check Out The Pretty Good Madonna Voice Evan Rachel Wood Is Doing In The New Weird Al Movie

by

Evan Rachel Wood might be in the midst of promoting the new season of Westworld, but that doesn’t mean she can’t show off her pretty impressive vocal skills. While stopping by The Tonight Show on Thursday, Wood not only opened up about her upcoming role as Madonna in Roku’s Weird Al Yankovic biopic, but she gave the audience a taste of how well she can channel the iconic girl by belting out a performance of “Material Girl” at Fallon’s request.

According to Wood, she’s become prone to using her Madonna voice to “disarm” interviewers. As for taking on the iconic role, she felt much better playing the singer in the Weird Al movie than the full-fledged Madonna biopic that stars Julia Garner in the coveted role, which she deemed “too much pressure.” Regarding her casting, Wood added, “Honestly, like I thought I was gonna take a break the rest of the year, and then I got an email and the first thing I read is ‘You’ve been offered the role of Madonna,’ and I just burst out laughing like…. you just spit your drink out when you read that. Like, you’re not expecting that as a Tuesday.”

As for when you can see Wood play Madonna in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Roku has yet to provide a release date for the biopic that stars a surprisingly ripped Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. However, the film is scheduled to premiere some time this year, which is already halfway over, so the wait shouldn’t be too long.

(Via The AV Club)

‘Harry Potter’ Star Daniel Radcliffe Will Play ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic In A Biopic About The Musician’s Life

by
radcliffe weird al
Getty Image

Daniel Radcliffe made enough money from the Harry Potter movies that he could decide to not work for the rest of his life. Instead, he chooses to star in offbeat passion projects, and for that (and other reasons), we love him. Frankenstein’s assistant Igor? Yup. A farting corpse? Been there. A criminal mastermind in Now You See Me 2, the sequel to magician heist movie Now You See Me that I’m still annoyed wasn’t called Now You Don’t? Of course. For his next “sure, why not, I’m in” role, he’ll pick up an accordion.

Deadline reports that Radcliffe will play musician (and Uproxx‘s Person of the Year recipient) “Weird Al” Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a “Roku Original biopic from Funny or Die and Tango that will be available for streaming exclusively on The Roku Channel.” It was written by Eric Appel and Yankovic, who said in a statement, “I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

The Yankovic biopic promises to hold nothing back and explore every facet of his life, from his childhood through his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon,” while touching on his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.

“Weird Al” released his first album in 1983, and while he could have been quickly dismissed as a novelty act, he’s arguably as popular now as he’s ever been (his last album, 2014’s Mandatory Fun, was his first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200). As someone who grew up playing Bad Hair Day and Running with Scissors and watching UHF and The Weird Al Show on repeat, I can’t wait for the tongue-in-cheek biopic — as long as there’s a full 11 minutes dedicated to his best song, “Albuquerque.”

Also, let Radcliffe play Harvey the Wonder Hamster, too.

(Via Deadline)