Latest news with #WeirdAlYankovic
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Funnyman Weird Al Yankovic enjoys rock-star moment at sold-out Madison Square Garden debut
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Weird Al Yankovic performing during his show at New York's Madison Square Garden on July 12. The comedy musician has sold more than 12 million albums. NEW YORK – When Weird Al Yankovic, America's foremost song parodist for the past 40 years, took the stage for his first Madison Square Garden show on July 12, his accordion got its own ovation. 'Are you ready to polka ? ' he shouted, and the sold-out crowd cheered as he dived into an altered medley of hits. With videos and elaborate costumes, the Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour showcased the comedy musician's enduringly singular, lampoonery-filled pop-culture stardom. Along with his signature instrument, he played the keyboard, melodica and harmonica. And with a tight backing band – many of the members have been with him for decades – he performed some of his biggest numbers: his first single My Bologna from 1979 (to the tune of The Knack's My Sharona); Like A Surgeon (a la Madonna's Like A Virgin, but in scrubs) and Smells Like Nirvana, in full Kurt Cobain grunge regalia. At 65, Yankovic still commands the stage like a natural-born rocker, with high kicks and the panache to pull off what few other artistes can (including a fat suit). During Eat It, a riff on Michael Jackson's Beat It, audience members – many in Hawaiian shirts and sporting curly locks – were on their feet. Even a seen-it-all security guard danced. For White & Nerdy, Yankovic arrived via scooter, to the thump of Chamillionaire's Ridin'. Father-son pairs, arm-in-arm, knew every lyric. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore S'pore's domestic recycling rate drops to all time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kick in Business Singapore's digital banks finding their niche in areas like SMEs as they narrow losses in 2024 Asia Japan Prime Minister Ishiba to resign by August, Mainichi newspaper reports World Trump says US will charge 19% tariff on goods from Philippines, down from 20% Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat Singapore 2 foreigners arrested for shop theft at Changi Airport Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving He has sold more than 12 million albums and won five Grammy s. He had a No. 1 album in 2014 with Mandatory Fun. His career has, surprisingly, continued to surge. Amid the jokes during his Madison Square Garden show, he took time to savour his achievements. 'Oftentimes , b ig moments in your life come and go so quickly that you can't really enjoy them while you're in them,' he said, pausing as the arena's house lights rose. The tour, with a Star Wars-themed finale involving storm troopers and R2-D2, is his biggest production ever. But it is not all pastiche: He did some original (and funny) numbers, and a cover of Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al that showed off Yankovic's tenor and rhythm. His 2014 song Word Crimes – a parody of Blurred Lines that criticises bad grammar ('I don't want your drama/If you really wanna/Leave out that Oxford comma') – is like an ethos: Get the words right. That's joy. NYTIMES
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Weird Al Yankovic Drops 'Perfect' Nod to Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce
Weird Al Yankovic Drops 'Perfect' Nod to Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce originally appeared on Parade. left Swifties and Chiefs fans alike absolutely gagged after his Kansas City show late last week, where he slipped the "perfect" nod to the couple that often draws comparisons to American Royalty into his concert. In a video uploaded to TikTok by one fan in attendance, the parody performer stood front and center on stage in an eclectic pair of lime green patterned pants while he played the accordion and sang 's "Shake It Off" as the music video played in the background. The song, which notably garnered no lyric changes from the singer, was part of a polka medley that he performs regularly, but there was one key design element that appears to have been unique to the Kansas City Chiefs' home turf. As the song drew to an end, the music video shifted to a cartoonized version that first showed Yankovic dressed in Swift's many costumes, before a character depicting tight end dressed in one of Swift's Eras Tour bodysuits slid into frame with the superstar perched on his shoulder in what looked to be a Game Day outfit. The illustrated versions of Swift, Kelce and Yankovic then played off the end of the song on a variety of instruments, with Kelce changed into a red pair of lederhosen. Some fans unfamiliar with this particular part of Yankovic's game were thrilled with the cover, with one gushing, "I am so happy to see Weird Al is a swiftie! This made my week." "You know the song is perfect because Al doesn't change the lyrics he's just singing it," another fawned."He was absolutely fire we saw him at red rocks and I'm beyond impressed. Love him!" somebody else praised, while others latched onto the special appearance from the NFL legend. "the travis cartoon being added is perfect," one commenter wrote, while another agreed, "His nod to her [and] Trav was adorable." "love the addition of travey," someone else quipped, while another summed it up perfectly: "Oh this is so good."Weird Al Yankovic Drops 'Perfect' Nod to Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen Colbert's Famous Friends Make Cameos on ‘The Late Show' to Help Cheer Up Audience After Cancellation
Stephen Colbert was feeling all the love and support from some of his late-night allies and famous friends on Monday night after it was announced that The Late Show had been canceled. 'Some people see this show going away as a sign of something truly dire, and while I am a big fan of me, I don't necessarily agree with that statement because we here at The Late Show never saw our job as changing anything other than how you felt at the end of the day, which I think is a worthy goal,' Colbert told his live studio audience during Monday's show, before quipping, 'Or rather, changing how you felt the next morning when you watched on your phone, which is why broadcast TV is dying. You're part of the problem. Look in the mirror, OK?' More from The Hollywood Reporter Jon Stewart Slams CBS For Colbert Cancellation: "You Are F***ing Wrong" Donald Trump Won't Absolutely Love That He May Have Just Handed an Emmy to Stephen Colbert John Oliver Says 'Late Show' Cancellation Is "Incredibly Sad" The host continued, 'Point is I don't want this show to be associated with making you sad or anxious, but since I'm the guy who's going away next year, I'm thinking maybe I'm not the guy to cheer you up. So I thought music, OK, that makes people happy, right?' That's when Lin-Manuel Miranda and 'Weird Al' Yankovic came out to cheer up the crowd in the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York by singing Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida' (the song seemed timely, huh?). The camera then panned to the audience for a Coldplay kiss cam parody, except it featured several more famous faces showing their solidarity to Colbert, including Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Last Week Tonight's John Oliver, The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon, Late Night's Seth Meyers and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Last week, Colbert and CBS announced that The Late Show would conclude at the end of the 2025-26 season in May next year. The network cited a 'financial decision' amid a declining linear TV landscape for the cancellation. At the taping of Thursday's show last week, the host told the live audience that he was informed of the decision to end The Late Show the night before, drawing boos from the audience. Earlier on Monday night, during his monologue, Colbert also addressed people who 'have been speculating about the timing of this decision from Paramount.' 'They're pointing out that last Monday, just two days before my cancellation, I delivered a blistering monologue in which I showed the courage to have a mustache,' he joked (as he actually slammed Paramount in the monologue in question over their 16 million settlement with President Donald Trump). 'I mean, obviously, CBS saw my upper lip and boom, canceled. Coincidence? Oh, I think not. This is worse than fascism. This is stachism.' The show's cancellation announcement comes as David Ellison's Skydance Media is currently in the process of acquiring Paramount Global, which is the parent company of CBS. However, the deal is still pending FCC approval, more than a year after the proposed merger was announced. Earlier this month, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit from Trump, who sued over former Vice President Kamala Harris' 60 Minutes interview. Sources previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount believes the lawsuit posed a threat to Skydance's deal to acquire the company, as it seeks approval by the FCC under the Trump administration. While Colbert has previously criticized the settlement on The Late Show, CBS said in a statement that it wasn't a factor in the decision to end the show. 'Over the weekend, somebody at CBS followed up their gracious press release with a gracious anonymous leak saying they pulled the plug on our show because of losses pegged between $40 million and $50 million a year,' Colbert later said during his monologue. 'Forty million is a big number. I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million? Oh yeah.' Following the news last week, Trump also took to his Truth Social platform to positively gloat about the series being canceled, writing, 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.' On Monday's show, Colbert clapped back at Trump, saying, 'How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go fuck yourself,' drawing cheers from his live audience. They also broke out in a chant, yelling, 'Stephen! Stephen! Stephen!' The comedian has been hosting the popular late-night talk show since 2015, after taking it over from David Letterman, who launched The Late Show in 1993. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise Solve the daily Crossword
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Weird Al Yankovic's Lost Nintendo Game Is Real and It's Gloriously Insane — GeekTyrant
Turns out Weird Al Yankovic actually helped develop his own Nintendo game. A newly uncovered, unreleased NES title features the polka legend in full 8-bit chaos, taking fans on a playable tour of his off-the-wall career. In this rare gem, you don't just record hits, you do it in a public restroom. You'll launch tuna casserole at street thugs, battle goons with spatulas, and dodge raining poodles like it's a normal Tuesday. In this video from Doogtoons, Weird Al' Yankovic himself as he guides you through the bonkers 8-bit adventure. Oh, and yeah, and of course, Conan the Librarian makes a deadly cameo, return those books on time or suffer the overdue consequences. It's Weird Al at his weirdest, digitized and cranked to eleven.
Boston Globe
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Five things to do around Boston, July 14-20
Tuesday Weird World See wacky comedian Weird Al Yankovic perform live on his Bigger & Weirder Tour. At 8 p.m. at the Wang Theatre, Yankovic will take the stage in Boston for the first time in years. Watch him perform original songs (and parodies) with an eight-piece ensemble, orchestrate wild costume changes, and more. With special guest Puddles Pity Party, the 7-foot, sad clown. From $265 at Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Thursday Advertisement Square Affair Savor the season at the 2025 Dedham Square Summer Stroll, a free, family-friendly event. The square will close to vehicles starting at 6 p.m., to make room for pedestrians, local musicians, pop-up shops, outdoor dining, and more. Listen to live music on two stages, browse clothing and art from over 50 street vendors, eat food from local restaurants, relax at the square's beer garden, play games, and more. Food and drinks available for purchase. Saturday Barrio Beats Celebrate Latino culture at Festival Betances: Our Music, Our History, Our Community. Enjoy a lively parade, sample recipes from across South America and the Caribbean, shop for Latin American clothing and artwork from pop-up vendors, and make your own crafts. Plus, dance to the sounds of Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean musicians including Raíz de Plena and Lorna Marcano as they perform live. Food and drinks available for purchase. At Boston's Plaza Betances from 1 to 9 p.m. Free. Advertisement Saturday Sleigh What? Feel holiday spirit all year at the South Shore Conservatory's Christmas in July. From 6 to 9 p.m. at the conservatory's Hingham campus — adorned with ornaments, tinsel, and festive decorations — watch the Commonwealth Wind Symphony and guest vocalists perform timeless Christmas songs. Sing along to classic carols with the musicians, or just sit back and enjoy. Find tickets, starting at $25, at SHARE YOUR EVENT NEWS: Send information on Boston-area happenings at least three weeks in advance to week@ Adelaide Parker can be reached at
