'Weird Al' Yankovic: Fans want him for the Super Bowl
A 'Weird Al' Yankovic fan has started a petition to have Yankovic perform at the Super Bowl. 'Weird Al' Yankovic released a new album, 'Mandatory Fun,' last month.
Weird Al Yankovic is the subject of a petition by a fan who wants him to perform at the Super Bowl.
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If more than 67,000 petition signers have their way, the parody singer will join the list of artists who have performed at the Super Bowl. The petition, started by Ed Ball of Washington State, was created on Change.org and is addressed to the NFL.
“For decades Weird Al has entertained fans, young and old, with his popular clever parodies and unique sense of humor,” Ball’s petition reads. “Having him headline the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show... would remain true to the standards and quality of the show business we have come to love and respect out of this prestigious event… The theatrics alone would be hilarious and a welcoming change, and draw a wider audience of fans that typically would not tune into the championship game or half-time show.”
On the petition, Ball suggests having the musicians that performed the original versions of Yankovic’s parodies come up on stage with him.
He told the Hollywood Reporter that he was inspired to create the petition because he thinks the Super Bowl needs a breath of fresh air.
“In all honesty, would you rather have Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus perform the Super Bowl, or something different?” Ball said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the NFL has not commented, while the Hollywood Reporter reached out to Yankovic’s representatives but has not yet heard back.
As reported by Monitor writer Schuyler Velasco, Yankovic's new album "Mandatory Fun," which was released last month, is his first number one album on Billboard – it debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. Yankovic’s new album includes the songs “Foil” (a take on the Lorde song “Royals”), “Word Crimes” (a new version of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”), and “Handy” (his twist on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”). The album’s release was preceded by Yankovic posting a new music video for a track each day before “Fun” came out, with him putting up eight videos altogether.