Weird Al Yankovic Announces NZ Show!

For immediate release
LENNARD PROMOTIONS, ITR , JUICE TV& 63 proudly present...

THE UNDISPUTED KING OF POP CULTURE PARODY
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC
LIVE IN CONCERT – CHRISTCHURCH 8th MARCH 2011 – ONLY NZ SHOW!

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC, the undisputed king of pop culture parody, has sold more comedy recordings than any other artist in history. In a career spanning nearly three decades, he has amassed 28 Gold and Platinum albums, 7 Gold and Platinum-certified home videos and 3 Grammy Awards (with 12 nominations). He is best known for his parodies of many of the biggest songs and most important artists of the last three decades including Michael Jackson, U2, Madonna, Nirvana, Eminem, Puff Daddy, R. Kelly, Usher, Sting, Billy Joel and many others - all with full approval from the artists themselves. His hits have included "Eat It", "Smells Like Nirvana", "I'm Fat", "Like A Surgeon", "Amish Paradise" and many others. An accomplished director, “Weird Al” Yankovic has helmed many of his own award-winning music videos as well as clips for Ben Folds, Jeff Foxworthy, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson and The Black Crowes. His video for “Smells Like Nirvana,” nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 1992, was chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “Top 100 Music Videos Of All Time.” After selling out the old St James Theatre in Auckland on his last visit to NZ a few years back, the master of comedy pop culture will play one NZ show in ‘quake central’ next year.

“Weird Al” Yankovic - Live in Concert, featuring all the characters, all the costumes, bubble machines, glitter guns in an audio visual extravaganza visits New Zealand for ONE SHOW ONLY in Christchurch on 8th March 2011 at the beautiful and historic Isaac Theatre Royal, presented by Lennard Promotions, ITR, Juice TV & 63. Tickets on Sale - Friday 3rd December, 2010.

‘..one of the most purely entertaining concert experiences in years’.

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC
LIVE IN CONCERT - ONLY NEW ZEALAND DATE...!!!

Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch - Tuesday March 8th, 2011
Book at: Ticketek – 0800 TICKETEK / 03 377 8899 or www.ticketek.co.nz

www.isaactheatreroyal.co.nz / www.weirdal.com

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‘WEIRD AL’ YANKOVIC BIOGRAPHY – NOVEMBER 2010

Making a successful transformation from pop music satirist to multimedia star, “Weird Al” Yankovic created his own television specials for MTV (“AL-TV”), Showtime and the Disney Channel, among others. His feature film “UHF” (1989) became an instant Top Ten best-selling DVD upon its release in 2002, and his CBS network series “The Weird Al Show” reached cult-classic status and was released on DVD earlier this year. Al has been featured on numerous TV shows and specials, and his profile on VH-1’s “Behind the Music” remains one of the most popular installments in the history of the series. His recent “Biography” profile (2007) was the single highest-rated debut in the channel’s history.

“Weird Al” Yankovic's 12th album "Straight Outta Lynwood (Way Moby/Volcano)", was released brimming with special features. The DVD side contained six brand new Weird Al music videos produced by some of the world’s top animators, including Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Plympton, “Ren & Stimpy” creator John Kricfalusi, acclaimed media artist Jim Blashfield, the creative team behind Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim show “Robot Chicken” and popular Internet animators Thomas Lee and David C. Lovelace. The centerpiece of "Straight Outta Lynwood" was “White & Nerdy,” a parody of Chamillionaire’s No. 1 smash hit “Ridin’.” “Weird Al” Yankovic directed the highly-acclaimed video clip, which features hilarious cameos by Donny Osmond, Seth Green, Judy Tenuta and Mad TV’s Keegan-Michael Keys and Jordan Peele. It also featured parodies of Green Day (“Canadian Idiot”), Usher (“Confessions Part III”), Taylor Hicks (“Do I Creep You Out”, with animated video directed by Jib Jab) and R. Kelly (the 11-minute epic “Trapped in the Drive-Thru”), as well as the now-traditional polka medley (“Polkarama!”), which this time included accordion-fueled renditions of hits by such artists as 50 Cent, The Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, Coldplay, Weezer, Pussycat Dolls and Kanye West. “Don’t Download This Song,” the first song and video released from the album, is a tongue-in-cheek look at the hot-button issue of mp3 piracy, set to original music inspired by the celebrity-driven charity benefit songs from the ‘80s. The song was ironically offered as a free download on Al’s web site (weirdal.com) and MySpace page (myspace.com/weirdal), and quickly became a viral worldwide hit. The video for “Don’t Download This Song” was directed by Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton.

Other original compositions on the album include an homage to both Brian Wilson and internal organs (“Pancreas”), an ode to computer-based paranoia (“Virus Alert”), a headbanger about frivolous lawsuits (“I’ll Sue Ya”), an anthem for the relationship-impaired (“Close But No Cigar”, with video directed by animator of Ren & Stimpy Fame John Kricfalusi) and a cheery ditty about the most festive time of the year (“Weasel Stomping Day”, with video directed by Seth Green and his team from Robot Chicken). "Straight Outta Lynwood" debuted at #10 on the Billboard charts, making it “Weird Al” Yankovic’s highest charting album in a long and illustrious career that continues to thrive. The single “White & Nerdy” also debuted at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was #1 on iTunes for 5 weeks straight. The music video for “White & Nerdy” was #1 on VH-1 and on iTunes, both for 5 weeks, and quickly became a viral phenomenon, viewed over 110 million times on the internet. Straight Outta Lynwood added two more nominations to Al’s Grammy legacy, for Best Comedy Album and Best Surround Sound Album.

2009 saw the debut of AL’S BRAIN – A 3-D JOURNEY THROUGH THE HUMAN BRAIN – a Themed Attraction geared to fairs and theme parks that both entertains and educates audience members of all ages about the human brain. Its centerpiece is an 11-minute 3-D movie about the brain written and directed by and starring “Weird Al” Yankovic. It premiered at the Orange County Fair in Southern California and then moved to the Puyallup Fair outside of Seattle -- two of the largest fairs in North America. The attraction played continuously to capacity audiences at both fairs, hosting over 425,000 visitors between the two. It returns to the Orange County Fair for the full run of the fair in 2010.

“Weird Al” Yankovic's current and recent projects include a 60-city concert tour of North America with his band (the same musicians that have recorded and performed with him since 1982); 2009/2010 – “Internet Leaks” (EP - Volcano/Sony) – 5 digital-only releases – 4 original songs and 1 parody. Each song accompanied by its own music video by major video directors including Liam Lynch, Josh Faure-Brac (Current TV’s SuperNews) and Jib Jab. Songs will be included on new studio album to be released in 2011. “Internet Leaks” received a Grammy nomination, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s career 12th, for Best Comedy Album for the 2010 Grammy Awards. In December 2010 “Weird Al” Yankovic embarks on an European tour, followed by an Australian and New Zealand tour in March 2011. February, 2011: Publication of "When I Grow Up" – illustrated children’s book for Harper Collins.

www.weirdal.com

ENDS

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