'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story' Nominated For 8 Primetime Emmy Awards

Finally I get to cover one of my favorite movies of last year

Since starting Sandler’s Handlings, I haven’t had much opportunity to talk Weird Al Yankovic, mostly because I hadn’t quite worked music into it all, and there wasn’t much news to speak of. Well, the Primetime Emmy nominations announced Wednesday came with great news for his parody biopic on The Roku Channel, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

The film has been nominated for eight Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic, Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Yankovic and Eric Appel, Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In addition, Weird Al’s sole new song for the film “Now You Know” is no longer eligible for the Oscar for Best Original Song as desired by its own lyrics. However, it has been nominated for the Emmy equivalent: Outstanding Music and Lyrics.

Straight-to-streaming movies can choose its field between the Emmys and the Oscars, but not both. Last year’s Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers from Walt Disney Pictures and Disney+ helped blur the lines, especially as Weird’s Outstanding Television Movie competition includes Predator prequel Prey and Fire Island on Hulu and Hocus Pocus 2 once again from Disney+, and the TVest of the category’s nominees, NBC’s Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas. Radcliffe is going up against last year’s winner, Mare of Easttown’s Evan Peters now nominated for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Kumail Nanjiani for Welcome to Chippendales, Taron Egerton for Black Bird, Michael Shannon for George and Tammy, and Steven Yeun for Beef. Those competing against Yankovic and Appel in writing are Lee Sung Jin for Beef, Joel Kim Booster for Fire Island, Taffy Brodesser-Akner for Fleishman Is In Trouble, Patrick Aison & Dan Trachtenberg for Prey and Janine Nabers & Donald Glover for Swarm.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story premiered on November 4, 2022 and also stars Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna, Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson as Al’s parents, and features a slew of cameos. The film has already won Critics Choice Awards for movie and actor, plus the Producers Guild Award for movie, and is nominated for Hollywood Critics Association TV awards.

Source: Television Academy