The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bylines state that for a movie to be eligible for an Oscar, it must play in a “commercial motion picture theater” in one of six major cities. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is unfortunately is not Oscar-qualified, as it’s going straight to The Roku Channel, but “Weird Al” Yankovic is pleading like he’s Lucy asking Ricky to bring her to the Tropicana for the streaming service to reconsider.
“I’ve been begging, begging, the Roku Channel for months to make it eligible, which all that would involve is letting it play in a theater in L.A. for one week. They do not want do that because — here’s the logic; I don’t quite agree with it — they said that they would rather have a Creative Arts Emmy than an Oscar, because they’re in the TV business, not the music movie business,” he told Yahoo! Entertainment. “Believe me, I’ve tried, but they’ve put their foot down, so it’s not actually going be Oscar-eligible.”
I don’t know who’s running the show over at the Roku Channel — John or Jane Roku, I assume – but I have a bone to pick with you: let “Weird Al” get his Best Original Song nomination. He doesn’t even have to win, although that would be nice, but nothing would shake up the post-Slap stuffiness of the Academy Awards more than “Weird Al” coming out with an accordion, a colorful shirt, and playing his Oscar-nominated song from Weird, “Now You Know.” Or maybe a medley of “Now You Know” and “Dare to Be Stupid.”
Because an Oscars without “Weird Al” Yankovic sounds pretty stupid.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story hits the Roku Channel on November 4.
(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)