"Weird" Al Yankovic arrives at the Staples Center for the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2012.
Drop whatever you are doing right now — there is an online petition to get “Weird Al” Yankovic to play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVII, and it needs your signature.
The petition to bring the famous parody artist behind such song skewerings as “I’m Fat” and “I Lost on Jeopardy” already has more than 5,000 signatures. They only need 1 million to get a shot at bringing the singer to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans next year. Luckily the petitions have started early and have plenty of time left to reach the goal of 1 million. Fans have already started spreading the online petition via blogs and using the hashtag #weirdalsuperbowl on Twitter, and created a Facebook page to raise awareness for this important cause.
So why should you help spread the word? Here are five good reasons to have Weird Al play the Super Bowl halftime show:
1. The best performances acknowledge their predecessors and build on the contributions of those who have gone before. Weird Al has made a career out of creating on the work of others. Here’s his take on Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” which in Weird Al’s world becomes “Like A Surgeon”:
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2. His performances offer something for everyone. While Madonna had to conscript LMFAO and Cee Lo Green to help her perform at this year’s Super Bowl, Weird Al could simply change costume and pretend to be M.I.A. without the risk of the whole flipping the bird thing. For doubters who don’t think he could pull off a massive stage show, watch his version of Lady Gaga:
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3. Weird Al is buzzworthy. Remember how over 55,000 fans signed a petition to keep Nickelback from playing at halftime at a Detroit Lions game? They played anyway and were booed and limited to one song. This is the opposite of that. Fans are conscripting the parodist, which means more people will tune in. And football-averse geeks would tune in to watch Weird Al perform his hit “White & Nerdy”:
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4. There’s little doubt that under the national spotlights of the Super Bowl, Weird Al would perform his classic hit “Eat It.” Sponsors and advertisers would love this not-at-all-subliminal message to hit the refreshment stands at the stadium and refill the dip for viewers at home.
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5. And every once and awhile, especially on Super Bowl Sunday, it’s good to dare to be stupid.
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