Parody music icon "Weird Al" Yankovic is set to bring "Mandatory Fun" in a cameo in the upcoming return of comedy series "Reno 911!" as Ted Nugent.
Yankovic posted set photos on his Twitter account Wednesday evening, April 29, donning a stars and stripes shirt and a cowboy hat, showing his supposed take on Uncle Ted, southern music icon, and conservative supporter. He captioned the photos and said, "Finally, some good news in the world - after an 11-year hiatus, one of the funniest shows of all time is BACK! The new season of Reno 911 begins streaming on @Quibi on May 4. (Oh, and I show up at one point as Ted Nugent.)"
Finally, some good news in the world - after an 11-year hiatus, one of the funniest shows of all time is BACK! The new season of Reno 911 begins streaming on @Quibi on May 4. (Oh, and I show up at one point as Ted Nugent.) pic.twitter.com/q2IO5T8IDD — Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) April 30, 2020
The law enforcement mockumentary first ran from 2003 to 2009 on Comedy Central, spanning six seasons, 88 episodes, and a spinoff film "Reno 911!: Miami." The network axed the show in July 2009, where it remained in hiatus for eleven years until the online video platform Quibi picked the series up for the seventh season.
News for the revival of "Reno 911!" gave fans hope last October 2011, when popular streaming service Netflix supposedly discussed the show's prospects with the producers. Both supporters and the show's producers wanted to push through the seventh season to see the beloved comedy show hit the 100-episode milestone.
With Quibi picking up "Reno 911!" last December, it was soon confirmed that the revival would be led by its original creators, with the seventh season premiering on May 4, 2020.
Getting into the Alpalooza
Born Alfred Matthew Yankovic, "Weird Al" got his first breakthrough in the South California comedy radio broadcaster Dr. Demento. Although Yankovic's mother forbade him from listening to the quirky radio personality, he had the chance to submit his tape of songs, both original works and parodies, when Dr. Demento visited the school he attended.
He rose to fame with his signature parody covers of famous contemporary songs at the time. Unlike other parody artists, however, Weird Al's band tried to perform the music as close as possible to the source, transcribing and studying the original before recording it with Yankovic's modified lyrics. Some of his most famous parodies include "Amish Paradise" from Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," "Eat It," from Michael Jackson's "Beat It," and "Perform This Way" from Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
His upcoming Motor City Madman role on "Reno," however, isn't his first TV or film credit. "Weird Al" Yankovic has previously starred in the 1989 comedy film UHF as well as appearing as himself across "The Naked Gun" franchise in the 90s.
The music parody legend recently rejected the call of the people for him to create a timely parody on the global coronavirus pandemic, turning The Knack's 1979 hit "My Sharona" into "My Corona." Yankovic has already parodied the power-pop anthem in 1983 with his sausage-themed "My Bologna."
In response to the mounting cries of the public to do the coronavirus parody, Weird Al briefly tweeted in response: "Yeah, no, sorry. Not gonna do "My Corona."
Yeah, no, sorry. Not gonna do "My Corona." — Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) March 3, 2020
