Slashdot Mirror
Weird Al Premiere Cancelled Due to Net Leak
SilentChris writes "In what's probably a first, AOL cancelled the 'World Premiere' of Weird Al's newest video 'White and Nerdy' due to it being leaked on the internet. Al writes on his MySpace page: 'Apparently, the video has already leaked online, and AOL doesn't feel comfortable doing a World Premiere promotion for a video that a number of people have seen already ... Anyway, it's really a bummer... it would have been great promotion for the album... but hey, life goes on.' As for the video? Arguably Al's best work (but I'm a little biased)."
Isn't that the best premiere a "Nerdy" video can get? Being "leaked" to YouTube, featured on Slashdot?
Posting a direct link to a video on /.'s frontpage.
:)
Al, I think that's damn close to a world premiere right there, and a better class of audience than AOL.
-Styopa
There's a great Wikipedia article on the video containing some of the little things you may have missed.
Weird Al is going to get *far* more promotion via YouTube "leak" and the accompanying promotion. The only one losing in this is AOL, who might have nabbed a few clickthroughs for Classmates.com. Sure, Big Al has to come out and sort of say "wow, that's too bad" but the reality is that he's gonna reap the benefits of not only a free-for-all distribution, but also the publicity surrounding "those darn pirates."
Buck up, Al. You're richer than the rest of us, going to get even richer, and we find you funny despite it all.
Underling: (excited) Hey boss, you know that Weird Al video we're gonna promo? It's been leaked all over the net. There's a lot of buzz! I think it's gonna be a big hit.
.. but .. it's so popular .. we could make a lot of ...
Boss: (annoyed) You mean hackers stole one of our products?
U: Well, not exactly, I mean, everybody's talking about it, this is a great opportunity for promotion. I had this idea for instance, we could let people make their OWN parodies of Weird Al's video and put them up on YouTube with a special tag, then we could give a prize to the best--
B: (more annoyed) What the fuck is U-Tube? A brand of glue? Cancel the premiere of Queer Al's video, that's the only way to show those pirates who's boss.
U: You mean "Weird Al"
B: Hey kid, this is AOL, you think we got this far by being idiots? Now get out of my office.
U: (dejected) yes sir.
that link is not only flash but to the wrong video. It is just the music with the penut butter and jelly banana dancing to it.
here is the correct link
Google video does let you download the video. You might be able to play one of the formats.
No no no. You have it all wrong. See, I heard from THE authority on the economics of the music industry - a place called Slashdot - that when music is illegaly distributed without any compensation to the content creator it's GOOD for the artists and when music is legally purchased as a result of a properly informed consumer decision, it's BAD for the artists.
See, selling CDs is BAD and will make musicians suffer in poverty while illegally distributing their content without any chance for income is GOOD because the magical socialism fairy will appear out of nowhere and shower them with butter and wine.
Don't mind that rabbit hole, Alice, you're not in Wonderland, just Slashdot. It's just as fruity, but much, much stupider.
Because it's not all about you. Wierd Al is still one of the little guys. He worked hard for the fame he got and deserves his success. It just shows that fans may think it's cool to leak but it is damaging. It cost him the premiere and possibly hurt sales. It's not the first time fans have damaged the very thing they love. Wierd Al was one of the first geeks in a sense. He had his own equipment and worked out of his parents basement. He's never gotten rich but he's done well. I've seen him live and he puts on a good show. In this case jumping the gun on the release isn't a victory for the community but more of an attack on it since it hurts one of their own. A fan gets a thrill from being the one to release the video but at what cost? They didn't create it so what right do they have to release it just to get a little reflected glory? Eventually groups like AOL may not even bother with premieres if they constantly get trumped by fans, then what? The performers loose yet another way of getting their work out there. Yes fans are getting it out there but it may be a handful of people seeing it compared to millions thbrough a major outlet. The fan didn't own it Wierd Al did and he's very generous with his material and not a member of the evil empire. They should be condemed for releasing it not given a thumbs up. Such things will in the end hurt everyone. I want to see Wierd Al keep doing his thing. He should be free to distribute it as he sees fit. Everyone would have a chance to see it this was about a fan doing something irresponsible as an ego trip.
Did you read his blog?
I'm very sorry to say that the AOL "First View" Premiere of the "White & Nerdy" video has been cancelled.
Apparently, the video has already leaked online, and AOL doesn't feel comfortable doing a "World Premiere" promotion for a video that a number of people have seen already. (I can understand songs leaking, but a video? How'd THAT happen?)
Anyway, it's really a bummer... it would have been great promotion for the album... but hey, life goes on.
So...
I'll be uploading the video to this page shortly. Tell your friends!
It was already 'out there', so he put it on myspace. Order of events.
1) Leaked
2) AOL Cancelled
3) Al put it on his site.
He might have put it on his site either way, but there is no contradiction between leak and wide availability.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
White & Nerdy by Al Yankovic
They see me mowin'
My front lawn
I know they're all thinking I'm so white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Can't you see I'm white and nerdy?
Look at me, I'm white and nerdy
I wanna roll with
The gangstas
But so far they all think I'm too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
I'm just too white and nerdy.
Really really white and nerdy.
First in my class here at MIT
Got skills, I'm a champion at D&D
MC Escher - that's my favorite MC
Keep your 40, I'll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin, to the contrary
You'll find that they're quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawking's in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
Got people beggin' for my top eight spaces
Yo, I know pi to a thousand places
Ain't got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I'm a whiz at Minesweeper - I could play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you're gonna stay amazed
My fingers' movin' so fast I'll set the place ablaze
There's no killer app I haven't run
At Pascal, well I'm number one
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain't got a gat but I got a soldering gun
Happy Days is my favorite theme song
I could sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I'm fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon
They see me roll on
My Segway
I know in my heart they think I'm white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Can't you see I'm white and nerdy
Look at me, I'm white and nerdy
I'd like to roll with
The gangstas
Although it's apparent I'm too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
Think I'm just too white and nerdy
I'm just too white and nerdy
How'd I get so white and nerdy
I've been browsin', inspectin'
X-Men comics, you know I collect 'em
The pens in my pocket, I must protect 'em
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have y
Beware of the Leopard.
You are absolutely right, we should be offended that someone made a parody of something that is so true. I mean, the gall of some people, making fun of themselves and others. Gay and black people are fortunate that they have escaped the wrath of popular media and comedy. I mean, just imagine it...blatantly gay people being the butt of jokes on a televised series? Oh, Will and Grace. Black people being criticized and stereotyped on public television...oh, sorry, Chris Rock and 90% of the black comedians out there beat you to it.
If we can't look at some of the stereotypes and laugh, then something is wrong. The great thing about disagreeing with stereotypes is that we can then educate people about the fallacies of their own biased and incorrect views. If you think that we are getting a bad rap (pun only partially intended here) from this video, then get out there and say why it is so wrong.
I laugh because I am white and nerdy, but know that I am much more than white and nerdy. I mean, I am tall, and well, I guess that I am just tall, white and nerdy. But still, I am more!
Seriously AOL, you have the world premier, this is the reason Weird Al doesn't mind piracy because the people making it a huge issue is the people who control the music. Weird Al wants people to buy his cds and get money to him. AOL wants the "world Exclusive" so they look special.
When is the RIAA and businesses working with them going to grow up. It's not like there wasn't bootlegs of exclusive material before the internet, it's not like there's going to stop bootlegs even if it's never placed on the internet. All they are doing is acting like the spoiled child who was about to get a toy, his friend got one first so when he gets the toy he smashes it because he doesn't want it any more. The problem for that kid is the only person he hurts by doing that is himself, his friend will continue to have the toy, other people might notice from the kids temper tantrum, but in the end his friend will keep playing with his.
The solution to something like this is to do a world exclusive when you get it, not 30 days after the fact or trying to drag it out as long as you can for promotion, you promote it BEFORE the video is finished and once it's done you show it off.
It's just a shame that piracy is blamed for something like this when it's really AOL's fault. Piracy didn't stop AOL from showing it. It's still a "world exclusive" just because some people saw it first. Didn't the execs and people behind the scenes of AOL see it before airing it? (Otherwise it might be a porno that someone accidently mislabeled).