‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ Wins Best TV Movie at Creative Arts Emmys – Hollywood Reporter
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The Daniel Radcliffe-led biopic marks Yankovic’s first Emmy win.
By Hilton Dresden
Associate Awards Editor
Weird: The AL Yankovic Story won the award for outstanding television movie at the 2023 Creative Arts Emmys.
The other nominees were Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas, Fire Island, Hocus Pocus 2, and Prey.
This is one of eight Emmy Awards that Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was nominated for. The film is co-written and produced by Yankovic himself, telling the story of his ascent to parody artist superstardom. It also marks the first Emmy win for Yankovic, who is no stranger to awards attention, having five Grammy wins to his name among several other notable accolades.
Weird sees Daniel Radcliffe stepping into the title role, for which he’s nominated for a Primetime Emmy for lead actor in a television movie or limited series. The movie is also nominated for its casting, music composition (for which it has already won), original music and lyrics, sound mixing, picture editing, and writing.
The award is one of the most significant of the night, presented annually to a film made for television, though in the era of streaming that definition becomes slightly murkier. In 2011, the category was combined with outstanding limited or anthology series, but the decision was reversed in 2014.
Accepting the trophy, director Eric Appel jokingly thanked the Academy for winning best picture, and thanked Radcliffe for transforming with his mustache, glasses and abs. Yankovic took to the stage to say he wanted to leave the room with the words of a wise man, who said to live the life you want to live and to be as weird as you want to be.
When asked about his newly achieved halfway-to-EGOT status backstage, Yankovic remarked, “It only took me 40 years, in another 40 years I’ll be there.”
A full list of the evening’s winners is available here.
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