L.A. Times - Entertainment — The success of any great piece of art is determined by a few key factors. Does it accomplish what it sets out to achieve? Does it illuminate some essential aspect of the human condition? Does it change those who are exposed to it — rewire the circu... more info

L.A. Times - News — more info

Stereogum — In the YouTube era, Weird Al’s shtick isn’t so novel anymore. The songs he spoofs on his 14th album Mandatory Fun — “Happy,” “Royals,” “Fancy,” “Blurred Lines,” etc — have already been parodied on the Web. But Yankovic realize... more info

Pop Candy — Thursday's headlines also include Eloise and Interpol. more info

Stereogum — A couple of weeks ago, comedy-rock god “Weird Al” Yankovic teased the forthcoming release of his new LP Mandatory Fun, which will be his 14th studio album and which may turn out to be his last. All we knew about it was that it would include a per... more info

Stereogum — Weird Al Yankovic announced on Twitter today that his new album will be released on July 15. It’s his first album since 2011′s Alpocalypse and it may in fact be his last — in a blog post last year, Al said that he was “carefully weighing his ... more info

TMZ — Iggy Azalea shouldn't be counting her money from the "Fancy" parody Weird Al intends to record ... because she may encounter an insurmountable legal snag.Yankovic ambushed Iggy backstage at a concert earlier this month -- telling her he wants to… ... more info

TMZ — You know you're blowing up in the music biz when Weird Al wants to parody one of your songs ... which is exactly what happened Friday to Iggy Azalea -- and we got the whole thing on video.Weird Al was backstage at KS107.5's Summer Jam in Colorado… ... more info

Stereogum — In honor of Star Wars Day (“May the fourth be with you, revenge of the fifth…”), CollegeHumor rounded up some musicians to audition for the Mos Eisley Cantina Band. The sketch sees artists assuming Star Wars alter egos like BF-1138 (Ben Folds),... more info

Stereogum — I don’t know if any actual music-industry figures could’ve made this happen, but Mark Ryden, a pop-art painter who’s done a ton of album covers over the years, has lined up an impressive and all-over-the-place lineup of musicians to cover the s... more info