2009 was an important year in a number of ways. Al's cinematic cult classic UHF celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Meanwhile, Al saw the thirtieth anniversary of his first record release, and his label commemorated the event with the release of the two-disc collection The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic. And for us, 2009 marked our campaign's fifth anniversary.

So as we look to our 2010 mailing project, we decided to seek inspiration from the past year's anniversaries, blending them together while also giving fans who want to help out a choice on how they want to help.

So if you're ready and can't wait to get busy, click on one of the links below!

Sending a Spatula
Sending The Essential...

If UHF taught us anything, it's that there is no better way to express our feelings than with the gift of a spatula.

For the remainder of the summer, we want fans to...well, mail a spatula to the Rock Hall Foundation! If anything, we will certainly catch their attention.

Here's all you need to do:

1. Buy a spatula. Use whichever design you feel comfortable with: metal, plastic, whatever! Spatulas are generally very inexpensive, with stores such as Family Dollar selling them for...well, a dollar (click here to find a location near you). Or if you have an old spatula laying around the house, by all means, use that one!

2. Add a gift tag. Buy one, make one, just a cut-up piece of posterboard...however you do it, but get yourself a sturdy gift tag and write your main plea on it: "INDUCT WEIRD AL," "'WEIRD AL' YANKOVIC FOR THE ROCK HALL," etc. Tie the tag securely onto the handle of the spatula, and there you go!

If you would like instead fasten an actual heartfelt letter to your spatula, that will work as well. Also, if your creative juices are flowing and you want to decorate your spatula, that would be awesome!

3. Mail your spatula. Get yourself a padded envelope (those can also be found at dollar stores!), put your spatula and message inside it, seal it, and send it to....

Depending on what shipping service you use and where you're sending it from, the postage price will vary greatly. Using the United States Postal Service's Parcel Post, for example, will result in rates ranging from four dollars to nine dollars (click here to calculate postage).

IMPORTANT! We want you to take a picture of your spatula before you send it! If enough people send us pictures of their spatulas, we will have a spatula gallery and put up a spatula map on our web site's main page.

IF WE HAVE VERIFIABLE PROOF THAT 100 SPATULAS HAVE BEEN MAILED OUT, WE WILL DO SOMETHING INCREDIBLY STUPID. LIKE, HEADLINE-MAKING, BORDERLINE VANDALISM STUPID! DO WE DARE?!?

So, what are you waiting for? Isn't Al getting into the Rock Hall worth six to eleven bucks and your time? Of course it is!

If you're looking to invest a little more time and money than merely mailing a kitchen utensil, then we have the task for you! You--yes, you--get to send a copy of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic to a member of the Rock Hall's nominating committee!

In the past we have shied away from directly involving the actual committee members, but it's clear that we now need a champion inside that dark, smoke-filled boardroom every September. The Essential collection couldn't have come out at a better time, as it provides a wonderful overview of Al's career, containing all of the major hits from "Eat It" to "White & Nerdy." Plus, the liner notes--in case you haven't read them yet--make a very persuading argument as to why...well, Al should be in the Rock Hall!

In the chart below, we have listed the known members of the Rock Hall nominating committee, in most cases what each member is primarily known for, and in most cases where they are located. All you need to do is e-mail us requesting who you want to contact. We will then get back to you with that member's contact information.

It's then up to you to buy a copy of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic. We would strongly prefer that you buy a new copy from an actual retail outlet...please, no eBay, no GEMM store, etc. We want these sales to count...it's a double album, so Al only needs to sell 250,000 copies for it to go Gold. Plus, The Essential... has the dubious distinction of being one of the only albums of the last year to appear on Billboard's "Comedy Albums" chart and not actually hit #1 on it. Let's try to rectify that if we can.

Of course, if you would like to buy the album online, we recommend either Amazon or DeepDiscount. Usually both stores offer good prices on the CD, plus you'll be helping fund our campaign and projects like the Yankoheit 27 documentary!

When you send your CD, do include a personal, heartfelt letter to the committee member you're writing to. Talk about Al, his legacy, his role in rock and roll music...you know, hit all the important points. If anything, close your letter by urging the recipient to at least read the liner notes of the CD. Stress that the notes were written by NPR's music editor, in case they want a qualified opinion to consider.

Choose your member and e-mail us your request!