The king of pop parodies returns with another zany collection of tunes that poke fun at pop culture. There are a handful of undeniably funny moments--notably "The Saga Begins," which pairs the tune to Don McLean's horrendously sentimental "American Pie" with the plot to the first Star Wars prequel, and a fun, nonstop-dancing polka medley of late-'90s hits that starts with the Spice Girls and ends with Semisonic. Overall, Running with Scissors is well-executed and actually humorous, but the material is a day late and a dollar short. "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is funny once, maybe, but the majority of the disc consists of tepid takes on yesterday's news; the best jokes are devoted to Jerry Springer, Eddie Vedder, the Swing craze, and this place called Silicon Valley where they make computers. Why didn't someone tell Weird Al that a parody of Nine Inch Nails' lifeless industrial pop would have already sounded dated in 1995? It must be hard to stay on top of all the current trends and parody them as they happen, but that is something that Weird Al has done in the past, and perhaps will do again.
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (right) and Padawan Obi-W...
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars p...
Jake Lloyd portrayed 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker--Mike McGonigal
"Weird Al" Yankovic has sold more albums of purely humorous music than anyone else, ever. His last outing, 1996's BAD HAIR DAY, was his biggest yet, giving this new one a lot to live up to. Can RUNNING WITH SCISSORS cut it? Yes. Track for track, it's the best Weird Al album yet. The opener, and the first single, "The Saga Begins," retells the story of "The Phantom Menace" to the music of "American Pie." It's very nicely done, but Al's just getting started. "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is self-explanatory, and just as funny as BAD HAIR DAY's "Amish Paradise." Barenaked...