Daniel Radcliffe told Jimmy Fallon that, in 2010, he appeared on the BBC late-night show "The Graham Norton Show," along with Colin Farrell, Rihanna, and comedian Rhod Gilbert. During that appearance, Radcliffe performed an acapella version of Tom Lehrer's "The Elements," which, as he notes while introducing the song to an audience in the late 1960s (via YouTube), is simply a list of the entries on the periodic table set to the tune of "The Major-General's Song" from "The Pirates of Penzance."
The video Radcliffe's version of "The Elements" is also available on YouTube and shows Rihanna looking teasingly at her watch, then bursting into laughter as Radcliffe stumbles through his game attempt at Lehrer's parody classic. At one point, the "Weird" star forgets the lyrics and shushes the audience, who are audibly reacting with an appreciation for the song.
According to Radcliffe, Yankovic (who is clearly a fan of Lehrer's) saw that performance "and was like 'This guy gets it.'" And while it may have been their connection to Lehrer that drew Yankovic's interest, Radcliffe's talent and enthusiasm will be what makes "Weird" worth watching. The upcoming Roku biopic will also be worth a watch, if only because of its supporting cast. Although a release date has not yet been announced, we do know that Evan Rachel Wood will appear as Madonna and Rainn Wilson will play novelty radio DJ Barret "Dr. Demento" Hansen, who helped launch Yankovic's career (via The Oklahoman).
