Keith Olbermann, Now With Double Meat

Today I am kvelling, because I get to feature my friend Michael Terry in a pretty hilarious and already-buzzy YouTube impression of Keith Olbermann, entitled "Keith Olbermann Issues A Special Comment On Yesterday's Lunch." For any of you who have felt ripped off by not getting your promised allotment of meat in a Subway sandwich, this one's for you.

Interestingly, a brief search of YouTube reveals that surprisingly few have attempted an Olbie impression, despite his considerable popularity across platforms (particularly that platform: Search results for "Olbermann" on YouTube number about 38,900). There is this guy, who reads political nursery rhymes in character, and a tip o' the hat to him, but the "Special Comments" have been ripe for parody for a while, owing to their distinctive style, strong emotion and association with Olbermann's persona (book!). I think MT's concept is pretty funny. Decide for yourself! Warning: It will make you hungry.

Interesting side note: The video just went up two days ago, but already there's a ferocious debate going on in the comments about who's better, Olbermann or Bill O'Reilly. A sampling: "You are dumber than a box of rocks. Olbermann get's his ass kicked by FOX and CNN." "You are the joke. You are more stupid than a pint of cold spit....Obermann is rated #1 on MSNBC." O-kay.

On a happier note, allow me to crow for a minute: Here's how MT has described his entree into comedy: "Four years ago a friend of mine urged me to take a sketch writing class. I kept refusing, but she was persistent. So I finally gave in, mainly to get her off my back." That's me! I'm the she! I ANNOYED him into success! Today, this former investment banker at Morgan Stanley has gone on to form the wonderfully hilarious sketch group Party Central USA with Brianne Halverson, Mike Condrick and recently HuffPo contributor Patrick Dall'Occhio (MT contributes too. Friends of mine know I like to recruit.) Originally, people wondered if it was smart to leave a Wall Street job for the uncertain world of comedy. Funny how that question feels a little out of date.

Anyhow — I love when I can give legitimate props to smart, talented people in this space. Now if you'll excuse me, there is a delicious six-inch somewhere with my name on it. (That is a Subway reference, people. Sheesh.)

Related:
Keith Olbermann "Special Comment" Archive [MSNBC]
Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values [Amazon]
Keith Olbermann Is Mad As Hell And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore [ETP]

Also Related:
Michael Terry [Michael Terry.com]
MT's Promo Reel [YouTube]
Party Central USA [YouTube]

Comments

[citadelgrrl05]

This was hillarious..oh my gosh..I still like the original keith O better!! Please support the progressive agenda on MSNBC!

[phantom5551]

this is great.
i used to really like olbermann, but he is starting to come off as too smug and self righteous

[ebanks84]

....and too honest it seems. The liars are in an uproar to stop him!

[rw97]

I don't think Colbert/Papa Bear have to worry about this guy.

[ebanks84]

You're right about that.

[ohiomark]

I'm sure Keith will feature this video on an upcoming show, because as we all know, Keith is all about Keith, even when someone is making fun of Keith.

[Sweetie4Obama]

I love Keith, but this guy is a hilarious impersonation. LOL

[Amsterdam83]

This impression was spot on. He has the mannerisms down pat. I was cracking up, but it might have to do more so with the fact that I love Subway and have on more than one occasion gone on angry tirades to my friends about getting short-changed on condiments.

[bggrzzz]

So this guy does an impression of Ben Stiller doing an impersonation of Keith Olbermann?

[w&cheneysuck]

immitation is the best form of flattery!

[Taschend]

The voice wasn't quite booming enough, but the mannerisms were spot-on.

[robiform]

It was a good parody--not ROFLMAO, but definitely amusing. It'll be interesting to see if KO puts this on "Countdown" next week!

[mayday ascension]

Point for point, this impression is absolutely brilliant. I laughed my ass off beginning to end–right down to the camera angle shift and his dramatic head-down pause . . . It's the perfect parody.

[SwingVoter]

The bit was mildly funny. But Olbermann at one point, I thought was too far out there, and now I would like to thank him for bringing balance to the media, especially fox news. Olbermann started college at the age of 16--say what you will, the man is intelligent.

[RedStateCenterLeft]

I think this will be on "Oddball" come Monday!

[CraigR]

I'd love to see Olbie get parodied, speaking as a fan. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first 20 seconds of this pathetic guy. How lame. This guy is supposed to be funny? He is embarassing himself.

[fuzzynormal]

Really great. The satire worked well because the impression was decent since he had the right inflections. Plus, the concept and writing is top-notch.