I think I’ve seen the skit at some point because it’s familiar, but Jon Stewart imitates it whenever pronouncing Blagojevich or other unusual names and I’ve heard other comedians mimic it too. It sounds like they’re imitating Jerry Lewis but it could be another silly-ages comic or a cartoon character. (I’ve seen a couple of Jerry Lewis films over the years but would rather stare at the sun through the receiving end of magnifying glasses than watch another one so I’m not that up on them.)
The routine goes something like (and I’m just using a random long foreign name, not the one used in the sketch):
And so on, each pronunciation worse than the last. Anyone have any idea what it’s from?
I haven’t heard that bit re G-Rod, yet. I do hear Stewart going nasal and blaring whenever he says Blagoyevich. He sounds like an early Jerry Lewis when he does it. But I thought it was just a riff on his Rod’s name, which is hard to say and harder to spell. Didn’t Lewis used to just blare out one word in a sentence when talking to Dean in all those movies? I really don’t want to watch any of them again to make sure.
As an Illinois resident, I got a real chuckle out of the BBC correspondent on NPR the day Rod was arrested. Mr UK pronounced it Blay/go/YAY/vich which cracked my shit UP.
And I do love the hair jokes, with Colbert’s being the best one yet: “The model for all Lego people”. or some such.
