Title: Terry Fator: Live from Las VegasWhat the heck?: America's Got Talent? winner/former Freedom Jam lead singer, Terry Fator, takes his ventriloquist act to Las Vegas, delighting a crowd of buffet-stuffed tourists who think they like that sort of thing because TV told them so. Fator is joined by his puppet friends Winston the Impersonating Turtle, who warbles a Roy Orbison tune so sweet one woman in the audience looks like she'd gladly blow the puppet if given the chance; Walter T. Airedale, the rowdy redneck country singer/cancer survivor; Maynard Thomkins, who looks like Unknown Hinson crossed with an ape; and a weird, ugly troll, allegedly named Emma, who opens the show with "At Last."
Number of times I genuinely laughed: 2
Genuine laugh #1: Seeing a woman in the audience singing along with Winston, I comment to myself, "She should kill herself."
Genuine laugh #2: While having a conversation with Walter, Fator, dressed as and doing an impression of the late Michael Jackson, accidentally makes Walter speak in a Jacksony falsetto, breaking the rhythm of the stupid, unfunny bit.
What's to like: Fator seems like a nice enough guy and he's been at this stuff for a long time, so, you know, good for him or whatever; my parents saw Fator's show when they were in Vegas and they were delighted.
What's to not like: Walter actually says this: "I'm the kinda guy who can make Sheryl crow...have Carrie under wood...and leave Clay achin'."; Fator honors members of the American military with a Michael Buble impression; shortly after winning America's Got Talent, Fator divorced his wife of over twelve years and married this young lady. Typical ventriloquist/reality show winner/millionaire behavior.
Running time: 1 hour 10 minutes
I watched: 44 minutes
Title: Jeff Dunham: Spark of InsanityWhat the heck?: Dunham and his menagerie of puppety oddballs perform for another insanely overjoyed audience--do people really love ventriloquism this much???--this time in Washington, DC. Dunham's puppet buddies include: Walter, a sour-faced elderly man that Dunham uses to work through his own self-hatred; Achmed the Dead Terrorist, a turban-wearing skeleton who repeatedly threatens the audience with death to the point of tedium; Melvin, a superhero with a giant nose who never once utters anything remotely funny; and Peanut, a weird shaved Yeti. Apparently Jose the Racist Jalapeno on a Stick shows up at some point, but I must have turned the TV off before then.
Number of times I genuinely laughed: 0
What's to like: Nothing. This shit is dire.
What's to not like: Dunham opens his show with 17 puppet-less minutes of stand up. Topics include: how great the United States is, how gay the Prius is, how super not gay Hummers are, and dog abuse. I soooo wanted someone in the audience to shout, "Get to the racist puppets!" but they never did; Dunham is constantly laughing at his puppets' dumb, hacky jokes; the Melvin puppet is a real dud; one hour in, and still no racist pepper.
Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes
I watched: 1 hour 5 minutes (with LOTS of fast forwarding!)
And the winner is...TERRY FATOR: LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, but only because I actually laughed. Both specials are awful. Fator at least has the vocal impressions going for him (he's pretty good at singing like other singers). Dunham's Walter is preferable to Fator's Walter, but only because Fator's Walter is a thing of which nightmares are made. Old man Walter is just an unpleasant, farting old man, and who doesn't like one of those now and again?
