"Billy on the Street" takes on "The King"
You may know comedian Billy Eichner from his appearance with Seth Meyers at the Emmy awards.
And if you've if you've watched his show "Billy on the Street," you know what he's all about, conducting wild man-on-the-street interviews and contests.
He shouts and yells. He's loud, he's funny. He's just plain over-the-top.
And now, he's incensed -- over a Burger King commercial he says copied his shtick, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler.
They might call it homage, somebody else might call it thievery.
Consider Eichner in the thievery camp:
Hey @BurgerKing-thanks for stealing my act for ur new commercial!! Except its not as funny & everyone knows u stole it. GET YOUR OWN IDEAS.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 13, 2014
Eichner thanked his fans:
As annoying as it is to have Burger King rip me off, your tweets are incredible. I have the BEST fans on the planet!!! See u at McDonalds!
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 13, 2014
And that drew McDonald's into the fray:
@billyeichner Can’t wait to see you! Oh, and bring Elena!
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) October 13, 2014
Elena, is his favorite "Billy on the Street" contestant.
Burger King and the agency behind the ad, Horizon media, both declined a CBS News request for comment.
It's not the first time Burger King has been accused of missing the target with its advertising.
"This is another example of reaching," executive editor of Adweek Tony Case said. "And it's not so much their using someone else's idea, it's just not very creative or entertaining."
And of course Billy Eichner didn't invent the man-on-the-street interview as a comic device.
You can see that everywhere: Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, and of course Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.