Aflac soon announced a contest for Gottfried's replacement, though his gentler interpretation of the duck for Japanese audiences will continue.
Huh? The guy got the boot for his remarks about Japan and he gets replaced in America but stays on in Japan? The insurance business is so confusing.
McKeague recorded a 30-second clip at KQRS in Minneapolis, where he works, uploaded it to Aflac's website and later did a more formal video audition.
After learning early yesterday that he had been selected for the gig, McKeague said he's known for doing silly voices.
And for being mallardjusted.
"We thought he was the best by far. I can't explain to you why. It just was. Maybe it is part of the mystique of the Aflac duck," said Dan Amos, CEO of Aflac.
He gets a one-year contract in the low six figures that the company said will likely be renewed for several years.
The first ad with McKeague's voice aired last night - during "The Voice."
And so it begins . . .
Any idea how long it takes to find a principal player for the elite Philadelphia Orchestra?
The spots are so coveted, more than 100 top musicians might apply. Leading candidates will audition more than once and the process can drag on for a year or more.
Now in the middle of a phony bankruptcy and with the musicians having lost faith in mangement - they never had faith in the do-nothing board - some of the musicians are starting to field calls from other major orchestras.
The sad part is that they're now taking the calls seriously. Ricardo Morales, the orchestra's brilliant principal clarinet, will be leaving to join the New York Philharmonic after next season.
Puerto Rican-born Morales, who has five professional musicians as siblings, became the principal at the Metropolitan Opera at the tender age of 20.
He is married to Orchestra violinist Amy Oshiro - the pair has a baby daughter - so the Philadelphians might soon have another spot to fill.
Countdown to 'Countdown'
