Though he's not onstage at the moment, comedian Pablo Francisco is already warming up. A little after 8 a.m. Thursday, Francisco is on the phone telling dirty jokes, making fun of himself and impersonating celebrity actors Michael J. Fox and Shia LaBeouf.

Francisco brings a fresh and diverse persona to comedy, with sound effects, slapstick impressions and fast-paced non-sequiturs peppering his routine. Thursday through Sunday evening, the Chilean-American comedian will perform at the Punchine with Matt Claybrooks, Sean Savoy and Ashley Fils-Aime opening.

Originally from Tuscon, Ariz., Francisco's career choices didn't always go over well with his parents. He recalled delivering pizzas in the afternoon and doing comedy at night. Occasionally after a show, he would come home at 1 a.m. and his parents would be pissed off.

"This guy who lived a few blocks away, the cook at the comedy club, used to always let me stay at his house so my parents wouldn't give me s**t," he said. "And he let me drink all the beer I wanted, so we became good friends."

Francisco eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career. He worked on television commercials and wrote for NFL Films before landing a job as writer and featured player in the second season of "Mad TV". He became the first Latino cast member of the show in 1996.

Since leaving "Mad TV," he appeared in several Comedy Central specials, toured with Carlos Mencia and Frank Soto as part of the "Three Amigos," and collaborated with fellow "Mad TV" alumnus Frank Caliendo.

He's now perhaps most famous for celebrity impersonations, which began with him impersonating his friends as well as radio personality and voice actor Casey Kasem. Since then, he's become best known for impersonating voice-over artist Don LaFontaine, but his impersonations of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keanu Reeves are also spot on.

"I met Aaron Neville when I was doing his voice," he said. "He gave me a 'what the f**k?' look. I wouldn't do that in front of him now, because he has a tattoo on his face."

Despite success in television, Francisco credits the Internet for boosting him into the limelight.

"I'm happy YouTube exploded and worked for me and my comedy tremendously," he said. "You can advertise and be on the Internet. Everyone's moving to the Internet sooner or later. I started realizing that and relaxed a little more."

He credits this for his successful tour in Europe last year.

"We sold like 10,000 tickets in seven minutes," he said. "They all knew who I was. That was a good moment — you don't even know you're popular somewhere and you still sell tickets. They love the YouTube."

How do you do an impression of someone from Sacramento?

"I'd put (on) a mean heavy Latino accent," Francisco said, "and when you want someone's ass kicked, you call the Hells Angels."

Pablo Francisco, 8 p.m., Thursday through Sunday at Punchline Comedy, 2100 Arden Way, with an additional 10 p.m. show Friday and Saturday. $25, advance tickets can be purchased here. Two-drink minimum. 18+