Caught my first episode of "Frank TV" tonight, starring Frank Caliendo.The half-hour sketch comedy show on TBS premiered last Tuesday, but I came home from darts and was too concerned about blogging my blog-a-day blog, and I forgot all about it. Tonight I made sure it was on my agenda.
Caliendo is a very talented impressionist, probably most famous for his John Madden impersonation. He also does Nicholson, Pacino, De Niro, Trump, Dr. Phil, and of course...Dubya. Tonight on his show he did a few seconds of Charles Barkley, and was quite good.
If he's one of today's best impressionists and freshest stand-up comedians, then why did I come away from his half hour show asking myself, "...is that it?"
Oh, sure...the sketches were all reasonably well done. He had a Trump infomercial, sharing his secrets on how to get rich. (Tip No. 1: Have a rich father, and ask him for money.) This skit made me grin, because Trump feuds so often with Mark Cuban, calling him a loser. And those who come to the defense of Cuban state the obvious, and the argument is pretty much over: Cuban is a self-made billionaire, and whether he rubs you the wrong way or not, he's one hell of a smart guy. Trump...had a rich daddy. Sure, he's made some money. But he had a rather sizeable handout with which to get started.
I digress.
A couple other sketches on Frank TV tonight were Pacino and De Niro as movie critics, and Dubya spending a little quality one-on-one time with America, after having neglected her for so long.
The impressions were all good, but the material was...flat. I chuckled here and there, but I didn't laugh out loud once during the 30 minutes.
I know I'll give him a second and third chance, because I think he's a very bright comedian. My fear is that before I'm able to give him an eighth or ninth chance, his show will be off the air and he'll be adding more dates to his stand-up tour.
Good luck, Frank.
"I am being frank about myself in this book.
I tell of my first mistake on page 850."
—Henry Kissinger
I too saw my first episode last night. Didn't really laugh. Was impressed with how well he can throw his voice. I heard that Frank was on some NBA show with Barkley, EJ, and Kenny Smith. He was doing his Barkley impression and Charles didn't find it funny, but it was dead on. Lighten up Chuck.
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