[MADtv] Frank Caliendo

[cartman2002]

Did he do Jerry Lewis on the Jerry Lewis' Telethon and was Mr. Lewis was up when Frank was on the air?

[BlueWolf]

I saw Frank at the Impro in Irvine last night and I couldn't stop laughing. He was fantastic! He mentioned a couple of things I hadn't heard before, which I assumed he wasn't joking about.

First, he said he recently performed in Congress with Dick Cheney sitting next to him. Naturally he did his Dubya impressions to (suprisingly) the great amusement of Cheney. He said Cheney, who normally appears to be a pretty dour guy, was laughing his butt off. He did a bit in which he compared Cheney's laugh to that of the Burgess Meredith's Penguin on the old Batman show. It was hilarious!

Second, he said Madden is apparently not too pleased with his impressions. He said his manager or agent or someone associated with him (I don't remember which) ran into Madden and asked him what he thought of Frank and his impression. Madden's response was a curt "I don't like it." The guy needs to loosen up. Frank's impressions of him are hilarious and he should be flattered. My wife didn't even know who John Madden was, but she does now thanks to Frank.

Just thought I would share that with you. If Frank comes to a club near you I highly recommend you go. It was standing room only and worth every penny. Frank is fantastic!

[Cagnazzo]

In your face cartman2002!!

[cartman2002]

Did anyone watch FOX NFL Pregame show with Frank Caliendo on?

[elscorcho]

Cartman why do you post so much in this thread if you don't like Frank? O_o

[Cagnazzo]

Maybe cartman actually really likes Frank Caliendo, but is too ashamed to admit it, and instead, insists on saying how much he dislikes him? It's ok cartman, we know your secret, you don't have to keep it from us any longer...

"Say it, say 'Frank Caliendo Rocks!'"

"No because Frank is not funny and his impressions suck."

*zap*

[stephweir_rocks]

I just found out Frank's getting his own show. Weren't Nicole S and Alex getting their own separate shows ages ago or something. I found this article on him which I posted below(sorry if it's been posted already). Where he says his show is going to be a sketch show like "Chappelle's Show" but with more pop culture and impressions. Isn't that what Madtv is but without the recurring characters? Hope the show works out for him.

Frank Caliendo channels many voices
Daily Kent Slater

Comedians are busy people - especially Frank Caliendo.

From finishing with "MadTV" to doing his own show while traveling on tour, he can rarely stop to talk.

Luckily, the impressionist/comedian was able to be interviewed via e-mail to talk about his experiences in comedy.

Andrew Gaug: Before becoming a comedian, what did you want to be?

Frank Caliendo: I went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and thought I was going to get into broadcasting, doing like an ESPN kind of thing. I always loved sports and the comedy you could do while doing that job.

AG: When was it that you realized you wanted to become a comedian? Was there a certain album or concert you saw that just made you be like, "That's what I want to do"?

FC: I guess after watching some early Robin Williams stuff - his first HBO special was great. I always loved "Saturday Night Live" and thought that would be something I'd aspire to do. "In Living Color" was also a great inspiration.

At one point, I just decided I didn't want to work for real, and I jumped into the comedy world, and now I'm working a hundred times harder than I ever would have worked at a desk job.

AG: How was the experience trying to break into the comedy circuit?

FC: I got to move up pretty fast. Very few people do what I do with the impressions, and I have jokes to go with the voices and mannerisms of the people I do impressions of, so that allowed me to get noticed by people. I was an opening act for about six months and then I got on the college circuit by myself. Within two years I was nominated college comedian of the year. I didn't win.

AG: How did you feel when you made it onto "MadTV"?

FC: "MadTV" was pretty cool, I guess. I never even had to audition for it, really. I'd met with them a couple years before and then went on to do a WB train-wreck show called "Hype." But once "Hype" was canceled, they just put me on "MadTV."

AG: Do you spend much time perfecting your impersonations before bringing them out onstage?

FC: Definitely. I don't just try them out on stage - I work them for a while and see if I can get some friends, etc. to laugh. I'll do them on radio for a while to get comfortable with them, too. It's easier to do them that way because I can bounce them off of people and they can fill in the unfunny parts.

AG: Have you ever done an impersonation where you thought afterward "Wow, I'll never do that again"?

FC: Not really. If it's not that good I just make it cartoony. Like my Dick Cheney impression - it's not spot-on. It's more like a caricature.

AG: Outside of an audience, is there a certain person or friend you go to to make sure your impersonations sound good to other people?

FC: Not really anyone specific, everyone hears things differently. The audience is the only way to know if one is funny.

AG: I've noticed that your George W. Bush impersonation lampoons the president as a goofy person but doesn't politicize it. Do you try and stray away from being overtly political?

FC: Definitely. I don't like to offend. It's about making people laugh and be happy. You don't learn too much from me -?other than people's behavior.

AG: How many people come up to you and refer to you as "The John Madden Guy"? Does it bother you?

FC: I guess some, (but) not as much as they used to. The Bush impression gets more people nowadays, I think. It's more in the forefront.

Nah, it doesn't bother me a bit. You have to find a niche in this business - I did. Heck, I wouldn't even mind being "Screech."

AG: You mentioned you're very busy. Besides touring, what keeps you busy?

FC: My family. I'm always trying to be with them when I'm not on the road. I have a wife, Michele, from Lorain, who I met in Cleveland, and a 2-year-old son named Joey and 2-month old named Juliet.

TV also takes up time. I have to be involved in writing and shooting a bit for the NFL pregame every week. It takes up a lot of time.

AG: Can you give any details about your upcoming TV show?

FC: It's a sketch show - my own sketch show doing the bits I've always wanted to do. (It's similar) to "Mind of Mencia" or "Chappelle's Show," but with my slant on stuff. (It has) more impression/pop culture stuff than their shows.

AG: Are there any comedians out right now who have really impressed you?

FC: Brian Regan, Dave Attell, Lewis Black, Dane Cook. I just like people who do their own thing, who go out there and have fun.

AG: If you sum up your entire experience as a comedian in one word, what would it be?

FC: Lucky.

[NemesisDesign]

I heard Frank Caliendo on the Opie and Anthony show on XM satellite radio last week. I'm really not a fan of his impressions, but it was kind of cool to hear him talk about stuff in his own voice for a few seconds before he started off on the Madden/Bush/etc stuff.

What was really funny was that everyone who is familiar with Opie and Anthony know that they are really big on "cringe humor" and are rather raw on their uncensored XM only segment of the show. Frank doesn't "work blue" and so you could tell how uncomfortable he was at certain parts of his stay on the show. It was hilarious to hear him squirm

[nick]

MADtv was cool, he guesses?!!? For shame!

Glad to hear about his show. As long as it isn't chock full of Bush and Madden every episode, I'd be happy to watch,

[Mxz]

Frank Will be Performing at the Orpheum on State Street in Madison on September 28th...you don't believe me? I have a picture!...on my camera...which is not with me right now....I was sooo excited when I was walking down state street and I saw his name on the marquee...then I realized I wasn't going to be able to see him perform...and I tear rolled down my saddened face....

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by stephweir_rocks

~snip~

I took this interview and added some facts from it to his profile. Please check for any discrepancies (and by that, I mean, "mizzimad, please check for discrepancies").

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

VH1's "Best Week Ever" just talked about The Frank Show. All these panelists were basically moaning about how during the game on whatever channel his show is gonna be on kept running promos about the show during the game and commercials and in every promo, Frank was doing a new impression and basically how they're getting sick of it.





and thus concludes my cartman-esque post for the day.

[cartman2002]

I thought maybe the commentators on Vh1 would just ignore Frank during the commerical breaks.

I guess they are die hard baseball fans.

[HiVolt]

Anyone see Frank in the movie "The Comebacks"? Playing John Madden of course! It was a surprise for me!

[cartman2002]

I read that flim got an F on the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly but i'll see the film soon.

[HiVolt]

Yeah it wasn't that great a movie... Some of the sports & celeb parodies were funny, but the story stunk.

[elscorcho]

Interview with Frank from tvgasm.com:


I had a chance to sit down with Frank Caliendo from TBS's Frank TV. You've seen Frank on MAD TV, Sunday NFL football on Fox. He's known for doing some of the best impressions in the business, including John Madden and now he has his own show, Frank TV.

Nads:Hey Frank! I got a chance to watch you show, and I really think it's a lot of fun. Were you guys able to complete your series with the writer's strike?

Frank: We can't write anything with the writers strike. We're done for now, we've had to wrap in five episodes. We were supposed to do eight, but had to stop at five.

Nads: This is your first season of your very own show, and then the strike happens, what a bummer.

Frank: Hopefully we'll come back after the New Year when everything is settled and do more. We're not really worried.

Nads: How does your compare your show to Mad TV?

Frank: My show is very different. It's much more sillier than Mad TV. Mad TV was a very mean, angry show for some reason. They were always trying to rip people and my show is not about that. It's really silly and it's about having fun and being goofy. Mad TV was always trying to play to young kids and go for the easy joke. I just don't believe that your motive should be to only play to you young kids. If you play to what you think is funny then other people will find it funny too. Kids want to find something funny. I compare it to the movie Something About Mary. People always talk about the hair gel scene, but to me the comedy was Ben Stiller's reactions and silliness. It was Ben Stiller's character, and it wasn't a simple character to play, but he was so was so fun to watch. That to me is what I always like. The little things that made the movie. All of the simple things in-between the big scenes.

Nads: Also, you couldn't help but build so much empathy for Ben Stiller during that movie. Did you find that part of it?

Frank: Yeah, absolutely. It's about caring about the character and the people. That's why I don't go sketch to sketch, I introduce each sketch and each character. I introduce my show much like I do in my stand-up act.

Nads: Is Frank TV something that you envisioned for a long time?

Frank: I wanted to the show 8 or 10 years ago. TBS knew me from NFL on Fox, and from doing Madden, and that's how all of this happened. We started off with a pilot, and TBS loved it, and gave it a green light.

Nads: Where are you from originally?

Frank: I grew up in Wisconsin

Nads: Your a cheese head?

Frank: I'll wear Gouda on my top, oh yeah, I'll wear cheese with the best of them. I'm the Goudy, the Goudadome.

Nads: I was at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and saw your act. I loved it when you did Robert De Niro playing Frankenstein.

Frank: That one's a lot of fun. What a lot of people don't know is that De Niro did play Frankenstein. He played Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Nads: What about John Madden, do you guys get a long?

Frank: You know oddly enough John Madden for some reason doesn't like me at all. Actually, I think he kind of hates me. I could care less, I didn't do anything to him.

Nads: Don't worry, I think it's because you do him better than he does.

Frank: You know, you do what you do, and if people like it, you keep doing it. As long as the checks keep cashing, right?

Nads: I think you should send him a X-mas card apology, or some sort of apology sketch.

Frank: I don't do X-mas, it's all about Kwanzaa. It'll be a John Madden Kwanzaa!

Nads: You do so many impressions, is there anyone you wish you could do?

Frank: I only do the ones that I think I'm pretty good at. A lot of impressionist do 5 or 10 good ones, and pretend they have 150 in their arsenal. The first two you hear, you think to yourself, it's alright, but then as they go along, they just don't sound like anyone...not even a cartoon character. I'm a firm believer of sticking to what your good at.

Nads: Are you going to be on the road doing stand-up?

Frank: Yes, all over. My schedule is on my website. Check out: frankcaliendo.com or maddenguy.com

I want to thank Frank for taking the time and talking to me. Check out his show! This week's episode



LOL @ "I only do the ones that I think I'm pretty good at." His Seinfeld impressions are horrible, he should stop doing those.

[ef_7]

"silliness".... what a.... sophisticated choice of words, Frank.

[wonder8484]

Hmm... sounds like someone has fond memories of MADtv.

Well, I imagine it was quite frustrating for Frank to be on MADtv all these years (he probably wanted more airtime, understandably), yet he was often forgotten. But still, you'd think he could at least be a little more positive about the show. I mean, yes, it may have been terrible being a cast member on MADtv, but there is a trade-off. In return for being a cast member, you are immediately exposed to a wide viewing audience. I mean, most of Frank's fans know him through MADtv. In every interview Frank has, he seems to slag MADtv- it may have treated him like dirt, but as I keep saying, at least it got him somewhere.... And then he goes around with a new tv show: FRANKtv. Well, sounds a little familiar... I guess he probably wanted to take one more dig at MADtv that way....

In all seriousness though, I guess most ex-cast members feel the same way about MADtv.

[Rurry]

Wow, sounds like someone is pretty bitter towards MADtv...MADtv is a satire show, what do you expect? lol. It's not mean, it's just the type of comedy they're in.