[MADtv] Frank Caliendo

[NemesisDesign]

Caliendo on MADtv was about all the "silliness" I could muster and still keep my lunch down. I'd maybe respect this opinion a bit more if it came from a really great, talented stand up comedian, but he does impressions. He's a rung or two up on the comedic ladder from Carrot Top. I think maybe it's time he get a grip on things and have a nice plate of humble pie, perhaps show some gratitude to the show that helped get him recognized so that he can now go on and annoy America on a grander scale.

[wonder8484]

Wow- I didn't expect people to agree with me. I actually thought I was going to be blasted for insulting the great Frank Caliendo, but it seems that most people share my opinion (that Caliendo was out of line to make those digs at MADtv.) I'm still expecting a current/former cast member to tell me that Frank is right about MADtv. I think it's irrelevant whether MADtv treated him badly; what Frank said was way out of line. I mean, he goes out of his way to call MADtv angry and imply that it was far more hurtful than his own show. Yet, FrankTV isn't exactly promoting celebrities either. Did you see the Bill Clinton sketch? Not something Clinton would be promoting. Anyways, I think that Caliendo should take far fewer digs against the show that got him where he is today.

[Dartanian]

I don't think MADtv treated him badly, he just didn't like the show and was contractually obliged to stay on it.

I've always thought this - Frank is a great impersonator, but an incredibly mediocre comedian. It's been said a million times, an accurate impersonation doesn't make it funny.

[MADfan2004]

He didn't sound bitter at all. They DO at times go for the easy joke. But the show is (or at least was) based on MAD magazine. Of COURSE they're gonna rip on people.

[wonder8484]

I could link (if I could still find them ten interviews where Caliendo takes a dig at MADtv. He's bitter.

[mizzimad]

You know, for someone who claims to disagree with me a lot, MADfan certainly has been playing my music a lot lately. (*Realizing that his reputation as a mizzimad dissenter was forever shot, MADfan was never seen or heard from again.*) I don't really read a lot of bitterness into what Frank said either; I just think he was trying to point out the fundamental differences between edgy "MADtv" humor and his own preference, a lighter comedic style. If he ripped "MADtv" a thousand new assholes in other interviews, then so be it; I can speak to only this one.

For comparison's sake, I'll bring up a couple of episodes of "A Slice of the Shiny," Boom Chicago's podcast. Both Jordan Peele and Josh Meyers claimed that "MADtv" was far different from the "freer" style of comedy they had experienced at Boom Chicago, and Jordan in particular seemed to clamor for those days. Still, both men appreciate the opportunity that "MADtv" gave them to showcase their talents for a wider audience; and my hunch is that Frank was likewise grateful for the chance, even if "MADtv" differed significantly from what he had been used to doing in the past. Perhaps he didn't pick the most politically correct way to get that point across; however, I don't glean from the interview that he was out to bash the very show that gave him greater fame. As has been stated previously, I'm sure that other cast members, both past and present, could lodge negative complaints against "MADtv" if given the chance. If my ever-slipping memory serves me correctly, then Debra, for one, did a little "bashing" of her own. The bottom line is that I'm not about to jump all over Frank for saying what he did any more than I would hate on Debra or anyone else for doing likewise. FRANKly -- ugh! -- I find such candor refreshing. Maybe I'm just a curmudeonly misanthrope, but I don't think anyone will be shocked by THAT revelation.

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by mizzimad

You know, for someone who claims to disagree with me a lot, MADfan certainly has been playing my music a lot lately.

You can't prove that.

[wonder8484]

I may be wrong about Frank Caliendo's MADtv bashing, but here are a a link:

Caliendo, 33, got his start as a regular cast member on Fox's MadTV in 2001, where he would occasionally get a chance to do his impressions. He admitted that he "never fit in so much" on the show.

He also did regular guest spots on The Late Show with David Letterman starting in 2006, both in full guise as Madden and as a comic during the show's "Impressionist Week." It's more of this type of performing Caliendo hopes to convey.

"Our aim is a little higher audience than MadTV," he said, adding that MadTV typically goes for the teenage demographic. "We're not really going for outrageous and over-the-top."

http://media.www.temple-news.com/med...-3115822.shtml

Again, very interesting.

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

Maybe he thinks his brand of comedy is more mature and grown up than what MADtv does, and that he was frustrated with the constant pandering to the 15-25 year old demographic

[wonder8484]

Fine if he thinks that. I like his show, but I think it panders to an even younger demographic than MADtv did- the ages 8-14 demographic, and perhaps even the older adults demographic. It just hasn't got an edge to it like MADtv has- and it's much tamer than MADtv.

[NemesisDesign]

Doing silly voices isn't exactly high-brow, so I hope that's not what he's thinking.

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

Well it could all be in his head too....his ego automatically thinks his impressions and brand of comedy are far superior to that of MADtv's.

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

Frank is in a couple of commercials for DirectTV or Dish Network, i can't remember which. In each commercial he is himself and an impression. They've done commercials of him as Bush, John Madden, and Al Pacino

[cartman2002]

He also does an impression of Charles Barkley in one of the ads and unlike Bush and Madden he does it very poorly.

[mizzimad]

http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/is...e=02012008&PC=

"In another example of a Web 2.0 insurance approach, Nationwide introduced a viral marketing campaign in October, 2007. It launched the "Have the Talk" Web site encouraging consumers to engage in difficult conversations regarding personal finance and insurance issues. The site features humorous video shorts starring comedian Frank Caliendo, which also have been posted on YouTube. Nationwide has also reached out to bloggers on gather.com, a social networking and media Web site."

Go here if you want to see Frank's videos. Frank would watch your videos.

[tvmanismadformad]

I was sad when Frank left, but he had become great outside the show, and at the time for him to leave. He was a big star. Too big for MAD, but he is still in sketch comedy with Franktv, which I am happy about (and also angry that it is on TBS as I use to have it here, but when the Atlanta station split, we lost it here in Canada) which I can watch on the internet with a program I found that bypasses the law.

[tvmanismadformad]

In 2001, a show called Hype aired on the Warner Bros. network. It lasted only 4 months, but with the cancellation of it, it set up the wheels of fate, as it would allow the undiscovered star of the show to find the show that would make him famous. The person I am talking about is Frank Caliendo, and that show is MADtv. A person who with impressions skills that could be considered above the rest. Frank who had already had connections with some MADtv producers was a perfect fit for MADtv. The beginning of Frank's tenure on MADtv would also be the beginning of his rise to fame, so this is a timeline that really shows Frank's first success in Hollywood, so let's get it started. Ladies and Gentlemen the Frank Caliendo timeline.

2001: A few months after the show Hype was cancelled (a show Frank was on) Frank was hired to MADtv without even needing to audition. He didn't even have to go through being a feature player, as he was given repertory status in his first year.

September 22, 2001: Frank appears in his first episode. His first sketch would be called Gutter, where he would play the announcer, and Al Pacino. Watch the sketch

Season 11 2005-2006: Due to episodes missed, it is hard to determine when, or if Frank passed 100 episodes, but it was most likely around this time.

May 20, 2006: Frank appears in his last episode on MADtv. Except for the closing his last sketch would be called Bae Sung on The Sopranos where he would play James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.

Life After MAD

By the time Frank left MADtv his star was already rising. With his role on Fox NFL Sunday and his many comedy shows around America that he had been doing during his tenure. His role on MADtv may have also helped him land his own sketch comedy show, as in 2007 Frank got his own show on the television network TBS called frankTV, where most of the time he plays all the characters. Frank has often been vocal that he did not like his time on MADtv, saying that it was too mean for his comedy style, and went to a younger demographic than what he was going for, but I think Frank knows that he wouldn't be as popular as he is now if it wasn't for those 5 seasons of MADtv on his back, and I truly believe that he is grateful for the opportunity he was given that really started his career, and will most likely be what he is most remembered for.

[edkedkedk]

His timeline is so short? Gee.

Well, here's looking at ya, ya bridge-breaker!

[joesportsman]

Here is a video of Frank getting interviewed at MOUTHPIECESPORTS.COM
He is talking about the Gold Medalist Basketball Team. Check it out here!

http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/?act...t=290&t=044436

[tvmanismadformad]

No one has brought this up yet, but Frank has signed a deal to be the headliner for Las Vegas Monte Carlo Casino for, and this is true, the next 10 years. Doing a Las Vegas show, after being on the greatest sketch show ever, having you're own sketch show, and being touted as one of the greatest impressionist ever, this is a bit of a step down isn't it?