Frank Caliendo Sucks
Posted at 4:15 PM Sep 29, 2008
By Kenny Herzog
People often say that punning is the lowest form of humor (in which case I am the human embodiment of its nadir), but impersonations have to rank at least a hearty second. And somehow, we have cascaded down a slippery slope from Rich Little to Frank Caliendo, who's basically Kevin James if the King Of Queens monarch just put on a bunch of wigs and vaguely approximated the manneurisms of people more famous than himself.
It's been easy enough, however, to avoid Caliendo's paralyzingly surface anti-charm. It's a good deal easier to miss Mad TV and its fittingly lame-named spinoff, Frank TV, by accident than make a point of watching them on purpose.
But avoiding the onslaught of his new Dish Network spots, in which he generally lampoons the president (about as current a target for edgy comedy as Pee-Wee Herman jokes), has been a more complex task. And his latest ad (mercilessly embedded above) hits an almost sacrilegious low, as Caliendo articulates the illogic behind regular cable via the personas of Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza. As the latter, Caliendo more or less just gruffly blows steam and stomps around brattily, while his translation of Seinfeld amounts to high-pitched incredulity.
So, in essence, because Caliendo has reduced comedy to its basest capacity for titillation, he's decided to drag two of the most uniquely, subversively neurotic characters in TV history through the mud of non-hilarity with him.
Why? Because, like two other lucky entrants in NCDSUV's newest regular feature, he sucks.
Comments
Caliendo is incredible unfunny. As is anybody who has ever been on or enjoyed MADtv. I am getting incredibly sick of seing this "comedian" on commercials while watching baseball. I suggest everybody write TBS to let them know they don't ever want to see this unfunny bastard, even on commercials.
Posted 10/05/2008 at 12:39:22 AMMiddle America.
I blame it all on Middle America.
And Joe Six-Pack.
Posted 10/05/2008 at 12:23:44 PMI despise this fat oaf not just because he sucks. I attended middle and high school with him in Waukesha Wisconsin where everyone knew him as a complete boor. I'm sure I never heard him say anything to anyone that wasn't a rude cut. Because of this he had to surround himself with football players for protection. To get out of proving he was one of them, a mysterious knee injury appeared every football season. He'd go all out with crutches and an easy-off velcro leg brace. Keep in mind he always touted himself as an athlete (as absurd as that notion is). Seeing this blubbery buffoon clowning with jocks on the NFL half-time show was like deja-vu. I would have been happy to forget this obese imbecile even existed, but now his dumb ass is all over tv.
Posted 10/10/2008 at 11:30:00 PMAgreed, Frank sucks, bad impressions, bad "comedy". I cringed to see him give Conan O'brien comedy tips on his late night show. The people that like Caliendo are the same people that like that Frank Dunham.
I have no idea if james' post is true, but i like it because it makes me hate him even more.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 03:22:12 AMCOuldn't agree more. Also, just because one can do impersonations ( very poorly in this case, since he physical transformation is non-existent) does NOT make one funny.
Commercials can be SO vile, because, as you point out, they are nearly unavoidable, short of avoiding television. Like a sappy, brain dead song for computers, or a telentless toad lipsyncing along to dopey jingles for credit reports, this moron will be pumped into my home anytime I want to watch anything. Advertisers should be held accountable for that reason - the only way to avoid them is to avoid watching television, and one that old Franky boy here actually has me considering sometimes.
Posted 11/30/2008 at 10:18:49 PMI am a totally right wing conservative that most of you would, i am sure, hate down to the trimmings of my toenails. When i heard that this frank guy was a conservative (so called?) i watched with great fervor. Always great to find someone on 'my side' with a funny/creative side.
OOPS.. he sucks. Sure.. his voices are great.. big deal.. he has NO writing.. clearly little timing. no chemistry on camera..
largely i have to leave the creative and the funny to liberals... but god i wish they would stay the FCK out of politics.. they are complete IDIOTS and brainwashed in that realm.
Libs... stay on YOUR side of the fence and make us laugh.. while serious conservatives run the country (by the way.. geroge bush was NOT a conservative.. by any means).
Bring all issues to the STATE level and lets duke thme out there.... health care by the feds.. STUPID.
god you libs are so insane its beyond belief. THATS why you can be so funny.
but stay out of my WALLET YA nutheads.
Posted 09/13/2009 at 07:33:41 AM