Last Friday I posted my Bostonist.com interview with actor/comic/impressionist Frank Caliendo and some time Friday, Boston.com, the Boston Globe web site, picked up the video and posted it on their home page for the entire weekend and it’s still up there today. This has provided some great traffic to Bostonist and I hope to post more pieces
He was very friendly and even “turned on” his act here and there which I thought was fun/funny, but some folks don’t care for his impressions and that’s fine. This doesnt mean that Caliendo is some unfunny guy - he’s very smart and knows that there is a huge demographic of people that do find his appearances on FOX NFL Sunday and his show “Frank TV” very funny and he is now delivering an entire new season of “Frank TV” to them (starting 10/21).
USA, TBS, and TNT are doing an excellent job in delivering product to this demographic. FX, HBO, and Showtime are delivering a different product to a different set of people. The big 3 (4 including FOX), have a huge problem. They want to deliver everything to everyone and fail on almost every turn, particularly on comedy - the only shining lights being “30 Rock” and “The Office” (and sometimes “How I Met Your Mother”).
Caliendo’s live act is very different than his TV work, so if you think that what you see on TV is what you get in person, think again. Check him out if he comes to your town.
Personally, I love Frank Caliendo’s impressions.