Caliendo’s impressions more than impressive

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Frank Caliendo longs for a world where politicians can say whatever they’d like… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Frank Caliendo longs for a world where politicians can say whatever they’d like without the press ever taking note. And he’s created it in ‘Frank TV’ ‘mdash; the TBS show with an extended cast capable of convincingly impersonating Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, among others. ‘ ‘ ‘ If anyone missed the first season, ‘Frank TV’ is a showcase for the impersonation talents of Caliendo ‘mdash; as seen on ‘Mad TV.’ Caliendo’s impersonations of Donald Trump and President George W. Bush are extremely well done. His political commentaries are hilarious. When impersonating Bush, Caliendo loads his speech with the normal Bushisms, making up words and adding ‘-inated’ at the end of real words. ‘ ‘ ‘ Caliendo’s impersonation of Sen. John McCain accentuates the senator’s stereotypically stodgy, set-in-his-ways, old man image in contrast to his impersonation of Obama, whom he portrays as bored and disdainful.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Frank TV,’ in addition to Caliendo, includes a nicely varied cast of other impersonators, namely Freddy Lockhart and Mike MacRae. All three are able to do convincing Tom Brokaws, when required. Lockhart can do an excellent Obama and isn’t half bad at impersonating Samuel L. Jackson. ‘ ‘ ‘ Caliendo’s show manages to be hilarious without falling into the trap that many impersonations do. Caliendo doesn’t make his jokes stupid, nor does he merely impersonate the strange quirks of his characters ‘mdash; he manages to capture their true nature. After watching ‘Frank TV,’ one gets the impression that if Brokaw or Obama were to watch his show, they would legitimately find his impersonations funny ‘mdash; rather than insulting. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Another excellent quality of ‘Frank TV’ isits universal ridicule. Caliendo is more than likely a liberal ‘mdash; as many people in show business are. This does not stop him from exploiting the idiosyncrasies of Obama, Al Gore and many other liberal policymakers. His major criticisms of Bush relate to the president’s propensity to insert his foot in his mouth, rather than his policies. ‘ ‘ ‘ For those interested in the upcoming election, ‘Frank TV’ will be happy to lend a hand in helping you get a handle on the situation. The show plans on airing a special election night show, complete with Dick Cheney and Bush. The two will do their best to lend their wisdom from eight years of presidency to help choose a successor. ‘ ‘ ‘ Despite thepreviously stated praise for ‘Frank TV,’ it seems like it may not last as long as one might expect. Although impressions are hilarious and Caliendo does an excellent job in delivering them, one can only listen to a spoof of Gore for so long before becoming bored. Although the second season of ‘Frank TV’ will more than likely provide much entertainment, season three, if it occurs, might be significantly less fantastic. ‘ ‘ ‘ Also, it has yet to be seen how ‘Frank TV’ will respond to the decision of the upcoming presidential election. It can be reasonably predicted that Caliendo can go one of two ways: He can continue his broad spectrum of ridicule, resulting in a well-done show, or he can focus on the presidential winner and beat the subject to death. The latter decision would not be nearly as impressive, nor as entertaining. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Frank TV’ will air Oct. 21. The first episode of the second season will begin at 11 p.m. on TBS.