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11/20: Frank TV and Oprah in Macon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wrote a couple of TV stories with local ties for the print edition Tuesday.
First, I previewed TBS sketch comedy show “Frank TV,” featuring impressionist andn “Mad TV” alum Frank Caliendo, best known for his take on NFL analyst John Madden. Caliendo does dozens of different characters, from George W. Bush to Bill Clinton to Al Pacino to Jack Nicholson to the entire “Seinfeld” gang. The first episode I previewed had a few good moments (including a goofy “tour” of the Clinton library) and a few not-so-good moments (the sketch in which he plays all four “Seinfeld” characters feels forced and frenetic but not funny). His comedy is fairly gentle and jocular, not meanspirited — though John Madden apparently isn’t amused by Frank’s take on him.
Sketch comedy is tough enough without so much of the burden placed on one person’s shoulders. But the thought process is Frank has enough impressions up his sleeve to keep things interesting. Originally, he was supposed to do eight episodes but due to the writers’ strike, he’s only doing five.
It airs Tuesday night at 11 p.m.
And here’s a quick take on Oprah’s appearance in Macon this past Saturday which airs Tuesday at 4 on WSB-TV:
For the first time, Oprah decided to do her annual manic giveaway show “Oprah’s Favorite Things” away from Chicago. Her destination? Macon.
The city may have only 235,000 TV households, but Oprah’s rationale stems from loyalty. “Macon has the highest ratings for ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ ever since we went national in 1986,” Winfrey said in a statement.
That means 45 percent of TVs that are on in Macon any given weekday at 4 p.m. is set to Oprah, compared to a still solid 15 percent in Atlanta on WSB-TV.
Oprah used a bit of subterfuge, telling Macon residents that the show would be part of a tour of hometowns across America. Only when the 300 Macon residents arrive at the Macon City Auditorium did they find out about the freebies.
Macon chiropractor Milton Miller Jr., one of the few guys who saw the taping Saturday (which airs today), got even more than swag. Oprah saw his sign in his front yard saying “Oprah, come see us!” and spent 45 minutes with him Friday.
The gifts, he said, were mostly girlie stuff so “my mom is going to have a great Christmas.”
“People were screaming, people were crying, people were praying,” Miller said of the taping.
And that’s a fair reaction because to many, Oprah is God.
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