(above : as recently seen on MSG, live action painting dynamo Randy Leo Frenchette)
With no less an authority than head coach Mike Woodson calling the 2013-14 New York Knicks, “a disaster”, it it any wonder that Madison Square Garden TV would seek to distract from the diabolical on-court product? As the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman explains, MSG is going to unusual — and perhaps ineffective — lengths to make recent Knicks telecasts seem entertaining.
On Wednesday (vs Portland) when reporter Tina Cervasio introduced “Frenchy,” an artist, stationed not far from courtside, who started drawing a portrait of Carmelo Anthony during the game and finished before Mike Woodson stormed off the court, ripping referee Danny Crawford, following a 94-90 loss to Portland.
During the game, Spero Dedes, Walt (Clyde) Frazier (now the first NBA voices to double as art critics) would periodically check on Frenchy with an update on how his artistic tribute to Melo was progressing. This mostly amounted to Dedes giving his take and Clyde agreeing or just saying “yep.” Got the feeling Frazier kinda wanted Frenchy to be drawing him in one of his many colorful zoot suits.
Better still if Frenchy would have drawn the many moods of Dolan, rumply slumped in his usual baseline seat. Or an oil painting of the phalanx of security personnel who are never far from Dolan. Or an impressionistic take on boss scribes being followed by Dolan’s PR police.
MSG presented its own tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman who, according to said tribute, was a big Knicks fan. There was also a verbal interlude provided by a couple of Rockettes, the usual shots of celebrities including the ubiquitous Steve Schirripa, who was up on the Bridge, and A-lister Manny Pacquiao, in the front row courtside.
This now became a game within an NBA game. What celebrity did the camera linger on the longest? The winner, comedian J.B. Smoove. It wasn’t even close. Then again Smoove has his own show on MSGulag. So this was a combination celebrity sighting/commercial.