Mark_Thompson's Blog

    Did u watch the Emmy's???!!!! 

How bad was that??

That was the worst produced show, filled with the worst ideas for bits that I have EVER seen....I was stunned at how bad the opening was and only Ricky Gervais and Stephen Colbert and finally Rickles rescued it from being a total waste of a night..

If that had been a TV pilot, they would have stopped the screening after 20 minutes and said, "Sorry guys.  This is not going to work". 

How could those reality hosts, some of whom are really talented, think that they could literally go on a big telecast like that and have nothing prepared and simply stand there and stammer and play up that they had nothing and simply waste 5 minutes at the beginning of the show.  Absolutely awful.

Being in the Nokia Theater during the Emmys this year must have been like being in show biz Guantanamo...a true hostage situation.

I appeared on GDLA this morning--as a guest.

What fun.

They are all so genuinely happy and supportive of  the new show which I was there to promote (HOLE IN THE WALL). and regardless of what happens with the show it's so nice when these people with whom I work, both morning and evening ,are so genuinely happy for the new endeavor of a colleague.

Anyway, doing the morning show as a guest was eerily familiar because of my many times filling in for Steve but oddly different because it's a different protocol as a guest.

Fun morning and something to take my mind off this country going straight down the tubes huh?

Time to face the hole.

So much goes into the success of a show.  Promotion is very important but placement on the schedule is perhaps even more important.

For example, you can put any old show after American Idol or the Super Bowl and it will get massive audience sampling and then if it's a decent show it will get that audience to come back week after week.

With my new show "Hole In the Wall" (Thursdays at 8p on Fox) we have been starved for promotion but had a decent rating after a sneak preview episode on Sunday.

So now it comes down to Thursday @ 8 and with no lead-in (strong show before us) and marginal awareness of the show and no solid promo schedule....I'm nnnervous.

Still, because Hole In The Wall performed so well on Sunday and because the show is funny and one the whole family can get into I am optimistic that it will get traction if not right away then slowly.

I hope you enjoy it if you should happen to have a chance to check it out.

All comments are welcome... I may as well say that since I know you will leave them for me anyway :)

“HOLE IN THE WALL” Premieres September 11 on FOX

Story Created: Aug 8, 2008

Story Updated: Aug 8, 2008 

HOLE IN THE WALL, the body-bending, mind-twisting, global game show phenomenon from AMERICAN IDOL producers FremantleMedia North America, will premiere Thursday, Sept. 11 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.



HOLE IN THE WALL became an instant ratings success story on-air and online after launching on Japan’s Fuji TV in July 2006, where it continues to rank No. 1 in its timeslot. The format swiftly created waves around the world, with FremantleMedia currently producing versions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Sweden and the U.K.



Hosted by Brooke Burns (“Dog Eat Dog”) and Mark Thompson (“Guinness World Records: Primetime”), HOLE IN THE WALL is one of the trickiest, fastest, funniest and wettest shows on the planet where speed, agility and a hearty sense of humor are essential tools to survive. During each episode, two teams of three compete against each other in multiple rounds of play, facing various barrier walls speeding toward them with weird and wacky cut-out shapes. Each team must contort their bodies individually or in unison to fit through the wall or be swept away into a pool below. As players struggle to strike a pose, points – and dignity – can be easily lost with a simple miscalculation. As the rounds progress and the pace heats up, mind over matter, quick thinking, coordination, agility and clever teamwork play a crucial role as each team strives to maneuver through walls literally closing in on them. The team with the most points at the end of the competition will win $25,000 and the chance to face the dreaded “Blind Wall” for the opportunity to win an additional $100,000.

I need you, and everyone you have ever met to watch my new show HOLE IN THE WALL. 
I really think you will be entertained and the whole family can watch.  Even if you don't speak english you can get and enjoy this show.  
Come to think of it, I'm far more tolerable on television if you do not speak english.
Thanks for your help everybody!!


Fox schedules Hole in the Wall against Survivor

Fox announced today that it was going to take Moment of Truth off the fall schedule and replace it with its new import, Hole in the Wall, a game show that involves nothing more than people trying to jump through differently shaped holes in a styrofoam wall that will knock them into a pool if they don’t make it.

That’s significant because Fox planned to use its lie detector show to kill off Survivor. Now, the new Fox game show debuts Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET, and one week later, Survivor Gabon will debut in the same hour.

This is probably bad news for Survivor. Hole in the Wall already has a cult following online (check out the “human Tetris” videos on YouTube), and the novelty of a fun new game show versus a familiar reality show might affect ratings, at least initially. 

Plus, Moment of Truth was both soulless and ultimately kind of boring because it was so disingenuous, pretending it wasn’t so soulless. If you’re going to be so callous and destructive, go for it, don’t just shut off the cameras after destroying families. Fox’s decision to ditch host Mark Wahlberg’s show (for now) is clearly strategic. There’s an appetite for happy fun dumb shows right now (hello, Wipeout).

More significantly, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, Moment of Truth’s “ratings [dropped] sharply during its summer run, [so] ‘Hole’ likely will stand a better chance of overthrowing CBS’ time-period champ.”

In the very beginning of it's run AMERICAN IDOL was a huge hit but still looked at by some in the recording industry as a bit "cheesy" or "mainstream".  Eventually, that wore off (you may differ with me but I think it took about two seasons).

When Prince appeared at an Idol finale it should have told everyone that Idol had arrived on every level.  Now the coolest mega-artists and producers are "angling" to get on the show for the most part.

Plus, major studios, actors, publicists and performers are jamming in the door to get their stuff on the show in any way possible.

It's been a win-win.  Good for the artists and good for Idol. 

And so tonight we benefited from a more mature Idol and we see all of this come together....

The Idol finale had a tip of the hat to older artists like Graham Nash, Donna Summer and George Michael and newer  phenoms like the Jonas Brothers.

This finale was the very best since Kelly Clarkson (season one).  It had everything from humor and fun performances like the "friends forever" number to a genuine overwhelming surprise ending.

David Cook clearly benefited from yet another Idol phenomenon.  Audience backlash against the judges.  After the apparent "coronation" of David Archuleta the night before the audience rose up and cranked out a whopping 12 million extra votes for Cook to give him a convincing win. 

It was terrific.

The outcome was such a forgone conclusion that you almost felt guilty tuning in to the finale to see what the judges had told us the night before.  And then....and then, the best finish we've yet seen and the Idol honor given to a genuinely sincere and grateful guy whose emotion at the end of the night said it all.

Congratulations to David Cook and all those who put together a great night.

I don't get it...you can believe it or not, but the fact is Jay Leno is dominating Letterman and Kimmel in key demos during late night.

I'm not necessarily a Leno fan or detractor but I certainly don't see how the network justifies cutting him loose when he's leading the ratings field in dominant fashion.

Now, the fact may be that NBC thinks Conan can command the same audience more or less, but if you are NBC, when you are winning the game so handily, why would you turn Leno loose???? Why not cut Conan a check for 40 million--his penalty if not given the show (which you will make up in 2 months of Leno's show) and march on into the next decade.

Am I missing something??? All you armchair execs help me please :)

When people say "y'know those actors should keep their mouths shut about politics and just act" or "Why do famous people feel they HAVE to give us their opinions on ...."

I've always felt that anyone should be able to talk about anything and their views may indeed weigh in as higher profile as a result of their station in life or celebrity. In fact, I've heard many a "celebrity" well educated and informed on the issues to the point that their celebrity begins to fade into the background.

But when these higher profile folk TAKE ACTION instead of just talk about it, THAT really sets them apart.

And so it was with American Idol Gives Back. Weren't you impressed by the number of singers and performers that visited the continent of Africa to point up the unfolding tragedy there? It was a devastatingly powerful window on a continent and people set adrift by political corruption and situations so complicated and mired in horror that one can scarcely understand how it all got that way. I was choked up on multiple occasions looking at it from the comfort of the USA.

When Forrest Whittaker, Annie Lennox, Bono and Daughtry take their bands or, in Whittaker's case their family to these places that are a world away, my respect grows and all cynicism melts away.

I've always been impressed by the DOING that goes on and less so by the talk. In the Idol Gives Back show I saw both.

There are other examples of the DOING coming out of this otherwise superficial, self-absorbed culture every day. That's the stuff of real value.

I have a few recommendations for you.

SEE IT:  There is a terrific movie in theaters now called IN BRUGES.  It's about a couple of hit men, one of whom is Colin Farrel (something for the ladies) and they have been sent to Bruges Belgium to cool their heels and await word.

We learn that they have been sent there for a reason and that all may not go well for one of them.  It's a comedy and also dark and interesting...more than anything, really worth seeing.

RENT IT:  I also liked all the usual suspects from the most recent Oscar crop: The Kite Runner , Away From  Her and  The Savages.

RENT IT:  In the documentary category I want you to check out THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED.  It's all about how ridiculous the MPAA ratings system is.  You know, the one applied to all the films that are released in theaters.  They stake out the businesses of those who are members of the ratings board and you will not believe what they discover.

RENT IT:  Finally, the movie MURDER ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON will blow you out.  A documentary following  a young guy wrongly accused of a murder near Miami and the dogged determination of one public defender to acquit him.


VISIT IT:  Last recommendation :
If you are lookin' for something to do around town, check out the NEW Chinese Gardens at the Huntington  Library and Gardens in Pasadena.  It is one of the great resources we have here in Southern California and I think you will really be blown away by everything that is there.

Okay that's a quick sampler...next restaurants  :)

Thanks to all who reminded me of the name of one of the great documentaries that the whole family can enjoy. 

I couldn't think of it on the air...

It's all about the national spelling bee (we had a story on it on the Fox11 10pm News tonight)  It's called SPELLBOUND.

Enjoy!

Mark

Yes, it's true. Our little show has gone away.

I must say management was always supportive and interested and curious to see what could be done to improve and grow the show.   I felt good about the support from management that the show received given the limitations we had.

In truth, we had a bunch of challenges many of which were identified or hinted at in this space and I don't think we were getting any better at meeting those challenges.

It was great having so many people in to co-host and sit in with us but consistent on-air people on any show is important and it was difficult perhaps over time and probably jarring to the viewers as well.

I'll miss the fun people and the and trying to make something better... But it was a tough ride at times and we all knew it.

There was an enterprising small group and passionate producer that put the show together every week and they worked tirelessly to put on what they thought worked best on TV.

Thanks to the viewers of the show and the readers and regular contributors to this space. I always valued your input and opinions.

By the way, of course I was being facetious/sarcastic about celebs being more important than the rest of us :) It's not all celebs--just the movie stars. (joking!!!)

Thanks again everyone,

Mark

Loved having Liz and Adrianna on the show.  Both contributed and had good energy.

I wasn't sure why we started with Jane Fonda when we couldn't really say what the word was that got her into trouble ...it was a tough situation we found ourselves in I guess.

Liked Brownlee's piece with a bunch of red carpet stuff...

I guess Paris' movie really tanked....it looked like more people were at the theater for the premiere than ever again.

Really liked the look back at the Fox lot and how they had to cut back when TV hit the entertainment landscape.

While I like Lainee Kazan, I thought our piece on her ran a tad long.

I know we did a talkback with Shira on it, but are narcotics really that glamorized???  You will have to tell me.

That's the good and the bad of it

As always, thanks.

I really liked our guest this week, Michael Urie.
You may have seen him on Ugly Betty, but this guy is one of those Julliard graduates who is sharp and funny and clearly quite talented...not to mention I felt a chemistry between him and Liz Habib.  :)  I wanna check out his play in Santa Monica.
With an end to the writer's strike only days away it was nice to pay off a bit of info on that ever changing and long lingering story.
There was some weird stuff that was in the show that I still cannot figure but I liked the celeb endorsement angle on the elections...that is where politics meet.  In a pop culture that is celeb oriented it may be more important than ever to a candidate's fundraising and visibility within the media cycles of each week.
As always...for those who  watched through the good and the not-so-good....thanks!

Look, I'm sure it's tough to produce a halftime show for the Super Bowl, but Tom Petty?? Come on.

First, I have to tell how much I love Tom Petty's stuff.  I have his multi-CD set that has all his studio cuts that didn't make the album and off album cuts, etc.  In fact, Tom Petty is among the only artists whose albums I will buy without hearing one note on the radio or elsewhere.  I think he's terrific.

So when I say Tom Petty was a bad choice for the halftime show it is NOT because I don't like him, it's because it's bad producing for the audience at large.  He doesn't bring the kind of performance and contemporary sensibility that the Super Bowl should want....unless you perhaps pair him or have him joined on stage by a collection of all stars of his vintage and stature in an all star jam.

Failing that, it is a bad choice.

It's odd because it's not as though they don't know what they are doing.  Prince was unreal last year.  He nailed one of the most electrifying performances I've seen at a Super Bowl show and in a driving rain.

Yes, they were turned down by a bunch of people and a bunch more were unavailable.... Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, etc.

But wait...on the pre-game show Alicia Keys was performing...WHY NOT SWITCH THOSE BOOKINGS???!! 

It should have been Tom Petty on the pre-game and Alicia Keys on the Super Bowl (she has a song that's charting right now!!!  And she can crank it)

Or how about the Black Eyed Peas perhaps if you don't care if a group has a current song.  They will bring it in performance and have some real great party songs.

Nope, they blew it and because the ratings were so good and the captive audience had no choice, they will never know how poor their decision was.   This blog will fall in the rock and roll forest and never be heard :)

And again, I love you Tom Petty..I'd love to see your show at the Greek Theater maybe but not as the Super Bowl halftime show.

How did a hot actress like Sean Young go from being so hot and talented to so drunk and disorderly so quickly.....??? Talk about a fall from grace....Between us, I had always heard Sean Young was a bit on the weird side or even totally whacked but the drinking part had never been mentioned in any story. It's more than mentioned right out of the shoot on this week's show.

There is no guest this week and with Amy Murphy and Arden we negotiated a couple of Oh My Stars (viewer pics) segments and some archival video of Marlon Brando's wife of  one year and her bizarre history and problems and how they became a Hollywood story  (kinda' cool 'cuz I never knew any of it)

Good guest powered up the beginning of our show with some views on movies and public taste and the Oscar race.

Arden was funny this week, although I doubt it will be enough to beat back those who are not fans :)   Still,  to me when she's hittin' the ball, she is really something else.

Thanks for watchin' a show that evolves and evolves every week...yes, it remains a work in progress.