It's been awhile...

...so where were we? Oh yes, quick recap. So Carey Mulligan...that was a good call, wasn't it?! Not a particularly original one, I'll grant you, although becoming a major international Hollywood Oscar nominated star in the space of a year isn't bad! But The Knowledge has moved on. Speaking of which. Doctor Who.

I recently wrote in an email to a friend that "there is nothing on television at the moment which matches it for imagination or flair or that I look forward to as much." Except for maybe Mad Men which has become an epic saga of American life, to rank alongside The Godfather, There Will Be Blood and Citizen Kane. It seems to me that the boundaries of cinema and television are nearly all but broken down - sitting in the dark with that shimmering light on a screen holds its place, but only just. 'Sight and Sound' reflected this in this month's issue with an article about how the last ten years of British television had in fact been something of a golden age - although Doctor Who didn't get enough of a look in (although my obsession with it and actress Karen Gillan does have an unhealthy edge, I'll admit!)

The main reason to post again is to share a piece from David Mamet's new book Theatre. He describes his time working with the actor William H. Macy at the Atlantic Theater Company which tried to pass on some of the knowledge they'd learned from their time in Chicago to students. The book as a whole - although always fascinating - is probably too simplistic in what it demands of plays, drama, films, art in general, but this advice always stands: 'be prepared, be early, never complain, help your fellows, figure it out - your capacity for work is vastly greater than you suppose.'