I watched ‘Gambit’ last night, a movie with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz, and the excellent Pip Torrens. One of the trailers before the film was for ‘Robot and Frank’, which looks very good. I know this because the trailer showed the initial scenario, the characters, snappy lines of dialogue, major plot developments, and, well… everything. Movie […]
Don’t Tell Them Everything First Read More »
“Don’t think. Feel.” When Bruce Lee says this classic line in 1973 martial arts movie ‘Enter the Dragon’, he’s instructing a student in the ways of unarmed combat, of allowing things to flow without letting conscious thought cloud the process. This is also pretty good advice for anyone standing up in front of a group of
How does a comedian, when walking out onto the stage at a comedy club, achieve that incredible level of confidence? I mean, come on, they’re smiling! Most people think “If that was me, I’d be terrified.” When I was going on-stage at a comedy club, here’s what I had: 1.) Lots of experience2.) Bravado Yes, I’d
The Confidence Trick Read More »
This post is the epitome of blog efficiency: brief, to the point, and full of goodness; the electronic equivalent of salmon sashimi. So crack apart your wooden chopsticks and tuck in. Here’s one of the most important lessons I learnt as a stand-up comic for public speaking:If in doubt, cut it out. Cut out the
Don’t Waste My Time! Read More »
“Powerpoint leads to unoriginality, unoriginality leads to boredom, boredom leads to suffering.” When Yoda meets Anakin Skywalker for the first time, he declares that he sees his fear, and predicts that it will lead to anger, then hate, then suffering. And let’s face it, he has a point. Perceptive chap. But in the world of
