Entertainment

Movies, TV shows, plays, concerts, etc.

Topics index: A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U V W

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Although people's attention is held by different things, because individuals have different preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognizable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms and over time became available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses a private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; to any size or type of party, with appropriate music and dance; to performances intended for thousands; and even for a global audience.

Notable Topics

Entertainers - Performers and others involved in the entertainment industry
Films - Moving pictures representing fictional or real-life events
Humor - Comedy, wit, satire, sarcasm, irony, jokes, etc.
Magic - Sleight of hand and other illusions
Music - Classical, jazz, rock, etc.
Science Fiction - Literary fantasies based on real or imagined scientific developments
Television Shows - A television program usually broadcast on a regular weekly schedule

Articles

George Carlin: A Four-Letter Threat to Authority, by Butler Shaffer, 24 Jun 2008
A memorial tribute to George Carlin (and Lenny Bruce) on their irreverent attitude towards authority and to Carlin as a "standup philosopher"

The mainstream media will doubtless refer to Carlin as an 'entertainer,' a word that fails to account for what he truly was. I prefer to think of him in words that the late Alan Watts used to describe himself: a 'standup philosopher.' ... There are many so-called comedians whose works consist of little more than four-letter words, but whose language is not a prelude to the kind of understanding offered by Carlin. ... But without the intellectual and spiritual depth of a George Carlin, their 'humor' becomes as impotent as an unexploded July 4th firework: some initial sizzle, followed by ... nothing.