Category:Entertainment

=Entertainment= From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Entertainment (disambiguation) and The Entertainer (disambiguation).Watchers of a roadside television being entertained by a live cricket match between India and PakistanEntertainment is an action, event or activity that aims to amuse and interest an audience of one or more people. It is the audience that turns a private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a passive role, as in the case of persons watching a play, opera, television show or film; or the audience role may be active, as in the case of games. Entertainment can be public or private, involving formal, scripted performance, as in the case of theatre or concerts; or unscripted and spontaneous, as in the case of children's games. Most forms of entertainment have persisted over many centuries, evolving as a result of changes in culture, technology and fashion. Films and video games, for example, although they use newer media, continue to tell stories, presentdrama and play music. Some activities that once were considered entertaining, particularly public punishments, have been removed from the public arena. Other activities, such as fencing or archery, once necessary skills for some, have become serious sports and even professions for the participants, at the same time developing into entertainment with wider appeal for bigger audiences. What is entertainment for one group or individual may be regarded as work by another.

Entertainment is distinguished from education, which has the purpose of developing understanding or helping people to learn, in contrast to entertainment, from which no results or measurable benefit are usually expected. The distinction becomes blurred either when education seeks to be more "entertaining" or entertainment seeks to be more "educational". The mixture is often known by the neologisms "edutainment" or "infotainment". Some education-entertainment is a serious attempt to combine the best features of the two fields.[1]

Entertainment often provides fun, enjoyment and laughter. In certain circumstances or contexts, there is an additional serious purpose. This may be the case in the various forms of celebration, festival or satire for example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears as entertainment may also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth. The appeal of entertainment, along with its capacity to cross over different media and its potential for creative remix, has ensured the continuity and longevity of many recognisable forms, themes, images and structures. {| class="toc" id="toc" style="font-size:12px;border-color:rgb(170,170,170);"

Contents
[hide] *1 History of entertainment
 * 1.1 Public punishment
 * 2 Children
 * 3 Forms of entertainment
 * 3.1 Games
 * 3.2 Literature
 * 3.3 Comedy
 * 3.4 Music
 * 3.5 Performance
 * 3.5.1 Storytelling
 * 3.5.2 Theatre
 * 3.5.3 Dance
 * 3.5.4 Animals
 * 3.5.5 Circus
 * 3.5.6 Magic
 * 3.5.7 Street performance
 * 3.5.8 Parades
 * 3.6 Sport
 * 3.7 Cinema and film
 * 4 The entertainment industry
 * 5 Architecture for entertainment venues
 * 6 Electronic entertainment and media
 * 7 See also
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links
 * }

[edit] History of entertainment
Telling stories at night to entertain a small groupColosseum - venue for mass entertainmentPeople probably started entertaining themselves by telling stories around a fire in prehistoric times, and storytelling has been an important part of most forms of entertainment ever since. Stories are still told in this original form, for example while camping or when listening to the stories of another culture as a tourist. Entertainment is provided for mass audiences in purpose-built structures such as a theatre, auditorium or stadium. One of the most famous venues is the Colosseum where spectacles, competitions, races and sports were presented as public entertainment.

Relatively minor changes to the form and venue of an entertainment continue to come and go as they are affected by the period, fashion, culture, technology and economics. For example, a story told in dramatic form might be presented in an open-air theatre, a music hall, a movie theatre, a multiplex, or via a personal electronic device such as a tablet computer. Some forms become controversial and are eventually prohibited. Hunting wild animals is still regarded by some as entertainment but as with other forms of animal entertainment (see below) it has become more controversial. Hunting wild animals, as a form of public entertainment and spectacle, was introduced into theRoman Empire from Carthage.[2]

Some forms of entertainment, especially music and drama, have developed into numerous variations of form to suit a very wide range of personal preferences and cultural expression. Many forms are blended or supported by other forms. For example, drama and stories use music as enhancement. Sport and games are incorporated into other forms to increase appeal. Commonly, entertainment evolves from serious or necessary activities (such as runningand jumping) into competition and then into entertainment. Gladiatorial combats, also known as "gladiatorial games", popular during Roman times, provide a good example of an activity that is a combination of sport, punishment and entertainment. Such examples of violent entertainment have supported arguments that contemporary entertainment is less brutal than it was in the past, in spite of the ubiquity of violence in the more sophisticated technology used by modern media as a medium for entertainment.[3] Many of these once necessary skills, such as perhaps pole vaulting, need equipment, which has become increasingly sophisticated. Other activities, such as walking on stilts, are still seen in circus performances in the 21st century.

Entertainment can change in response to cultural or historical shifts. Entertainment evolved into different forms and expressions as a result, for example, ofWorld War I,[4] [5] the Great Depression, the Russian revolution, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution during which Revolutionary opera was sanctioned by the Communist party.

[edit] Public punishment
Although most forms of entertainment have evolved and continued over time, some once-popular forms are no longer as acceptable. For example, during earlier centuries in Europe, watching or participating in the punishment of criminals or social outcasts was an accepted and popular form of entertainment. Even capital punishment such as hanging and beheading, offered to the public as a warning, were also regarded partly as entertainment. Capital punishments that lasted longer, such as stoning and drawing and quartering, afforded a greater public spectacle. Many forms of public humiliation also offered local entertainment in the past.

[edit] Children
Pieter Bruegel Children's Games (1560)Children's entertainment is centred on play and is significant for their growth and learning. Entertainment is also provided to children or taught to them by adults and many activities that appeal to them such as puppets, clowns, pantomimes andcartoons are also enjoyed by adults.[6] [7]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Children have always played games. It is accepted that as well as being entertaining, playing games helps children's development. One of the most famous visual accounts of children's games is a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder calledChildren's Games, painted in 1560. It depicts children playing a range of games which were presumably, typical of the time. Many of these games, such asmarbles, hide-and-seek, blowing soap bubbles and piggyback riding continue to be played.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Most forms of entertainment can be or are modified to suit children needs and interests. Stories and activities, whether in books, film, or video games have been developed specifically for child audiences since it became understood during the 20th century that their psychological development occurs in stages and that their capacities differ from adults.

[edit] Games
Sofonisba Anguissola The Chess Game(1555)<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Games are played for entertainment - sometimes for entertainment alone, sometimes for achievement or reward as well. They can be be played alone, in teams, or virtually; by amateurs or professionals. Equipment varies with the game. Board games, such as chess, Go, Monopoly or backgammon need a board and markers. Card games, such as whist, Bridge and poker have long been played as evening entertainment among friends. All that is needed is a deck of playing cards. Video games are games played using a controller to create results on a screen. Other games, such as bingo, played with numerous strangers, also involve the participation of non-players via gambling. Many are geared for children, and can be played outdoors, including hopscotch, hide and seek, or Blind man's bluff. Others are played using various forms of ball, such as croquet, lawn bowling, or paintball. The list of ball games is quite extensive and the options cater to a wide range of skill and fitness levels. While many games develop physical competence, others, such as number games like Sudoku and puzzle games like the Rubik's cube develop mental prowess.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Video games played online or using a computer developed in the second half of the 20th century and in the 21st century provide an enormous variety of entertainment to players around the world. They are particularly popular in Korea as well as many other places.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;">[8]

[edit] Literature
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Literature contains many genres designed, in whole or in part, as entertainment. Comics, for example, contain text and drawings that convey an entertaining narrative.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;">[9] Comic books may contain stories about superheroes such as Superman and Batman.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1em;">[10] Manga are a Japanese style of Japanese style of comic book.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Caricature is a kind of graphic entertainment, the purpose of which may vary from merely putting a smile on the viewer's face, to raising social awareness, to highlighting the moral characteristics of a person being caricatured.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Limericks use verse in a strict, predictable rhyme and rhythm to create humour and to amuse an audience of listeners.

[edit] Comedy
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Comedy is both a genre of entertainment and a component of it, providing laughter and amusement, whether the comedy is the sole purpose or used as a form of contrast in an otherwise serious piece. It is a valued contributor to many forms of entertainment, including in literature, theatre, opera, film and games. In farce, the comedy is a primary purpose.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">The meaning of the word "comedy" and the audience's expectations of it, have changed over time and vary according to culture. Shakespeare wrote seventeencomedies which use many of the techniques still called upon by performers and writers of comedy, such as jokes, puns, parody, wit, observational humor or the unexpected effect of irony. Slapstick, one-liner jokes and satire are also used to comedic effect in literature. Comedy developed from the early days ofjesters and travelling minstrels.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;">[11]

[edit] Music
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Music is often an entire performance in itself such as when concerts, are given. Musical concerts can be by individuals, such as a solo, or a small or large groups using voice(s) or instruments, such as a choir or orchestra. Depending on the rhythm, instruments, performance and style, music can be divided into many different genres, such as classical, jazz, and rock. Music is also a supporting component of most kinds of performance, indispensable in dance, and usual practice in film and most theatre.

[edit] Performance
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Live performances before an audience constitute a major form of entertainment, especially before the invention of audio and video recording. Performance takes a wide range of forms, including theatre, music and drama. Opera performances encompass all three. Vaudeville was a theatrical genre popular in the United States, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand from the early 1880s to the early 1930s.

[edit] Storytelling
Wayang golek puppets from Java<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Storytelling is an ancient form of entertainment that has influenced almost all other forms. It may be delivered directly to a small listening audience or it may be a component of of any piece that relies on a narrative, such as film, drama, ballet, and opera. Stories may be told wordlessly, in music, dance or puppetry for example, such as in the Javanese tradition of wayang, in which the performance is accompanied by a gamelan orchestra or the similarly traditional Punch and Judy show.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">The power of stories to entertain is shown by one of the most famous ones—Scheherazade—the story of a woman who saves her own life by telling stories. The connections between the different types of entertainment is shown by the way that stories like this inspire a retelling in another medium. For example, composers Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Maurice Ravel and Karol Szymanowski have all been inspired by the Scheherazade story and turned it into an orchestral work. The Magic of Scheherazade also became an innovative video game.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Epic poems, such as Homer's Odyssey and Iliad tell such gripping stories that they have inspired countless other stories in all forms of entertainment. Collections of stories, such as Grimms' Fairy Tales, have been similarly influential. This collection of folk stories was originally published in the early 19th century, became iconic and had significant influence in modern pop culture which subsequently used its themes, images, symbols and structural elements to create new forms of entertainment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Some of the most powerful and long-lasting stories are the foundation stories, also called origin myths or creation myths such as the Dreamtime myths of the Australian aborigines, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;">[13] or the Hawaiian stories of the origin of the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;">[14] These too are developed into books, films, music and games in a way that increases their longevity and enhances their entertainment value.

[edit] Theatre
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Theatre performances, typically dramatic or musical, are presented on a stage for an audience. Radio and television, often broadcast live, is a 20th century version of theatre entertainment that exists alongside the traditional forms. Plays, musicals, monologues, pantomimes, and performance poetry are examples from the very long history of theatrical entertainment and performance art.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;">[15] The skill of managing, organising and preparing the stage for a performance are known as stagecraft. <p style="line-height:1.5em;">The stage and the spaces set out in front of it for an audience create a theatre. All types of stage are used, including the impromptu or improvised (such as 1,2 and 5); the temporary (1); the traditional (such as 6); and the elaborate (such as 8) and permanent (such as 4, 6 and 8). They are erected indoors (such as7 and 8 or outdoors (such as 3, 4 and 5).

[edit] Dance
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">The many forms of dance provide entertainment for all age groups and cultures. It can be serious in tone, such as when it is used to express a culture's history or important stories; it may be provocative; or it may put in the service of comedy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;">[16] Since it combines many forms of entertainment - music, movement, storytelling, theatre - it provides a good example of the various ways that these forms can be combined to create entertainment for different purposes and audiences. <p style="line-height:1.5em;">Dances can be performed solo (such as 1 and 4); in pairs, (such as 2 and 3); in groups, (such as 5, 6, 7); or massed performers, (such as 8). They might be improvised (such as 4) or highly choreographed (such as 1, 2, 5, 8); spontaneous for personal entertainment, (such as when children begin dancing for themselves); a private audience, (such as 4); a paying audience (such as 2); a world audience (such as 8); or an interested audience (such as 3 and 5). They might be a part of a celebration, (such as 6, a wedding); a cultural ritual with a specific purpose, (such as 7 or a haka). For some dances, such as traditional dance in 1 and ballet in 2, a very high level of skill and training is needed; for others, such as the can-can, a very high level of energy and physical fitness is required. Entertaining the audience is a normal part of dance.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Some dances, such as the quadrille, once popular at social gatherings like balls, are now rarely performed. On the other hand, many dances, including folk dances (such as Scottish Highland dancing and Irish dancing), have evolved into competitions, which by adding to their audiences, has increased their entertainment value.

[edit] Animals
Trained monkey performing for an audience of children<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Animals have been used for the purposes of entertainment for millennia. For example, animals kept in zoos in ancient times were often kept there for later use in the arena as entertainment or for their entertainment value as exotica.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;">[17] However, the use of animals for entertainment is often controversial. They have been hunted for entertainment (as opposed to hunted for food); displayed while they hunt for themselves; watched when they compete with each other; and watched while they perform a trained routine for human amusement.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Many contests between animals are now regarded as sports - for example, horse racing is regarded as both a sport and an important source of entertainment. In Australia, the horse race run on Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday and the public regards the race as an important annual event. Like horse racing, camel racing requires human riders, while greyhound racing does not. People find it very entertaining to watch trained horses, camels or dogs race competitively.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Other contests between animals, once popular entertainment for the public, have become illegal because of the cruelty involved. Among these are blood sports such as bear-baiting, dog fighting and cockfighting. Some contests involving animals have both supporters and detractors and so are more controversial than ones already prohibited. Fox hunting, which involves the use of horses as well as hounds, and bullfighting, which has a strong theatrical component, are two of these. Both have a long and significant cultural history.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Animals that perform trained routines or "acts" for human entertainment include fleas in flea circuses, dolphins in dolphinaria, and monkeys doing tricks for an audience on behalf of the player of a street organ.

[edit] Circus
stilts walker<p style="line-height:1.5em;">A circus is a special form of theatrical performance that involves acrobatics and often performing animals. It is usually thought of as a travelling show, but permanent venues have also been used.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;">[18]

[edit] Magic
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Magic, often called stage magic or conjuring, is a form of performance entertainment that relies on deception, psychological manipulation, sleight of hand and other forms of trickery to give an audience the illusion that they a performer can achieve the impossible. Magic is done in a variety of media and locations: on stage, on television, in the street, and live at parties or events. Showmanship is often an essential part of magic performing, and magic is often combined with other forms of entertainment, such as comedy or music.

[edit] Street performance
Didgeridoo street player<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Street performance or "busking" is a form of performance that has been meeting the public's need for entertainment for centuries.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;">[19] Some historical European performers were called minstrels or troubadours. The art and practice of busking is still celebrated at annual busking festivals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;">[20]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">There are three basic forms of street performance:


 * "Circle shows" are shows that tend to gather a crowd around them. Usually they have a distinct beginning and end and are are done in conjunction with street theatre, puppeteering, magicians, comedians, acrobats,jugglers and sometimes musicians. Circle shows have the potential to be the most lucrative for the performer because there are likely to be more donations from larger audiences if they are entertained by the act. Good buskers control the crowd so patrons do not obstruct foot traffic.
 * "Walk-by acts" have no distinct beginning or end. Typically have the busker provides an entertaining ambience, often with an unusual instrument, and the audience may not stop to watch or form a crowd. Sometimes a walk-by act will spontaneously turn into a circle show.
 * "Café busking" is done mostly in restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés, although this type has used public transport as a venue.

[edit] Parades
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Parades are held for a range of purpose, often more than one. Its mood may sombre or a festive. Being public events that are designed to attract attention as well as ones that necessarily divert normal activity and traffic, they have a clear entertainment value to their audiences. Some of the audience may have made a special effort to attend while others become part of the audience by happenstance. Whatever their mood or primary purpose, parades attract and entertain people who watch them pass by. <p style="line-height:1.5em;">Parades generally impress and delight (such as 1, 2, 5 and 6), often by including unusual, colourful costumes. Sometimes they also commemorate (such as4) or celebrate (such as 5 and 6). Even if they have a serious context, the audience engages with the activity in a more or less demonstrable way (compare the military parades in 3 and 4). Even if the parade uses new technology and is a some distance (such as 6) it is provided for the purpose of entertainment and draws the attention of the audience.

[edit] Sport
Fans at a football match at Old Trafford. Sporting events are a popular form of entertainment<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Sporting competitions have always provided entertainment for crowds. To distinguish the players from the audience, the latter are often known as spectators. Developments in stadium and auditorium design, as well as in recording technology, have allowed off-site spectators to watch sport and this has meant that the size of the audience has grown ever larger and spectator sport has become increasingly popular. Two of the most popular sports with global appeal are association football and cricket. Beyond the very large numbers involved in playing these sports, they are notable for being a major source of entertainment for many millions of non-players worldwide.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Aside from sports that have world-wide appeal and competitions, such as the Olympic Games, the entertainment value of a sport depends on the culture and country in which it is played. For example, in the United States,baseball and basketball games are popular forms of entertainment; in Bhutan, the national sport is archery; in Iran, it is freestyle wrestling; in Japan, sumo wrestling contains ritual elements that derive from its long history.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">The evolution of an activity into a sport and then an entertainment is also affected by the local climate and conditions. For example, the modern sport of surfing is associated with Hawaii and that of snow skiing probably evolved in Scandinavia. While these sports and the entertainment they offer to spectators have spread around the world, people in the two originating countries remain well known for their prowess. Sometimes the climate offers a chance to adapt another sport such as in the case of ice hockey which is an important entertainment in Canada.

[edit] Cinema and film
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Films are a major form of entertainment. Some films are intended as a form of escapism, while others are more layered and require a deeper engagement or more thoughtful response from an audience. Increasingly sophisticated techniques have been used in the film medium to delight and entertain audiences.Animation, which involves the display of rapid movement in an art work, is one of these techniques that particularly appeals to younger audiences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;">[21]

[edit] The entertainment industry
Film reels - packaged entertainment<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Although kings, rulers and powerful people have always been able to pay for entertainment to be provided for them and in many cases have paid for public entertainment, people generally have made their own entertainment or when possible, attended a live performance. Technological developments in the 20th century meant that entertainment could be produced independently of the audience, packaged and sold on a commercial basis by an entertainment industry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;">[23] Sometimes referred to as show business, the industry relies on business models to produce, market, broadcast or otherwise distribute many of its traditional forms, including performances of all types.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;">[24] The industry became so sophisticated that its economics became a separate area of academic study.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;">[25]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">The film industry is one part of the entertainment industry. Components of it include the Hollywood and Bollywoodfilm industries, as well as the cinema of the United Kingdom and all the cinemas of Europe, including France,Germany, Spain, Italy and others. The sex industry is another component of the entertainment industry, applying the same forms and media (for example, film, books, performances) to the development, marketing and sale of sex products on a commercial basis.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, one of the world's most famous amusement parks.<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Amusement parks entertain paying guests with rides such as roller coasters, train rides, water rides, and dark rides, as well as other events and associated attractions. The parks are built on a large area subdivided into themed areas named "lands". The buildings in amusement parks are specially created to represent the theme and are not usually authentic or completely functional. Sometimes the whole amusement park is based on one theme, such as the various SeaWorld theme parks that focus on the theme of sea life.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">One of the consequences of the development of the entertainment industry has been the creation of new types ofemployment. While jobs such as writer, musician and composer exist as they always have, people doing this work are likely to be employed by a company rather than a patron as it once would have been. New jobs have appeared, such as gaffer or special effects supervisor in the film industry, and attendants in an amusement park.

[edit] Architecture for entertainment venues
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Purpose-built structures for offering entertainment and accommodating audiences have produced many famous and innovative buildings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;">[26] Modern theatre structures are among the most recognisable but specific architecture for entertainment was built during ancient times. The ancient Greeks built open air theatres and the Romans developed the stadium in an oval form known as a circus. Some of the grandest modern buildings for stage productions have been opera houses, bringing fame to their cities as well as their designers. For example, the Sydney Opera House is a World Heritage Site and the Palais Garnier in Paris influenced architecture around the world.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Two of the chief architectural concerns for the design of venues for mass audiences are speed of egress and safety. The speed at which the venue can be emptied is important both for amenity and safety because large crowds take a very long time to disperse from a badly designed venue and this in turn creates a safety risk. The Hillsborough disaster is an example of how poor aspects of building design can contribute to audience deaths. Sightlines and acoustics are also important design considerations in most theatrical venues.

[edit] Electronic entertainment and media
<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Beginning in the 20th century, numerous advance in technology enabled newer forms of entertainment, such as those including electronic media and video games.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Forms of electronic media used in entertainment, such as data storage devices like cassette tapes or CDs as well as the methods used in electronic entertainment, have been undergone obsolescence far quicker than other forms of entertainment due to the pace of advancements in technology.