2008-01-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

Entertainment

Entertainment is an activity designed to give pleasure or relaxation to an audience (although in the case of a computer game the "audience" may be only one person). The audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera, or actively as in computer games.

The playing of sports and reading of literature are usually included in entertainment, but these are often called recreation, because they involve some active participation beyond mere leisure.

The industry that provides entertainment is called the entertainment industry.

Examples of entertainment

Animation

Wikipe-tan sailor fuku (please improve this caption, what part of entertainment is this face?)

Animation provides moving images. Cartoons are a comedic form of animation Anime or TV manga refers to animation originating from Japan in the Occidental use of the word. In Japan the word refers to all animation. It may contain adult themes and futuristic locations.

Cinema

Cinema provides moving pictures as an art form. Cinema may also be called films or movies.

Theatre

Theatrical entertainment; the Theatre Rouge

Theatre encompasses live performance such as plays, musicals, farces, monologues and pantomimes.

Circus

Circus act - fire breather

Circus acts include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, trapeze acts, hula hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists.

Comedy

Comedy provides laughter and amusement. The audience is taken by surprise, by the parody or satire of an unexpected effect or an opposite expectations of their cultural beliefs. Slapstick film, one-liner joke, observational humor are forms of comedy which have developed since the early days of jesters and traveling minstrels.

Comics

Felix the Cat Comic Strip

Comics comprise of text and drawings which convey an entertaining narrative. Several famous comics revolve around super heroes such as Superman, Batman. Marvel Comics and DC Comics are two publishers of comic books. Manga is the Japanese word for comic and print cartoons.

Caricature is a graphical entertainment. The purpose may vary from merely putting smile on the viewers face, to raising social awareness, to highlighting the moral vices of a person being caricaturised.

Dance

Dancing

Dance refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. Dance includes ballet, cancan, charleston, Highland fling, folk dance, sun dance, modern dance, polka and many more.

Reading

Reading for pleasure

Reading comprises the interpretation of written symbols. An author, poet or playwright sets out a composition for publication to provide education or diversion for the reader. The format includes paperback or hard cover books, magazines, periodicals, puzzle books, crossword magazines and coloring books. Fantasy, horror, science fiction and mystery are forms of reading entertainment.

Games

Playing Bingo

Games provides relaxation and diversion usually following a rule set. Gamrs may be played by one person for their own entertainment, or by a group games. Games may be played for achievement or monetary benefit such as gambling or bingo. Racing, chess or checkers may develop physical or mental prowess. Games may be geared for children, or may be played outdoors such as lawn bowling. Equipment may be necessary to play the game such as a deck of cards for card games, or a board and markers for board games such as Monopoly, or backgammon.^[11] A few may be ball games, Blind man's bluff, board games, card games, children's games, Croquet, Frisbee, Hide and seek, Number games, Paintball, and Video games to name a few.

Music

Musical Piece: Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 5 in C minor

Music is an art form combining rhythm, melody, harmony and or vocals for entertainment, ceremonial or religious purposes.

Other forms of Entertainment

Corporate Entertainment and Conventions arise from an industrial or business setting for clients and or staff.
Lecture
Magic

Morris dancers entertain in the grounds of Wells Cathedral, Wells, England

Real Entertainment