1.
Comedy
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In a modern sense, comedy refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, and stand-up comedy. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece, in the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a Society of Youth and a Society of the Old, a revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them. Similarly scatological humour, sexual humour, and race humour create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways, a comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society and uses humor to parody or satirize the behaviour and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms. The adjective comic, which means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage. Of this, the word came into usage through the Latin comoedia and Italian commedia and has, over time. The Greeks and Romans confined their use of the comedy to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. Aristotle defined comedy as an imitation of men worse than the average, however, the characters portrayed in comedies were not worse than average in every way, only insofar as they are Ridiculous, which is a species of the Ugly. The Ridiculous may be defined as a mistake or deformity not productive of pain or harm to others, the mask, for instance, in the Middle Ages, the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings. It is in this sense that Dante used the term in the title of his poem, as time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter. During the Middle Ages, the comedy became synonymous with satire. They disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms and they viewed comedy as simply the art of reprehension, and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or to the troubling beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century, the term gained a more general meaning in medieval literature. Starting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes, a playwright and satirical author of the Ancient Greek Theater wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive. Aristophanes developed his type of comedy from the satyr plays
2.
Comedian
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A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, a comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comic. Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and this normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting, e. g. Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh, Louis C. K. and Malcolm Hardee. Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, often a comics career advances significantly when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Comics sometimes foray into other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, however, a comics stand-up success does not guarantee a films critical or box office success. Comedians can be dated back to 425 BC, when Aristophanes and he wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive and are still being performed. Aristophanes comedy style took the form of satyr plays, the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare wrote many comedies. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has an ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeares other plays. Charles Chaplin was the most popular comedian of the first half of the 20th century. He wrote comedic silent films such as Modern Times and The Kid and his films still have a major impact on comedy in films today. One of the most popular forms of comedy is stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy is a monologue performed by one or more people standing on a stage. Bob Hope was the most popular comedian of the 20th century. Other noted stand-up comedians include George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Louis CK, another popular form of modern-day comedy is talk shows where comedians make fun of current news or popular topics. Such comedians include Jay Leno, Conan OBrien, Daniel Tosh, Chris Hardwick, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, a third form of modern-day comedy is television programs in which many comedians band together to make skits, such as Saturday Night Live. These shows often receive high ratings, likely because many comedians band together to create jokes, one of the most successful comedians is Ellen Degeneres, who has parlayed her comic career into film, television shows, and hosting major media events. In 1986, Ellen DeGeneres appeared for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson since she began gaining popularity as a comic in the 1980s. Johnny Carson, who launched many contemporary comics careers, would invite them to join him on the couch for one-on-one conversation after their set
3.
Theatrical property
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A prop, formally known as property, is an object used on stage or on screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, consumable food items appearing in the production are also considered props. The earliest known use of the properties in English to refer to stage accessories is in the 1425 CE Morality play. The Oxford English Dictionary finds the first usage of props in 1841, during the Renaissance in Europe, small acting troupes functioned as cooperatives, pooling resources and dividing any income. Many performers provided their own costumes, but special items—stage weapons, furniture or other hand-held devices—were considered company property, some experts however seem to think that the term comes from the idea that stage or screen objects belong to whoever uses them on stage. There is no difference between props in different media, such as theatre, film, or television, bland Wade, a properties director, says, A coffee cup onstage is a coffee cup on television, is a coffee cup on the big screen. He adds, There are definitely different responsibilities and different vocabulary, the term theatrical property originated to describe an object used in a stage play and similar entertainments to further the action. Technically, a prop is any object that gives the scenery, actors, or performance space specific period, place, props in a production originate from off stage unless they have been preset on the stage before the production begins. Props are stored on a prop table backstage near the entrance during production then generally locked in a storage area between performances. The term has readily transferred to television, motion picture and video game production, in recent years, the increasing popularity of movie memorabilia has added new meaning to the term prop, broadening its existence to include a valuable after-life as a prized collectors item. Typically not available until after a premiere, movie props appearing on-screen are called screen-used. However, a prop must read well from the house or on-screen, in some cases, a prop is designed to behave differently from how the real object would, often for the sake of safety. A mop, representing a string mop, but built out of a shape covered with fabric. A prop weapon that reads well but lacks the intentional harmfulness of the real weapon. In the theater, prop weapons are almost always either non-operable replicas, guns fire caps or noisy blanks, swords are dulled, and knives are often made of plastic or rubber. In film production, fully functional weapons are used. Real cartridges with bullets removed are still dangerously charged which has caused several instances when used on stage or film. The safety and proper handling of weapons used as movie props is the premiere responsibility of the prop master
4.
Music
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Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. The common elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. The word derives from Greek μουσική, Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as the harmony of the spheres and it is music to my ears point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, There is no noise, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. There are many types of music, including music, traditional music, art music, music written for religious ceremonies. For example, it can be hard to draw the line between some early 1980s hard rock and heavy metal, within the arts, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art or as an auditory art. People may make music as a hobby, like a teen playing cello in a youth orchestra, the word derives from Greek μουσική. According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, the music is derived from mid-13c. Musike, from Old French musique and directly from Latin musica the art of music and this is derived from the. Greek mousike of the Muses, from fem. of mousikos pertaining to the Muses, from Mousa Muse. In classical Greece, any art in which the Muses presided, Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. With the advent of recording, records of popular songs. Some music lovers create mix tapes of their songs, which serve as a self-portrait. An environment consisting solely of what is most ardently loved, amateur musicians can compose or perform music for their own pleasure, and derive their income elsewhere. Professional musicians sometimes work as freelancers or session musicians, seeking contracts and engagements in a variety of settings, There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Beginning amateur musicians take lessons with professional musicians, in community settings, advanced amateur musicians perform with professional musicians in a variety of ensembles such as community concert bands and community orchestras. However, there are many cases where a live performance in front of an audience is also recorded and distributed. Live concert recordings are popular in classical music and in popular music forms such as rock, where illegally taped live concerts are prized by music lovers
5.
Magic (illusion)
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Magic is one of the oldest performing arts in the world in which audiences are entertained by staged tricks or illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects, or illusions, the term magic etymologically derives from the Greek word mageia. In ancient times, Greeks and Persians had been at war for centuries, ritual acts of Persian priests came to be known as mageia, and then magika—which eventually came to mean any foreign, unorthodox, or illegitimate ritual practice. The first book containing explanations of magic tricks appeared in 1584, during the 17th century, many similar books were published that described magic tricks. Until the 18th century, magic shows were a source of entertainment at fairs. A founding figure of modern entertainment magic was Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, John Henry Anderson was pioneering the same transition in London in the 1840s. Towards the end of the 19th century, large magic shows permanently staged at big theatre venues became the norm, as a form of entertainment, magic easily moved from theatrical venues to television magic specials. Performances that modern observers would recognize as conjuring have been practiced throughout history, for many recorded centuries, magicians were associated with the devil and the occult. During the 19th and 20th centuries, many stage magicians even capitalized on this notion in their advertisements. The same level of ingenuity that was used to produce famous ancient deceptions such as the Trojan Horse would also have used for entertainment. They were also used by the practitioners of various religions and cults from ancient times onwards to frighten uneducated people into obedience or turn them into adherents, however, the profession of the illusionist gained strength only in the 18th century, and has enjoyed several popular vogues since. Opinions vary among magicians on how to categorize a given effect, Magicians may pull a rabbit from an empty hat, make something seem to disappear, or transform a red silk handkerchief into a green silk handkerchief. Magicians may also destroy something, like cutting a head off, other illusions include making something appear to defy gravity, making a solid object appear to pass through another object, or appearing to predict the choice of a spectator. Many magical routines use combinations of effects, one of the earliest books on the subject is Gantzionys work of 1489, Natural and Unnatural Magic, which describes and explains old-time tricks. Among the tricks discussed were sleight-of-hand manipulations with rope, paper, at the time, fear and belief in witchcraft was widespread and the book tried to demonstrate that these fears were misplaced. All obtainable copies were burned on the accession of James I in 1603 and it began to reappear in print in 1651. In the early 18th century, as belief in witchcraft was waning, a notable figure in this transition was the English showman, Isaac Fawkes, who began to promote his act in advertisements from the 1720s – he even claimed to have performed for King George II. He throws up a Pack of Cards, and causes them to be living birds flying about the room and he causes living Beasts, Birds, and other Creatures to appear upon the Table
6.
Bar
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Some types of bars, such as pubs, may also serve food from a restaurant menu. The term bar also refers to the countertop and area where drinks are served, bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Bars that offer entertainment or live music are often referred to as music bars, live venues, types of bars range from inexpensive dive bars to elegant places of entertainment often accompanying restaurants for dining. Many bars have a discount period, designated a happy hour to encourage off-peak-time patronage, bars that fill to capacity sometimes implement a cover charge or a minimum drink purchase requirement during their peak hours. Bars may have bouncers to ensure patrons are of age, to eject drunk or belligerent patrons. Such bars often feature entertainment, which may be a band, vocalist, comedian. The term bar is derived from the counter on which drinks are served. Patrons may sit or stand at the bar and be served by the bartender, depending on the size of a bar and its approach, alcohol may be served at the bar by bartenders, at tables by servers, or by a combination of the two. The back bar is a set of shelves of glasses and bottles behind that counter, in some establishments, the back bar is elaborately decorated with woodwork, etched glass, mirrors, and lights. There have been different names for public drinking spaces throughout history. In the colonial era of the United States taverns were an important meeting place, during the 19th century saloons were very important to the leisure time of the working class. Today, even when an establishment uses a different name, such as tavern or saloon, the sale and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the first half of the 20th century in several countries, including Finland, Iceland, Norway, and the United States. In the United States, illegal bars during Prohibition were called speakeasies, blind pigs, laws in many jurisdictions prohibit minors from entering a bar. If those under legal drinking age are allowed to enter, as is the case with pubs that serve food, in some jurisdictions, bars cannot serve a patron who is already intoxicated. Cities and towns usually have restrictions on where bars may be located. Some bars may have a license to serve beer and wine, in some jurisdictions, patrons buying alcohol must also order food. In some jurisdictions, bar owners have a liability for the conduct of patrons who they serve. A bars owners and managers choose the name, décor, drink menu, lighting
7.
Pub
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A pub, or public house, is an establishment licensed to sell alcoholic drinks, which traditionally include beer, ale and cider. It is a relaxed, social drinking establishment and a prominent part of British, Irish, New Zealand, Canadian, in many places, especially in villages, a pub is the focal point of the community. In his 17th century diary Samuel Pepys described the pub as the heart of England, Pubs can be traced back to Roman taverns, through the Anglo-Saxon alehouse to the development of the tied house system in the 19th century. In 1393, King Richard II of England introduced legislation that pubs had to display a sign outdoors to make them easily visible for passing ale tasters who would assess the quality of ale sold, most pubs focus on offering beers, ales and similar drinks. As well, pubs often sell wines, spirits, and soft drinks, meals, the owner, tenant or manager is known as the pub landlord or publican. The pub quiz was established in the UK in the 1970s and these alehouses quickly evolved into meeting houses for the folk to socially congregate, gossip and arrange mutual help within their communities. Herein lies the origin of the public house, or Pub as it is colloquially called in England. They rapidly spread across the Kingdom, becoming so commonplace that in 965 King Edgar decreed that there should be no more than one alehouse per village. A traveller in the early Middle Ages could obtain overnight accommodation in monasteries, the Hostellers of London were granted guild status in 1446 and in 1514 the guild became the Worshipful Company of Innholders. A survey in 1577 of drinking establishment in England and Wales for taxation purposes recorded 14,202 alehouses,1,631 inns, Inns are buildings where travellers can seek lodging and, usually, food and drink. They are typically located in the country or along a highway, in Europe, they possibly first sprang up when the Romans built a system of roads two millennia ago. Some inns in Europe are several centuries old, in addition to providing for the needs of travellers, inns traditionally acted as community gathering places. In Europe, it is the provision of accommodation, if anything, the latter tend to provide alcohol, but less commonly accommodation. Famous London inns include The George, Southwark and The Tabard, there is however no longer a formal distinction between an inn and other kinds of establishment. In North America, the aspect of the word inn lives on in hotel brand names like Holiday Inn. The Inns of Court and Inns of Chancery in London started as ordinary inns where barristers met to do business, traditional English ale was made solely from fermented malt. The practice of adding hops to produce beer was introduced from the Netherlands in the early 15th century, alehouses would each brew their own distinctive ale, but independent breweries began to appear in the late 17th century. By the end of the century almost all beer was brewed by commercial breweries, the 18th century saw a huge growth in the number of drinking establishments, primarily due to the introduction of gin
8.
Nightclub
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A nightclub is an entertainment venue and bar which serves alcoholic beverages that usually operates late into the night. Another distinction is that whereas many pubs and sports bars aim at a market, nightclubs typically aim at a niche market of music and dancing enthusiasts. The upmarket nature of nightclubs can be seen in the inclusion of VIP areas in some nightclubs, for celebrities, nightclubs are much more likely than pubs or sports bars to use bouncers to screen prospective clubgoers for entry. Some nightclub bouncers do not admit people with ripped jeans or other clothing or gang apparel as part of a dress code. The busiest nights for a nightclub are Friday and Saturday night, most clubs or club nights cater to certain music genres, such as house music or gothic rock. A nightclub may also be called a discothèque, disco, or dance club, from about 1900 to 1920, working class Americans would gather at honky tonks or juke joints to dance to music played on a piano or a jukebox. Webster Hall is credited as the first modern nightclub, being built in 1886 and starting off as a hall, originally functioning as a home for dance. During Prohibition in the United States, nightclubs went underground as illegal speakeasy bars, with Webster Hall staying open, with rumors circulating of Al Capones involvement and police bribery. With the repeal of Prohibition in February 1933, nightclubs were revived, such as New Yorks 21 Club, Copacabana, El Morocco, in Germany, possibly the first discothèque was Scotch-Club. These discothèques were also patronized by anti-Vichy youth called zazous, there were also underground discothèques in Nazi Germany patronized by anti-Nazi youth called the swing kids. In Harlem, Connies Inn and the Cotton Club were popular venues for white audiences, before 1953 and even some years thereafter, most bars and nightclubs used a jukebox or mostly live bands. The Whisky à Gogo set into place the elements of the modern post World War II discothèque-style nightclub. At the end of the 1950s, several of the bars in Soho introduced afternoon dancing. In the early 1960s, Mark Birley opened a members-only discothèque nightclub, Annabels, in Berkeley Square, in 1962, the Peppermint Lounge in New York City became popular and is the place where go-go dancing originated. However, the first rock and roll generation preferred rough and tumble bars and taverns to nightclubs, disco has its roots in the underground club scene. It brought together people from all walks of life and backgrounds and these clubs acted as safe havens for homosexual partygoers to dance in peace and away from public scrutiny. Disco allowed patrons to explore sexuality and push the envelope on the dance floor, disco clubs acted as an escape from such depressing environments and acted as the fantasy marginalized peoples could escape to forget oppression and racism. Disco clubs originally functioned as liberated party spaces and were seen as places of political statement, a smooth mix of long single records to keep people dancing all night long
9.
College
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College is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university. In ancient Rome a collegium was a club or society, a group of living together under a common set of rules. Aside from the educational context - nowadays the most common use of college - there are various other meanings also derived from the original Latin term. In the United States, college can be a synonym for university, in Singapore and India, this is known as a junior college. The municipal government of the city of Paris uses the sixth form college as the English name for a lycée. In some national education systems, secondary schools may be called colleges or have college as part of their title, in Australia the term college is applied to any private or independent primary and, especially, secondary school as distinct from a state school. Melbourne Grammar School, Cranbrook School, Sydney and The Kings School, there has also been a recent trend to rename or create government secondary schools as colleges. In the state of Victoria, some high schools are referred to as secondary colleges. Interestingly, the pre-eminent government secondary school for boys in Melbourne is still named Melbourne High School, in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, college is used in the name of all state high schools built since the late 1990s, and also some older ones. In New South Wales, some schools, especially multi-campus schools resulting from mergers, are known as secondary colleges. In Queensland some newer schools which accept primary and high school students are styled state college, in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, college refers to the final two years of high school, and the institutions which provide this. In this context, college is an independent of the other years of high school. Here, the expression is a version of matriculation college. This is because these schools have traditionally focused on academic, rather than vocational, subjects. Some private secondary schools choose to use the college in their names nevertheless. Some secondary schools elsewhere in the country, particularly ones within the school system. In New Zealand the word normally refers to a secondary school for ages 13 to 17
10.
Theatre
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The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence, the specific place of the performance is also named by the word theatre as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον, itself from θεάομαι. Modern theatre, broadly defined, includes performances of plays and musical theatre, there are connections between theatre and the art forms of ballet, opera and various other forms. The city-state of Athens is where western theatre originated, participation in the city-states many festivals—and mandatory attendance at the City Dionysia as an audience member in particular—was an important part of citizenship. The Greeks also developed the concepts of dramatic criticism and theatre architecture, Actors were either amateur or at best semi-professional. The theatre of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play, the origins of theatre in ancient Greece, according to Aristotle, the first theoretician of theatre, are to be found in the festivals that honoured Dionysus. The performances were given in semi-circular auditoria cut into hillsides, capable of seating 10, the stage consisted of a dancing floor, dressing room and scene-building area. Since the words were the most important part, good acoustics, the actors wore masks appropriate to the characters they represented, and each might play several parts. Athenian tragedy—the oldest surviving form of tragedy—is a type of dance-drama that formed an important part of the culture of the city-state. Having emerged sometime during the 6th century BCE, it flowered during the 5th century BCE, no tragedies from the 6th century BCE and only 32 of the more than a thousand that were performed in during the 5th century BCE have survived. We have complete texts extant by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the origins of tragedy remain obscure, though by the 5th century BCE it was institution alised in competitions held as part of festivities celebrating Dionysus. As contestants in the City Dionysias competition playwrights were required to present a tetralogy of plays, the performance of tragedies at the City Dionysia may have begun as early as 534 BCE, official records begin from 501 BCE, when the satyr play was introduced. More than 130 years later, the philosopher Aristotle analysed 5th-century Athenian tragedy in the oldest surviving work of dramatic theory—his Poetics, Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into three periods, Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy. Old Comedy survives today largely in the form of the surviving plays of Aristophanes. New Comedy is known primarily from the papyrus fragments of Menander. Aristotle defined comedy as a representation of people that involves some kind of blunder or ugliness that does not cause pain or disaster. In addition to the categories of comedy and tragedy at the City Dionysia, finding its origins in rural, agricultural rituals dedicated to Dionysus, the satyr play eventually found its way to Athens in its most well-known form. Satyrs themselves were tied to the god Dionysus as his loyal companions, often engaging in drunken revelry
11.
Television
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Television or TV is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving images in monochrome, or in color, and in two or three dimensions and sound. The term can refer to a set, a television program. Television is a medium for entertainment, education, news, politics, gossip. Television became available in experimental forms in the late 1920s. After World War II, a form of black-and-white TV broadcasting became popular in the United States and Britain, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses. During the 1950s, television was the medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the US, for many reasons, the storage of television and video programming now occurs on the cloud. At the end of the first decade of the 2000s, digital television transmissions greatly increased in popularity, another development was the move from standard-definition television to high-definition television, which provides a resolution that is substantially higher. HDTV may be transmitted in various formats, 1080p, 1080i, in 2013, 79% of the worlds households owned a television set. Most TV sets sold in the 2000s were flat-panel, mainly LEDs, major manufacturers announced the discontinuation of CRT, DLP, plasma, and even fluorescent-backlit LCDs by the mid-2010s. In the near future, LEDs are gradually expected to be replaced by OLEDs, also, major manufacturers have announced that they will increasingly produce smart TVs in the mid-2010s. Smart TVs with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 functions became the dominant form of television by the late 2010s, Television signals were initially distributed only as terrestrial television using high-powered radio-frequency transmitters to broadcast the signal to individual television receivers. Alternatively television signals are distributed by cable or optical fiber, satellite systems and. Until the early 2000s, these were transmitted as analog signals, a standard television set is composed of multiple internal electronic circuits, including a tuner for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is correctly called a video monitor rather than a television, the word television comes from Ancient Greek τῆλε, meaning far, and Latin visio, meaning sight. The Anglicised version of the term is first attested in 1907 and it was. formed in English or borrowed from French télévision. In the 19th century and early 20th century, other. proposals for the name of a technology for sending pictures over distance were telephote. The abbreviation TV is from 1948, the use of the term to mean a television set dates from 1941
12.
DVD
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DVD is a digital optical disc storage format invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. The medium can store any kind of data and is widely used for software. DVDs offer higher capacity than compact discs while having the same dimensions. Pre-recorded DVDs are mass-produced using molding machines that physically stamp data onto the DVD, such discs are a form of DVD-ROM because data can only be read and not written or erased. Blank recordable DVD discs can be recorded using a DVD recorder. Rewritable DVDs can be recorded and erased many times, DVDs containing other types of information may be referred to as DVD data discs. The OED also states that in 1995, The companies said the name of the format will simply be DVD. Toshiba had been using the name ‘digital video disk’, but that was switched to ‘digital versatile disk’ after computer companies complained that it left out their applications, Digital versatile disc is the explanation provided in a DVD Forum Primer from 2000 and in the DVD Forums mission statement. There were several formats developed for recording video on optical discs before the DVD, Optical recording technology was invented by David Paul Gregg and James Russell in 1958 and first patented in 1961. A consumer optical disc data format known as LaserDisc was developed in the United States and it used much larger discs than the later formats. CD Video used analog video encoding on optical discs matching the established standard 120 mm size of audio CDs, Video CD became one of the first formats for distributing digitally encoded films in this format, in 1993. In the same year, two new optical disc formats were being developed. By the time of the launches for both formats in January 1995, the MMCD nomenclature had been dropped, and Philips and Sony were referring to their format as Digital Video Disc. Representatives from the SD camp asked IBM for advice on the system to use for their disc. Alan E. Bell, a researcher from IBMs Almaden Research Center, got that request and this group was referred to as the Technical Working Group, or TWG. On August 14,1995, an ad hoc group formed from five computer companies issued a release stating that they would only accept a single format. The TWG voted to both formats unless the two camps agreed on a single, converged standard. They recruited Lou Gerstner, president of IBM, to pressure the executives of the warring factions, as a result, the DVD specification provided a storage capacity of 4.7 GB for a single-layered, single-sided disc and 8.5 GB for a dual-layered, single-sided disc
13.
Compact disc
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Compact disc is a digital optical disc data storage format released in 1982 and co-developed by Philips and Sony. The format was developed to store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data. The first commercially available Audio CD player, the Sony CDP-101, was released October 1982 in Japan, standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres and can hold up to about 80 minutes of uncompressed audio or about 700 MiB of data. The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres, they are used for CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio. At the time of the introduction in 1982, a CD could store much more data than a personal computer hard drive. By 2010, hard drives commonly offered as much space as a thousand CDs. In 2004, worldwide sales of audio CDs, CD-ROMs and CD-Rs reached about 30 billion discs, by 2007,200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. In 2014, revenues from digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time. American inventor James T. Russell has been credited with inventing the first system to record information on an optical transparent foil that is lit from behind by a high-power halogen lamp. Russells patent application was first filed in 1966, and he was granted a patent in 1970, following litigation, Sony and Philips licensed Russells patents in the 1980s. The compact disc is an evolution of LaserDisc technology, where a laser beam is used that enables the high information density required for high-quality digital audio signals. Prototypes were developed by Philips and Sony independently in the late 1970s, although originally dismissed by Philips Research management as a trivial pursuit, the CD became the primary focus for Philips as the LaserDisc format struggled. In 1979, Sony and Philips set up a joint task force of engineers to design a new audio disc. After a year of experimentation and discussion, the Red Book CD-DA standard was published in 1980, after their commercial release in 1982, compact discs and their players were extremely popular. Despite costing up to $1,000, over 400,000 CD players were sold in the United States between 1983 and 1984, by 1988 CD sales in the United States surpassed those of vinyl LPs, and by 1992 CD sales surpassed those of prerecorded music cassette tapes. The success of the disc has been credited to the cooperation between Philips and Sony, who came together to agree upon and develop compatible hardware. The unified design of the disc allowed consumers to purchase any disc or player from any company. In 1974, L. However, due to the performance of the analog format
14.
Internet
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The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite to link devices worldwide. The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the United States federal government in the 1960s to build robust, the primary precursor network, the ARPANET, initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1980s. Although the Internet was widely used by academia since the 1980s, Internet use grew rapidly in the West from the mid-1990s and from the late 1990s in the developing world. In the two decades since then, Internet use has grown 100-times, measured for the period of one year, newspaper, book, and other print publishing are adapting to website technology, or are reshaped into blogging, web feeds and online news aggregators. The entertainment industry was initially the fastest growing segment on the Internet, the Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries, the Internet has no centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage, each constituent network sets its own policies. The term Internet, when used to refer to the global system of interconnected Internet Protocol networks, is a proper noun. In common use and the media, it is not capitalized. Some guides specify that the word should be capitalized when used as a noun, the Internet is also often referred to as the Net, as a short form of network. Historically, as early as 1849, the word internetted was used uncapitalized as an adjective, the designers of early computer networks used internet both as a noun and as a verb in shorthand form of internetwork or internetworking, meaning interconnecting computer networks. The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably in everyday speech, however, the World Wide Web or the Web is only one of a large number of Internet services. The Web is a collection of interconnected documents and other web resources, linked by hyperlinks, the term Interweb is a portmanteau of Internet and World Wide Web typically used sarcastically to parody a technically unsavvy user. The ARPANET project led to the development of protocols for internetworking, the third site was the Culler-Fried Interactive Mathematics Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by the University of Utah Graphics Department. In an early sign of growth, fifteen sites were connected to the young ARPANET by the end of 1971. These early years were documented in the 1972 film Computer Networks, early international collaborations on the ARPANET were rare. European developers were concerned with developing the X.25 networks, in December 1974, RFC675, by Vinton Cerf, Yogen Dalal, and Carl Sunshine, used the term internet as a shorthand for internetworking and later RFCs repeated this use. Access to the ARPANET was expanded in 1981 when the National Science Foundation funded the Computer Science Network, in 1982, the Internet Protocol Suite was standardized, which permitted worldwide proliferation of interconnected networks.5 Mbit/s and 45 Mbit/s. Commercial Internet service providers emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990
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Master of ceremonies
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A master of ceremonies, abbreviated M. C. also called compère and announcer, is the official host of a ceremony, a staged event or similar performance. The master of ceremonies sometimes also refers to the officer during an official state function. Today, the term often connotes a master of ceremonies who presents performers, speaks to the audience, entertains people, in addition, the term also exists in various chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The term originated in the Catholic Church, the Master of Ceremonies is an official of the Papal Court responsible for the proper and smooth conduct of the elegant and elaborate rituals involving the Pope and the sacred liturgy. He may also be an involved in the proper conduct of protocols and ceremonials involving the Roman Pontiff, the Papal Court. Examples of official liturgical books prescribing the rules and regulations of liturgical celebrations are Cæremoniale Romanum, the office of the Master of Ceremonies itself is very old. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the most ancient ceremonials and rituals of the Catholic Church are the Ordines Romani, names of Masters of Ceremonies are known since the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. However, copies of books prescribing the forms of rituals, rites and it is reasonable to assume that the ceremonials themselves pre-date Gelasius. However, documentary evidence from the late Roman period is scarce or lost, the ceremonies and practices of the Byzantine emperors are also known to have influenced the papal court. At a large Catholic church or cathedral, the Master of Ceremonies organizes and rehearses the proceedings and he may also have responsibility for the physical security of the place of worship during the liturgy. At major festivities such as Christmas and Easter, when the liturgies are long and complex, the current papal Master of Ceremonies is Monsignor Guido Marini, who succeeded Archbishop Piero Marini. Masters of Ceremonies at weddings and private events also ensure the coordination of their event, became an alternative title for a rapper and for their role within hip hop music and culture. The term is used as a term of distinction, referring to an artist with good performance skills. An MC focuses on skills, lyrical ability, and subject matter, in any comedy show, the compère is the host of the evenings events, but the precise role and responsibilities will vary depending on the country, venue and style of event. The compère will normally do longer bits at the start of the show and after any interval and they may also be required to make announcements, such as birthdays, anniversaries and bar promotions. In some circles the title Master of Ceremonies is also known as Minister of Ceremonies, in the 1940 Disney film, Fantasia, Deems Taylor is the films Master of Ceremonies. Media related to Master of ceremonies at Wikimedia Commons
16.
Comedy Cellar
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The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan where many top New York comedians perform. It was founded in 1982 by then standup comedian, and current television writer/producer Bill Grundfest and it is located in the heart of Greenwich Village on 117 Macdougal Street between West 3rd Street and Minetta Lane. The upstairs portion is a restaurant called The Olive Tree Cafe to which it is connected, the businesses share the same menu, kitchen, and staff. The Comedy Cellar, like The Comedy Store, uses a showcase format, a show will consist of between five and seven comics performing sets of roughly 20 minutes each. Regular performers there include Todd Barry, Colin Quinn, Jim Norton, Mitch Fatel, SNL star Darrell Hammond, Rich Vos, Dave Attell, nick DiPaolo, Artie Lange, Dave Chappelle, and podcast host Marc Maron. Also, some rising stars in comedy frequently perform, including Dov Davidoff, Robert Kelly, Harrison Greenbaum, Sherrod Small, Amy Schumer, Keith Robinson, Gregg Rogell, Nikki Glaser, and Ben Bailey. Each week consists of three shows a night on Sunday through Thursday and four shows each Friday and Saturday, the New York Post regularly rates the Cellar as the best comedy club in New York. Musician John Mayer can also be seen dabbling in stand-up here occasionally, much of Jerry Seinfelds 2002 documentary Comedian was filmed at the club, and it also can be seen in a 2006 Pepsi commercial starring SNL star Jimmy Fallon. The beginning sequence of Louis CKs television series Louie shows him walking into the Comedy Cellar, many scenes in the show are filmed in and around the Comedy Cellar and Olive Tree Cafe. The club was featured in Chris Rocks film Top Five, including a performance by his character. In September 2015, the club launched its public-policy debate series with a debate on the Iran nuclear deal, the debate featured professor and lawyer Alan Dershowitz and journalist Fred Kaplan, among others. In March,2016, writer Jessica Pilot and Katla McGylnn wrote an history of the club for Vanity Fair
17.
Jongleurs
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Jongleurs is a chain of comedy clubs in the United Kingdom. Maria Kempinska MBE established and opened the first Jongleurs club in 1983 in Battersea, in 1985 Kempinska met her business partner John Davy. By 2000, there were eight Jongleurs venues across the UK, Regent Inns plc, the owners of Walkabout, bought the clubs. Kempinska and Davy retained certain rights to the name, as well as creative control over booking acts. As a result of this administration, Jongleurs venues in Southampton, Nottingham, Bristol, Oxford, the sites in Oxford and Nottingham were later reopened by rival chain The Glee Club. As a result of the management buy out, Intertain UK decided to end its relationship with Jongleurs, Kempinska and Davy set about building a new chain of Jongleurs clubs. Hammersmith opened a month after the Regent Inns collapse and Bournemouth, Notting Hill, the advertising campaign for the new Bournemouth club attracted criticism and legal action for featuring images of Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre and Jimmy Carr without their consent. Momo Leisure secured a franchise and opened a new club in Nottingham in 2010, in September 2010 they opened a new venue at Novus Leisure club Sway in Covent Garden and three more in Tiger Tiger venues. Nightclub operators Luminar licensed the brand to 12 of their venues around the country in 2011, Jongleurs Official Website Jongleurs onboard the Island Star cruise ship Jongleurs entrepreneurs to launch comedy YouTube
18.
Open mic
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An open mic or open mike is a live show at a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club or pub where audience members who are amateur performers are given the opportunity to perform onstage. Typically, as the name suggests, the performer is provided with a microphone which is plugged into a PA system, often the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies, typically an experienced performer or the venue manager or owner. The master of ceremonies may screen potential candidates for suitability for the venue and these events are focused on performance arts like poetry and spoken word, music, and comedy. Less commonly, small groups, such as a rock band duo/trio or a comedy duo may appear. Group performances are uncommon, because of the space and the logistics of loading in, Open mic nights may have no cover charge, or a very low cover charge, although the venue may have a gratuity jar or pass the hat for donations. Venues that have no charge make revenue from selling alcoholic beverages, the performers are not typically paid, although the venue may recompense the performers with a beverage or meal. The host or MC, as a professional, is usually paid for her/his services. The host or MC may perform at some point during the evening, Open mic events are somewhat related to jam sessions, in that in both cases amateur performers are given the opportunity to sing or play instruments. Poetry and spoken word open mics feature a host, who is normally a poet or spoken word artist, poets and spoken word artists, a sign-up is done before the show begins, so that the host has a list of names to call from. Some spoken word artists use pseudonyms or stage names when they perform, poetry/spoken word open mics range from laid back, serene settings to lively sessions where readers and/or performers compete for audience applause. They are usually held in libraries, coffee houses, cafes, each poet or spoken word artist is often asked to keep their performances to a minimum/specified time slot, giving each performer enough time to share some of their work with the audience. The host or MC acts as a gatekeeper, determining which performers are suitable for the venue, if a performer goes over their time limit, the host diplomatically thanks the performer for their contribution and asks them to yield the stage for the next performer. Comedy open mic nights can be held at established comedy clubs, such nights give newer or emerging comedians an opportunity to practice and improve, with a view to getting paid work in the future. More experienced comedians may use open mics as an opportunity to work out newer material or a new character, in a typical open mic night, newer acts will get three or maybe five minutes of stage time, but more experienced acts may get ten or more minutes. There are booked shows, regular open mics and bringer shows, a booked show is usually booked week in advance with some lottery spots selected by pulling candidates names from a hat. With a regular open mic, a person puts their name on the list, with a bringer show, each performer has to bring a certain number of people to get on stage. Open mic shows may have no charge, a reduced cover charge. Open mic comedy nights are most widespread in larger English-speaking cities with a well-established stand-up comedy scene, especially London, in these cities, with a plethora of aspiring comedians, the greatest challenge may be in attracting an audience
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Cynicism (philosophy)
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Cynicism is a school of Ancient Greek philosophy as practiced by the Cynics. For the Cynics, the purpose of life is to live in virtue, as reasoning creatures, people can gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which is natural for themselves, rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, sex, and fame. Instead, they were to lead a life free from all possessions. The first philosopher to outline these themes was Antisthenes, who had been a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BC and he was followed by Diogenes of Sinope, who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens. Diogenes took Cynicism to its extremes, and came to be seen as the archetypal Cynic philosopher. He was followed by Crates of Thebes who gave away a fortune so he could live a life of Cynic poverty in Athens. Cynicism spread with the rise of Imperial Rome in the 1st century and it finally disappeared in the late 5th century, although similar ascetic and rhetorical ideas appear in early Christianity. The name Cynic derives from Ancient Greek κυνικός, meaning dog-like, one explanation offered in ancient times for why the Cynics were called dogs was because the first Cynic, Antisthenes, taught in the Cynosarges gymnasium at Athens. The word cynosarges means the place of the white dog and it seems certain, however, that the word dog was also thrown at the first Cynics as an insult for their shameless rejection of conventional manners, and their decision to live on the streets. Diogenes, in particular, was referred to as the Dog, later Cynics also sought to turn the word to their advantage, as a later commentator explained, There are four reasons why the Cynics are so named. First because of the indifference of their way of life, for they make a cult of indifference and, like dogs, eat and make love in public, go barefoot, and sleep in tubs and at crossroads. The second reason is that the dog is an animal, and they make a cult of shamelessness, not as being beneath modesty. The third reason is that the dog is a good guard, the fourth reason is that the dog is a discriminating animal which can distinguish between its friends and enemies. So do they recognize as friends those who are suited to philosophy, Cynicism is one of the most striking of all the Hellenistic philosophies. It offered people the possibility of happiness and freedom from suffering in an age of uncertainty, eudaimonia is achieved by living in accord with Nature as understood by human reason. Arrogance is caused by false judgments of value, which cause negative emotions, unnatural desires, eudaimonia, or human flourishing, depends on self-sufficiency, equanimity, arete, love of humanity, parrhesia and indifference to the vicissitudes of life. One progresses towards flourishing and clarity through ascetic practices which help one become free from influences – such as wealth, fame, examples include Diogenes practice of living in a tub and walking barefoot in winter. A Cynic practices shamelessness or impudence and defaces the nomos of society, the laws, customs, thus a Cynic has no property and rejects all conventional values of money, fame, power and reputation
20.
Epicureanism
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Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus and his materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. This would lead one to attain a state of tranquility and freedom from fear as well as an absence of bodily pain, the combination of these two states constitutes happiness in its highest form. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism, though later it became the main opponent of Stoicism, Epicurus and his followers shunned politics. After the death of Epicurus, his school was headed by Hermarchus, later many Epicurean societies flourished in the Late Hellenistic era and its best-known Roman proponent was the poet Lucretius. Some writings by Epicurus have survived, some scholars consider the epic poem On the Nature of Things by Lucretius to present in one unified work the core arguments and theories of Epicureanism. Many of the papyrus scrolls unearthed at the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum are Epicurean texts, at least some are thought to have belonged to the Epicurean Philodemus. The school of Epicurus, called The Garden, was based in Epicurus home and it had a small but devoted following in his lifetime. Its members included Hermarchus, Idomeneus, Colotes, Polyaenus, Epicurus emphasized friendship as an important ingredient of happiness, and the school seems to have been a moderately ascetic community which rejected the political limelight of Athenian philosophy. They were fairly cosmopolitan by Athenian standards, including women and slaves, some members were also vegetarians as Epicurus did not eat meat, although no prohibition against eating meat was made. The schools popularity grew and it became, along with Stoicism and Skepticism, another ancient source is Diogenes of Oenoanda, who composed a large inscription at Oenoanda in Lycia. A library in the Villa of the Papyri, in Herculaneum, was owned by Julius Caesars father-in-law. The scrolls which the library consisted of were preserved albeit in carbonized form by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, the task of unrolling and deciphering the over 1800 charred papyrus scrolls continues today. With the dominance of the Neo-Platonism and Peripatetic School philosophy, Epicureanism declined, by the late third century AD, there was very little trace of its existence. The early Christian writer Lactantius criticizes Epicurus at several points throughout his Divine Institutes, in Dantes Divine Comedy, the Epicureans are depicted as heretics suffering in the sixth circle of hell. In fact, Epicurus appears to represent the ultimate heresy, the word for a heretic in the Talmudic literature is Apiqoros. By the 16th century, the works of Diogenes Laertius were being printed in Europe, in the 17th century the French Franciscan priest, scientist and philosopher Pierre Gassendi wrote two books forcefully reviving Epicureanism. Shortly thereafter, and clearly influenced by Gassendi, Walter Charleton published several works on Epicureanism in English, attacks by Christians continued, most forcefully by the Cambridge Platonists
21.
Max Miller (comedian)
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Thomas Henry Sargent, best known by his stage name Max Miller and also known as The Cheeky Chappie, was a British comedian who was widely regarded as the greatest stand-up comedian of his generation. He made films, toured in revues and music hall, and sang and recorded songs and he was known for his flamboyant suits, his wicked charm, and his risqué jokes which often got him into trouble with the censors. Miller was born as Thomas Henry Sargent on 21 November 1894 in Hereford Street, Kemptown, Brighton and he was the second child of James Sargent, a labourer and Alice, a flower seller, Miller had three brothers and two sisters. His parents were poor and often unable to pay rent so were forced to move to other parts of the town, owing to this, Miller frequently changed schools until he reached 12, when he left altogether. He tried various jobs, labouring, delivering milk, selling fish and chips, caddying at the Brighton and Hove Golf Course, as a youth he was nicknamed Swanky Sargent. On the outbreak of the war in 1914, Miller volunteered for the army and he joined the Royal Sussex Regiment and, after serving in France, was posted to India and a year later to Mesopotamia, where he was temporarily blinded for three days. This experience stayed with him all his life, and in years he did much work to help the blind. During his time in the army, he started a concert party. Demobilized from the army, he work to be in short supply. He had lost his mother to the 1918 flu pandemic and he had his sights on performing in London and obtained a booking in the Shoreditch Hall in 1919. He was not experienced enough for the type of venue and lasted only a week, returning to Brighton he saw an advertisement for artists to join Jack Sheppard’s concert party in an alfresco theatre on Brighton beach. He applied and joined as a comedian for the 1919 summer season. While with the party, he met his wife Frances Kathleen Marsh. Kathleen Marsh came from a family whose parents came to Brighton from Dorset shortly before she was born in 1896. Her elder brother Ernest Marsh served as a Brighton alderman for 43 years, in summer 1920 Harry toured nationwide in The Rogues, a concert party. The following year Harry and Kathleen toured in a revue/musical called The Girl, while in Plymouth they married at the parish church in Tormoham, Devon on 17 February 1921. As well as being a performer, Kathleen was an astute businesswoman and she suggested that he should change his name to Max Miller. Later a press notice described Max as the Cheeky Chappie, Max and Kathleen formed a double act for a while but it became obvious to her that Max was the stronger performer and that he would be better as a solo act
22.
Music hall
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Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era circa 1850 and lasting until 1960. It involved a mixture of songs, comedy, speciality acts. The term is derived from a type of theatre or venue in which such entertainment took place and these theatres were designed chiefly so people could consume food and alcohol and smoke tobacco in the auditorium while the entertainment took place. This differed somewhat from the type of theatre, which until then seated the audience in stalls with a separate bar-room. By the mid-19th century, the halls cried out for many new, as a result, professional songwriters were enlisted to provide the music for a plethora of star performers, such as Marie Lloyd, Dan Leno, Little Tich, and George Leybourne. Music hall did not adopt its own unique style, the halls had recovered by the start of the First World War and were used to stage charity events in aid of the war effort. Music hall entertainment continued after the war, but became popular due to upcoming Jazz, Swing. Licensing restrictions had also changed, and drinking was banned from the auditorium, a new type of music hall entertainment had arrived, in the form of variety, and many music hall performers failed to make the transition. Deemed old fashioned and with the closure of many halls, music hall entertainment ceased, Music hall in London had its origins in entertainment provided in the new style saloon bars of public houses during the 1830s. These venues replaced earlier semi-rural amusements provided by fairs and suburban pleasure gardens such as Vauxhall Gardens and these latter became subject to urban development and became fewer and less popular. The saloon was a room where for a fee or a greater price at the bar, singing, dancing. The most famous London saloon of the days was the Grecian Saloon, established in 1825, at The Eagle,2 Shepherdess Walk. According to John Hollingshead, proprietor of the Gaiety Theatre, London, this establishment was the father and mother, later known as the Grecian Theatre, it was here that Marie Lloyd made her début at the age of 14 in 1884. It is still famous because of an English nursery rhyme, with the somewhat mysterious lyrics, Up and down the City Road In and out The Eagle Thats the way the money goesPop goes the weasel. Another famous song and supper room of this period was Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms,43 King Street, Covent Garden and this venue was also known as Evans Late Joys – Joy being the name of the previous owner. Other song and supper rooms included the Coal Hole in The Strand, the Cyder Cellars in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, the music hall as we know it developed from such establishments during the 1850s and were built in and on the grounds of public houses. In a theatre, by contrast, the audience was seated in stalls, an exception to this rule was the Britannia Theatre, Hoxton which somehow managed to evade this regulation and served drinks to its customers. Though a theatre rather than a hall, this establishment later hosted music hall variety acts
23.
Morecambe and Wise
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Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, known as Morecambe and Wise, were an iconic British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambes death in 1984, the show was a significant part of British popular culture, and they have been described as the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, The Morecambe and Wise Show was placed 14th. In September 2006, they were voted by the public as number 2 in a poll of TVs 50 Greatest Stars and in 2011 their early career was the subject of the television biopic Eric. In 2013, the two were honoured with a plaque at Teddington Studios where their last four series were recorded. Morecambe and Wises partnership began in 1941 when they were booked separately to appear in Jack Hyltons revue. War service broke up the act but they reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre in 1946 when they joined forces again and they made their name in variety, appearing in a variety circus, the Windmill Theatre, the Glasgow Empire and many venues around Britain. After this they made their name in radio, transferring to television in 1954. Their show, Running Wild, was not well received and led to a newspaper review, Definition of the week, TV set—the box in which they buried Morecambe. Eric apparently carried this review around with him ever after and from then on Eric, in 1956 they were offered a spot in the Winifred Atwell show with material written by Johnny Speight and this was a success. In 1959 they topped the bill in BBC TVs long running variety show The Good Old Days in a Boxing Day edition of the programme, in later years the pair would become a Christmas TV Institution in their own right. It is this period of their careers that is regarded as their glory days. The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show The Morecambe & Wise Show from 1980 and Hills, the pair starred in three feature films during the 1960s—The Intelligence Men, That Riviera Touch, and The Magnificent Two. In 1983 they made their last film, Night Train To Murder, in 1976, they were both awarded the OBE. Together Morecambe, Wise and Braben were known as The Golden Triangle, Morecambe and Wise are considered by many to be one of the UKs all-time favourite comedy acts. John Ammonds was also central to the duos most successful period in the 1970s, as the producer of the BBC TV shows, it was his idea to involve celebrity guests. He also perfected the duos familiar dance, which was based on a dance performed by Groucho Marx in the film Horse Feathers, Ernest Maxin started choreographing the musical numbers in 1970, and succeeded John Ammonds as producer of the BBC TV shows in 1974. The other writers were Barry Cryer, John Junkin, Dick Hills and Sid Green during the ATV Two of a Kind series, Mike Craig, Morecambe and Wises comic style varied subtly throughout their career, depending on their writers
24.
Arthur Askey
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Arthur Bowden Askey, CBE was an English comedian and actor. Askeys humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, his improvisation, and his use of catchphrases, I thank you, and Before your very eyes. Six months after his birth the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street, Askey was educated at St. Michaels Council School and the Liverpool Institute for Boys. He was small in stature at 52, with a breezy, smiling personality and he served in the armed forces in World War I and performed in army entertainments. Band Waggon began as a variety show, but had been unsuccessful until Askey and his partner, Richard Murdoch, make mine a million last film was Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse, starring Debbie Ash. In the early 1930s Askey appeared on a form of BBC television—the spinning disc invented by John Logie Baird that scanned vertically and had only thirty lines. Askey had to be made up for his face to be recognisable at such low resolution. When television became electronic, with 405 horizontal lines, Askey was a performer in variety shows. When television returned after World War II, he made the transition well and his first TV series was Before Your Very Eyes. named after his catchphrase. On 3 May 1956 Askey presented Meet The People, a launch programme for Granada Television. In 1957 writers Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell revived the Band Waggon format for Living It Up and he also appeared on the comedy panel game Jokers Wild. He made many TV appearances in variety, not least BBC TVs long running show, during the 1950s and 60s, he appeared in many sitcoms, including Love and Kisses, Arthurs Treasured Volumes and The Arthur Askey Show. He appeared in the popular West End musical Follow the Girls and he also made many stage appearances as a pantomime dame. His recording career included The Bee Song, which was a part of his stage and television act for many years, The Thing-Ummy Bob and his theme tune. In 1941 a song he intended to record, Its Really Nice to See You Mr Hess, was banned by the War Office, a collection of Askeys wartime recordings appear on the CD album Band Waggon/Big Hearted Arthur Goes To War. He was awarded the OBE in 1969 and the CBE in 1981 and he was married to Elizabeth May Swash in 1925 until her death in 1974, he was the father of actress Anthea Askey. Askey carried on working until just before he was hospitalised in July 1982 due to poor circulation resulted in gangrene. He died in Londons St Thomass Hospital on 16 November 1982 and is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery, radio comedy Cinema of the United Kingdom List of British actors and actresses ASCII Arthur Askey
25.
Ken Dodd
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He also created the characters of the Diddy Men. In the 1960s his fame in the UK was such that he rivalled the Beatles as a household name and his records have sold millions worldwide. As of 2017, he continues to tour the UK with his comedy and he was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. Kenneth Arthur Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of a merchant, Arthur Dodd. He had a brother, William and a younger sister. He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the church choir of St Johns Church. At the age of seven, Dodd was dared by his friends to ride his bike with his eyes shut. He accepted the dare, crashed and sustained facial injuries which resulted in his distinctive buck teeth and he then attended Holt High School, a grammar school in Childwall, but left at age 14 to work for his father. Not long after, his father bought him a ventriloquists dummy and he started entertaining at the local orphanage, then at various other local community functions. He got his big break at age 26 when, in September 1954, a nervous young man, he sat in a local milk bar for most of the afternoon, going over and over his lines before going to the theatre. He later said, Well at least they didnt boo me off and he continued to perform, and in 1955 he appeared at Blackpool, where, in the following year, he had a part in Lets Have Fun. His performance at the Central Pier was part of a revue with Jimmy James. Also on the bill were Jimmy Clitheroe and Roy Castle. Dodd first gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958 and he has guested on innumerable television and radio shows and made many appearances on BBC TVs long running programme, The Good Old Days. Dodd has been described as the last great music hall entertainer and his stand-up comedy style is fast and relies on the rapid delivery of one-liner jokes. He has claimed that his influences include other Liverpool comedians like Arthur Askey, Robb Wilton, Tommy Handley. He intersperses the comedy with songs, both serious and humorous, in an incongruously fine light baritone voice, and with his original speciality. At the time it was the UKs biggest selling single by a solo artist, Dodd was selected to perform the song on A Jubilee Of Music on BBC One on 31 December 1976, a celebration of the key pop successes of the Queens first 25 years as Britains monarch
26.
Censorship
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Governments, private organizations and individuals may engage in censorship. When an individual such as an author or other creator engages in censorship of their own works or speech, Censorship could be direct or indirect, in which case it is referred to as soft censorship. Direct censorship may or may not be legal, depending on the type, location, there are no laws against self-censorship. In 399 BC, Greek philosopher, Socrates, defied attempts by the Greek state to censor his philosophical teachings and was sentenced to death by drinking a poison, hemlock. Socrates student, Plato, is said to have advocated censorship in his essay on The Republic, in contrast to Plato, Greek playwright Euripides defended the true liberty of freeborn men, including the right to speak freely. In 1766, Sweden became the first country to abolish censorship by law, the rationale for censorship is different for various types of information censored, Moral censorship is the removal of materials that are obscene or otherwise considered morally questionable. Pornography, for example, is often censored under this rationale, especially child pornography, Military censorship is the process of keeping military intelligence and tactics confidential and away from the enemy. This is used to counter espionage, which is the process of gleaning military information, political censorship occurs when governments hold back information from their citizens. This is often done to control over the populace and prevent free expression that might foment rebellion. Religious censorship is the means by which any material considered objectionable by a religion is removed. This often involves a dominant religion forcing limitations on less prevalent ones, alternatively, one religion may shun the works of another when they believe the content is not appropriate for their religion. Strict censorship existed in the Eastern Bloc, throughout the bloc, the various ministries of culture held a tight rein on their writers. Cultural products there reflected the needs of the state. Party-approved censors exercised strict control in the early years, in the Stalinist period, even the weather forecasts were changed if they suggested that the sun might not shine on May Day. Under Nicolae Ceauşescu in Romania, weather reports were doctored so that the temperatures were not seen to rise above or fall below the levels which dictated that work must stop. Independent journalism did not exist in the Soviet Union until Mikhail Gorbachev became its leader, pravda, the predominant newspaper in the Soviet Union, had a monopoly. Foreign newspapers were available if they were published by Communist Parties sympathetic to the Soviet Union. Possession and use of copying machines was tightly controlled in order to hinder production and distribution of samizdat, illegal self-published books, possession of even a single samizdat manuscript such as a book by Andrei Sinyavsky was a serious crime which might involve a visit from the KGB
27.
Working men's club
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They also began at this time in Australia, with a small number in Ireland, primarily Dublin. Despite the educational ambitions, most working mens clubs are recreational, a much larger room would be connected, often called the concert or entertainment room with a stage and a layout of tables, stools and backrest sofas. They often provide night time entertainment, mainly on the such as bingo, raffles, live music cabaret and comedy. They are also known for their charitable works, in recent years, declining membership has seen many clubs close down and others struggle to remain open. Some groups try to raise the profile of clubs, pointing to their historical legacies, a working mens club is a non-profit organisation run by members through a committee, usually elected annually. Each club has rules that tend to be vigorously enforced, the committee will discipline members for violations. Despite the name, women are allowed to be members in many clubs, non-members are not allowed entry unless signed in by a member. A dispute at Wakefield City Workingmens Club in 1978 led to a campaign for equal membership rights for women. Sheila Capstick, whose husband was an activist in the NUM, had been a regular player at the club before a ban was instituted on women playing snooker. Her protest A Womans Right to Cues developed into a campaign for equal rights ERICCA – Equal Rights in Clubs Campaign for Action. In April 2007, after the resolution had been consistently rejected over years, most clubs affiliate to the Working Mens Club and Institute Union. The CIU is affiliated to the Committee of Registered Clubs Associations or CORCA, a member of one affiliated club is entitled to use the facilities of other clubs. There are 2,200 affiliated working mens clubs in the UK, the CIU has two purposes, to provide a national voice for clubs, and to provide discounted products and services for clubs. Until 2004, clubs ran a brewery at Dunston, Tyne and Wear, the brewery and brands were sold to Scottish & Newcastle for £16.2 million, although CIU clubs still receive discounted beer. These discounts are passed on to members
28.
Bernard Manning
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Bernard John Manning was an English comedian and nightclub owner. Manning told irreverent jokes about people from all walks of life and this led to frequent criticism that his act was racist, which he discounted, saying, I tell jokes. You never take a joke seriously, Manning became famous on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows including The Comedians and The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. The controversy surrounding his act meant that Manning was rarely seen on television in the part of his career. Manning was born in Ancoats, Manchester and he had Russian Jewish ancestry on his fathers side, as well as roots in Ireland, and was brought up a strict Catholic. He named his house in Alkrington Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace and he left school aged 14, joined his fathers greengrocery business, and then worked in a Gallahers tobacco factory, before joining the British Army to do his National Service. Like many other comedians of the time, Manning held little thought of entertainment as a career, guarding Nazi war criminals at Spandau Prison, Berlin, just after World War II, he began to sing popular standards to entertain his fellow soldiers and pass the time. On returning to England, Manning continued to sing professionally, and he was an effective singer of popular ballads and fronted many big bands in the 1950s, such as the Oscar Rabin Band. Over the years, he began to introduce humour into his compering and this went down well, and Manning slowly moved from being a singer and compère to a comedian. After much work in clubs and northern working mens clubs in the 1950s and 1960s. He compèred The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, which began in 1974, Manning never toned down his act, but he had a minor television career revival towards the end of his life, including Channel 4 taking him to Mumbai to perform. In October 2002, he participated in a Great Lives programme for Radio 4 and he chose to honour the Roman Catholic nun, Mother Teresa. In 2003, Manning was initially reported to have been booked to play a BNP rally and he denied this, telling the Daily Mirror, Its a lot of bollocks. I dont know where Im working, I dont know about any BNP nonsense. I would not do it anyway, do you think Im fucking barmy. In 2006, he appeared at the 45th birthday party of chef Marco Pierre White, in March 2007, he was ranked 29th on the list of the 100 Greatest Stand Up comedians in a poll conducted by Channel 4. In his later life, although he still toured Britain, he tended to appear most frequently at the Embassy, set up with his father in 1959, Manning owned the club in Harpurhey, Manchester, his son, Bernard Jr. managed it. The club is reputed to have played host to many rising acts, Mannings wife, Veronica Finneran, died of a heart attack on 11 November 1986, aged 57
29.
Stan Boardman
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Stanley Boardman is an English comedian. He had been a footballer in his youth and was an apprentice at Liverpool F. C. Boardman ran a haulage firm before winning a holiday camp talent contest and breaking into television on Opportunity Knocks, Boardman became known for his anti-German jokes, with his claim that the Germans bombed our chippy during the Second World War. His later involvement in football includes being invited by Ron Atkinson to entertain his Sheffield Wednesday, an incident during a live edition of The Des OConnor Show in the mid-1980s gained publicity at the time. A joke – about the Second World War reminiscences of a Polish pilot who flew in the Royal Air Force – made play on the word Fokker, even though Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer and had nothing to do with Focke-Wulf. This led to an appearance at a Leicester City event being cancelled. In June 2006 he had a hit with Stans World Cup Song, in June 2009, Boardman appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, and in October 2011 he appeared with his daughter, Andrea Boardman, on the celebrity version of Coach Trip. Notes Bibliography Official website Stan Boardman at the Internet Movie Database
30.
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club
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The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was a British television variety show produced by Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a working mens club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton as the clubs Chairman. The shows compere was usually Bernard Manning, who as well as telling jokes, Crompton was frequently the butt of his jokes, acting as Mannings stooge. Crompton as Chairman of the club would sit at a table in the corner watching proceedings with apparent lack of interest. It is in fact a divan suite, on New Years Eve a special episode of Wheeltappers and Shunters New Years Eve would be broadcast. But it also gave newer acts their first television exposure, such as Cannon & Ball, The Grumbleweeds, The Dooleys, even successful stage variety acts such as Morecambe and Wise also failed in their first attempt to break into television at the BBC. Actress Elizabeth Dawn appeared as a waitress before she became famous for her role as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street. A clip from the show can be seen in the film 24 Hour Party People, Wheeltappers and shunters are railway workers. They were commonly employed by railways in Britain and elsewhere. Although often called Working mens clubs, most such clubs admitted the wives and other family of the working man. This is echoed in the audience being as much female as male. The complete fifth series was released on 23 April 2012, the complete sixth series is now available as well. The format for the series has changed, each episode being 30 minutes with just one major performer in each. The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club at the Internet Movie Database
31.
Billy Connolly
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William Billy Connolly, CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin, in the early 1970s, he made the transition from folk- singer with a comedic persona to fully fledged comedian. Best known to many as a comedian, he appears in several lists of the greatest comedians ever. Connollys paternal grandfather, whom, like his grandmother, he never met, was an Irish immigrant who left Ireland when he was ten years old. His great-great-great and great-great grandfathers were from Connemara, Connollys mothers family came from the west coast of Scotland. His maternal grandparents moved inland to Finnieston Street, Glasgow, in the early 1900s and his maternal great-great-great-grandfather, John OBrien, fought at the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was wounded during the siege by a severe gunshot to the left shoulder. He married a local 13-year-old Indian girl called Matilda and they had four children and settled in Bangalore after his military service. Connolly was born at 69 Dover Street, on the linoleum, three floors up at six oclock in the evening, in Anderston, Glasgow, to William and this section of Dover Street, between Breadalbane and Claremont Streets, was demolished in the 1970s. Connolly refers to this in his 1983 song I Wish I Was in Glasgow with the lines I would take you there and show you but theyve pulled the building down and They bulldozed it all to make a road. The flat had only two rooms, a room, with a recess where the children slept, and another room for their parents. The family bathed in the sink, and there was no hot water. In 1946, when he was four years old, Connollys mother abandoned her children while their father was serving as an engineer in the Royal Air Force in Burma. Ive never felt abandoned by her, Connolly explained in 2009 and my father was in Burma, fighting a bloody war. The Germans were dropping all kinds of crap on the town and we lived at the docks, so thats where all the bombs were happening. She was a teenager, with two kids, in a slum, a guy comes along and says, I love you. Given the choice, I think Id have gone with him and it looks as though it might all end next Wednesday, from where youre standing. I dont have an ounce of feelings that she abandoned me, Connolly and his older sister, Florence, were cared for by two aunts, Margaret and Mona Connolly, his fathers sisters, in their cramped tenement in Stewartville Street, Partick
32.
Mike Harding
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Mike Harding is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, author, poet, broadcaster and multi instrumentalist. He is sometimes known as The Rochdale Cowboy after one of his hit records, in addition, at various times of his life, Harding has been a photographer, traveller, filmmaker and playwright. Hardings father, Louis Arthur Curly Harding, was a navigator in the RAF, who was killed during the Second World War, Harding is of Irish ancestry on his mothers side. He was educated at St Annes, Crumpsall, and St Bedes, Harding began performing as a folk singer and as a member of several local Manchester bands in the 1960s, making his first recordings for the Topic label. He began telling jokes between songs, eventually extending them into longer humorous anecdotes which became the focus of his act. He released his first album, A Lancashire Lad, in 1972, in 1975, the single release of The Rochdale Cowboy, reached #22 in the UK Singles Chart, and brought him national attention. He also played rock and roll with his band, the Stylos and he has had many albums and singles released, whilst the latter included Man nited Song. As well as comedy, he has released albums of songs, most notably Bombers Moon. The album also contains The Accrington Pals and cover versions of Bruce Springsteens Factory, Harding composed the music scores for DangerMouse, Count Duckula, The Reluctant Dragon and The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship for Cosgrove Hall Films. He has also two of his short stories for Afternoon Story on BBC Radio 4. In 1986 Harding wrote the foreword to Barry Piltons book, One Man and he more recently made a series of fourteen short films on minority religions in England for the BBCs Heaven and Earth show. Since 2000 Harding has presented the annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and his last show was on 26 December 2012. According to Mark Radcliffe, who took over Radio 2s Folk Show, Harding had left reluctantly, in 2013 Harding launched his own internet radio show, broadcast at 5pm every Sunday and available as a podcast and on iTunes afterwards. Harding is a dedicated hillwalker and a president, and now life vice president of the Ramblers Association. He wrote, until a new format was sought for the magazine in 2008 and he is one of the patrons of the Wensleydale Railway, a group set up to re-open the once mainly derelict line between Northallerton and Garsdale in Yorkshire, near where he now lives. He is also the patron of Settle Stories, a charity based in Settle, North Yorkshire, Harding contributed to a promotional leaflet for the Settle tourist board
33.
Jasper Carrott
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Jasper Carrott, OBE is an English comedian, actor, singer, television presenter, and personality. Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks Green primary school and he worked as a trainee buyer at a city centre department store, the Beehive, with schoolmate Bev Bevan. In February 1969 he started his own club, The Boggery. Carrott performed folk songs and as an MC and his banter overtook the songs and he became more a comedian than singer. He also worked as an agent, as Fingimigig, managing among others Harvey Andrews. He recorded an album in 1973 called Jasper Carrot – In the Club, the album contained the original Magic Roundabout, although mainly material used in his next three LPs plus the Fred Wedlock song The Folker. He had a UK Top 5 chart hit in August 1975 with the novelty record Funky Moped, written by Chris Rohmann, by the late 1970s, Carrott had developed anecdotal sketches which he still performs 30 years on. Often they purport to be autobiographical, many celebrate the Birmingham accent and culture and his live performances were recorded as Jasper Carrott Rabbitts on and on and on. In 1979 he published A Little Zit on the Side, a humorous autobiography, the follow-up, Sweet and Sour Labrador, mixed sections of stand-up routines with similar autobiographical material, much of it related to his world travels. On 15 September 2007 he was inducted into the Birmingham Walk of Stars at the Arts Fest 2007 celebrations, the award was presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Carrott is the second inductee, following Ozzy Osbourne, Carrott was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Comedy Awards on 6 December 2008. His first appearance on television was a show for BBC Midlands on 11 August 1975 in a programme about local football called The Golden Game. Then in 1976, A Half Hour Mislaid with Jasper Carrott recorded at Pebble Mill and his break came two years later when Michael Grade asked for a pilot for LWT. He moved to the BBC for Carrotts Lib, a Saturday night comedy broadcast live, Carrott played Heinrich in the 1987 British comedy film, Jane and the Lost City. Canned Carrott also featured a police drama called The Detectives, co-starring Robert Powell. In 2002–04, he starred in the sitcom All About Me and he returned to singing for the musical Go Play Up Your Own End in 2005. In 2005, he appeared in and put on the first of Jasper Carrotts Rock With Laughter concerts and he appeared alongside Bill Bailey, Bonnie Tyler, Lenny Henry, Bobby Davro, the Lord of the Dance troupe and Bev Bevan. This became a regular at the NEC in Birmingham, usually in December and sometimes alternating with his Jasper Carrotts Christmas Crackers events, in summer 2007, Jasper hosted the Endemol-produced game show Golden Balls for ITV1
34.
Lenny Bruce
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Leonard Alfred Schneider, better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and screenwriter. He was renowned for his open, free-style and critical form of comedy which integrated satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon and he paved the way for future outspoken counterculture-era comedians, and his trial for obscenity is seen as a landmark for freedom of speech in the United States. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him third on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time, Lenny Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola, New York, grew up in nearby Bellmore, and attended Wellington C. His parents divorced when he was five years old, and Lenny lived with relatives over the next decade. His British-born father, Myron Schneider, was a shoe clerk, Bruces mother, Sally Marr, was a stage performer and had an enormous influence on Bruces career. In May 1945, after a performance for his shipmates in which he was dressed in drag. He defiantly convinced his ships medical officer that he was experiencing homosexual urges and this led to his dishonorable discharge in July 1945. However, he had not admitted to or been found guilty of any breach of naval regulations, by reason of unsuitability for the naval service. In 1959, while taping the first episode of Hugh Hefners Playboys Penthouse, Bruce talked about his Navy experience, after a short stint in California spent living with his father, Bruce settled in New York City, hoping to establish himself as a comedian. However, he found it difficult to differentiate himself from the thousands of other showbusiness hopefuls who populated the city, One locale where they congregated was Hansons, the diner where Bruce first met the comedian Joe Ancis, who had a profound influence on his approach to comedy. Many of Bruces later routines reflected his meticulous schooling at the hands of Ancis, according to Bruces biographer Albert Goldman, Ancis humor involved stream-of-consciousness sexual fantasies and references to jazz. Lenny took the stage as Lenny Marsalle one evening at the Victory Club and his ad-libs earned him some laughs. Soon afterward, in 1947, just after changing his last name to Bruce, he earned $12, in 1956 Frank Ray Perilli, a fellow nightclub comedian who eventually became a screenwriter of two dozen successful films and plays, became a mentor and part-time manager of Lenny Bruce. Through Perilli, Bruce met and collaborated with photojournalist William Karl Thomas on three screenplays, none of which made it to the screen, and the material on the first three albums. These albums were compiled and re-released as The Lenny Bruce Originals. Two later records were produced and sold by Bruce himself, including a 10-inch album of the 1961 San Francisco performances that started his legal troubles. Starting in the late 1950s, other unissued Bruce material was released by Alan Douglas, Frank Zappa and Phil Spector, as well as Fantasy
35.
Victoria Wood
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Victoria Wood CBE was an English comedian, actress, singer and songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood wrote and starred in sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms, and her comedy act was interspersed with her own compositions. Much of her humour was grounded in everyday life and included references to quintessentially British activities, attitudes and she was noted for her skills in observing culture and in satirising social classes. Wood started her career in 1974 by appearing on the ATV talent show New Faces, in the 1990s she wrote and co-starred in the television film Pat and Margaret and the sitcom Dinnerladies. She won two more BAFTA TV Awards, including Best Actress, for her 2006 ITV1 television film and her frequent long-term collaborators included Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, and Anne Reid. In 2006, Wood came tenth in ITVs poll of the British publics 50 Greatest TV Stars, Victoria Wood was the youngest child of Stanley Wood, an insurance salesman, who also wrote songs for his companys Christmas parties, and Nellie Wood. She had three siblings, a brother, Chris, and two sisters, Penny and Rosalind, Wood was born in Prestwich and brought up in Bury - both then in Lancashire. She was educated at Fairfield County Primary school and Bury Grammar School for Girls and she recalled in an interview for Desert Island Discs in 2007, I was always top of the class, and when I went to grammar school I could not deal with everyone being as clever. I was a mess, a bit of a misfit, I didnt have any friends, let alone try to be funny. I didnt do any work, didnt have clean clothes and didnt wash. If I didnt have any money Id steal from people, I was envious of all the groups, the horsey group, the girls who went out with boys, the clever ones. Looking back, I feel really sorry for that little girl, Wood developed eating disorders, but in 1968, her father gave her a piano for her 15th birthday. She later said of this unhappy time The good thing about being isolated is you get a look at what goes on. I was reading, writing and working at the all the time. I was doing a lot of things that helped me to perform. She went on to study drama at the University of Birmingham, Wood began her show business career while an undergraduate, appearing on the TV talent show New Faces in 1974. It led to an appearance in a show featuring the series winners The Summer Show. Her break came as a novelty act on the BBCs consumer affairs programme Thats Life and its success led to the commissioning of Woods first play Talent, starring Hazel Clyne, for which Wood won an award for the Most Promising New Writer. Peter Eckersley, the head of drama at Granada Television, saw Talent and this time Julie Walters took the lead role, while Wood reprised her stage role
36.
Royal Albert Hall
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The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, which holds the Proms concerts annually each summer since 1941. It has a capacity of up to 5,272 seats, the Hall is a registered charity held in trust for the nation and receives no public or government funding. A further 400 events are each year in the non-auditorium spaces. In 1851, the Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park, the Exhibitions Royal Commission bought Gore House and its grounds on the advice of the Prince. Progress on the scheme was slow and in 1861 Prince Albert died, however, a memorial was proposed for Hyde Park, with a Great Hall opposite. The proposal was approved and the site was purchased with some of the profits from the Exhibition, the Hall was designed by civil engineers Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers. The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had also exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the South Kensington Museum. The recently opened Cirque dHiver in Paris was seen in the press as the design to outdo. The Hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs, the dome on top was made of wrought iron and glazed. There was an assembly made of the iron framework of the dome in Manchester, then it was taken apart again and transported to London via horse. When the time came for the structure to be removed from the dome after reassembly in situ. It did drop – but only by five-sixteenths of an inch, the Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870 and the Queen visited a few weeks beforehand to inspect. The official opening ceremony of the Hall was on 29 March 1871, a welcoming speech was given by Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria was too overcome to speak. At some point, the Queen remarked that the Hall reminded her of the British constitution, a concert followed, when the Halls acoustic problems became immediately apparent. Engineers first attempted to solve the strong echo by suspending a canvas awning below the dome, in July 1871, French organist Camille Saint-Saëns performed Church Scene from the Faust by Charles Gounod, The Orchestra described his performance as an exceptional and distinguished performer. Initially lit by gas, the Hall contained a system where its thousands of gas jets were lit within ten seconds. Though it was demonstrated as early as 1873 in the Hall, full electric lighting was not installed until 1888, during an early trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to The Times declaring it to be a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation. In May 1877, Richard Wagner himself conducted the first half of each of the eight concerts which made up the Grand Wagner Festival
37.
The Comedy Store (London)
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The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard. It was named after The Comedy Store club in the United States, starting out above a strip club, in 1982 they moved to Leicester Square at a premises they were able to take over formally in 1985. In October 1985, a group called The Comedy Store Players was formed, consisting of Mike Myers, Neil Mullarkey, Kit Hollerbach, Dave Cohen. Several of The Comedy Store Players appeared on the BBC Radio 4, in 1990 The Cutting Edge satirical comedy team was formed by comedy journalist John Connor. The original team was Mark Thomas, Kevin Day, Bob Boyton, Nick Revill, the shows aim was to recapture the political edge that was fostered at the original Comedy Store. The Store moved to a specifically designed stand up comedy venue in 1993 at 1a Oxendon Street, comedian Paul Merton is one of the longest performing mainstream comics to still be associated with the venue from his debut performance in 1984. He presented a BBC1 documentary,25 Years of the Comedy Store - A Personal History by Paul Merton, the Comedy Store also has sister venues in Manchester, and Bournemouth. There was also a venue at the Merrion Centre in Leeds which opened in November 2003, a sister venue also opened in Mumbai, India in 2010. In an interview Brand explained why she chose The Comedy Store for her portrait, the Comedy Store Guide to The Comedy Store, London
