The Art of Entertaiment

A clown at a birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert, your friends fighting over the last potato chip–all are forms of entertainment. Entertaining comes from the Old French word entretenir meaning to keep up or support, and in the era of hospitality it came to mean keeping guests amused and distracted. Today, entertainment encompasses many activities, from the private amusements of an individual choosing his or her own pre-recorded entertainment from a now vast array of products to the societally shared experiences of a political rally, religious festival, or satire. Entertaiment has also demonstrated a remarkable ability to cross over different media.