Portal:Comedy

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The Comedy Portal


Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. (Full article...)

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The starring cast of TV series Horrible Histories arrives at the Children's BAFTAs, 27 November 2011
Horrible Histories is a children's sketch-comedy adaptation of Terry Deary's long-running book series, produced by Lion Television with Citrus Television, that ran for five 13-episode series on Britain's CBBC from 2009 to 2013. Like the books, it was intended to foster children's interest in British and other Western world history through factual anecdotes retold with a focus on "gross-out"-style humour and comic violence – "history with the nasty bits left in". The producers of the TV series recruited writers and performers with roots in the adult British comedy community. These in turn took a deliberately non-condescending approach, relying instead on such influences as Blackadder and the Monty Python films. A focus on historical accuracy was combined with a comedy style relying heavily on parodies of current UK pop-culture to make those facts more accessible, leading to takeoffs of Masterchef, The Apprentice and Wife Swap among others. The result won numerous domestic and international awards, including two British Comedy Awards and four consecutive Children's BAFTAs (cast at 2011 ceremony pictured), and eventually garnered respect as a classic from viewers of all ages.

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Whoopee cushion
Whoopee cushion
Credit: Grombo

A whoopee cushion, also known as a poo-poo cushion and Razzberry Cushion, is a practical joke device that produces a noise resembling a raspberry or human flatulence. It is made from two sheets of rubber that are glued together at the edges. There is a small opening with a flap at one end for air to enter and leave the cushion. To use it, one must first inflate it with air and then place it on a chair. An unsuspecting victim sits on the whoopee cushion, forcing the air out of the opening, which causes the flap to vibrate and produce its distinctive sound.

More did you know...

Did you know?
  • ... that the "Golden Ticket" episode of the U.S. version of The Office was watched by 7.7 million viewers, tying with Grey's Anatomy for number one among the broadcast networks in adults 1834?
  • ... that to create an authentic fantasy setting in the Kröd Mändoon pilot episode "Wench Trouble", costumes were built without zippers or velcro and weapons were built by an ancient weapon replica specialist?

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Will Rogers
Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.

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Oscar Wilde in 1882
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. Known for his barbed wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. As the result of a famous trial, he suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years of hard labour after being convicted of the offence of "gross indecency". The lawyer H. Montgomery Hyde suggests this term implies homosexual acts not amounting to buggery in British legislation of the time. Wilde was born into an Anglo-Irish family, at 21 Westland Row, Dublin, to Sir William Wilde and his wife Jane Francesca Elgee. Jane was a successful writer and an Irish nationalist, known also as 'Speranza', while Sir William was Ireland's leading ear and eye surgeon, and wrote books on archaeology and folklore. He was a renowned philanthropist, and his dispensary for the care of the city's poor, in Lincoln Place at the rear of Trinity College, Dublin, was the forerunner of the Dublin Eye and Ear Hospital, now located at Adelaide Road.

Did you know (auto-generated)

  • ... that a song uses satire in Spanish and English to critique anti-Mexican sentiment in the U.S. and anti-American sentiment in Mexico?
  • ... that an Irish comedy group wrote the film Apocalypse Clown?
  • ... that U.S. presidential candidate Johnny Buss owns one of the oldest comedy clubs in the country?
  • ... that during a comedy routine Reuben Solo drew a graph plotting the audience's reaction to his routine?
  • ... that the Willows Inn, headed by chef Blaine Wetzel, was one of the restaurants that inspired the horror comedy film The Menu?
  • ... that Romanian actor Matei Millo continued an 1877 performance of a politically charged comedy even after the offended authorities had extinguished his theater's candelabra?

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Terms: Black comedy Comedian Comedy club Comedy of manners Convention (norm) Irony Komos Parody Political satire Race humor Restoration comedy Satire Screwball comedy Surreal humour Taboo Toilet humor

Comedy genres: Bouffon Comedy film Anarchic comedy film Gross-out film Parody film Romantic comedy film Screwball comedy film Slapstick film Comic novel Dramedy Improvisational comedy Musical comedy Stand-up comedy Alternative comedy Impressionist (entertainment) One-liner joke Comedy genres Sketch comedy Television comedy Radio comedy Situation comedy Tragicomedy

History of theatre: Ancient Greek comedy Ancient Roman comedy Burlesque Citizen comedy Clown Comedy of humours Comedy of manners Comedy of menace Comédie larmoyante Commedia dell'arte Face Jester Restoration comedy Shakespearean comedy Dadaist/Surrealist Theatre of the absurd

Comedy events and awards: British Comedy Awards Canadian Comedy Awards Cat Laughs Comedy Festival Edinburgh Festival Fringe Just for laughs Melbourne International Comedy Festival New York Underground Comedy Festival

Lists: List of comedians List of British comedians List of Canadian comedians List of Finnish comedians List of German language comedians List of Italian comedians List of Mexican comedians List of Puerto Rican comedians List of Indian comedians List of British TV shows remade for the American market List of comedies List of New York Improv comedians

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