A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by
making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations,
or acting foolish (as in slapstick) or employing prop comedy. A
comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up
comedian.A popular saying, variously quoted but generally attributed
to Ed Wynn, is, "A comic says funny things; a comedian says things
funny", which draws a distinction between how much of the comedy can
be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and
persona.Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative
comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental
style. This normally involves more experiential, or observational
reporting, e.g. Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh and Malcolm Hardee. As far
as content is concerned, comedians such as Tommy Tiernan, Des Bishop,
Kevin Hart and Joan Rivers draw on their background to poke fun at
themselves, while others such as Jon Stewart, and Ben Elton have very
strong political and cultural undertones.Many comics achieve a cult
following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs
festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, and Melbourne Comedy
Festival in Australia. Often a comic's career advances significantly
when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy
Award (formerly the Perrier comedy award). Comics sometimes foray into
other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, where they
become more widely known; e.g., Eddie Izzard or Ricky Gervais.
However, a comic's stand-up success does not guarantee a film's
critical or box office success.
making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations,
or acting foolish (as in slapstick) or employing prop comedy. A
comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up
comedian.A popular saying, variously quoted but generally attributed
to Ed Wynn, is, "A comic says funny things; a comedian says things
funny", which draws a distinction between how much of the comedy can
be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and
persona.Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative
comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental
style. This normally involves more experiential, or observational
reporting, e.g. Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh and Malcolm Hardee. As far
as content is concerned, comedians such as Tommy Tiernan, Des Bishop,
Kevin Hart and Joan Rivers draw on their background to poke fun at
themselves, while others such as Jon Stewart, and Ben Elton have very
strong political and cultural undertones.Many comics achieve a cult
following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs
festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, and Melbourne Comedy
Festival in Australia. Often a comic's career advances significantly
when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy
Award (formerly the Perrier comedy award). Comics sometimes foray into
other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, where they
become more widely known; e.g., Eddie Izzard or Ricky Gervais.
However, a comic's stand-up success does not guarantee a film's
critical or box office success.
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