Recreation

Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun".

Etymology

The term recreation appears to have been used in English first in the late 14th century, first in the sense of "refreshment or curing of a sick person", and derived turn from Latin (re: "again", creare: "to create, bring forth, beget.).

Prerequisites to leisure

Humans spend their time in activities of daily living, work, sleep, social duties, and leisure, the latter time being free from prior commitments to physiologic or social needs, a prerequisite of recreation. Leisure has increased with increased longevity and, for many, with decreased hours spent for physical and economic survival, yet others argue that time pressure has increased for modern people, as they are committed to too many tasks. Other factors that account for an increased role of recreation are affluence, population trends, and increased commercialization of recreational offerings. While one perception is that leisure is just "spare time", time not consumed by the necessities of living, another holds that leisure is a force that allows individuals to consider and reflect on the values and realities that are missed in the activities of daily life, thus being an essential element of personal development and civilization. This direction of thought has even been extended to the view that leisure is the purpose of work, and a reward in itself, and "leisure life" reflects the values and character of a nation. Leisure is considered a human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation, also informally known as Parks and Rec, is an American political comedy television sitcom starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009 to February 24, 2015 for 125 episodes over seven seasons. It uses the same filming style used in The Office, with the same implication of a documentary crew filming everyone. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Schneider, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, Retta, and Billy Eichner.

The writers researched local California politics for the show and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. Poehler's character of Leslie Knope underwent major changes after the first season in response to audience feedback that she seemed unintelligent and "ditzy". The writing staff incorporated current events into their episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis. Several guest stars, such as Will Arnett, Sam Elliott, Bill Murray, and Paul Rudd, have been featured in the show, and these characters often appear in multiple episodes.

Late Night

Late Night is shorthand for several different things:

See also

Seth Meyers

Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, television host, actor, and voice actor. He currently hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers, a late-night talk show that airs on NBC. Prior to that, he was a head writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (2001–2014) and hosted its news parody segment Weekend Update.

He also hosted the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014, starred in the animated Hulu series The Awesomes (2013–2015), appeared in Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008), and is the co-creator, co-writer, and executive producer of Documentary Now! (2015–present)

Early life

Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was raised in Okemos, Michigan from ages 4–10 and Bedford, New Hampshire after that. His mother, Hilary Claire (née Olson), was a French teacher, and his father, Laurence Meyers, Jr., worked in finance. His younger brother is actor Josh Meyers. His paternal grandfather was Jewish, and although Meyers has performed at several Jewish Community Centers, he does not consider himself Jewish. His other ancestry is Czech-Austrian (from his paternal grandmother), Swedish, English, and German. Meyers attended Edgewood Elementary in Okemos and later graduated from Manchester High School West in New Hampshire. He then attended and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, where he became a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta.

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers is an American late-night talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014 and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the fourth incarnation of NBC's long-running Late Night franchise. The show also stars bandleader Fred Armisen and the 8-G Band, the show's house band. Late Night is produced by former Saturday Night Live producer Mike Shoemaker and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels. The show records from Studio 8G at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

The program airs Monday through Thursday nights at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT. The show opens with Meyers' topical monologue, which he delivers from his desk. The program also contains comedy bits, sketches, interviews with a myriad of guests, and occasionally a musical or comedy performance. The show attracts an average of 1.5 million viewers nightly.

Format

The show opens with Ron McClary proclaiming "From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, it's Late Night with Seth Meyers!" and announcing that night’s guests and The 8G Band with Fred Armisen, or guest musicians, including Jeremy Gara, Jon Theodore, Chad Smith, etc. Ron introduces Seth with "Ladies and gentlemen, Seth Meyers." Previously, the introduction to Seth was "And now here he is, Seth Meyers!". Meyers performs a monologue from his desk based around recent news, punctuating jokes with on-screen images and video. For the first year and a half of the program, Meyers performed a traditional stand-up monologue, before changing to a format he felt more comfortable in. His opening monologue has been described as reminiscent of his tenure hosting the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live. The show's guests often include celebrities and actors, literary figures, people in fashion, artists, athletes, and politicians.