A weekly program focusing on the arts and entertainment

So, what’s funny? And what’s infuriating?

Arts and Entertainment Editor Bob Sokolsky says it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell. At one time, he says, many comics attracted critical anger with their use of certain words. Now, however, it is not so much those words as the way they are used.

Sokolsky points to Tracy Morgan as a latest example. Appearing at a standup club in Nashville, he launched into a comic monologue many considered explosively anti-gay.

Morgan has apologized for his remarks, but the criticism of his act has not disappeared.

Sokolsky sees a lesson for all entertainers in the situation, noting that times and attitudes are ever changing and that current technology can make any performance available to a world-wide audience on an instant basis. In other words, he advises, know your audience. And thinking before opening one’s mouth might also be a good idea.