Inside With: Jamie Greenberg, Host of Rififi's New Monday Night Variety Show, "FACT IN THE HEAD"
Friday, September 9, 2005 at 8:55AM 
This Monday, Jamie Greenberg premieres Rififi's newest comedy show, FACT IN THE HEAD. Although he looks about 18 in this picture, Greenberg has extensive creds writing for MTV shows like "Wanna Be a VJ", "Total Britney Live", "Spring Break", and all sorts of programs on VH-1, Nickelodeon, PBS and more. The Apiary caught up with Jamie as he prepared for his first F.I.T.H.
What is FACT IN THE HEAD about? That's a lot of capital letters.
FACT IN THE HEAD is an alternative comedy/variety show with its own overarching premise: the entire thing is a game show, and all the guest comics, video clips, and sketches play into the game show competition. Each show pits a male audience member vs. a female audience member in an All-Out Battle of the Sexes.
The winning contestant each week takes home a Grand Prize worth $10,000!!! (sort of). Also if the female player wins, every female in the audience gets a prize, and vice versa.
What if you're an audience member who doesn't like participating in games? Is participation mandatory?
Participation is absolutely NOT REQUIRED! This show will feature a variety of NYC's top comics, plus video you won't believe and a great deal of other silliness, and audience members aren't required to do anything but relax and enjoy.
Have you done this show before somewhere?
No. I created the Hosty Hostman character (with a vastly different name) back when I was a regular in Andres Du Bouchet's Giant Tuesday Night, and I would host one gameshow-type segment per show. But this show is entirely new.
With the addition of FITH, it makes Rififi a FREE comedy powerhouse--how does Rififi stay in business? How do comedians there make money?
I can't speak to Rififi's business model, though I suspect attracting a lot of booze-slurping comedy fans (and performers) every night of the week must be good for the bottom line. I think it's great that Rififi now has live, unique comedy Monday through Friday.
As for how the comedians themselves make money, I know... but I won't tell. It involves a lot of time spent standing outside Port Authority though.
Your resume is long and distinguished. How did you get into all this?
I was a television writer/producer and sometimes actor for 12 years, and the business just wore my soul away. I had always been a comedy performer, from college through my own NYC group Scared Scriptless, so I decided to segue from TV into making my own films. While directing & editing short films I began to get into live comedy again, so as not to spend ALL my time staring at a computer monitor in my boxers. (Clarification: the monitor was not in my boxers. I was). I began performing each week in Giant Tuesday Night, as well as solo stuff, and eventually decided to start up my own show.
Well, good luck to you. Have any plugs, gossip, or shocking news you'd like to share?
PLUG 1: Check out my website for show news, videos you will not believe, and lots of Little Known Facts.
PLUG 2: My short film "Taxi Dancer" is currently accompanying "The Baxter" on IFC/Gen Art's Special Advance Screening tour, and will be featured in next month's Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.
GOSSIP/SHOCKING NEWS #1: Marilyn Monroe slept with Joan Crawford. Marilyn Monroe slept with Joan Crawford! This sounds like some drag queen's opium dream, but it's apparently true. Seems it was good for Joan... not so good for Marilyn. Both dead now.
FACT IN THE HEAD premieres at Rififi, Monday, September 12th at 8PM. Guest comics on the slate are Christian Finnegan, Andrea Rosen, Mike Birch, Negin Farsad, Mark Giordano, Jamie Greenberg, Matt Himes. It's FREE.
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