Results tagged “rififi”

Troubled comedy hotspot Rififi (also known as Cinema Classics) will close tonight due to “an impasse with the landlord,” who is now “asking for substantially more money,” according to Matt Ruby's blog Sandpaper Suit. One "disillusioned ex-employee" tells Gothamist that “employees received text messages yesterday announcing tonight (Wednesday) as the last night open. One day’s notice, and there was a crazy insinuation that if more money had been made over the weekend the venue could have been open for another month, which seems to contradict the claim the landlord is the reason for the closure. Who knows at this point? Tonight is, as far as I know, the last night. It's being treated as such by the comedians and employees.”

Comedian Demetri Martin's initital career trajectory wasn't aimed toward show business stardom; the New Jersey native went from busing tables in his parents' diner to Yale and a full scholarship at NYU Law School. But a year before graduation, to his family's dismay, he abandoned the justice system to pursue a career in comedy. A gutsy move, but one that paid off, against considerable odds, when Martin worked his way up to a recurring spot on The Daily Show. One hour specials, comedy albums, Windows Vista ads, and a flurry of palindromes followed.