Talk:Taxicab Confessions

FAKE TAXI

CAST: PEDRO . PAULINE . BOWLS

It's called a documentary. Documentaries are not fake.

It can be called whatever, there is no standard industry certification to say that its a "non-fake documentary". The real question is whether it is scripted and/or staged for any part of the show. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.30.109.2 (talk) 04:24, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

The Cab Drivers

I'm watching one of the older seasons right now, and at the beginning of the show it says that they had real cab drivers giving real cab rides in cabs that were rigged with a camera. According to that, they are real cab drivers; just drivers that were pre-screened by HBO; but still real cab drivers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.146.96.176 (talk) 06:13, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

You have to be liscensed to be a cab driver, so they could have been HBO producers that got liscensed to be cab drivers, hence making them real cab drivers (I've seen the same guy driving in both the NYC and Vegas shows). So I think they are real cab drivers in the same sense of the guy from the CashCab show being a real cab driver. Fisha695 03:20, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

How could there be 11 seasons and only 19 episodes? Could this be a mistake? Also, Is this show still airing/being produced? This article seems to hint that it is, a sentence briefly stating that it was cancelled should be added (if this is the case, of course). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.14.111.186 (talk) 08:22, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Similar Show First Created in 1992

Some are suggesting that the original contract drafted and published (printed by) Broadway Video is not a source sufficient to prove the existence of a virtually duplicate show created three years before Taxi Confessions aired. Granted I have self interests as that creator. Anyone care to take a stab at including this important and very relevant information? I do not see how publishing that contract on my own website is not relevant. It is available at : http://www.sufifilms.com/contract.htm What is even more interesting is that the only reference in the entire article, other than one broken link, was provided by me. This entire article lacks reliable sources and clearly has its own conflict of interest issues. I intend to produce this show as originally conceived - less freak and more substance. P.S. O was a real cab driver and have worked in film, cable and TV production for 20 plus years. HacksBack (talk)HacksBack (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 07:39, 5 February 2012 (UTC).

Thanks for discussing this on the talk page, rather than continuing to edit the article. Here are the issues I see with your addition. First, it appears to have very little to do with the show Taxicab Confessions. Ideas are relatively common, its not really surprising that someone thought of a similar idea before Taxicab Confessions was filmed. However, that doesn't make your idea either unique or related to the subject of this article. It just means you had a similar idea. In order to include information about your proposed show in this article, you'd need a independent, published source that says your show was significantly related to Taxicab Confessions. For example, if the New York Times wrote an article about your show and explicitly linked it to TC, then you'd be able to use that article as a source to link your show and TC together. If you don't have such an independent source, then your addition is just original research.

Another problem is with the source you have tried to use. Its just a page on your own website. Since you could put anything on your site, there is no way for a reader to verify that this contract is real. Its trivially easy to fake a document like this. Note that I'm not saying you did fake it. I'm just saying that a reader coming to this article has no way to know if the contract is real or not. That's why Wikipedia generally insists on secondary sources, not primary ones. Your contract is a primary source, if someone had written an article in an independent source that talked about this contract, we could use that. But again, we could only use it in an article about your proposed show, not about TC, which is unrelated.

Now, is your proposed show is notable enough to sustain its own article? I don't believe so. Its a proposed show that was (as far as I can tell) never produced. Such show proposals are very rarely notable. In order to demonstrate its notability you need multiple reliable sources published in independent places with a reputation for editorial oversight and fact checking. Again, if the New York Times or CNN run a piece specifically and substantially about your show, that would be a great source. You'd need at least two separate articles to demonstrate notability.

I hope this is useful and gives you some perspective on how Wikipedia works. Please read the policies and guidelines I've linked to for further details. Good luck, Sparthorse (talk) 10:40, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

I beg to differ

If only these standards actually applied to similar claims, alas, they do not. Me thinks you are affiliated with the show and posturing yourself for . . . well, time will tell. I just spoke with Blosom Lefcourt in Broadway Video’s legal department and wrote an email that confirms our original agreement and states they no longer hold rights because they did not exercise the 6 month option. Yes, yes, I know more alleged original sources. That just tickles me that you do not think HBO would be destroying anyone trying to make such claims and not getting an immediate injunctions to stop such claims. Welcome to try. I am the original copy write holder of that show and will now seek to exploit it in the manner it was originally intended to be exploited - less freakiness and more substance - An intelligent commentary on what people really think and believe about current events, etc - An amazing show that is supper relevant and important in these difficult times. Other than that it is an exact duplicate of the Taxi Cab Confessions show. HBO will no doubt try to take your same stance - saying it's just an idea. But the hurdle of getting over the fact that the B.V.'s Producer, Jim Beiderman, was in negotiations with HBO over "MY" show might be a little hard to overcome. So assuming you are an HBO stooge, and even if you are not, listen up HBO, I am going to be producing "MY" Show and enjoy the 20 years of exploitation you have benefited from to now promote "MY" show - a much more sophisticated show. You can keep the freak, fall back on the easy raunchy content which no talent people always resort to audience for you, and I will find my own new audience. Perhaps the first show will be on corporate piracy practice juxtaposed against the new self serving corporate piracy laws they are trying to jam through the House and Senate to take over the free Internet.

Oh yes, one last thing. Any competing network looking for a cheap show to produce with an amazing built in audience – who will permit me to maintain complete creative control – the show is on the block. You can reach me at SufiFilms.com Perhaps HBO should take their tired old show, that is still making a fortune with the freaks, and turn it back over to me. That would be the right thing to do. But who does what is right anymore – which is why we need a show as it was originally conceived? When Christ returns he may very well come back as a cab driver.

Another interesting point. Jim Jarmusch’ “Night on Earth” was conceived of in my Taxi one late night down in the Meat District. He said he was researching a transvestite cowboy film he was developing, but when he heard my idea of putting documenting conversations in a cab, guess what followed. A few years later I picked him up out front of K-Rock as he appeared on Vin Skelsa’s Idiots Delight show. He was with his publicist promoting the movie and nearly shit his pants when I confronted him in the cab. God’s honest truth. The publicist knew I was telling the truth because no one else would have known about the fabulous cowboy movie. So you see boys and girls, I have been ripped not once, but twice.

The goal now is to do it as it was originally intend. Not the same old exploitive entertainment formulated, show some T and A, same old, same old crap that destroys our culture and society. No something that might actually help the human condition improve – we could use a little of that right now. I am a Sufi Cleric on a path of spirituality for the past twenty years – I have plenty to say now. Plenty of people are going to want to shut me up. I’ll go all Internet Broadcast if I have to.

PEACE-OUT! HacksBack (talk)