Debbie Harry does not watch Taxi TV. And not just
because she’s wearing sunglasses.Photo: Getty Images
So yesterday many of you gave us your feedback on Taxi TV, and the response was overwhelmingly negative. It is a “grotesque intrusion, for tourists only,” commenters griped. “I furiously jab at the screen until the damn thing goes dark!” Well, that’s all very well and good, but what do famous people think about the city’s newest annoyance? Surely their opinions matter more than ours! New York’s Tim Murphy canvassed the stars at last night’s Cry-Baby premiere on Broadway, and this is what New York’s luminaries had to say:
Debbie Harry: “I shut it off. It’s annoying … New York is very entertaining. We don’t need TV in the car.” [Harry admits she sometimes also talks to the cabbie. That’s so CBGB!!]
Brett Ratner: “If I’m on the phone, I turn it off, but when I’m not on the phone, I like watching it.” [What does he like watching?] “Movie trailers — I’m obsessed with them.”
Estelle Parsons: “I always turn it off immediately. I want to do other things in the cab like make calls and read my scripts. Even if I might want to know the weather, I turn it off anyway. I can’t tell you why. I just do it.”
Jerry Stiller:: “I don’t find it something that I want to be listening to while I’m riding in a cab and trying to get to a destination where I’m thinking of something in my life. Suddenly I’m getting weather and other things. At the same time, everybody has to make a living, and I hope the cab drivers are getting a piece of the action.”
Anne Meara: “Oh, no, I turn it off immediately!”
Isn’t there anyone out there who will defend Taxi TV?
Earlier: Taxi TV: Turn It Up or Turn It Off
