A Shoutout to the Vanity of Chuck Lorre
(Disclaimer: Not a single image in this blog post is mine. The ancient televison set below I stole off the Interwebs. The rest of the following images are a sampling of the amusing property of television producer Chuck Lorre. This website and blog are a lawsuit-free zone, so don't even bother.)
Remember the "old days" before on-demand viewing and smart TVs, before TiVo and DVRs...back when you might've had a VCR that actually used a tape cassette....remember how if you really wanted to see something, you had to program your tape player to record that show, so you could watch it tomorrow, or whenever you got time? And remember those funny little production company logos that would pop up for two blinks at the tail end of a program....they still do, only they've become a lot more artsy over time....
But do you recall in particular the one that, in my mind, started all that creative bumper art we see nowadays following tv shows....the Chuck Lorre Productions "vanity cards". They went by so quickly, if you blinked, you missed them. The shortest were readable, if you were ready and quick. Most weren't, though.
The very first, Vanity Card #1
They were numbered. That intrigued me, because it meant they were all different. They had something to say, something to share, and they were a mystery, because I couldn't read them!! I read everything.
That's why I know A-1 sauce has raisins in it.
I had to read these. I needed to. So when we watched Greg and Dharma ( I still think this is a great show), I recorded it, even though I was watching the broadcast, because I wanted to read those notes! And lawdy, lawdy, was I rewarded. Chuck Lorre is a funny guy. A good writer. Well, obviously, since he's produced a string of hit sitcoms, like Greg and Dharma, Two and Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly, et al. But those vanity cards! You gotta read 'em.
Fast forward (pun intended) to the Age of the Internet. No VCR, DVR, or smart TV required. Now you can find these little classic gems online, yes indeedy! In fact, a thought occurred to me just last night: maybe Chuck's vanity cards were the actual birth of that Interwebs phenomena we now know as "The Blog". They're like blog posts. Chuck had something to say, and wanted to share it, and found his venue.
Even when he had nothing to say.
And sometimes, nothing to say is repeated, like with Vanity Card #111, which repeatedly aired a few times, with a slight twist in each one that you might not catch, if you aren't paying attention.
If you have little time to kill, and need something entertaining to read, ChuckLorre.com is your place to go. This is where you can now find all his little random, and some not-so-random, musings, even the ones the networks censored and wouldn't let him run. Personally, I like to get lost down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia from time to time, and I find that entertaining AND educational. But if you don't have the time or inclination to go Wikidiving, and you need a smile in your day, then go get yourself lost in the vanity of Chuck Lorre. You'll be glad you did.
And you won't even have to watch an entire episode of Big Bang Theory to read one. Though that is a great show, so I guess you could if you feel like it.
Thanks, Chuck, for giving us those little extra gifts at the end of your wonderful sitcoms. I hope you'll continue to do so for a long time to come.
Your vanity will be your legacy.
The original CLP vanity card, from back in the Cybill days