Hit TV Writer Has Brief Message For His Viewers
It Only Lasts a Second, But Stirs the Airwaves; Mr. Lorre's Beer Apology
By KATHERINE ROSMAN
May 14, 2008; Page A1
Some of the most provocative writing on broadcast television can be found on CBS on Monday nights. It airs for a combined duration of about two seconds.
The writing comes in the form of what many in the industry call "vanity cards" -- an image flashed on the screen at the end of a TV show. Usually, the cards just identify a show's creator or production company. But Chuck Lorre -- a writer and executive producer of the sitcoms "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" -- uses the airtime as a public diary.
Shown at about 8:29 p.m. and 9:29 p.m. Eastern time, his Chuck Lorre Productions vanity cards feature an essay -- usually about 100 to 200 words -- on subjects such as meddling network executives, Hollywood culture and his own family drama. The messages can't be read in full as they air, because they're shown so briefly, but they can be read by viewers who have DVR technology with a pause button on their remote control. The cards have attracted a cult following, as well as the attention of network executives.
In one recent message, the 55-year-old Mr. Lorre wrote: "I received a phone call from a mid-level CBS exec who began the conversation by saying he wanted to give me a head's up. Having been in this business a while I knew 'head's up' is code for 'we've decided to s- you.'"
In a message to his late father, Mr. Lorre wrote, "I want to apologize for despising you for reasons I still don't understand."
Another card says: "Don't hug men while shaking their hand. Enough already with that. The shake/hug (shug?) is probably something Roman guys did when their empire was in decline."
Mr. Lorre says, "My vanity cards are like liner notes on an album."
The network reviews each one before it airs, and has censored three of the last 40 cards. A CBS spokesman said those cards "didn't meet our broadcast standards," but declined to be more specific. "I've always had the character flaw of wanting to bite the hand that feeds," Mr. Lorre says.
The hand admits to being a bit sore. "I get a kick out of most of -- most of -- what he does at the end of the show," says Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive of CBS Corp. "If someone wants to give me two hit television shows, they won't hear from me -- except for when I'm going to get in trouble with the FCC."
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