Hot Nerd of the Week: Simon Pegg!

This is one of my most favorite British geeks. Not to mention a fabulous writer, actor, director and producer
.

Simon Pegg first entered my world back in 2004 when he played the title role of Shaun in "Shaun of the Dead". He has the ability to make me laugh no matter what, and to me, he is also one of the most attractive (albeit nerdy) guys to come out of the UK.

Simon Pegg was born in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England on Valentines Day. After high school, Pegg went on to university to study drama. While attending the University of Bristol, he was a part of the Drama Society, and also wrote his thesis on "A Marxist overview of 1970's cinema and hegemonic discourses". He also studied English lit and performance arts at Stratton-on-Avon College.

Simon began as a stand-up artist, then moved onto bigger projects. Thefirst notable project he worked on was a television series called Spaced, which he created and co-wrote and Jessica Stevenson. Pegg's best friend, Nick Frost was brought in to co-star in the series. Edgar Wright (who went on to direct "Scott Pilgirm vs. The World") was also director on the show.

In 2004, Pegg and Edgar Wright co-wrote the horror-romance story "Shaun of the Dead", which also starred Nick Frost. The release of this film launched all three of their careers even higher.

Since "Shaun of the Dead", Pegg has managed to make a huge name for himself, in Britain, as well as the states. Some of Pegg's other credits include, Band of Brothers, Dr. Who, I'm Alan Partridge, Mission Impossible III, Hot fuzz (again with Nick Frost), and Run Fat Boy Run. 

In 2009, Pegg co-starred in the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" movie, playing the role of Scotty. This was a role that would prove he could certainly cut-it in Hollywood.  He will be reprising this role in the next movie, due out in June of 2012.

Another fun fact: In the comic book series "The Boys" his likeness was used as the character of Wee Hughie without Simon's permission. However, instead of going all "lawsuit" on the creators, Pegg has instead become a HUGE fan of the series, and even wrote the intro for the first trade. How awesome is that?!

A self proclaimed, "life long nerd" Pegg is one of the most awesome people in the film world right now. His likeability, paired with his kindness and dorkiness is the reason I chose Simon Pegg as this weeks Hot Nerd.

Hot Nerd of the Week: Bruce Campbell!

Hey everyone! Sorry for missing a post yesterday! I was running all day, and then Nerd Night happened, so I apologize. Anyhoo, on with the show!

This week's Hot Nerd is someone I hold close to my heart because he's from my home state. The super-awesome, hand-shaped state of Michigan.

*GASP!* Is that... Brisco Couty Jr.?!

Born in 1958 to a a homemaker and an amateur actor/billboard inspector, Bruce spent his early years making Super 8 movies with close friend (And now HUGE director) Sam Raimi. The two went to high school, and their love of writing, directing, acting and producing lead them both to extremely successful film careers as adults.

The first large movie Bruce and Sam worked on was Evil Dead. They created this movie on an extermely small budget, and after a glowing review from author Steven King, the movie began to grow in popularity, even becoming the number one movie in Great Britain at one point.

"You ain't got but two things going for ya right now. Jack and shit. And Jack just left town."

The Evil Dead franchise sparked two sequels: Evil Dead II  and Army of Darkness, both of which are widely regarded as "cult classics" and are also credited for creating the "horror-comedy" genre of movies.

As Raimi's success grew, so did Bruce's. Bruce was in a number of other Raimi-directed movies such as Darkman, The Quick and the Dead and most notably all three of the most recent Spider-Man movies.

Army of Darkness comic book

In addition to working on projects with Sam, Bruce also carved a niche for himself in Hollywood, making cameo roles in movies such as Congo, Fargo, McHales Navy, Escape from L.A., Sky High, as well as many more. He has also lent his voice talent to movies such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 

Bruce has also done a TON of television work. He was the title role in the Fox Saturday morning show The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.. Bruce also worked on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Xena: Warrior Princess, The X-Files, Charmed, and most recent (and notably) Bruce has had the lead role in Burn Notice.

Quite possibly the best book you'll ever read.

Bruce Campbell has done a lot in his lifetime. From acting, to writing and producing, it seems like he's done it all. If you ever get the chance to read one of his books, I highly suggest you do. Unlike a lot of "Hollywood types", Bruce knows just how lucky he is, and how far hard work can take you. He also seems like a very funny and kind person, and he is known for being great to his fans. His work ethic, paired with his ability to make me laugh is why I've named B list actor Bruce Campbell this weeks Hot Nerd.

Hot Nerd of the Week: Kate Beckinsale!

I know it's a day late, but I felt the need to post about Smallville ASAP. Onto a much hotter topic today...

I've been waiting for this one for a while. She is just about the hottest nerd I could possibly think of. Kate Beckinsale.

I began my love affair with her back in 2003 with the release of "Underworld". It was the one of the earliest vampire/werewolf movies made, and much much better than that "Twilight" crap. I thought she was beautiful when I saw "Pearl Harbor" and "Serendipity", but she went from "beautiful" to "bad-assed" when she played the role of Seline in "Underworld".

Born and raised in London, her parents knew there was something spectacular about her. When she was six, she took an IQ test which revealed that she not only had an IQ of 152, but also the reading ability of that of an eleven year old.

While in high school Kate won the W.H. Smith young writes competition, for three short stories, and three poems she wrote. After high school Kate enrolled at Oxford University and French and Russian literature. She thought that knowing more than one language would help broaden her range of acting roles.

After participating in a wide range of stage shows, Kate finally hit the big screen in 1993 with the adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". Since then, she has been in a large number of high grossing movies, as well as achieving the title of "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire in 2009.

This hot mom may not be a comic book nerd, but she sure is smart. And beautiful. There really is not enough praise I can give her, and that's why I made Kate Beckinsale this week's Hot Nerd.

Hot Nerd of the Week: Kevin Smith!

We've had his wife, and one of his childhood friends hold the title of Hot Nerd, but never Kev himself! In honor of him launching SIR (SModcast Internet Radio) this week, I give you the big man himself, Kevin Smith.

Kev has been a nerd his whole life. He was a huge "Star Wars" fan as a kid, and often retells stories of playing with At-at's and making up "Star Wars" story lines while playing with friends. He has collected comics from an early age, and whenever he disobeyed his mother, she would threaten to knock all of his comics off the shelf if he didn't straighten up. His love of comic books would lead him to open a comic book store (Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash) later in life.

Success first came for Kevin in 1994 with the release of "Clerks". This critically acclaimed indie film won a number of awards including awards from the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Smith followed up the success of "Clerks" with "Mallrats", "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma".

The new millennium boosted Kevin even higher with the 2001 release of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". Kevin followed that up with "Clerks II" in 2006, and "Zach and Miri Make a Porno" in 2008. He is currently working on the self written, self directed movie "Red State" which follows a couple of young men who go out looking for sex, and end up finding a very dark version of the Westboro Baptist Church. "Red State" is set to be released in October of 2011.

Kevin likes to keep busy, so whenever there was downtime from directing, he had a number of other projects going on. Projects including; writing comics (such as The Green Arrow, Batman: Cacophony, Batman: The Widening Gyre, Green Hornet, etc), as well as writing introductions for the Preacher and Hitman trade paperbacks. He has also released two books; "Silent Bob Speaks" and "My Boring-Ass Life".

In February 2007, Kevin and his longtime friend and producer, Scott Mosier, began recording weekly conversations between the two of them. These recordings would lead to a podcast which they refer to as SModcast. In 2010 Kevin decided to expand SModcast by allowing several of his friends to make their own podcasts and market all of them under the SModcast name. The brand got so big that this week Kevin will be launching SIR radio, a live version of the podcasts.

Anyone who has enjoyed a Kevin Smith movie, or listened to one of his interviews knows how great a guy he is. He's super hard working, and holds his wife, friends and family in the highest regard. His self-depreciating humor, and super dorky tendencies are the reason I chose Kevin Smith as Hot Nerd of the Week!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Brea Grant!

Brea Grant is hot. Ever since I first saw her on "Heroes", I was in love. Then, come to find out, she is a total nerd too. I'm not gay, but if I were, she'd totally be my girl.

As far as a bio goes, there isn't really a whole lot about her. She was born in October of 1981, and began appearing on television shows in 2008, with her appearance on "Friday Night Lights". She is best known as Daphne Millbrook (AKA The Speedster) in "Heroes". She is currently wrapping up a few indie flicks, as well as a SyFy movie titled ""Ice Road Terror", which will premiere in June.

She was in school, about ready to graduate and teach history, when she decided to begin taking acting classes. She loved it so much, she never looked back.

In 2010, Brea made her foray into the comic book world by writing We Will Bury You with her brother, Zane Grant. The wonderful *swooon* Mr. Ben Templesmith did the cover artwork for the first issue. The comic is described as follows:

1927: The first talkie ended the silent film era, the first man completed a solo transatlantic flight, and… a zombie virus decimated the human race. Two unlikely heroines use their unorthodox skills to survive as a zombie infection spreads through the streets of New York and beyond. Brea Grant and Zane Grant promise the worst breakup ever and an epic beginning to this historical horror miniseries.

In addition to We Will Bury You, Brea is also currently writing the comic book series Suicide Girls with notorious IDW horror writer Steve Niles. I have yet to pick up any of the work she's done, but if she's in good with Steve Niles AND Ben Templesmith, I'm going to have to pick it up soon.

Brea has a great sense of humor as well. Her blog is a lot like mine and I like that. Instead of limiting herself to just one thing to write about, she writes about a ton of different stuff. THIS may be one of the greatest rants I have ever read in my life. 


In her blog, Brea expresses her love of going to cons and her love for her fans, and that's why I'm making her this weeks Hot Nerd.

Hot Nerd of the Week: Jennifer Schwalback Smith!

Okay, The Editor told me that this one was kind of a reach. However, that being said, I am in LOVE with Jennifer right now, so I vetoed The Editor.

Jen is the wife of director Kevin Smith. Most notably, you'd know her as Missy from "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". She is the one who is not Shannon Elizabeth, and not Ali Larter. Jen has been in several of Kevin's movies including "Zach and Miri Make a Porno", "Clerks 2" and "Jersey Girl". She was also featured in an episode of the Canadian teen drama "DiGrassi". She will be starring in the Kevin Smith directed horror movie "Red State" as Esther this Fall.

In her pre-View Askewniverse days Jen was a successful journalist with USA today. She attended the University of Florida for two years before moving to LA to finish up her degree in Political Science. Jennifer is a self-proclaimed feminist, and she's constantly fighting for equality for the ladies.

In 1999, Kevin and Jen welcomed their daughter, Harley Quinn Smith into the world. I mean, how can you name your daughter "Harley Quinn" and not win some geek cred there?!

Jen has always stood by her husband, and been the rock for him. Most recently the couple began podcasting together. They started "Plus One", part of the SModcast Network, around Christmastime, and it is AMAZING. Jen is a huge science and news nerd, and her most quotable phrase from the show (which I have on a tee shirt that I proudly display) is "The fishies have no eyes!", which is in reference to a group of fish that mysteriously washed up on the shore with their eyes missing.

Jen is a science and tech dork (often proclaiming her love for Twitter co-founder Jack Dorissey), and she's an awesome wife and mom. Those are the reasons I made her Hot Nerd this week :-)

Hot Nerd of the Week: Katee Sackhoff!

I can't believe I didn't think of her sooner... Katee was born and raised in Oregon, and like most of our Hot Nerds she was heavily into theater during high school. After high school, she decided to movie to California and try out her acting chops.

Starting her career in 1998, Sackhoff was in a number of different failed TV shows and made for TV movies. Her first film role came in 2002, with the movie "Halloween: Resurrection". After "Halloween" Katee did some voice work for "Halo 3", and took parts in the TV shows "Bionic Woman", and "Nip/Tuck". It wasn't until 2004 that Katee got the role that she is best known for, the role of Starbuck in "Battlestar Gallactica".

Since BSG ended in 2009, Katee hes kept herself busy with playing the part of Dana Walsh in "24" as well as doing voice work for both "Superhero Squad" (she plays She Hulk!) and "Robot Chicken". She also had a pretty amazing and memorable guest role playing herself on "The Big Bang Theory".

From what I understand Katee is one of the most profoundly awesome celebrities out there. She is a staple at most large comic-cons, and she is incredibly approachable. The only warning about her is that you don't want to take her on in a nerd challenge, because she's full of nerd knowledge and could easily beat you.

If you get a chance, you should check out her website. She has a pretty kick ass blog on there, which she updates pretty regularly http://kateesackhoff.com/

Hot nerd of the Week: Kristen Bell!

When you say the name "Kristen Bell", the word "geek" does not automatically pop into your head, however, this girl has TONS of geek cred, and she's known as one of the fanboys favorites.

 This cute blonde is originally from Michigan. Growing up she was heavily involved in theater, and after high school she attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. One of her first auditions was for the role of Chloe Sullivan in Smallville, a role which ultimately went to Allison Mack.

 In 2004, she auditioned for the lead role in Veronica Mars, which became her most notable role up until that point. Her role in Veronica Mars put her on the geek-lovers radar.

 Since the conclusion of Veronica Mars, Bell has gone on to do a number of projects in film and television, including playing Elle on the TV show Heroes. Some of her more comedic roles include "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and a cameo in "Get Him to the Greek".

Though she admits not getting into comics until 2004, she is now an avid comic book fan, citing Ed Brubaker as one of her favorite authors. She has said that she is completely flattered that the fan boys like her, and she considers it an honor. This chick can talk comics, is down to earth and she is a staple at most Comic Cons, and that's why I chose her for this weeks Hot Nerd!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Alison Rosen!

Any of you who are fans of the ACE Broadcasting Network know who this hottie is. She is the new news girl over at The Adam Carolla Show. I began my love affair with her about two months ago.

This hilarious journalist started her career at just 18 years old. Since then she has written for People, Rolling Stone, OC Weekly, The LA Times, Maxim and Vogue, just to name a few. She has also appeared on a number of television shows including "A&E Biography", "Chelsea Lately", and a number of news shows. Did I also mention that she used to be the guitarist in a punk band? Yup, she's done that too.

Her most current endeavors include presenting the news on "The Adam Carolla Show", and hosting her own show, "Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend" on Ustream. She has written a number of fantastic articles and interviews which you can see at her website HERE.

She is a great team player, allowing the ACE guys to set up a "March Madness" bracket to win a date with her. 16 men are competing to win a date with her, and she is an absolutely great sport about it, even when she describes some of the contenders as "rapey". On the "Adam Carolla Show" she also announced her plans to write two self books, one written from the prospective of a drug addict, before she ever gets addictive to drugs (a book which is still untitled), and also a pregnancy book called "What I Would Expect if I Were Expecting". Her reason for writing the books now, instead of when she develops a drug habit, or gets pregnant, is that she has free time now, so she might as well write it as long as she does. She has presented excerpts from both books on the show, and they are WONDERFUL.



Her good looks, and fabulous comedic timing are the reason I chose Alison Rosen for Hot Nerd of the Week!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Milo Ventimiglia!

Hello again everyone! We're back with a brand new edition of HNotW! This week I have chosen Mr. Milo Ventimiglia!

Milo is best known for playing the role of Peter Petrelli on NBC's doomed superhero show "Heroes". Throughout all of the ridiculousness of the four season run, Milo remained the one thing I actually liked about the show. Through the success of "Heroes" Milo developed his own production company, and is currently working on a number of projects.

His production company received a script, which they in turn, collaborated with the writer, and turned into a comic book called "Rest". The comic was picked up by Devil's Due Publishing in 2008. Milo's foray into the comic book world has made him as staple at most major (and some surprisingly minor) Comic Cons.

This guy seems to have it all going on right now. Besides his love of acting, he is also producing, writing, and directing a number of nerdy projects. "Ultraome" is his current project, which is a web-series that which will debate the comparative merits of science fiction characters. In the first episode Milo discusses the Lord of the Rings superiority over Star Wars.

Milo is also a contributor to a number of charities and organizations such as the USO, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Heroes Against Autism.

His "go getter" attitude, paired with his love of comic cons, and his sexy smile are all reasons I've chosen Milo Ventimiglia as Hot Nerd of the Week!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Walter Flanagan!

Okay, some of you may know him, some of you may not. You may have heard of his dog. This guy is better known as "Fan Boy" from the View Askew movies. Born in New Jersey in 1967, Walt Flanagan has been a long-time friend of Kevin Smith and was the person who first turned Kevin Smith on to comic books.

In addition to being in Kevin's movies, Walter has done artwork for a number of comic books. The list includes Karney and War of the Undead, written by fellow podcaster and friend Bryan Johnson, and Batman: The Widening Gyre and Batman: Cacophony written by Kevin Smith.

In 2010, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson and Brian Quinn began doing a weekly podcast. The podcast is called Tell Em' Steve Dave, and is recorded at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey. Walter has been managing "the stash" since it opened.

There are so many things to be said about Walt Flanagan, but the majority of the best stories can be found on early episodes of "SModcast", and "Tell Em' Steve Dave" each week.

Walt's amazing sense of humor, and love of all things comic books (including that silly "Spiderman" musical) is why I chose him for Hot Nerd of the Week!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Wil Wheaton!

So, I was asking Evan T. for suggestions this morning about who the Hot Nerd should be this week. He threw out an idea (which I will probably be using next week), and then it hit me like lightning! Why hadn't I thought of this person before? This week we will be celebrating the Hot Nerd known as Wil Wheaton.

This Hot Nerd was born and raised in sunny Burbank, California. His first big break came in 1986 co-starring  in the film "Stand by Me" which received fantastic reviews. "Stand by Me" also served as a launching pad for Corey Feldman, River Phoenix and Jerry O'Connell.

From 1987 to 1990, Wil played the role of Wesley Crusher on the television show "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which is the role that started his nerd cred. After "Star Trek", Wil moved to Kansas and heelped with the development of the Video Toaster 4000. In 2001 he was reunited with some of his "Star Trek" co-stars on "The Weakest Link", to compete for charity.

Wheaton has starred in a number of independent films, and has had many, many small roles in television since the STNG franchise, and has lent his voice talents to numerous cartoons and video games, including Teen Titans, Family Guy, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andres. in 2009 he lent his voice to the reading of "Fables: Peter and Max" for Bill Willingham. Wil also preforms with ACME comedy theater in Hollywood whenever he has the chance.

One of my favorite current roles for Wil has got to be that of Fawkes in season 3 and 4 of the webseires "The Guild", alongside other Hot Nerds like Felicia Day and Michele Boyd. He plays the leader of a rival WoW guild who is out to destroy The Knights of Good. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I will leave a couple of links to "The Guild" below.

There is so much more geekiness about Wil that I didn't even get to touch on, so if you'd like to do some independent research and check this guy out further, I highly suggest you do so.

A huge poker player, geek and comic-con staple, Wil Wheaton has accomplished more than a lot of nerds put together. This guy has a book, a blog, and a comic, and that, combined with his love of all things geeky are the reason Wil Wheaton is this weeks Hot Nerd.

Click here to watch The Guild

Hot Nerd of the Week: Chris Evans!

Chris Evans gets the Hot Nerd spot this week because of the amount of nerdy roles he's taken over the years. This very handsome 28 year old from Sudbury, MA was originally planning on attending NYU after high school, but changed plans after interning at a casting agency. The connections he made allowed him to be in a few small television roles before landing his first movie role in 2001 in Not Another Teen Movie. 

 After gaining recognition for Not Another Teen Movie, Chris went on to take a variety of more grown up roles, most of them being incredibly nerdy. In 2005 Chris jumped in on the new Fantastic Four film, opposite Jessica Alba. He played "The Human Torch", Johnny Storm in the first and second installment of that franchise.

From 2009 until now his nerdy work has included Push, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and The Losers. His biggest (and nerdiest) movie debut will come this Summer with the release of Captain America: The First Avenger. Chris was cast in the title role as Steve Rogers AKA Captain America.

Chris has admitted that he is not a big comic book reader. Despite this fact, I still find him to be one of the most handsome, most talented, and most able to pull off a comic book role. That is why Chris Evans is our Hot Nerd of the Week!

Hot Nerd of the Week: Joel McHale!

Okay, so let me tell you, I've liked Joel McHale since before it was cool to like Joel McHale. I started my love affair with him back in 2004 when they rebooted "Talk Soup" as "The Soup", and have followed him ever since. The Editor and I even went to see him do stand up a year or two ago, and despite misgivings that The Editor had about how good he thought Joel would be live, he was AMAZING.

Joel was born in Italy, but raised in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington for college, and played tight end of their football team for two years. Joel is kind-of a sports nerd because of this, and it's just another reason why I like him so much. He eventually graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington.

After college Joel moved to LA, and began getting small roles in movies such as The Informant!, Spider Man 2 and Lords of Dogtown. He also scored some TV roles guest starring in Bill Nye the Science Guy, Robot Chicken and Pushing Daisies. In 2009 he scored the lead role of Jeff Winger in the NBC comedy Community, a role he does while still hosting The Soup.

 Joel has contributed to a number of charities, including "Clothes off Our Back", which uses it's proceeds to help people suffering from malaria in third world countries.  He is also a regular at San Diego Comic Con, and is also a fan favorite while he's there.

His charismatic personality paired with his self deprecating sense of humor (as well as a great sense of fashion) is the reason Joel McHale is this week's Hot Nerd!