Your vote counts!

The time is drawing near for the announcement of July's Nerd Man of the Month, and I need your nominations. Tell me who you think should claim this month's honor and why. Don't forget, this award could have a huge impact on the recipient's career -- in fact, many of the famous people who have earned this award are still famous today, and we all know it's because people are awed by the presence of the "Nerd Man of the Month" honor on their CV.*

Be sure to check the list to the left highlighting past Nerd Man honorees and then submit your nomination in the comments below.

I'll open the nominations with a vote for the men of "Mythbusters." Now it's your turn. Remember, this could be the single most important decision you make in the next 30 to 40 seconds.


*This is totally not true.

Friday Odds & Ends: Sci-fi hotties, tauntaun sleeping bags and deadly Smurf fighting action

+ It's Friday, why not start out on a completely shallow note? Entertainment Weekly has their gallery of the Sci-Fi Hotties of '09, both gentlemen and ladies. Although how Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson can be on that list and not, well, almost any other male to ever appear in a sci-fi show, kind of boggles my mind. Kudos for including "Fringe"'s Joshua Jackson though...

+ Dreams really can come true...maybe. You might recall this past April when ThinkGeek posted an April Fool's Day item about a Tauntaun sleeping bag. The response was overwhelming and now it looks like they might actual produce one. Someday soon your kids can have one whether they want it or not!

+ Special thanks to David Manly for sending me these tips on Twitter yesterday -- Mortal Kombat 3 is rumored to start filming soon AND production is moving forward on a live-action Smurfs movie with a director just announced. Yes, I said live-action, which led David and I to agree that they should actually combine these two movies. I would totally pay money to see Smurfs fighting. Is that weird?

+ If you're anywhere near Orlando, Florida this weekend, don't forget it's Nerdapalooza time.

+ Now this is a movie I actually want to see: a horror comedy called "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" which revolves around two guys who look like the stereotypical homicidal maniacs from every horror movie you've ever seen but are totally nice guys and can't understand why everyone's freaked out by them. Best of all, it stars Alan Tudyk of "Firefly" and "Dollhouse" fame and Tyler Labine from "Reaper" who will always be known to me as "that frog-licker guy" from the 'Quagmire' episode of "The X-Files"...not that I still remember individual X-Files episode names. Ahem, shall we move on?

+ The British sci-fi series "Being Human" about three flatmates who also happen to be a vampire, werewolf and ghost, will begin airing on BBC America on July 25. Has anyone seen this show yet? Is it any good?

+ And finally, last night a Seattle radio show called Too Beautiful to Live had a really fun and entertaining conversation about the How To Meet and Woo a Nerdy Girl blog post. It was a blast listening to people who were not me discuss this thing and I think they did a really great job with it. You can check out the archived show here.

Unhelpful Tips for the Unemployed Girl Nerd

* Lemonade stands, while they seem to make money for little kids, are not nearly as profitable for adult women who are selling nothing but lemonade.

* Remember, you are much more susceptible now to the dark power of daytime television. If you find yourself saying things like “My friend Ellen sure loves to dance” or “You know what I need? A good slip and fall attorney,” you know you’re in trouble. Unplug the TV set and back away from the DVR. It’s for your own good.

* You may feel a strong impulse to knit sweaters for people. That’s a good thing. But when you run out of people, you may feel a strong impulse to knit sweaters for animals and inanimate objects – that obese camel at the zoo, for example, or the chimney on your house. Resist this impulse. The animals will talk about you behind your back and the inanimate objects will just think you’re weird.

* Don’t act socially desperate. Remember, the Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t come back if you keep talking their ears off like that.

* You can kill approximately 12 minutes of your day using a straw to individually suck up the mini chocolate flakes in your Caribou Coffee Iced Lite White Berry Mocha. Or so I’ve been told.

* Building forts out of your book collection and some old sheets is fun. Pretending you’re Godzilla and kicking them over? Even more fun. Explaining to your significant other why you’re screaming like an enraged lizard and trying to shoot fire out of your mouth when they walk in the door? Not so much fun.

* Now might be a good time to learn how to cook. Helpful tip #1: Cut a one-inch hole in the plastic before you put the meal in microwave.

* Try learning a new language. Preferably a made-up one so your studying doesn't cut too much into your Great and Mighty "Buffy" Re-Watch-Apalooza of Aught Nine duties.

* Talking to yourself to stave off the loneliness is perfectly acceptable. Putting the severed head of a Pikachu on your hand and answering back is not.

* In the summer months, crop circles are a fun alternative to traditional mowing.

* Now might be a good time to bone up on your quantum physics. Lesson one: string theory has nothing to do with cheese or kittens.

* You know how you bought that Wonder Woman costume a long time ago as a joke but never had the guts to try it on? You have the time now to do it. Just remember to be careful while wearing it because if you fall and die, you’re going to creep the hell out of the neighbor who finds you.

Any others you can think of?

Thursday Odds & Ends: "30 Rock," "Day One," witches and starfish

Did you notice how I gave this week two Tuesdays and just dropped Wednesday completely with the Odds & Ends stuff? Pretty impressive, huh? I've figured out the calendar again, so happy Friday everyone! Wait, is that right?

+ Comedy Central has picked up the rerun rights to "30 Rock," starting in Fall 2011. I look forward to being caught in an infinite Liz Lemon rerun loop. To further celebrate, check out this interview with Scott Adsit, aka Pete Hornberger of "30 Rock" legend and fame.

+ I hadn't heard about NBC's new series, "Day One," until I stumbled on this promo for it. The show is about an apocalyptic event told from the point of view of residents of a southern California condo complex...which immediately makes me think "Melrose Place" on the day the Earth stops producing hair products. The promo kind of makes me think that too; check out earnest guy at 1:15 in the clip. Kinda hilarious:



+ ABC is doing a new series called "Eastwick" based on John Updike novel, The Witches of Eastwick. I've never liked John Updike's work so I'm okay if the network wreaks havoc with this particular piece of literature. I'll chalk it up to karmic payback for the mysogyny of four Rabbit novels.

+ io9 has an interesting essay on whether or not Torchwood is finally becoming better than Doctor Who. I've been hearing great things about the "Children of Earth" series running in the UK right now so may the quality tide finally has turned.

+ Did you know you can pick up the entire "Freaks and Geeks" DVD box set for an insanely cheap price right now at Amazon? It's true!

+ And finally, a gorgeous picture. Shot by a South Carolina photographer named Brandon Pendred, it's the winner of the natural world category for the annual Smithsonian Magazine photo contest. It makes me think of the first moment when our primordial ancestors picked up their tentacles heads and wondered what was up ahead.

There's a nice article on the photographer and what prompted the photo here.

Tuesday Odds & Ends: Moonshot, Dollhouse and stylish monkeys

+ Jonesing for a dose of James Marsters aka Spike from "Buffy?" Of course you are, so don't miss the History Channel's two-hour presentation, "Moonshot" which features Marsters as one of the astronauts. I will admit that while watching the clip, I got kinda choked up when Walter Cronkite took his glasses off and smiled. Oh, that man!

+ Want to see a clip from the unaired "Dollhouse" episode called "Epitaph" and guest starring Felicia Day? Sure you do.



+ My Imaginary Boyfriend (TM) David Tennant has joined the cast of an upcoming comedy flick called "St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold." It also stars Rupert Everett and Colin Firth, guaranteeing that I will have to watch it with a small bib.

+ Jeffrey Eugenides' novel "Middlesex" is being adapted into a one-hour drama series by HBO. It'll be written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies and produced by Rita Wilson. Thanks to Megan for pointing that one out!

+ And finally, the greatest possible news of all: scientists have discovered a new kind of monkey! The little bugger, known as the Mura's saddleback tamarin monkey, was hiding in the Brazilian rain forest and was first spotted in 2007. He's cute AND stylish -- love the animal print he's workin' in the drawing below:

+ Speaking of curious things, did anyone else watch "Warehouse 13" last night? What did you think? I liked it -- nice, frothy summer entertainment.