Nerd Man of the Month: The Legendary Neil Patrick Harris

All I can say is, thank God that Neil Patrick Harris finally participated in a Joss Whedon project so we can officially stamp "nerd" all over him. (And yes, I'm picturing that stamping right now.) Sure, NPH qualified for nerdiness by playing pre-teen doctor Doogie Howser all those years ago, but the Whedon stamp really seals it. You know, like how the Chiquita sticker makes a banana taste that much more banana-y? Simply put, "Dr. Horrible" gives us the perfect excuse to bow down before Barney himself and name this tasty muffin of masculinity our Nerd Man of the Month.

Has any former child actor had a better career renaissance than Neil Patrick Harris? And was there ever anything better to spur that renaissance than his appearance as himself in "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle?" From the moment we saw him sniffing cocaine off a naked chick and getting fresh with that Toyota Corolla upholstery, well, America (and I) were smitten. Which surely says something awful about my psyche, but let's not dwell on that, shall we?

And now NPH's stolen our hearts all over again -- sans cocaine and stripper because, c'mon, we've all grown up a little, haven't we? -- with his portrayal of Barney on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother." He suits up every week, says horrible things, scores with scores of ladies whose names he'll never remember and damn if he isn't adorable every step of the way. Every second he's on the screen, he demands our attention. I feel sorry for all the other actors on that show because seriously, at one time or another, they've all been in his shadow. Even Alyson Hannigan, which is blasphemy for a Buffy fan and will no doubt earn me a place in "Buffy" hell. (A place where they just keep showing Season 7 over and over again and we never, ever see Giles.)

Seriously, Neil Patrick Harris is, well, legendary as Barney. Just check out these clips, including his delivery below of a joke that will go down in my book as one of the top ten sitcom moments of all time. So simple, so pure. It is magic, especially if, like me, you kinda hate milk:



And who can forget Barney on The Price Is Right, meeting his "father" Bob Barker for the first time:



And now with his turn as the forlorn Dr. Horrible, a guy just trying to get by and be as bad as he can be, Neil has earned an even bigger place in our hearts. He can sing. He can be dastardly. He can be romantic. And he can go toe-to-toe with the finest thing to come out of Canada since that nice, round bacon: Nathan Fillion. That's saying something. In fact, it's saying he's awesome.

Plus, let's face it, Neil Patrick Harris is just hands-down hot. Even my husband thinks so. And, as a couple, we're totally okay with that. At least until one of us gets his phone number...

And so, without further ado, The Park Bench is pleased to name Neil Patrick Harris as July's Nerd Man of the Month.