Thursday, August 16, 2012

Nerd Love


Over the years I have had my fair share of odd celebrity crushes, but if I had to pick one recurring theme I would say that it's Nerds. I remember seeing The Big Chill early on in life (and not really grasping what the movie was about) and having a massive nerd crush on Jeff Goldblum, which was only reinforced by seeing him in Jurassic Park. And so my nerd crushes began. Put your average guy in a slim-fit button-down with neatly rolled-up sleeves, add some glasses and make him unable to meet my gaze and I'm done-zo. So here is a list of my top 5 celebrity nerd crushes.

1. Mathew Gray Gubler - Celebrity sightings are not uncommon in Manhattan and as someone who frequents "the city" I have had my fair share of them, but I have never geeked-out more than the time I saw Mathew Gray Gubler, AKA Dr. Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds, on the Upper East Side one lazy Sunday afternoon. My friend Laura and I had just left an appointment at a bridesmaids dress salon (I was trying on dresses for her wedding) and we were on our way to brunch at Fig and Olive when I spotted him on the opposite side of the street. To be honest, I was fairly hung-over, and when I'm in that state I tend to have less of a filter and function on a slightly less intelligent level, so it wasn't really all that surprising when I started jumping up and down like a monkey in a zoo seeing the worlds biggest banana on the other side of the cage. Thankfully MGG just smiled in acknowledgement and kept walking. He got his start as a male model (for big names like Tommy Hilfiger and Marc Jacobs), so the rugged good looks are the foundation, but he's only made hotter by his glasses, unkempt hair and gawky posture.

2. Joseph Gordon Levitt – Back when he was just another cute kid on a little sitcom called Third Rock from the Sun, Joseph Gordon Levitt was adorable. Then he played the nerdy straight man to Heath Leger’s bad boy with a heart of gold in 10 Things I Hate About You and teenaged girls in High Schools across America saw his adorkability go straight through the roof. Now as an adult he still sports the same sheepish grin, while working the indie film circuit seeming calm, cultured and collected. Need to see for yourself? Here’s a clip of him performing “Hey Jude” at the Sundance Film Festival. *swoon*

3. Seth Green – The nerd subculture has many different species; you have your brainy nerds, your music nerds, your gaming nerds, your Comicon nerds, and you have hybrids of all of these different groups. Seth Green is more of your Comicon/D&D loving style nerd. A pop-culture nerd if you will. His resume reads like a nerd rap sheet, but some of my favorites are as follows: Chuck in Can’t Buy Me Love, Cousin Wiley in Airborne, Oz in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kenny in Can’t Hardly Wait (“Why y’all gotta waste my flavor? Damn!”), Scott Evil in the Austin Powers movies, Lyle in The Italian Job (“YOU’LL NEVER SHUT DOWN THE REAL NAPSTER”) and Entourage, in which he pokes fun at himself.

4. Kevin Smith – There’s something to be said for a man of few words. The writer/director/producer/actor/fanboy might be better know as Silent Bob to the less-than-nerdy, but true fans know that this guy is just as talented behind the screen as he is in front of it. An avid comic book reader and friend of Stan Lee himself, Smith is also a Stars Wars geek. He rocks a beard and glasses better than anyone in the Williamsburg set and avoids looking like a full-on hipster by regularly sporting a hockey jersey. The young ice skater in me melts for this terribly clever teddy bear of a guy; I’d make him lasagna any day (Clerks reference – watch it).

5. Matt Nathanson – Anyone who has seen Matt Nathanson in concert knows this to be true: he is the hottest singer/songwriter/metal and rock aficionado around (too specific? Forgive me getting all super-fan on you). John Mayer may have tried to work the whole self-proclaimed nerd/weirdo/outcast, but he’s got nothing on Nathanson’s genuine dorkiness – or his songwriting skills for that matter. Nathanson cracks self-deprecating jokes and takes chances in his live shows - how many artists would make their audience learn Prince’s “Starfish and Coffee” on the spot? Whether he’s covering Rick Springfield, Pat Benetar, Journey or doing a metal intro to one of his soft and sensitive songs, you know that this crooner is just as quirky as he is talented

I think I can speak for most girls when I say that it's really not all about looks. If a guy can make you laugh, can make you smile, then he can make your day and, really, what's more loveable than that?

Image courtesy of flickr.com user Sir_Kenneth.