Once Upon a Geek

A couple weeks ago I launched a poll asking people which TV show they preferred: ‘Chuck’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’.  The theory I put forward was that I believed geeks watched either ‘Chuck’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’, but not both.

Well the people have voted, 115 people to be exact.   I wanted a good cross-section of fans, so I promoted the poll through several sites (reddit, Digg, delicious, the Unique Gee listserv, the ChuckTV forums, and the CBS Big Bang Theory forum).  According to the people who took this poll, my theory was incorrect.  While many people like one or the other as I theorized, there were a number of people that liked both shows (21% to be exact).

Which TV show do you prefer, ‘Chuck’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’?

• Chuck (34%, 39 Votes)
• Big Bang Theory (28%, 32 Votes)
• I watch and like both shows (21%, 24 Votes)
• I don’t watch either show (17%, 20 Votes)

If nothing else, the results showed that of the people that voted, more people like ‘Chuck’ than ‘Big Bang Theory’.  Since I’m more of a ‘Chuck’ fan, I guess that’s something.

My thanks to everyone that participated in the poll.  Be sure to vote in the new poll on Star Trek!

Which TV show do you prefer, ‘Chuck’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’?  It seems to me that there are two camps of geek TV watchers this season.  After talking with a great number of people, I’ve noticed that geeks watch either ‘Chuck’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’, but not both.  I realize both airs at the same time, but with DVRs and downloadables (heck, even old fashioned VCRs) it’s very feasible to be a fan of both.

Please take a moment to answer the poll in the right-hand sidebar of this page.  If you are reading this on LiveJournal, Facebook, an RSS feeder, or elsewhere, please visit the main site for my blog, http://onceuponageek.com to answer the poll question.  Also, feel free to post comments explaining why you are a fan of one or the other.

If you’ve ever read my blog, then you know I personally prefer ‘Chuck’.  I’ve tried watching ‘Big Bang Theory’, but after seeing the way the geeks act on that show I’m mildly offended.  Using the Social Order Venn Diagram, I feel the characters on ‘Big Bang Theory’ qualify as ‘nerds’ rather than ‘geeks’. I know several ‘normal people’ who watch ‘Big Bang Theory’ and automatically assume that’s what life is like for me and my friends. I then have to explain that those are not my people; we have the social skills.  Regardless, that’s my opinion.  I’m more interested in hearing your opinion.

The presidential election may be over, but here is your chance to vote on something that really doesn’t matter in the universal scheme of things!  Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Some Chuck items for your Friday!  If you missed this weeks throw down between Yvonne Strahovski and Nicole Richie in the shower, you can catch it on Hulu.com - “Chuck vs. The Cougars”.

I came across some other great Chuck-related resources this past week.  First up is the awesome fansite ChuckTV.net.  It’s a really well done and well-informed site.   They have lots of news, interviews, photo galleries from each episode (almost 2,000 screen captures from every episode!), a forum, and more.  A must for Chuck fans!

Second up is the podcast “Chuck vs. The Podcast“.  Very clever name, by the way.  I had no idea there was a fancast out there dedicated to Chuck!  Yay!  The podcast is affiliated with ChuckTV.net, so they provide lots of great interviews, news, and some spoilers.  They have done nine episodes so far, all offered in two formats. There is the straight MP3 format, and there is the enhanced AAC format that lets you see photos & web links, and also lets you skip from chapter to chapter.  Pretty cool!  Definitely worth your time if you like podcasts and Chuck.

Finally, new information to me that I read about on ChuckTV.net (but has actually been out there for a couple months) is the casting of Captain Awesome’s parents for an upcoming episode.  It’s been revealed that Captain Awesome’s parents will be played by Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Boxleitner!  Apparently they’re both doctors and just as fit and athletic and awesome as, well, Awesome.  That’s hilarious!  I can’t wait!

Do you find yourself yearning for more “Chuck” throughout the week?  Do you find yourself thinking, Monday at 8pm just can’t get here fast enough?  Do you find yourself daydreaming while in Best Buy, imagining it’s the Buy More?  Well, I’m here to help those in-between days.

As I’ve mentioned before you can watch full episodes of “Chuck” online through Hulu.com.  Additionally, you can pick up the Chuck comic book from Wildstorm (issue #4 should still be on shelves).

Now you can also watch a web-exclusive “webisode” of “Chuck”.  It’s only 81 seconds long, but it features a brilliant Agent John Casey moment!  Apparently, there are more of these webisodes on the way.  Yay!

You can also join the Buy More team at the website “Inside Buy More”.  You can choose to be a member of the Nerd Herd or a Buy More Sales Associate (Green Shirt).  There is a message board, employee training (a.k.a. games), and more available on this site.  I found myself playing around on this site far longer than I expected.  If you sign up, look me up under “Co-Workers” and add me as a contact.  You can find me as “OnceUponAGeek”.

Stop by and read Captain Awesome’s missives at “Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome!!“  This is a blog run by NBC and has some posts from Captain Awesome himself.

You can sign up to get text messages from NBC about Chuck.  I’m not sure what these are going to be (just signed up myself), but it indicates that I’ll get about five messages a week.  They better be full of awesome.

If you like behind-the-scenes things, then you can watch a few Chuck cast related videos from the 2008 San Diego Comic Con on Hulu.com.

• The Comic Con Walk with Chuck & Morgan (5 minutes)
  
• The Chuck Panel (45 minutes)
• Back Stage with Chuck Cast (6 minutes)

Of course if you feel like spending money, you can buy Chuck-related merchandise through the NBC online store.  I’m thinking about buying a Nerd Herd Lanyard before next year’s DragonCon myself.

Finally, if you happen to like Yvonne Strahovski (Agent Sarah Walker), then you might want to check out the website StraHOTski.com.  Very nice.

See… now don’t you feel better?  You can get through your week a little easier with more Chuck in your life.

I watched the “Chuck” season two premiere online this week - Chuck Versus The First Date.  It was AWESOME!  (pun intended)  It was well worth the wait we’ve endured since last season. The story was funny, the action was good, and the romantic tension really worked. 

Zachary Levi’s comedic talent continues to shine as the lovable, yet doofy, Chuck. Adam Baldwin brings a real intensity and straightforwardness to the role of the no-nonsense Agent Casey. And Yvonne Strahovski divides her time between being absolutely gorgeous and kicking some serious butt. It’s hard to believe her natural accent is Australian. They did a good job reinforcing the core concepts behind each of these characters and thus reminded us why we love them so much.

I’ve outlined below some of my favorite bits from the episode, however, be warned THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD.

If you want to watch the episode now before it airs on NBC next Monday, visit Hulu.com.

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SPOILER SPACE - I’m serious here.  I’m really going to blow the episode for you if you continue.

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SPOILER SPACE - You’re still reading?  Okay, you’ve been warned.

Overall the episode was very enjoyable.  There were several really funny scenes, possibly some of the best in the show’s history.  The chemistry between Chuck and Sarah was done especially well and seemed believable.  Casey struggling with his mission was interesting and made the character even more likeable.

A few things I enjoyed worth mentioning:

• Great opening scene featuring Michael Clarke Duncan holding Chuck by his tie.  Chuck leaning back like that was hilarious!  And later Duncan holding Chuck by his feet was good too.
• I was very pleased to see the opening credits now include Captain Awesome, Big Mike, Jeff, Lester, and Anna.  I like all those characters, so it’s cool they are getting the proper recognition. 
• I was laughing hysterically at Chuck’s shell-shocked expression in the aftermath of the shower scene!  Captain Awesome makes me laugh every time he’s on screen. 
• Yay for the ridiculously over-sexed yogurt scene (including the crazy windswept hair) and the underwear scene. 
• Casey’s tricked out apartment (camera, showers, and emergency adrenalin needle) and his love for Ronald Reagan.  Brilliant additions to this character.
• Casey’s fantastic rescue of Sarah and Chuck in the Chinese restaurant
• The use of Huey Lewis music and the posters in Chuck’s room (Tron, San Diego ComicCon, & “Y the Last Man”)
• The uncalled for and unwelcome advances from Jeff during the interview scene!  LOL!
• Morgan’s new haircut, his Call of Duty masterplan, & most of all the Thunderdome cage match!!!
• Chuck’s imposing team of tactical agents and the clever dialogue to go with it
• The fascination with Jeff eating 90 Twinkies; especially how Casey’s interest piqued when he heard that Jeff might die.

The only real criticism I have is that the Intersect 2.0 plot was cleaned up a little too neatly.  I got the impression that the CIA Director knew it was going to blow.  Perhaps he was affiliated with Fulcrum.  I just hope they revisit this plot later, otherwise it will feel too ’throw away’. 

The plot point of Chuck trying to better himself by leaving the ‘Buy More’ got me wondering how long that element of the show can survive. While I’m loving the ‘Buy More’ setting right now, I can envision a period in the future in which this part of the show becomes repetitive and tiresome.  It’s not boring right now, but could become that way someday.

I’m thrilled that season two has gotten off to such a great start.  I can only hope the rest of the season lives up to the example set by this episode.  Now I’m going to be miserable waiting two weeks for the second episode of the season to air!  Arrrggghhh!!!

If you know me, then you know I love the TV show “Chuck”.  I didn’t watch much TV last season, but I sure as hell didn’t miss an episode of “Chuck”.  Funny, action-oriented, clever, geeky, and a beautiful Australian blond.  That’s a recipe for awesome.

The good news is that the season premiere of “Chuck” airs on NBC on Monday, September 29.  Check out the official NBC website for details. The even better news is that the season premiere can be seen online a week earlier (Monday, September 22) on Hulu.com according to the “Chuck Online” fansite.

If you haven’t seen these already… check out these cool, yet subtle costumes from Dragon*Con that I saw this year.

If you need something to tide you over until the season premiere, you can watch older episodes of Chuck online through NBC.com or Hulu.  Additionally, you can check out the “Chuck” comic book from Wildstorm (see an earlier post of mine for details).

Finally, here are a couple “Chuck” season two commercials to get you jazzed.

I’m closing out my DragonCon 2008 coverage with my favorite costume photos.  Some have been shown here previously, but they bear repeating.  To see all of my DragonCon photos, be sure to visit my Flickr page.  If you have a favorite costume that I left out, be sure to mention it in the comments.

The Iron Man suits were definitely the coolest overall costumes at the con. Simply breathtaking.

Axl wins as the most subtle yet effective costume at the con. This guy was in character too!  He made a comment that the “Chinese Democracy” album would be out really soon.  Too funny!

This “Iron Man” was hilarious and very unexpected.  Definitely the funniest costume at the con.

Quite a few people were talking about the Convention Vixens.  Here is “Erotic Hypnotic” from that group.  You can find more on the ConVixens by clicking here.

Lego Fett was amazing!  Very creative (and time consuming I imagine)!

A very funny and creative costume if you’ve seen the movie “Hancock”.

Here is a great Doctor Who-related costume.  It’s from the VERY creepy episode “Blink” in which statues come to life.

An impressive Supergirl.

Another fantastic and unexpected costume.  The Yip Yip guy was great the way he moved his mouth!

I saw two different guys as Jack Knight’s Starman this year.  This jacket was really cool. Well done!

Another funny costume.  This one comes from the movie “Shrek”.

Surrounding Cobra Commander with hot chicks was a stroke of brilliance!  Hail Cobra and his Hiss Ho’s!

A creative idea turning a nice suburban family from the 1950s into zombies.

There were a few groups of Ghostbusters this year, but these guys are friends of mine.  They worked really hard on their proton packs and they turned out amazing!

The sexy stewardesses

Just because I love the TV show “Chuck” so much, the “Buy More” staff!  Subtle costume, but smart.

The arms on this Doctor Octopus were really impressive.

The whole Hogwarts bad-girl thing was huge this year.  Understandably.

I have no idea what it’s supposed to be, but it looks friggin’ cool (and is insanely tall).

And for you fans of the Star Wars Lego game…

Other than the Doctor Who dynasty of shows, I don’t watch much television.  However, there is one new show that I have totally fallen for in the past year… “Chuck” on NBC.  The show is about a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government’s most vital secret. With the government’s most precious secrets in Chuck’s head, NSA’s John Casey and CIA’s Sarah Walker assume the responsibility of protecting him. The show is a mixture of action/adventure and sitcom, with just a dash of angsty romance.  Somehow they’ve hit upon a magical formula that just works.

If you haven’t seen the series, you can watch a few episodes (including the pilot) at the official NBC web site for Chuck.  The series features the hilarious and brilliant Zachary Levi as Chuck.  Sara Walker is played by one of the hottest women to come out of Australia, Yvonne Strahovski. John Casey is played by fantastic Adam Baldwin.  The supporting characters are also awesome (pun intended, if you watch the show)!

Recently Wildstorm comics started a six-issue mini-series based upon the show.  It’s being written by series co-executive producer Peter Johnson and series writer Zev Borow, so it’s not just some lousy throwaway spin-off.  The first issue came out last month (hopefully you can still find it in stores), while the second issue is slated to come out this week.  I felt that Issue #1 was well done.  Since its being written by people from the actual show, you get the sense that they got the characters “voices” right.  I love the homage to Gilligan’s Island in the beginning where Chuck plays Gilligan and his boss plays Skipper.  Funny stuff!  Also, some former Chuck adversaries make appearances in the comic, so that was fun.  Finally, there is a one-page back-up called “Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome!!”  That was great… or dare I say AWESOME!  All told, I think the comic mini-series is off to a good start.

There were also a few recent Hellboy II: The Golden Army commercials featuring Chuck.  Check them out below.

 Chuck hangs with Hellboy…

Better head to the Buy More…

If you can’t view the embedded videos, just head over to the official NBC web site for Chuck.