Fierce OR Nerdy: Don’t You Forget About Me

. important polls by slpc Because of the gravity of my last poll, I gave everyone a week off. Now I’m back with the results of the John Hughes Memorial Vote. THE BREAKFAST CLUB took first place with 32% of the votes, while FERRIS BUELLER landed in second with 22%, and SIXTEEN CANDLES took third with 14% (sorry Ernessa). I was kinda shocked that SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL only had one vote, while UNCLE BUCK had three (maybe I should watch Uncle Buck again). MR. MOM, a personal favorite, was somewhere in the middle, while there were no votes for Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, She’s Having a Baby, or The Great Outdoors. Because I’m the type who can’t let things go, this final Hughes poll is dedicated to the winner: The Breakfast Club. Choose your favorite BOY and GIRL. OR [poll id=”23″] OR [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Geek Love Memorial

Last week most of you chose to die by drowning, as opposed to burning. I myself am terrified of drowning because somehow it seems more likely. Unfortunately, there just doesn’t seem to be a tasteful way to segue from imagined death into actual death… so… Let’s just do this: This is a very special John Hughes Tribute Edition of Fierce OR Nerdy. To celebrate the guy who made geeky cool, I’ve listed a dozen of the original films Hughes wrote. I left out a few of the more obscure ones, the sequels, and I focused solely on the 1980’s (so Home Alone, Career Opportunities, Curly Sue, and Beethoven all missed the cutoff). Vote for your favorite. Feel free to defend it and commemorate Hughes in the comments. (Also, if you have two minutes, read this very touching blog entry from a fan/pen-pal that proves how much Hughes rocked.) [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Means to an End

Last week, Madonna (Mother of Lourdes) beat out Madonna (Mother of God) by a couple of votes. When I created the poll, I was convinced that Mother of God would sweep, simply because I thought people were kinda over Madonna, Mother of Pop — but it seems she’s still getting respect. And if you compare the two Madonnas and what they accomplished during their lifetimes, well, you can’t deny that Madonna Ciccone has worked her ass off to become who she is. All the Virgin Mary did was give birth to and raise a God  — and really, how hard could that be? It’s not like Jesus went through terrible twos (or did he?). Although, if the whole virgin birth/God thing IS true, I guess you have to give Mother Mary kudos for going along on that insane ride. I think I would’ve said “Hell Nay!” Perhaps I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, but I’ve decided to entertain some morbid thoughts. It’s not an original question: if you could choose your death, how would you die? There’s no consensus among professionals about what would be the most painful demise, but it seems Burning and Drowning are the two that people fear most. So, if you had to choose… OR [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Madonna v. Madonna

Last week, Aliens faced off against Ghosts. And, perhaps surprisingly, Ghosts won. Those are my favorite polls, because we don’t actually know why Ghosts won. Was it because people think Ghosts are more likely to exist? Or because they’re eerier? Or sexier? Who knows. Truth is, in any poll, you never know the voter’s reasoning behind their choice. By muddying the poll itself, the process becomes even more abstracted, and in my opinion, more interesting. But this week, I have a specific survey for you… If Michael Jackson is the King of Pop, Madonna is, of course, the Queen. Although, she’d probably prefer you called her “The Blessed Mother.” Since the beginning of her career, she’s sparked many controversies with the Roman Catholic Church. First, there was her choice of stage-name, then 1984’s scandalous “Like a Virgin,” followed up by “Like a Prayer,” and a few years ago, her Confessions Tour nearly caused a holy war when, during the finale, she crucified herself. Oh, and it’s debatable whether she chose her most recent boyfriend, a 22-year old Brazilian Kabbalist, solely for his name: Jesus. (I think it was more than his name.) Perhaps you haven’t heard about Madonna’s latest blasphemy. Her Warsaw concert date is set for August 15th — which happens to be The Feast of Assumption of the Blessed Mary, one of the holiest of Catholic holidays celebrating the “real” Madonna. Some Poles are irate, and one protest leader called the concert “an attack of the devil on our untouched Catholic nation and the Catholic tradition of Poles.” But it’s unclear whether Madonna (or her managers) irreverently picked that date in order to benefit from the controversy, or whether the religious protesters are just milking this opportunity for publicity. Or perhaps both....

Fierce OR Nerdy: Aliens v. Ghosts?

(Fierce OR Nerdy took last Friday off, as I was in the middle of the woods with no cell reception and certainly no internet. It was nearly maddening.) Two weeks ago, Jon Bon Jovi’s “America the Beautiful” kicked the ass out of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” I thought we’d have a closer turn-out, since both performances, in my opinion, were equally awful. We did have a couple of write-in votes for “Today!” by Neil Diamond… Um. Why is it that all patriotic songs are horrendously cheesy? Unless they’re performed by Judy Garland — and if you think that sounds like a paradox, watch this. Once again, let’s go in a completely different direction. Aliens OR Ghosts? Of which are you more frightened? In which do you believe? With whom would you rather have sex? You decide. OR  [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: America v. USA

Last week, you had a somewhat abstract decision to make: Up & Down or Around. I suppose it isn’t too surprising that Up & Down took the lead, 63% to 37%. Most everyone, at one point or another, has had an experience with nausea after too many turns on the (insert rotating ride here). For me, it was the Paratrooper at Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach (now closed). Paratrooper was your typical spinning-arm-type ride, which I could usually handle — for instance, I loved Mo-Mo the Monster at Six Flags Georgia (sadly, Mo-Mo is no mo’). But that particular sweaty day in Florida, I had eaten two bags of cotton candy, a funnel cake, and a slurpee. There was no vomit, but I spent the rest of the night wanting to die. Today, I send you off into the holiday weekend with your very first video poll: an all-American sing off. Jon Bon Jovi v. Lee Greenwood. Sorry, but I had to do it. It’s kinda painful, especially if you play them both at once. Happy 4th! OR [poll...

Hello Friday: The Fiercest Nerds on the Block: June 26th – July 2nd...

Cars for Hamsters, Jack v. Jill Jock Stats, Fame, and a Traveling Geek Show! That’s a pretty nerdy sampling of the week. And here’s more: HELLO FRIDAY re: Fierce OR Nerdy, in which slpc asked us to choose between Up and Down or Around… Justin_Time: Teacups = Upchucks. Give me a coaster any day. PHILOSOPHICAL MONDAY re: Fierce in Seattle: Another Year Under the Belt, in which Kelli Bielema celebrated the experience and confidence that comes with age… Katy Brisbois: Kel! I love ya! And so sorry I missed your birthday! You have always been a creative inspiration for me and now wisdom falls in with it! OH, IT’S TUESDAY re: Political Physics:  Skids, Mudflap and Race in Transformers ROTF, in which Monique King-Viehland examined the continuing portrayal of black stereotypes in Hollywood… Brent: …in “Transformers 2”, it wasn’t just the Amos & Andy-bots that offended me. There was also the stupid, midget Egyptian border agent. The stupid, buck-toothed, brown foreigner (either African or East Indian) butcher. As well as the depiction of Paris as a place where we Americans have to endure stupid, rude mimes interrupting us while we try to eat their horrible food (ooh snails – gross!). (More Nerds After the Jump…) WOW! IT’S WEDNESDAY! re: Wonderfully Awful: Wonderfully Wonderful, in which Robin Rosenzweig shared with us her badass engagement, roller-derby style, and Ernessa resurfaced to comment… ernessa: Ohhhh! What a wonderful proposal!!! Perfect mix of derby and romance. Mazel Tov! DEAR THURSDAY re: Secret Life of a Nerd Girl: Weight, how do I do this again?, in which Gudrun Cram-Drach struggles to count calories in the country where brioche is king and brie is queen… keldoo: Yeah, I’m not sure how you are surviving with all of that tempation. It’s...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Up and Down or Around?

a blogumn by slpc Last week’s poll between Cupcakes and Brownies was a record turn-out of voters resulting in a tie! I’m very happy about this, because I personally have very equal feelings about a great cupcake and a great brownie. In fact, I’d like to have one of each right now. I’m currently visiting my hometown, and when I stepped out of the airport into the intense southern heat, I realized it’s the first time I’ve been home during the summer in many, many years. Like many people, the summer of my youth was filled with swimming pools, playgrounds, and amusement parks. This week’s poll is a tribute to nostalgia. Up and Down could mean anything from the see-saw, to the waterslide, or the freefall, while Around is the merry-go-round, the lazy river, or the loop-de-loop coaster. You choose. OR [poll...

Hello Friday: The Fiercest Nerds on the Block: June 19-25

It’s been an epic week to be a guest editor: Star Wars, LOTR, 4th of July Embarrassments, and Baby Betty was born! A truly momentous week for FaN. HELLO FRIDAY re: Fierce OR Nerdy, in which slpc asked us to choose between Cupcakes and Brownies. AlysiaNichole: In my opinion, blondies are simply fat cookies cut into squares or rectangles. They shall be renamed “sqookies,” short for square cookies. SPECIAL SUNDAY EDITION re: The Betty Experience: Showing Betty New Things, in which ETC lived blogged about preparing herself for the delivery room experience. Tara: My husband audio-recorded the delivery (without anyone knowing) on his iphone — so no visuals, but it was cool to hear some of it (weird as it was)! PHILOSOPHICAL MONDAY We had the MOST VISITORS EVER to FaN on Monday (!), which made it difficult to choose just one nerd for that day… so here’s five. re: The Betty Experience: Still Sleeping on my Side, in which BabySmiling: After watching many episodes of I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant on TLC, the 9 cm lady is fine in my book as long as she knew she was pregnant in advance. Maybe she got stuck in the snow? No, that’s not it. Maybe traffic? There are people whose labors go from 0-60 very quickly, so it’s possible she’s not as bad as you think. But if she’s a good outlet for your labor aggression, go for it. Maybe Betty will beat up her kid for you in the nursery. (More Nerds After the Jump…) re: The Betty Experience: the Oxygen Mask, in which Ernessa seriously reconsidered her nurse’s qualifications after the nurse mistook Juice Newton for Abba. Tamlyn Wright: I was just reading yesterday that kissing and laughter all through contractions lets...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Bake Off

. a blogumn by slpc I’m a little surprised by last week’s turn out. It would be a fair assumption to say most of our readers are liberal, but I was still shocked to see the large majority voted to legalize marijuana. I also noticed the comments section was a little emptier than usual — perhaps out of paranoia, or maybe just disinterest — but I was especially intrigued by Andrew Ator’s comment about how legalization would make our country lazy. I personally have mixed feelings about the issue, but laziness is not one of my concerns. Lazy people will find ways to be lazy with or without marijuana. Believe me, I find plenty of ways to procrastinate everything, including this blog, without pot. On the other hand, I know plenty of stoners who are highly productive. But I suppose we won’t find out whether Andrew’s blanket statement has any validity until pot is legal, so here’s hoping we find out someday. We can always prohibit it later, right? Now, for something completely different. I figured we needed something a little lighter this week. And something yummy. I’m also curious if the recent cupcake trend has indeed supplanted all other handheld desserts. In my opinion, if anything could take on the cupcake, it would be the brownie. Let’s find out.* OR [poll id=”16″] *The Fierce OR Nerdy labels don’t really apply this week. Or do...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Up High or Down Low

. a blogumn by slpc Last week, I asked whether you would take the money and run, or return it and be a decent citizen. Well, RUN won by one vote, and I have to say, I’m kinda proud of you folks out there who are braver than I am. I know myself well enough to say that while I could think of a million ways to spend that money and/or live covertly, I’d probably just give the money back and hope they’d give me a reward. Which of course they wouldn’t. And then I would wish I had run. Oh well. A couple days ago, after reading A Drug War Truce? in Rolling Stone , I was inspired to have a little legalization debate. Before you vote, you can listen to what some (obscure) religious leaders have to say on the subject, as well what our President said at a Town Hall back in March, and what the ex-presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Columbia said last month. And here’s a video about a dog who ate a bag of pot — thanks, CNN. OR [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Bank Error in Your Favor

. a blogumn by slpc We had a good showing of hands last week. Twenty-three votes (61%) went to Soldiers, leaving Dinosaurs with only 15 votes (39%). Even though Land of the Lost was in the losing category (and the reviews aren’t winning either), I’m still looking forward to seeing it this weekend. (But then, I sat through the Will Ferrell episode of Man Vs. Wild a couple nights ago, so I’m obviously a glutton for punishment.) This week, I bring you your first Fierce OR Nerdy moral dilemma. Almost a month ago, Leo Gao and Cara Young, the now infamous New Zealand couple, were reported missing after an employee at Westpac Bank made a rather large error in their favor. Instead of depositing $61,000 into the couple’s nearly bankrupt account, the teller forgot the decimal and deposited 6.1 million. The next day, the couple fled the country with all the money they could withdraw: 3.8 million. They flew to Hong Kong. They hit up casinos in Macau. And now, nearly a month later, they’re still on the lam, having evaded police on two continents, private detectives, and Interpol. It’s beginning to look like Leo and Cara actually got away with it. So, what would you do if 6.2 million landed in your bank account? Would you be fiscally responsible? Or would you take the money and run? or [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Dinosaurs vs. Basterds

. . a blogumn by slpc Last week, Conan got a whopping 87% of your votes (and Zack, from Tall Glass of Shame, admitted to voting for Leno out of pity). So doesn’t it seem like NBC should be giving Conan the primetime show instead of Leno? Someday, perhaps. For now, just set your DVR for  The Tonight Show on June 1st when Conan’s first guests will be Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam. Speaking of Will Ferrell… Land of the Lost comes out June 5th, which makes me realize, we’re already in the thick of the summer movie season. If you, like me, are shocked by how fast this happened, never fear. Looking at the list of remaining releases, we still have many more dinosaurs, wizards, gangsters, ghosts, soldiers, and aliens to come. I have to admit, I’m most stoked about Land of the Lost and Year One (dinosaurs) as well as Inglorious Basterds and G.I. Joe (soldiers). What about you? OR [poll id=”13″] Btw, when I first started this blogumn, I thought about creating a site to go along with it: a casual, crowd-sourcing experiment, pairing two dissimilar items — it’s kinda hard to explain. Luckily, I don’t have to, because someone else had the same idea, and I love that Ugg Boots rank in the bottom 10 right along with Aids, Cancer, and Fascism. But, if you’re the indecisive type, then this site where you can have BOTH explosions AND boobs may be more up your...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Chin Man vs. Forehead Man

. a blogumn by slpc Last week, you chose the name for the pandemic that is still sweeping the nation. The nerdy (and inaccurate, as pointed out by ThoughtChuck) moniker, H1N1, lost by just one vote to its even more inaccurate predecessor, SWINE FLU. I personally voted for H1N1 because, if I died of this influenza, I’d rather people say that I died of H1N1 and not the Swine Flu. That just sounds embarrassing. But then, I’d also rather have a flattering obit photo. In honor of one of the ballsier moves in television programming, I now give you Chin Man vs. Forehead Man. As everyone knows by now, Conan O’Brien will be taking Jay Leno’s place on The Tonight Show come June 1st. I don’t care if you’re more of a Letterman fan, you should tune in to watch this baton pass. As for Leno, and this is the ballsy part, NBC has given him a primetime slot every weeknight at 10pm called, what else, The Jay Leno Show. Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves have already voiced their confidence that the move will only benefit competing networks… We’ll see about that. OR [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Pick Your Poison

a blogumn by slpc Last week, you chose between Zachery Quinto’s Spock and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Wolfie took the lead right out of the gate, but Spock came out on top with 68% of the votes. Honestly, I was a little surprised — until I saw Star Trek last weekend and was completely won over by Quinto. While he’s supposed to be emotionally vacuous in Trek, he somehow manages to convey more in those two hours than in 50-something episodes as Sylar on Heroes. (Feel free to disagree with me in the comments.) I thought about letting you choose between the American Idol finalists this week. But, since this is only my second blogumn, I can’t let you think I’m only about the trendy boys (Jackman/Quinto, Glambert/Krisallen). So, to switch things up: OR [poll...

Fierce OR Nerdy: Now Is The Time To Choose

. a new blogumn by slpc Since the beginning of FaN, Ernessa has been asking me to write a column. I’ve finally found one I can handle on a weekly basis, mostly because it requires YOU to do the work. Don’t worry. It’s a very simple, self-explanatory social experiment. I’ll ask you to choose between two items, but I won’t be giving you a question. However you interpret the choice is up to you. For example: below I’ve given you two images representing the words FIERCE and NERDY. You could be voting for the photo you think most accurately represents the word. You could be voting for the character you love most, or the one with whom you most identity. Put as little or as much thought into it as you want. And feel free to back up your decision in the comments. Results will be discussed in next week’s blogumn. OR  [poll id=”9″] Thanks for...