A Tribute to Nerds: The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar host the nerdy Just for Laughs showcase

Posted by: Mark McLeod  •  July 29, 2011 @ 8:30am

Filed under: Interviews

Nerds. Geeks. Fanboys. All these words used to be used to describe those who were considered the social outcasts. It wasn't cool to like comic books or computers. You couldn't get girls playing Dungeons & Dragons or possessing an ounce of intelligence. Obsessing over Star Wars, Star Trek, or Spider-Man meant you were on the outside looking in.

But these days, nerds kind of rule the world. Technology rules our culture, Comic Con is one of the biggest events of the year, The Dark Knight and Harry Potter dominate at the box office, and shows like The Big Bang Theory and Chuck are front and centre on the airwaves. It's okay to be a geek, and this is just as true in comedy as it is elsewhere.

This year's Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal features "A Tribute to Nerds", a showcase of some comics who are proud of the nerdy pursuits -- Brian Posehn, Mark Little, Chris Hardwick, and Sammy J & Randy. The night is hosted by Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, two actors who definitely represent nerd culture as Howard and Raj on the Emmy-nominated CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. I was lucky enough to interview both actors a couple weeks back, and I spoke with each of them about their starts in acting, what the term "nerd" means to them, what they have in store for the Just for Laughs audience, and of course The Big Bang Theory.

Simon Helberg

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Kunal Nayyar

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Tags: Just for Laughs, A Tribute to Nerds, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory, BBT, Brian Posehn, Chris Hardwick, Mark Little, JFL2011

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Mark McLeod has always loved film. In addition to his roles with ShowbizMonkeys.com, Mark also works on many film promotion projects in Vancouver, BC, through his company, Mark McLeod PR.

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