Pop culture going where nerdy have gone before

• Check out the geek class of 2003

By Susan Wloszczyna and Ann Oldenburg
USA Today

Jon Orque • The Honolulu Advertiser

Those loser days, however, are as over as "Dumb and Dumber" prequels. If you are a cyber whiz who is plugged into the pop-culture world of sci-fi, fantasy, comic books and cult horror, or if you're even the master of a Web site devoted to such once-arcane matters, you don't just rule. You rock.

Consider a scene in the hit movie "School of Rock" when a geeky fifth-grader, who can tickle the ivories like a one-man Ferrante & Teicher, says he can't join his class rock band because, "I'm not cool. ... Nobody ever talks to me."

Counters his teacher, played by that fount of rock-geek trivia Jack Black: "Those days are over, buddy. 'Cause you could be the ugliest sad sack on the planet, but if you're in a rocking band, you're the cat's pajamas, man."

The obsessive domain of geek fans has achieved mass-media popularity.

Let's put it this way: If they remade 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" today, it would have to be retitled "Triumph of the Geeks."

They haven't just gotten even, they pulled ahead of the rest of us. And they didn't even have to stop wearing flood pants to do it.

"It has a lot to do with the computer revolution, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs," says Lynn Bartholome of the Popular Culture Association. "Those guys were quote-unquote geeks, and for baby boomers, they've now got what's important — prestige, money and power."

She defines a geek as "someone who is inquisitive, thinks on his or her own, who is a little bit off-center, who doesn't follow the crowd."

The Internet, with its personalized sites and chat forums, is the geek's best friend. "It has promoted geekdom, because people are expressing themselves more so than ever before."

Actually, what everyone wants these days is a geek of their own to explain "The Matrix" or compare "X-Men" mutations. Don't be surprised if some enterprising Bill Gates type opens a Rent-a-Geek.

The entertainment industry has simply wised up, pushing geek-friendly fare into the mainstream.

The monsters of genre: What are the big movie franchises of the new century? The high-tech sci-fi of "The Matrix," the fantasy of "The Lord of the Rings," and the comic-book-spun "Spider-Man," which have pulled in a combined $1.5 billion at the box office so far.

"The geek stuff that has been very successful allows audiences to connect very personally," says Dave Poland, overseer of the Web site Movie City News and its geek offshoot, Movie City Geek.

High note: Who has the No. 1 album this week? "American Idol's" Clay Aiken, who is a self-proclaimed nerd and proud of it.

Digital doodling: The coolest animation going? The 3-D creations from Pixar ("Finding Nemo"), led by geek cartoonist supreme John Lasseter.

Page-turner: Who has made reading cool to young kids? That wizard geek Harry Potter, whose books have sold 200 million copies worldwide.

Cult gone wild: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," a remake of the horror-geek cult classic from 1974, made almost as much in its first weekend ($28.1 million) as the original has made in 29 years.

Jessica Biel, star of the new "Massacre," admits to being a geek. "I was kind of nerdy in school and I loved horror films."

Prime timer: One of the most popular characters on Fox's teen-aimed soap "The O.C."? Seth, the high-school misfit who attends the geek summit known as Comic-Con.

"There are a lot of kids who feel like Seth," says "O.C." creator Josh Schwartz.

"When you're not accepted, that doesn't mean you do what everyone wants."

Check out the geek class of 2003

Blue-collar geeks: Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner

This nebbishy Clevelander turns his mundane life into a popular comic book titled "American Splendor." His wife is his eccentric female equal. Now his curmudgeonly worldview has been celebrated in the film version of "American Splendor."

Hunk geek: George Clooney

Cagey divorce lawyer Miles Massey in "Intolerable Cruelty." The Coen brothers turn their dashing leading man into a goofball with a fetish for teeth cleaning.

Headbanger geek: Jack Black

In "School of Rock," he's a guitar-god wannabe who pretends to be a sub at a prep school and transforms his fifth-grade class into kick-butt rock musicians.

B-movie geek: Quentin Tarantino

He has concocted some of the most tasty, violent geek fiction.

After a six-year break, Tarantino strikes back with "Kill Bill Vol. 1," collecting his biggest opening ever ($22.1 million).

Web geek: Harry Knowles

Since 1996, the red-haired founder of the Internet site Ain't It Cool News has built a sizable following with juicy scoops and early film buzz. Knowles began as a Texas-based outlaw who's fast on the keyboard when it comes to zinging studios. Hollywood soon courted the big guy.

Sensitive geek: John Mayer

Soulful, pop-rock music darling, who burst on the scene in 2001 with triple-platinum album "Room for Squares." Mayer says he was too nerdy to go to his prom.

'Idol' Geek: Clay Aiken

No. 2 in the "American Idol" contest; No. 1 in our hearts, and on the charts. Aiken says he's proud to carry the banner for all nerds, and he's not ashamed to declare he's a virgin.

Magical geek: Harry Potter (actor Daniel Radcliffe)

He may be a misfit, with wizard parents and the gift of wizardry making him not quite of either world, but Danielle Radcliffe makes his character Harry smart and brave, and he has turned kids on to reading in a big way.

Secret-agent geek: Jake Foley (Christopher Gorham) on UPN's 'Jake 2.0'

Jake Foley is a nerdy computer technician until he slips into being a secret agent. The appeal comes from the fact that he's still geeky.

He can't believe he has super powers, and he's sure he isn't suave enough to score.