From the LifeLine section of USA Today,
excerpted from Entertainment Wire
NEW YORK-- Dec. 28, 2000--If you think there are more know-it-alls than ever, you're right. The digital age favors geeks - those people who have such a brilliantly thorough knowledge of a subject that it interferes with their ability to schmooze. There are a few people in this world who seem to have no problem keeping up with these fast changing times, no matter what the cost to their personal lives. They sit in front of their computers for hours, if not days, staring at their screens.
But who needs to schmooze when you're working 16-hour days? Do you really need charm when you never leave the office?
The Geek Factory, the upstart Silicon Alley PR firm, today honors those geeks who, through their prescience and sacrifice, are the backbone of the new economy. Peter Shankman, founder and President, said, "Oxymoronic as it may sound, geeks are the coolest. Not only do they provide the services we need, but they provide the market as well. Could a movie like 'X-MEN' make over $100 million in a world without geeks?"
And so, The Geek 100:
Tube Geeks
Jim Gaffigan (Actor; "Welcome to New York)
Chris Carter (Producer; "The X-Files;" "Milennium")
Ben Stein ("Win Ben Stein's Money; Nixon speechwriter)
Professor Farnsworth (Character on "Futurama")
Geek Laughs
Jim Carrey
(Actor; "The Mask;" "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas")
Emo Phillips (Twisted comedian)
Matt Groening (creator of "The Simpsons," "Futurama")
Evan Dorkin (Comic book creator, "Milk & Cheese," "Dork")
Suck.com (Website)
Music Geeks
Moby (Musician)
David Byrne(Musician and Producer)
David Bowie (Musician; Bowie.net)
Tori Amos (Musician/Songwriter)
Literary Geeks
Michael Chabon (Author; journalist)
William Gibson (Author; "Neuromancer")
Joyce Carol Oates (Author; "In the Garden of Earthly Delight")
Hunter S. Thompson (Author, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas")
Caleb Carr (Author; "Killing Time")
David Foster Wallace (Author; "Infinite Jest")
Orson Scott Card (Author; "Ender's Game")
Sports Geeks
Tiger Woods(golf superstar)
Shaquille O'Neal(basketball player - LA Lakers)
Dennis Miller(football commentator; comedian)
Classic Geeks
Bill Gates (Microsoft founder)
Steve Jobs (Apple founder)
Albert Einstein (Scientist; E=mc2)
George Lucas (Director, Producer; "Star Wars")
Janet Reno (US Attorney General)
Luckiest Geeks
David Duchovny (Actor; ex-"X-Files")
Tom Green (Comedian; "Charlie's Angels")
Ric Ocasek (Musician; married to model Paulina Porizkova)
Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder)
Richard Hatch (CBS "Survivor" winner)
Chris Pirillo (www.lockergnome.com founder)
Geeks on the Ballot
Ralph Nader (Green Party politician)
Mary Cantwell (Senator-elect from Washington state)
News Geeks
George Stephanopolous (ABC News commentator)
Doris Kearns Goodwin (Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Biographer)
Steve Carrell (Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" correspondent)
Tim Russert (Moderator on NBC's "Meet the Press")
Jason McCabe Calacanis (Editor, Silicon Alley Reporter)
Women Geeks Worship
Lara Croft (Video game uber-babe, "Tomb Raider")
Alyson Hanigan (Actress, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
Drew Barrymore (Actress; "E.T.;" "Charlie's Angels")
Angelina Jolie (Actress, "Hackers," "Girl, Interrupted," "Tomb Raider")
Courtney Pulitzer (Founder, "Cocktails With Courtney;" "Courtney Pulitzer Creations")
Gillian Anderson (Actress; "The X-Files")
Men Geeks Worship
Harrison Ford (Actor; "Indiana Jones;" "Star Wars")
Prince (Musician)
Bruce Springsteen (Musician)
John Cusack (Actor)
Isaac Asimov (Author)
Geek Heaven
Comdex
E3
Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame
Internet World, NY
The AOL NOC
Doomed Geeks
Jeff Bezos (amazon.com founder)
Jeff Katzenberg (movie mogul;Dreamworks SKG)
Jay Walker (Founder of priceline.com)
Geeks in Denial
Martha Stewart (home-and-garden entrepreneur)
David Copperfield (magician)
Andrew "Dice" Clay (comedian)
Geeks in Training
Haley Joel Osment (Actor; "The Sixth Sense")
Natalie Portman (Actress; "The Professional;" "Star Wars: Episode I")
Jonathan Lipnicki (Actor; "Jerry McGuire;" "The Little Vampire")
Harry Potter (Children's book hero)
Big Screen Geeks
Woody Allen (Actor; Director; "Annie Hall;" "Sweet and Lowdown")
Steven Spielberg (Director; "Schindler's List;" "Saving Private Ryan")
Joel and Ethan Coen (Directors; "Miller's Crossing;" "Fargo")
Rick Moranis (Actor; "Ghostbusters;" "Honey I Shrunk The Kids")
Jeff Goldblum (Actor; "The Big Chill;" "Independence Day")
Steven Soderberg (Director, "Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Erin Brockavich")
Anti-Geeks
Russell Crowe (Actor; "Gladiator;" "L.A. Confidential")
Ricky Martin (Singer; "Livin' La Vida Loca")
Pamela Anderson(Actress; "VIP")
David Hasselhoff (Actor; "Knight Rider;" "Baywatch")
Christine Aguilera (Singer; "What a Girl Wants")
Geek Hits
X-Men (comic book; movie)
Blair Witch Project (movie)
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (TV show)
Star Trek Voyager (TV show)
The X-Files (TV show; movie)
Aint-it-cool.com (Website)
Slashdot (Website)
Geek Products
Wireless Internet (anytime, anywhere)
Robot Dogs (motorized toy pets)
e-books
The Geek Factory (PR Firm)
Most Embarrassing Moment
in which a Geek Attempts to Look Like a Non-Geek
Al Gore kisses Tipper at the Democratic Convention
Runner-Up: Norm MacDonald on Celebrity "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
Best Geek Mid-Life Career Change
Isaac Mizrahi (Former fashion designer -> Stand-up comic) Runner-Up: Tom Watson (Founder of @NewYork -> philanthropist)
Worst Geek Mid-Life Career Change
Kathy Lee Gifford (TV personality-turned singer)
Geeks to Watch Out For
Darren Aronofsky (Movie director)
Christopher Rice (Author)
Heather Matarazzo (Actress)
Chelsea Clinton (Student)
Johnny Knoxville (Host, "Jackass")
Compiled by The Geek Factory, Inc., New York
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