PoP! Fangirl of the Month – May 2012

The PoP! Stars scour all of teh internetz in search of the most Fabulous Females of Fandom. Please keep it in your pants.

So…you think you know your nerdy trivia? You think YOU love books? Well guess what, PoP!ulation – you ain’t got nothin’ on our latest Fangirl of the Month. You may recognize her as one half of the So You Think You Know podcast, available every Friday right here on the PCN. Or maybe from her recent appearance at C2E2 cosplaying as a certain member of the Scooby Gang. Join me in welcoming Miss Lori Byers, aka Nubbins!

Name: Lori Byers

Handle: nubbins

Birthdate: August 3, 1980

Location: Bloomington, IN

Marital Status: Attached, we even have cats together!

Occupation: Pizza Chef, college student, and podcaster.

Hobbies: Reading, crocheting, cooking, WOW, researching things for SYTYK, watching as many movies and tv shows that I can, and Penguins!

Favorite Movies: The Wizard of Oz, The Boondock Saints, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter (ALL), The Monster Squad, Steel Magnolias, Wall-E, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppets, Hackers, House of 1000 Corpses, Horror Movies of any kind, and I could go on for a while, so I will stop here.

Lori & Brandon, of So You Think You Know!

Favorite TV Shows: Autopsy (HBO), CSI, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, Bones, Firefly, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Scooby-Doo (this is where my love for crime shows all started), Doctor Who, Torchwood, Law & Order (all), M*A*S*H, Castle, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Psych, and once again I will force myself to sop.  

Favorite Music: mc chris, 80’s hair bands, H.I.M., P!nk, Hugh Laurie, VNV Nation, The Monkees, AFI, Meat Loaf, Frank Sinatra, Old 97’s, Johnny Cash, Breaking Benjamin, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, and Queen just to name a few.

Favorite Comics: Rising Stars, Marvel’s The Wizard of Oz, Scooby Doo, and Locke & Key.

Favorite Video Games: Tetris, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, and World of Warcraft.

Favorite Books: I LOVE BOOKS! The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Stephen King’s short stories, Trash & Treasure series by Barbara Allan (Max A. Collins and Wife Barbara), Shadows of the Past by Thacher E Cleveland, Dark Doorways from Post Mortem Press, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, everything from Thomas Harris (Hannibal), Wormwood by Poppy Z. Brite, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, The Berenstain Bears collection, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, Fear Street series by R.L. Stine, and last but not least by a long shot, Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.

Turn-Ons: A sense of humor, someone who respects me, knowledgeable people, a happy smile, nice eyes, and someone not afraid to be themselves.

Turn-Offs: Not bathing, being rude, condescending, narcissist, and people who judge just from what’s on the outside.

PoP!: Alright Lori, let’s start with the easy question first. What makes you a Fangirl?

Lori: I didn’t think I was! I said this to my boyfriend and he started laughing. To me part of being a fangirl is my passion about the things I love, like books. I am always reading when I get a spare chance. I also love learning about new things. I watch documentaries a lot thanks to Netflix! I am a huge movie fan. I would also go to the theatre every week if I could, the stage just breaths a type of life into living art. I guess you could say I am a pop-culture nerd!

PoP!: Alright. I’ll say it. You’re a pop-culture nerd. But how long have you been infected with Fangirl-itis?

Lori: Probably all my life. I had a Superbaby bib as a baby. So I think that takes it all the way back. I have always had a passion for sci-fi and fantasy. I would read a lot to get away. I would also write really bad short stories when I was a kid. I was always off in a world of my own.

 PoP!: I’m going to need to go ahead and ask that you publish these short stories online. For…science. But anyways, besides all the reading, what’s one of your other favorite childhood nerdy memories?

Lori: When I was in the fourth grade we went on a field trip to Beef & Boards (a dinner theater in Indianapolis, In). We got all dressed up and went to see a play (I do not remember the play now). The whole time I was in awe. The moment I walked into the theatre and the lights dimmed and the spot lights came up. I fell in love with the theatre that day and my love continues to grow.

PoP!: I cross-referenced your town with the amateur theater productions that would have been in the area during the approximate time of this dinner, and I’m happy to say I was able to find the play that you saw. It was Hamlet 2. No need to thank me. Now, moving on, how about toys? When you weren’t taken in by the bright lights of the theater, what toys did you like to play with?

Lori: I had Barbie’s, but I think I played with my brothers Wrestlers and Voltron toys more.  I also had an Adam Computer with the tape cassettes. I thought I was so cool typing on that thing! I also played the Nintendo some. But I usually had to use the Game Genie for it.

PoP!: You had a whole Adam Computer for writing your short stories! That’s awesome. Those things were crazy. So, now that you’ve grown up, what are your current Fangirl obsessions?

Lori: I like collecting/read/watching anything Harry Potter or Scooby-Doo. Ever since I was a little kid I have been in love with Scooby-Doo. I am also becoming a bit more obsessed with Doctor Who.

PoP!: Scooby-Doo is my JAM. Bump it. They’ll wait. Boo yah. Alright, continuing on, what’s the most Fangirl-ish thing you’ve ever done?

Lori: I dressed up in my Harry Potter glasses and my International Quidditch Association t-shirt to see the last Harry Potter movie. But the icing on the cake was standing up at the end of the movie as the credits started to role, waved my wand hand, and said “Mischief Managed”. Yeah, I did that!

PoP!: That’s pretty Fangirlish, for sure. That’s REALLY Fangirlish. Not to mention pretty fantastic! Is that your biggest geek-out moment, or has there been another one?

Lori: It’s probably getting to see the traveling Smithsonian Jim Henson Exhibit. I got to see some of the first renditions of The Fraggles and Kermit. Looking at all of Jim’s drawings and the photos of his life gave me goosebumbs.

PoP!: How about new interests? Got anything new going on? Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Lori: I actually just cosplayed for the first time at C2E2 2012. But being from the stage I have had my hands in many costumes. The most gratifying for me is once you are dressed I become a completely different person. (It is a great escape at least for a little while.) The most annoying is trying to settle on what you want to dress as, there are so many options. But as a fuller woman, to me there are some things one should never wear! Also, trying to pee in a corset is a pain.

PoP!: Tell me about it. I mean…what? Quickly changing the subject, what’s your wildest Fangirl dream?

Lori: Getting to meet Greg Nicotero and have him do some special effects make-up on me! I love special effects make-up. He is one of my all time heroes!

PoP!: Okay, that’s awesome. That’s really awesome! Did you talk to him at all about the current Geek Girl renaissance? How do you feel about it?

Lori: I feel girl or guy it kind of hurts to see the “popular” kids thinking it’s cool to be a geek now. I was made fun of in school for my glasses. The other day I saw two girls wearing those same glasses as a “cool” fashion statement. That does not bode well with me. But as for girls getting credit for liking geeky things, I am glad to see it getting more acceptances. Even is some people try to fake their nerdiness. If you are passionate about something then share it with the world, geeky or not!

PoP!: Preach on, sister! How has being a Fangirl affected other aspects of your life?

Lori: I own way too many books. I feel like I never have enough time in my day for books, tv, movies, crocheting, cooking, researching, doing homework, working, and spending time with my boyfriend and our cats . On a positive note it has helped the boyfriend (Brandon the other host at So You Think You Know) and I start our podcast, work on a website, and we are even working on a business plan to turn our interest into a business.

PoP!: Lori, you’re fantastic. Keep on being awesome, and congratulations on joining the ranks of the PoP! Fangirls of the Month. While you spend the next few months trying to settle on a Harry Potter or a Scooby-Doo theme for your calendar page, how can the PoP!ulation keep up with you?

Lori: My Facebook or my personal Twitter, which I rarely use, if ever. But I also run the SYTYK Twitter, and I’m there daily! And, every Friday on the PoP! main page a new episode of SYTYK is posted. And finally, you can also find me on the PoP! Forums.

Filed Under: Fangirl of the Month • Features

Tags: Fangirl of the Month, featured, so you think you know