Nicole CamposSee more photos in “San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Preview Night,” “San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Day One,” “San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Day Two.”
You will all have to forgive me for breaking the fourth wall of blogger “voice” for this one. The third person just won't cut it.
I'm a geek. A geek who was practically weaned on the likes of Doctor Who and Star Trek. And tonight, at the Nerdist Podcast live at 4th & B in the heart of San Diego, on the third night of Comic-Con 2011, The Doctor, his companion Amy Pond, and Wesley Crusher were all together on stage. (Highlight of the night #1 – Karen Gillan has a big ol' squee about meeting Data from Star Trek earlier. Wil Wheaton, who admitted to a massive crush on the lovely redhead, as calmly as possible notes that… dude. He totally knows Data.)
Gillan and Smith deep in the podcastin' zone with Wil Wheaton and Chris Hardwick; Credit: Dianne Garcia
And then as though it couldn't possibly plunge deeper into nerdvana, we got to witness the moment at which it dawned on The Doctor and Amy that in a former life, Wesley Crusher was Gordie in Stand By Me. (Highlight of the night #2 – Matt Smith: “Oh my god, I love that movie. The leeches!”)
Alright, let's back up a little. Two things: One, it's time to refrain from giving away too many more spoilers about Saturday's positively epic 8 p.m. Nerdist podcast taping; the episode will surely go live on the web sometime soon (keep checking iTunes or Nerdist.com), and it really is one of the best the boys have done to date, insanely funny and full of thoughtful discussion of Who and much more. The other thing is that, were it not for alpha nerd and your master of ceremonies Chris Hardwick's profound love of Doctor Who, the evening's wonderful convergence of sci-fi tentpoles might not have been possible.
Smith and Gillan speak to co-hosts Matt Mira and Jonah Ray; Credit: Dianne Garcia
Hardwick's obssession with Who, along with his enormously popular podcast – in which he regularly interviews the best and brightest in nerd culture, along with his intrepid co-hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira – has lead to run-ins in the past. Smith did the podcast solo once already, and Hardwick moderated a New York panel with the cast and showrunner Stephen Moffat earlier this year. (He's also hosting comedy programming on BBC America these days, with a Nerdist series pilot set to air in September. DVRs, on the ready, now!)
We can't remember precisely which anecdote Wheaton's on here, but it was probably a doozy.; Credit: Dianne Garcia
Still, it's difficult to argue that the Comic-Con live show may just have been the guys' best episode to date, what with the terrific guests (The Who co-stars were the marquee draw, but Wheaton – a longtime friend of Hardwick's since they were teenagers – was a surprise addition) and the utterly devoted packed house full of DW fans to cheer them on. (The sea of lit Sonic Screwdrivers that went waving about when Hardwick took the stage for his opening standup set was a thing of true geeky beauty.)
Hardwick and Mike Phirman lay a little Hard 'n' Phirm on the crowd to close the show.; Credit: Dianne Garcia
Sure, they were hardly the only hot ticket in town this evening – heck, they weren't even the only one on the block, with the world premiere of Cowboys and Aliens happening just around the corner. But hottest ticket? You could make one hell of a convincing argument.(A behind-the-scenes highlight of the night: Observing along with Hardwick, standing just outside the stage door looking at the floodlights and limos pulling up, that it was all a bit Hedwig and the Angry Inch: “You're right! It's like Tommy Gnosis doing his big show across the street!”)
Amelia Pond would love you to enjoy the hell out of this burrito; Credit: Dianne Garcia
And the coup de grace for that argument? The fact that at the end of it all, following Hardwick's closing serenade along with his Hard 'n' Phirm partner Mike Phirman (There may have been a fez worn at one point. 'Cause fezzes are cool), the podcast's catchphrase – “Enjoy your burrito!” (It's a long story, listen to this for the origin) – literally came to life as Smith and Gillan descended into the audience to hand out dozens of burritos, wrapped in TARDIS-decorated paper sleeves (amazing!, to several hundred of their biggest fans. Hey Team Nerdist: The time to start figuring out how the hell you're going to top this next year starts now. (Though we are sure the 11 p.m. late show, featuring the Rifftrax gang, Kevin Pereira and Doug Benson, was pretty damn sweet, too.)
For more from SDCC, follow @camposova on Twitter.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.