Becky Pena | Where All The Geeks Go! To Meet Olivia Munn!

This past Thursday led me once again to the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble, near NorthPark Center, for Olivia Munn’s book signing. For three hours I watched guys of all ages ride up the escalators to wait in line. Yes, the line to get their book signed. It was crazy. I got to the store around 4:30pm and boys were sitting on chairs, the floor, standing around the book shelves and like I said above, already starting their own book signing lines. The actual signing wasn't supposed to start till 7pm… Does it sound like these boys have an obsession? It sure does to me.

Olivia Munn, for those who don't know, is a well known television celebrity who stars on the show “Attack of the Show!” currently on G4. She is also a well known model with cover shots ranging from Maxim to Playboy to Foam magazine. You girls would probably remember her by her Pepsi and Neutrogena campaigns.

I will not deny it; I honestly had no idea who Olivia was before attending this book signing event. I am an avid book lover, not a TV one. As the intern, I had the fortunate task of standing in line to get the book signed, so not knowing Olivia didn't seem like a problem; her fans couldn't wait to inform me of her greatness. As you can tell, fans surrounded me. I was shown nearly nude pictures, YouTube fan videos, and personal fan memorabilia of Olivia. I'm so glad I'm not claustrophobic or easily scared off by geeky or overly nerdy guys. No offense of course to geeks nationwide, but I do believe a line was crossed for me that day.

Surprisingly, not one person in line mentioned the book SUCK IT, WONDER WOMAN, a memoir covering her acting career with plenty of “true” stories to keep you laughing and grossed out for days to come. Here she describes herself as a “Hollywood Geek” another label that connects her to the steady flow of male fans she currently has. Finding moments to ask if anyone had actually read the book or not was definitely a challenge in itself. After getting a negative response I manipulatively reminded them that she was now an author and that supporting her work by actually reading the book was probably a good idea. Hmmm, standing in line sure was fun.

Olivia showed up about 35 minutes late with her family in tow which is why our video interview was canceled. Her reading was entertaining and very crude but the boys loved it. They were practically eating out of her hands. Interactively speaking, she teased some of her younger fans, asking how old they were and if they were even legal. It was odd being around so many guys at a book signing, girls are usually in the majority. The guy/girl ratio, no lie, was about 25 to 1.

When I finally introduced myself to Olivia, I was able to see her in her element. I got a firm handshake and plenty of pictures starring Peaches (Fresh Fiction’s Fox mascot). She actually pouted when I told her the fox wasn't a present, but a fan. Overall, the night was unexpected. I had so much fun being surrounded by people I never would have talked to on a relatively normal basis. Plus, it didn't hurt to learn some interesting things about Olivia and her wonderful hoards of geeky fans.

Becky :)