Zachary Levi Fan Press Archive

Chuck star Zachary Levi wants to change the world for nerds. “Really, everybody is a nerd,” Levi tells PEOPLE. “I think a nerd is someone who’s passionate about something. I’m a self-proclaimed nerd.”

So to make life easier for pocket protector-carrying guys and girls, last year he launched The Nerd Machine, a website with goofy videos, message boards and official gear. But it was only when Levi wore two of his Nerd Machine T-shirts to the Teen Choice Awards this month that the concept totally took off. In fact, fans crashed the Nerd Machine site that night while trying to buy the cheeky tees.

So where’d the nerd love come from? Levi used to design apparel for Chuck‘s cast and crewmembers, giving the items as gifts. Soon, though, people outside the show’s circle asked where they could get the ironic T-shirts, prompting Levi to take his talents public. “I decided to make my own brand and call it The Nerd Machine and see if people dig it,” he explains. “And that’s kind of where it came from. I love fun, ironic, cool T-shirts and they’re easy to make if you put your mind to it.” He partnered with Chuck prop manager Dave Coleman, who used to have his own apparel company, and a brand was born. [READ THE REST]

Near the start of the ‘Chuck’ panel at Comic-Con, we learned that Mark Hamill will be guesting on the show, and the hourlong session ended in tears — but they were the good kind.

Star Zachary Levi got choked up on stage as he recalled the show’s first Comic-Con panel and as he talked about all that fans had done to keep the show alive for five seasons.

“This show would not have been here without you guys,” he said, before his emotions overcame him and he stopped talking. Fans took up the slack by cheering and clapping.

The panel began with a video of Jeffster playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ as Gomez did a ‘Rocky’-style workout. Morgan is the new Intersect, after all, and as Ryan McPartlin said in the video, the former Buy More nerd has to be “ripped” for the new season.

Being the Intersect has changed things for Gomez, as he noted during the panel. “I’m scared to death,” he said. “I have your schedule,” he added, pointing to Levi. Yvonne Strahovski said she was looking forward to having a bit of a break, given how much screen time Morgan will be getting this season. [READ THE REST]

Starting today, thousands of fans, celebrities, industry executives and journalists will make the annual pilgrimage to San Diego for Comic-Con International, a five-day festival of all that is geeky and fantastical.

For some, it’s a chance to meet their favorite TV and movie stars, for others, it’s to test out the latest video games, while plenty go just to get their hands on the newest comics, merchandise and free swag from studios. What they’d all likely agree on, though, is that with over 120,000 attendees, Comic-Con can be more than a little overwhelming.

Enter Zachary Levi, star of NBC’s ‘Chuck’ and holder of some indisputable geek credibility. Levi is right alongside Nathan Fillion and Joss Whedon in terms of commanding a loyal nerd army, eager to follow him from project to project. Having experienced Comic-Con as both an entertainer and a fan, Levi found himself wondering if he could do something to improve the San Diego experience for the people it was supposedly designed for — to allow fans and the people that they’re fans of to interact in a more intimate, low-key setting, while still enjoying the same mecca of merchandise, video games and comic books they’ve come to know and love from Comic-Con.

Thus, the Nerd HQ was born — viva la Nerdolution! [READ THE REST]