TOP 13 - Geeks to Watch in 2009 Part 1

Geeks have always dictated the tastes of popular culture. In many cases, it might take years before the masses embrace what has already been replaced by a new beloved

As the passionate elite who embrace what's new and different, these are, in my humblest opinion the Top 13 Geeks To Watch in 2009.

Now, keep in mind, these are not the most powerful or the most influential. These are the Top 13 who are doing something different; some names are familiar, some are brand new; but they all are worth remembering.

13. James Cameron (filmmaker)

How could the writer/director of the most successful movie of all time be one to watch?

Easy.

Titanic was twelve years ago, and Cameron hasn't made a narrative film since then, instead focusing on documentary and advancing filmmaking technology. On December 18, 2009, Cameron will revolutionize cinema again with his long-in-development pet project, Avatar.

Avatar took several years to reach the screen as Cameron waited for the technology to advance to the point that his vision could be realized. Avatar will be presented in 3-D and features state-of-the-art motion capture effects. What makes this system different is that the actor's motions are captured in a digital real time environment and allowing him direct the film appropriately. According to Cameron, "It’s like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale."

Avatar is the story of Jake Sully, a paralyzed retired Marine who, becomes an avatar by combining his being with an alien who can be remotely operated by a human consciousness during an interplanetary war,

According to Cameron, "Avatar will make people truly experience something. One more layer of the suspension of disbelief will be removed. All the syn-thespians are photo-realistic. Now that we've achieved it, we discovered CG characters in 3D look more real than in 2D. Your brain is cued it's a real thing not a picture and discounting part of image that makes it look fake."

12. Kat Dennings (actress, Geek Crush)

Most people might dismiss Kat Dennings as the smart, cool chic after her appearances in 2008's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Charlie Bartlett, but they might not realize that she might very well be the hippest lady of 2009. She will be appearing in Robert Rodriguez's dark children's movie, Shorts and as a crack-addicted prostitute in the superhero film, Defendor, as well as most likely continue her series of extremely funny and charming vlogs on YouTube or posts on her official website. She also co-wrote one of the 2008 Black List screenplays, Your Dreams Suck, which is about, "an awkward teen with no self esteem regains his self-confidence after joining a Dance Dance Revolution team".

11. Bungie Studios (videogame demigods)

After creating the beloved Halo series, Bungie severed ties with Microsoft, leaving their Master Chief behind for a chance at autonomy as a privately held company. Their next project is all speculation and rumor: will it be the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game that pushes the envelope and puts Worlds of Warcraft to shame? No one's quite sure yet, but an announcement and/or release should be coming this year and is certain to push the gaming envelope.

10. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Screenwriters)

Childhood friends who are also behind some of the Geekiest films, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci began their professional career working with Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert on their series' Hercules, Xena and Jack of All Trades before working with Michael Bay, J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg on such genre projects as Alias, The Island, The Legend of Zorro, Mission Impossible III, and Transformers.

This past year, they produced the thriller Eagle Eye and together co-created one of the season's most interesting television series, Fringe. They also wrote the screenplays to two of 2009's biggest films, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and director J.J. Abrams' reinvention of Star Trek franchise. In addition, this writing team also contributed an uncredited polish on the film adaptation of the comic book, The Watchmen.