Best Duo

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Tina Fey: "It has been said that to write is to live forever."

Steve Martin: "The man who said that is dead."

Fey: "Yet, we all know the importance of writing, because every great movie begins with a great screenplay."

Martin: "Or, a very good idea for the poster. But usually, with a screenplay."

Fey: "And every writer starts with a blank page."

Martin: "And every blank page was once a tree."

Fey: "And every tree was once a tiny seed."

Martin: "And every tiny seed on Earth was placed here by the alien king Rondelay, to foster our titrates and fuel our positive transfers!"

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 23, 2009 at 8:00 AM

comment #1

Sabina E says ...

thank you for recognizing how important screenwriters are, Hollywood.

Posted by Sabina E at February 23, 2009 8:31 AM

comment #2

Sean says ...

Couldn't believe the applause that Fey got -- two movie credits as writer/actor (plus a Aqua Teen voice credit), neither of them hits ... she's really a TV star. I can't even chalk it up to ideologue fervor for her Palin mocking, because it doesn't feel like that.

Posted by Sean at February 23, 2009 8:56 AM

comment #3

Michael says ...

I want to go to there.

Posted by Michael at February 23, 2009 8:57 AM

comment #4

Rich S. says ...

Martin's cracks were very reminiscent of the stuff he did when he hosted. Martin does smarmy pretentiousness better than just about anyone. And Fey is an excellent foil for him.

Posted by Rich S. at February 23, 2009 9:02 AM

comment #5

Joel says ...

Neither of them hits? Both Mean Girls and Baby Mama with very solid hits. Particularly Mean Girls, which made something like $80 million out of nowhere.

Posted by Joel at February 23, 2009 9:38 AM

comment #6

Movie Watcher says ...

Against my better judgement, I saw about 2 hours of the show. Steve Martin was funny, and Tina Fey was not. I think she can be funny, but most of the time she tries too hard, and it ends up looking and sounding sad. I am glad I did not watch the whole thing. Two hours is long enough! And no I don't watch 30 rock.

Posted by Movie Watcher at February 23, 2009 9:50 AM

comment #7

fitz-hume says ...

Best duo and the highlight of the show for me.

Posted by fitz-hume at February 23, 2009 9:54 AM

comment #8

Mark G. says ...

Best line:
Don't fall in love with me...

Posted by Mark G. at February 23, 2009 10:17 AM

comment #9

BurmaShave says ...

Sean, the worlds are bleeding together. 30 ROCK is simply understood to be one of the best things around, I'm not surprised at all. Plus as Joel points out you're simply incorrect about the success of her films.

Posted by BurmaShave at February 23, 2009 10:28 AM

comment #10

Sean says ...

I'm a 30 Rock devotee and a fan of Fey's; I was just surprised that she was so warmly feted at a movie shindig. (So much more so than Martin!) I was not trying to suggest that those movies were commercial flops, but even given that, Mean Girls grossed a little less than Along Came Polly, and Baby Mama grossed a little less than Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I'll grant that two doubles for two at-bats should indeed qualify as hits, but nevertheless it's a warmer reaction than I would have expected for an other-sider.

Posted by Sean at February 23, 2009 11:37 AM

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

Mean Girls was more of a Lohan-when-she-was-still-popular vehicle than a Fey movie. Baby Mama might not be remembered fondly, considering all the hate against the octuplet mom...

Posted by D.Z. at February 23, 2009 1:56 PM

comment #12

Chicago48 says ...

For all the criticism Jon Stewart and other comedians get for hosting, I missed that last night altho the show did move along quite well. But we needed more laughs. Oscar takes itself too seriously. Most of America hasn't seen those movies ("Class" anyone? Even the Wrestler has just broke even in boxo, so that tells you something right there). Fey and Martin should host next year.

Jackman was good, but the show did tilt toward Broadway in some ways, just like Nikki Fink stated. It wasn't a bad show, it was entertaining and moved along quite fast, but I did miss the comedy hosts.

Posted by Chicago48 at February 23, 2009 2:00 PM

comment #13

PastePotPete says ...

Mean Girls was written by Fey. Lohan hasn't been as successful before or since, yet Fey has been consistently successful since. Counting it in her column.

Posted by PastePotPete at February 23, 2009 3:41 PM

comment #14

Ms. M says ...

I was thinking that a dream team for Oscar hosting next year would be to have Martin and Fey co-hosting with Jackman perhaps doing an opening musical number. A potentially perfect mix of Jackman's enthusiasm, Fey's coolness and straight woman skills, and Martin's cynical put-downs.

Posted by Ms. M at February 23, 2009 4:35 PM

comment #15