Al ‘rocks’ Tina Fey’s world
What’s a gal got to do to get on the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom “30 Rock”? In the case of TODAY’s Meredith Vieira, pretty much anything.
Interviewing “30 Rock” star (and executive producer, and head writer, and….) Tina Fey on TODAY Thursday, Vieira noted rather pointedly that NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has grabbed a guest spot on the show this season, while Meredith’s own invite must have got lost in the mail.
“I too love comedy, and I have a particularly strong relationship with your cast -- as you may or may not know,” Vieira pointed out to Fey.
Fey knew, all right: When her “30 Rock” costar Tracy Morgan appeared on TODAY last year, Meredith had locked lips with him in a faux display of passion that was, as Fey put it, “almost inappropriate.”
While Vieira maintained that she “would do more than that, if that’s what it took” to gain a guest stint on “30 Rock,” Fey bemoaned her own lack of steamy clinches on TODAY.
“Who do you want?” Meredith responded eagerly. “[Executive producer] Jim Bell? You want Al Roker?”
“I would take Al Roker,” Fey replied. Whereupon TV’s favorite weatherman stormed onto the set, dipped Tina’s head back, and pretended to give her a huge smooch. After the pseudo-clinch, Roker shook his head and bellowed, “Hoo-ha!”
“30 Rock” begins its fourth season at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday, and while the show has long been a critic’s darling, it’s also picked up viewers every season.
“We feel very lucky – I feel we’re like in that movie ‘Final Destination’ and we somehow cheated death and it’s going to come find us,” Fey said.
