Chapters 19-21Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary: “Sarah, Oprah, and Captain Hook”
Lorne Michaels’s casting of Fey to play opposite Jimmy Fallon on SNL’s "Weekend Update" is “the luckiest, craziest thing that had ever happened to [her]” (179). The writers sometimes cast her in other roles, though unlike other female cast members, she “could never really look like anybody else” (180).
Then in 2008, John McCain chooses Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his presidential running mate. Though she no longer works on Saturday Night Live, Fey is bombarded with comments about the similarities in their appearances, and people begin speculating that she could play her on the show.
Three stressful events begin to take form simultaneously. First, Oprah Winfrey, who “had expressed the slightest polite interest in being on 30 Rock” (181), is written into an episode but falters in committing to participate. Second, Lorne Michaels weighs whether they should meet public demands that Fey play Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. Third, Fey plans her daughter’s Peter Pan-themed birthday party.
Ultimately, Winfrey flies to New York and stars in the 30 Rock episode. Later that evening, Fey rushes to the Saturday Night Live set for her appearance as Sarah Palin in a sketch written by Seth Meyers. The sketch also stars Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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