Tina Fey Adds Oscars to World Conquest List

The Oscars are usually about movies, and bringing along movie stars to win them and present them. Television stars have their own big show to themselves at the Emmys, except for that large group of actors who star in film and TV. Tina Fey has practically taken over all of television, but she is not quite a movie star yet. But Tina Fey's inclusion into the Oscars served as another sign of the Oscars trying to shake their show up, and that Fey is an inch closer to being our empress.

The Oscar show tried to tell a story by showing each step in movie making, then presenting the awards for them. The first step, of course, is screenwriting. Fey and Steve Martin are experts in that craft, so they came on to present the Oscars for Best Original and Adapted Screenplay.

Fey was at her first Oscars, while Martin has already hosted the show twice by himself. But the two of them are used to co-starring together by now. Fey brought Martin on for an extended cameo in last year's Baby Mama, and then Martin joined the ranks of A-list 30 Rock guest stars last fall.

For their latest collaboration, Martin got most of the big zingers in his traditional dead-pan. Fey set Martin up for him to bring the audience down, then joined him as they wrapped up the segment with a nod at Scientology. Fey was also warned not to fall in love with Martin, for good measure.

One of the ways the Oscars tried to be different this year was to bring a wide variety of presenters. The Oscars skewered to the youth by bringing Robert Pattinson and the stars of High School Musical to participate. With Tina Fey brought on board, the Oscars gave a nod to the television viewing audience.

For her whirlwind success in TV and politics, Fey is relatively inexperienced in the movie business by comparison. Mean Girls was a hit in large part due to Fey's screenplay, with Fey herself in a mere supporting role, back when she was not best known for acting. Fey also made a cameo at the end of Man Of The Year, where the climax took place on SNL's Weekend Update.

Fey's first starring vehicle as an actress, Baby Mama with BFF Amy Poehler,was a mid-level hit which disappointed some, mainly because she didn't write it.