All of those long hours Tina Fey spent visualizing Oprah on the set of 30 Rock have finally paid off: Oprah, the talk show host who thinks bicycles can materialize from wishes, and who recommended an expensive TV/refrigerator to her audience last Christmas, is going to guest star in the second episode of 30 Rock this season.
From the NBC press release:
"Oprah Winfrey's presence on '30 Rock' makes this episode a television event," said Weinberg. "She is a true legend in her own time, and in this comedy's tradition, it provides the perfect showcase for stars of her renowned status. We are all thrilled."
"Oprah is very funny in the episode and we are beyond grateful to have her. Also, I would like to announce that we are officially best friends," Tina Fey, creator, executive producer and star of "30 Rock."
There's no word yet on what exactly Oprah's role on the show will be (I'm pulling for the non-speaking role of "shrub" in a scene where Kenneth and Tracy are lost in the roof garden of 30 Rock), but the way I see it there can only be three outcomes from this unthinkable collision of something so thoroughly good (30 Rock) and something so thoroughly useless (Oprah). Either the show will make fun of Oprah in a polite way that allows Oprah to showcase what a great sense of humor she has about herself (yuck), or the show will make fun of Oprah in a subtle way that also calls attention to the fact that it's really weird that Oprah is on the show (more likely). The third possibility, and the one I'm most hoping for, is that the show, after touting Oprah's big guest appearance all over the place, will have her onscreen for no more than 5 seconds. Maybe Jack can shut his office door in her face or something while walking into a meeting with Liz. Now, that would be a great guest appearance by Oprah.
Either way, Oprah is definitely going to get an Emmy nomination, and, if things go badly, the pop cultural lexicon could get yet another way to say "jumped the shark": "guest-starred Oprah."