All that is funny and smart and insightful and even contradictory about television in 2008 was represented on stage.
There was only one woman standing there: Tina Fey. And she hilariously was trashing her own industry with pinpoint accuracy.
The setting was the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Fey was accepting an award from the Television Critics Association for her sitcom 30 Rock.
"It's a great time to be in broadcast television!" Fey said with sarcastic glee. "It's like being in vaudeville in the '60s."
Great line. But here's where the contradictory part comes in. This was last July -- in other words, several months before anyone outside the state of Alaska ever had heard of Sarah Palin. Fey's impression of Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the U.S. election, turned the campaign on its ear.
So how is it that an industry allegedly as irrelevant as vaudeville in the '60s still can help decide, in a flippant but powerful way, who is going to be the next president?
Fey's day job, of course, is being the creative force and star of 30 Rock, which can be seen on Citytv and NBC. In that same July acceptance speech, Fey described 30 Rock as the highest-rated cable show on broadcast TV.
Notably, 30 Rock provides something of a running commentary on the TV industry. Set at a fictional Saturday Night Live-type show, the world of 30 Rock is plagued with self-absorbed stars, goofy executives, budget concerns and business interference.
That could describe just about every TV network on either side of the Canada-U.S. border, don't you think. This was a year of modest returns and mediocre ratings; of disappointing debuts and sophomore slumps; of lameness and layoffs.
But just when you start to think TV is toast, think of Fey and Palin.
Part of it was an accident of genetics. That Fey and Palin are virtual doppelgangers is not something that could have been planned.
But talk about doing the best you can with what falls into your lap. Fey's appearances as Palin on Saturday Night Live (Global, NBC) catapulted that long-running sketch series back onto the cutting edge for the first time in years.
Whether Fey's impact on the election was positive or negative, large or small, depends upon your point of view. Rosie O'Donnell went so far as to say that Fey probably has done the most for the nation of any female comic in the history of the world.
At the very least, Fey's relevance was the high point of the TV year. Coincidentally, O'Donnell was responsible for the low point: A throwback variety show called Rosie Live that was so horrible, so humiliating, so degrading, the very fact it made it onto the air only proved how desperate TV networks have become.
If there are more shows like Rosie Live in the offing, TV truly might be doomed.
But any industry that has Tina Fey in it can t be dead. It just can t be, dammit.
The best TV shows of 2008
30 Rock
True Blood
The Office
Mad Men
The Tudors
So You Think You Can Dance Canada
Flashpoint
Robot Chicken
The Mentalist
Saturday Night Live
THE YEAR'S BEST LATE-NIGHT LAUGHS
David Letterman
* Angelina's going to unveil her twins next week ... no, wait a minute -- that's Pamela Anderson.
* Yesterday's Easter Egg Hunt in Central Park was amazing. They found 1,500 eggs. Fifteen hundred eggs. And three dead guys.
* Everybody was in the Easter spirit. In fact, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer spent the day with someone named Bunny.
Jay Leno
* The New York Daily News says that Barack Obama's biggest problem now is how to get rid of Hillary Clinton "gently." To which Bill Clinton said, "Good luck with that. Let me know how that's going."
* I don't think President Bush is that up on geography. He told the Olympic athletes to get there a couple of days early to acclimate themselves to the fact China is upside-down.
* Happy Leap Year! When President Bush heard that he said, "Remember to turn your clocks ahead one year, people!"
Conan O'Brien
* Paris Hilton has been spotted in Los Angeles wearing an engagement ring. Jewelry experts say it's a beautiful ring -- the kind that says: "Sorry fellas -- this skank is taken."
* The latest show business rumour is that Star Jones has broken up with her husband Al Reynolds. When asked about it, Star said, "It's not the first time I've gotten rid of 200 pounds in one day."
* Hillary Clinton has reportedly accepted Barack Obama's offer to become secretary of state. According to Bill Clinton, this is the first time in 20 years that Hillary has said yes.
Jimmy Kimmel
* Verne Troyer was dating a model, a full-sized woman, and at some point, they decided it was a good idea to videotape themselves having sex. They were right -- it was a good idea. It's like watching a hamster mounting a giraffe.
* The government claims that it has the smog that Beijing is notorious for under control, but here's how bad it really is. They say if Snoop Dogg rolled down the window of his limo, smoke would pour in.
Craig Ferguson
* Democrats are really trying to pressure Hillary to drop out. She hasn't faced this much pressure from another Democrat since Bill tried to get her into a three-way.
* The Mars Lander was digging and found a white powdery substance. Scientists are baffled. Lindsay Lohan hasn't been anywhere near Mars.
* Karl Rove said John McCain's attack ads have gone too far. When Karl Rove says you've gone too far, that's like Mel Gibson saying you've had too much to drink.
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