For those of you who did not make it to the Corner in time Friday morning to spot Britney Spears, never fear because Saturday, September 14th brings another day and a sure-fire celebrity sighting for all those Wahoos out there. Tina Fey is coming to town, specifically to the McIntire Amphitheatre at 8:15PM, to give the inaugural address of the “President’s Speaker Series for the Arts” initiative.
No introduction is truly necessary for Fey, because she has definitely made a name for herself ever since graduating from the College with a degree in drama in 1992. No introduction can truly even encapsulate all of the achievements and global success Fey has attained over the past several years, but I’ll give a brief overview. Fey is an actress, comedian, writer, and producer who has been nominated for and won a slew of Emmys, Golden Globes, and many other awards with lengthy titles, primarily for her work on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. She also dabbled in book-writing with her 2011 autobiography, Bossypants. The book topped The New York Times Best Seller list for over 33 consecutive weeks; Fey even won a Grammy for her audio recording of Bossypants.
Needless to say after looking at her impressive resume, Tina Fey is an outstanding choice for the inaugural President’s Speaker for the Arts address. “The President’s Speaker for the Arts” is a new speaker series initiated by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and is also supported by the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation. The speaker series was created in order to bring to light the positive impact of arts on society and the value of a liberal arts education. Each fall, the University hopes to invite a different global speaker in the arts to speak on this topic. Fey’s speech is sure to set the bar high for speakers to come.
“I am very excited to come back to Charlottesville to participate in the President’s Speaker Series for the Arts in September,” Fey told UVAToday. “When I left Charlottesville in the early ‘90s, there was a large sign on Route 29 that said, ‘The bagels are coming!’ Did that ever happen?”
There’s no doubt that the University and Charlottesville have changed since the ‘90s, but Fey is sure to be reminded of many University traditions that make the University such a special place to which alumni are eager to return. In a recent interview with The Richmond Times Dispatch, Fey said that her main goal for her speech is to have fun with it.
“When I speak in public I always wear a balloon hat,” Fey said. “I feel like my job is to have the evening be entertaining.”
One final note: I recommend Bodo’s for breakfast on Saturday. You never know who just might show up….