by Lia Haberman | September 14, 2002

The geek chic specs Tina Fey sports on "Weekend Update" hint at something much wilder behind the thick frames. Fey's the first to quash that speculation, insisting the glasses are prescription for an astigmatism, but the coyness only makes her more attractive. And for the record, she's no shrinking violet.

Fey has made a difference at Saturday Night Live. As the first female head writer of SNL and coanchor of "Update," she has revitalized the creaking sketch show and its signature news segment doused in gallons of satire. Currently nominated for four Emmys, SNL is enjoying its best ratings in years. (You can see Fey and her comic cohorts in action in classic episodes from the 2001 SNL season only on E! Click here for a complete schedule, video clips, our SNL quiz and more.)

So far, Fey has left the music videos, comedy albums and MTV's Video Music Awards to cute "Update" costar Jimmy Fallon. But she may soon have to step into the spotlight herself. In her spare time, she has been penning a comedic big-screen adaptation of Rosalind Wiseman's book Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence for Paramount.

We quizzed Fey about her specs appeal, her teamwork with Fallon and what "live from New York" means after 9-11.

You seem uncomfortable being a celebrity.
Well, there are times when it's fun, like if someone gives you a better table in a restaurant or something like that. I really don't get recognized very much. [SNL exec producer] Lorne [Michaels] actually believes you have to be on television for three years before anyone recognizes you. And what's really interesting is that Rachel Dratch [Professor Klarvin's lov-ah, Virginia] is going into her fourth year, and when I walk down the street with her, all of a sudden now, people recognize her and not me, so I think there's some truth to that three-year rule.

Is it surprising how many men like your glasses?
In movies they put glasses on Denise Richards--and she's a scientist. Yeah, it's tough being smart and sexy, too. I have to say, I'm really not that attractive. Until I met my husband, I could not get a date. I promise you it's true. My husband Jeff Richmond saw a diamond in the rough and took me in.

Did you wear the glasses when you
auditioned for "Update"?
Yes. I tested twice, once with contacts, which I had bought solely for the test. I had never worn them before, and I kept thinking, "I'm not going to get the job, and these contacts are going to sit in my medicine cabinet and mock me for five years." And then I tested again, and I wore the glasses, and I felt kind of protected by them.