For Making Saturday Night Live Funnier Then Ever:

The Woman of SNL

"It's nice not to run out of bodies when doing a skit about The View," says Saturday Night Live's first female head writer, Tina Fey, 32. "A few years ago, we had to put men in drag!" Not anymore. This past spring SNL boasted its largest contingent of woman cast members ever-five of the 11 repertory players. Fey, Ana Gastayer, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler brought a delicious surge of womanpower to the show, which won a 2002 Emmy for outstanding writing. "Each woman is really stong and brings a distinct voice," says Fey. "I say, the more woman, the merrier." The funny five write much of their own material, tirelessly morphing woman driven headlines-like the Botx craze and the when-to-get-pregnant debate--into the show's most hilarious skits. "SNL is like a secret society," says Rudolph, 30, famed for her dead on Donatella Versace impression (the fashion diva herself called Rudolph with tips: get better boys to carry her, wear bigger diamonds). "We work crazy hours. We stay up all night together." And they'll do anything for a laugh. "I play trolls and old ladies, but it's so much fun, I don't care if I look gross," says Dratch, 36. "I mean, I could play the perfect woman who has everything going for her, but what's funny about that?"