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Palin scheduled to appear on 'Saturday Night Live'

BY VERNE GAY | verne.gay@newsday.com

9:12 PM EDT, October 17, 2008

You betcha. It's on.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for vice president and comic foil of choice for every late-night talk-show host in the land, will appear on NBC's " Saturday Night Live,", the McCain campaign confirmed Friday. What she'll say (or do) remains shrouded in late-night secrecy - no surprise there because even "SNL" declined to confirm the engagement.

But here's one safe and educated guess: her comic doppelgÃÂ¤nger, Tina Fey, will play some role in this highly anticipated appearance. Josh Brolin, star of the Oliver Stone-directed Bush-basher "W.," is guest host.

Palin has said she even wanted to impersonate Fey herself, though what that performance might entail is best left to reader imaginations.

During a campaign function last week, Palin spoke to reporters, and of Fey - whose Palin impression is already an "SNL" classic - she said, "I love her, she's a hoot, and she's so talented. It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material."

Sen. John McCain, during his Thursday appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman," said he believed Palin would appear on "SNL" but didn't offer a date. Jill Hazelbaker, a campaign spokeswoman, said Friday that Palin will appear on the Oct. 18 edition, but offered no further details.

Meanwhile, Letterman got his biggest audience in nearly three years with McCain's appearance. Nielsen Media Research says 6.5 million viewers watched, nearly 3 million more than Letterman typically gets. It was Letterman's biggest night since a December 2005 appearance by someone else he's had tense times with - Oprah Winfrey. An estimated 13.5 million people stayed up late to watch Winfrey's first visit to Letterman.