Sarah Palin on 'Today' vs. Katie Couric on 'Good Morning America'

NBC's "Today" show is bringing Sarah Palin, left, on board... — NBC's "Today" show is bringing Sarah Palin, left, on board as a co-host for one morning. The announcement was posted on NBC's website. It says the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate will "reveal a different side" than viewers have seen before. The booking comes at the same time that "Today" alumna Katie Couric makes a weeklong return to morning TV as a guest host on ABC's "Good Morning America." Credit: AP

By VERNE GAYverne.gay@newsday.comApril 2, 2012

Good morning, Long Island. If it's 7 a.m. Tuesday, rub your eyes, drink your coffee, turn on WNBC/4 and rub your eyes again. Yes, that is Sarah Palin as co-host of "Today" and morning TV just entered the twilight zone.

In fact, it officially entered the zone Monday, as Palin phoned "Today" co-host Matt Lauer for a brief chat, Katie Couric began her weeklong co-host gig on ABC's "Good Morning America" and Oprah Winfrey appeared on "CBS This Morning" to explain that she would not have launched her troubled OWN had she known of the obstacles.

In comments during an otherwise upbeat interview on "CBS This Morning," Winfrey said that the idea of launching such a network was something she had always wanted to do, but "had I known it was this difficult, I might have done something else," adding that if she "wrote a book about it, I would call the book '101 Mistakes.' "

Meanwhile, Palin called in to NBC's morning show Monday from an airport in the Midwest. "We're making that trek cross-country to see y'all and say hi to your good viewers," she said.

"What are you doing to prepare?" asked Lauer. "Are you reading some newspapers?" He laughed, referencing Couric's controversial 2008 interview question to GOP vice presidential candidate Palin.

"That's a fine how-do-you-do! That's a great start. Here we go!" She laughed.

Oprah? Sarah? Katie? So who are we missing? How about Ryan Seacrest -- who'll make a "big" announcement Tuesday morning on "Today." It's expected to be a new deal with NBC Universal, including a future role with . . . "Today."