The Alaska governor will be appearing with host Josh Brolin, the star of the caustic new movie comedy about President Bush.
In fact, barely two weeks before the election, suddenly everybody's a comedian
- from Republican vice presidential candidate Palin to the guys at the top of the bill: John McCain and Barack Obama, laughing it up this week at a big political dinner in New York.
Palin already has been the hit of the "SNL" season, though she wasn't on the scene. She was the subject of a parody featuring lookalike actress Tina Fey. Whether Palin and Fey will appear together Saturday has not been announced.
Palin suggests her fate is in the hands of the show's writers. "I haven't seen a script, not at all. They haven't even hinted about what that script is going to say," she told radio talk-show host Neal Boortz on Friday.
"But you know, I just want to be there to show Americans that we will rise above the political shots that we take because we're in this serious business for serious challenges that are facing the good American people right now."
Hmm. Presumably the show's writers have some slightly punchier lines in mind.
Fey's appearances as Palin have drawn huge audiences to the longtime skit show and sealed its reputation as TV's hottest vehicle for political satire. Obama has appeared briefly on the show since becoming a candidate, and McCain once hosted a show. One episode during the primaries suggested the media were favoring Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton
- and a lot of people thought coverage for the next few weeks was affected.
As for the candidates, casual, funny settings help them appeal to with voters on a more personal level.
From daytime talk shows like ABC's "The View" to late-night entertainment programs like NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," they get a chance to appear as self-effacing, regular people, not so deadly serious.
