Palin to go on ‘SNL’ this weekend

Gov. Sarah Palin is scheduled to appear on “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 19 — spoofing herself and her look-alike, Tina Fey, according to campaign sources.

The Republican running mate’s campaign has gone to great lengths to keep the appearance secret, but one aide today acknowledged that the appearance is now officially on her schedule. Her activities for Saturday list only a campaign rally in Lancaster, Pa., but the schedule says she will “RON” — remain overnight — in New York, N.Y.

“You didn’t hear it from me, but yes, she is scheduled to be on SNL tomorrow,” one aide said.

The appearance has been a foregone conclusion since Sen. John McCain picked her as his Republican running mate Aug. 29. Fey has skewed her doppelganger for weeks, making fun of her claim that being governor of Alaska gives her foreign policy experience because her state is close to Russia.

It was unclear whether the telegenic governor — with her trademark glasses and retro bun hairstyle — would attend a rehearsal today. Neither side would say who approached whom first, but Palin has reportedly been chomping at the bit to do the show.

A McCain campaign surrogate, Carly Fiorina, said last week she has found the Fey sketches sexist, citing one in which Fey as Palin and Amy Poehler as Sen, Hillary Clinton appeared together. The portrait was very dismissive of the substance of Sarah Palin, and so in that sense, they were defining Hillary Clinton as very substantive, and Sarah Palin as totally superficial, she said. “I think that continues the line of argument that is disrespectful in the extreme, and yes I would say sexist.”

But Palin thought the sketch amusing, according to her spokesperson. The governor and the press corps watched the sketch in the back of her plane, laughing at Fey’s and Poehler’s satirical take on the two politicians.

“She thought it was quite funny, particularly because she once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween,” Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt told CBS.

Fey had left the show to join the cast of “30 Rock,” but returned because she’s a dead ringer for Palin. She makes no bones, though, of who she supports in the presidential race. “I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5,” she has said. “So if anybody can help me be done playing this lady Nov. 5, that would be good for me.”