Palin Power

Does it matter what she says, or just that she says it? Sarah rocked the news ratings for ABC.

Regardless of how one feels about Gibson's technique, he definitely scored a hit in the ratings. "NBC Nightly News" with Brian Williams usually wins the three-network evening news race, but Thursday, ABC's newscast beat NBC's by more than 2 million viewers (9.73 million to 7.5 million, with CBS trailing at 6.1 million), according to quickie Nielsen numbers.

Even Thursday's Nightline broadcast, which aired a less choppy cut of the interview, managed a first place finish with Sarah starring.

"Nightline," which featured a longer Palin interview at 11:35 p.m., drew an audience nearly 30 percent bigger than CBS' "Late Show" and 16 percent bigger than NBC's "Tonight Show," according to early Nielsen numbers out yesterday.

Saturday Night Live is so impressed, they're rebuilding the show to tap into the Palin Power.

Tina Fey is "likely" to play Gov. Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," said a person close to NBC's sketch comedy show.

Fey is "likely" to return to her former show Saturday to play the Alaskan governor and Sen. John McCain's running mate, a person close to the show told The Associated Press on Friday night. The person requested anonymity because the decision has not been announced officially. No further details were available.