Tina Fey Takes on Palin - Again

It's starting to feel like Tina Fey is running for vice-president.

Fey again returned to Saturday Night Live to play Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as the sketch-comedy show continued to pull out all the stops in its election-year season. Queen Latifah dropped by to portray Thursday's debate moderator, PBS's Gwen Ifill, and cast member Jason Sudeikis stepped into the role of Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The SNL take on the week's political events has become a dependable part of the news cycle this fall, offering near-immediate parodies of the presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, and their running mates.

The show - particularly the opening sketches - have resonated with higher ratings for the NBC program and increased traffic on its website where early-to-bed viewers catch the talked-about sketches in the days after.

Saturday night's opening sketch of the VP debate appeared likely to garner similar buzz thanks to Fey's popular Palin impression. Winking and giving answers not always directly related to Queen Latifah's questions, Fey's Palin said that if she was elected, her decisions would be guided by considering "what would a maverick do?''

At the end of the segment, she asked with flute in hand, "Are we not doing the talent portion?''

Palin was a runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest.

Sudeikis, with hair slicked back and a tight-fitting suit, portrayed Biden as conflicted in his feelings for McCain, whom he called "a raging maniac and a dear, dear friend.''

Saturday's SNL concluded the opening run of four straight shows - including three with guest appearances from Fey, a former cast member and head writer for SNL whose day job is starring in, producing and writing for NBC's 30 Rock. The network has said her appearances on SNL are being decided on a week-to-week basis.