Will McCain Be on 'SNL'? How 'Bout Some Straight Talk, NBC?

GOP presidential candidate John McCain will try to drum up some votes with a visit to "Saturday Night Live" tonight, his camp said yesterday.

As news of the McCain "SNL" gig got out, the show itself went into its Purity-Ring-Wearing Tease Act:

"As [Executive Producer] Lorne [Michaels] has said, we don't confirm anyone till we see them in the building," a rep recited to The TV Column yesterday.

Meanwhile, word is also traveling around that McCain's Democratic rival Senator Barack Obama might also make a cameo appearance on tonight's "SNL". That report sent show sources into an ecstasy of "obviously if both would come on, no one would say no" confirmation.

Last month, McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, appeared on the NBC late-night show, which has become one of the compulsory stops for presidential campaigners.

She got great reviews for being a good sport, appearing backstage with Michaels in the show's trademark cold open, watching as Tina Fey played her at a faux news conference telling faux reporters: "I don't worry about the polls. Polls are just a fancy way of systematically predicting what's going to happen. The only poll I care about is the North Pole, and that . . . is . . . melting. It's not great."

Palin also got great ratings. Sadly, it's unlikely McCain will be able to beat the 15 million viewers his own veep candidate clocked. It was the biggest "SNL" audience in 14 years.

On the other hand, the senator's an old hand at doing "SNL." He hosted in 2002, singing a medley of Barbra Streisand tunes. And he was a guest on May's season finale, starring in two short skits in which he said, among several self-effacing jokes, that what voters should be looking for in their next president is someone who is "very, very, very old." McCain, who is 72, would be the oldest person ever to begin his first term as POTUS if he wins the election next week.

His Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, was supposed to appear in this season's "SNL" opener but canceled abruptly, after Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast. His campaign issued a statement saying:

"In light of the unfolding crisis in Texas, Sen. Obama has decided it is no longer appropriate to appear on 'Saturday Night Live' tomorrow evening."

Michaels later said he'd been extremely disappointed at the last-minute cancellation. And the show has been doing its non-confirmation tease act ever since.

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Speaking of Sarah Palin, Tina Fey's second job of mocking her on "SNL" seems to have paid off.

Thursday night, the third-season debut of her NBC comedy series, "30 Rock," scored a series best 8.7 million viewers. That's 1.4 million better than last season's debut, which had featured Jerry Seinfeld.