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Gov. Palin made her debut on SNL.

NEW YORK (CNN) – Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin made her debut on NBC's late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live" - appearing in the opening skit and during a segment that parodies current events.

In both skits, she delivered her lines with a straight face but mostly played the comic foil to the show's cast of mischief-makers.

The opening bit featured former SNL cast member Tina Fey reprising her role as the Alaska governor at a mock press conference.

Fey has impersonated the governor in three prior SNL skits.

The piece then cut to a shot of Palin watching Fey's performance on a television monitor with the show's executive producer Lorne Michaels.

"I just didn't think it was a realistic depiction of the way my press conferences would have gone," she said.

"Why couldn't we have done the '30 Rock' sketch that I wrote?" she asked, referring to the NBC comedy which stars Fey.

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With Gov. Palin appearing on this Saturday's SNL, who will Tina Fey play?'

(CNN) - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin plans to appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend, multiple sources told CNN Thursday.

Saturday Night Live has featured opening skits in which former cast member and Palin lookalike Tina Fey portrays the Alaska governor. It was not known whether Fey also will appear on Saturday night's program.

The program airs at 11:30 p.m. ET.

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Darrell Hammond portrayed McCain on SNL Saturday night.

(CNN) - Saturday Night Live, the longtime NBC sketch comedy show that has arguably wielded significant influence this presidential election season, skewered the McCain-Palin ticket for the second straight week in a row Saturday.

In the show’s opening sketch, a Darrell Hammond impersonation of John McCain is shown in an advertising studio recording his tagline for a bevy of negative - and ridiculously false - campaign ads. The ads level such allegations as Barack Obama wants healthcare coverage for the entire universe (including Osama bin Laden) and supports tax cuts for pedophiles.

The sketch also takes a dig at McCain's age, portraying the Arizona senator as unfamiliar with digital recording technology (After he is told it is a new technology McCain says, "Like 8-track?")

Politico reported Saturday the sketch was actually conceived by former SNL writer Al Franken, the current Democratic challenger to Norm Coleman's Minnesota Senate seat.

SNL has already proven its ability to crystallize emerging campaign narratives this election cycle, widely credited with raising a general perception the media was in love with Obama during the primary election season in a series of sketches last winter. SNL's portrayal of Sarah Palin last weekend also synthesized several questions raised about the Alaska governor's readiness to serve as vice president.

With a weekly viewership stretching into the millions that reaches a swath of (mostly young) voters who aren't as closely following the ins and outs on the campaign trail, SNL has a clear ability to shape general perceptions of both presidential tickets in the final stretch of the race for the White House.

Responding to SNL's depiction of McCain, spokesman Tucker Bounds said, "Saturday Night Live is funny, Barack Obama showing no sign of life or leadership during a banking crisis is not funny."