She really Palins by comparison

Never mind all those questions about who will win the election: The more pressing concern for many viewers is whether Tina Fey will return to play Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live.”

Saturday’s guest appearance by the former “SNL” cast member and head writer gave the show its largest audience for a season premiere since 2001, up 64 percent from last year.

The 5 1/2 -minute segment pairing Fey with Amy Poehler (as Sen. Hillary Clinton) also has become an online sensation.

But Fey also stars in NBC’s weekly prime-time comedy “30 Rock,” and it’s unclear how much time she’d have to moonlight on “SNL” to skewer the Republican vice presidential candidate, to whom she bears a much-discussed resemblance.

“We are taking it day-by-day,” said “SNL” spokesman Marc Liepis.

For the long term, executive producer Lorne Michaels reportedly has an as-yet-undisclosed “Plan B” and “Plan C” for a Palin impersonator, in lieu of Fey.

In the meantime, as Liepis noted, “She has a day job.”

A box of chocolates?

The Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor Tom Hanks at its annual gala.

The two-time Oscar winner (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) will be feted April 27 at the society’s 36th annual event in New York, following last year’s tribute to Meryl Streep.

“There are so few actors who have been able to make the struggle and drama of being a good man compelling,” the society’s Kent Jones said.

Big day for Lil Wayne

Rapper Lil Wayne received a leading 12 nominations Monday for the third annual BET Hip-Hop Awards, which airs Oct. 23.

He scored the year’s best-selling debut with sales of 1 million copies of his new CD, “Tha Carter III.”

Kanye West drew the second-most nominations, seven, while Jay-Z received six.

Memory serves her well

A memoir by Serena Williams will be released in 2009 by Grand Central Publishing, which beat out a handful of other publishers bidding for the life story of the No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player.

Financial terms for the yet-untitled book were not disclosed, although a publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said bidding reached at least $1.3 million.

Williams, 26, has won nine Grand Slam titles and, with sister Venus, took a gold medal in women’s doubles at the Beijing Olympics.

Walk that way?

“Transformers” star Megan Fox, engaged to actor Brian Austin Green, tells GQ magazine she once had an affair with a Russian stripper.

Fox, 22, says it happened when she was 18 and first living in Los Angeles alone, adding that the stripper, Nikita, would do “these beautiful slow dances to Aerosmith ballads.”

The birthday bunch

Actor David Huddleston (“The Big Lebowski”) is 78. Actress Elvira is 57. Comedian Rita Rudner is 55. Director Baz Luhrmann is 46. Actor Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”) is 43. Rapper Doug E. Fresh is 42. Actor Malik Yoba (“New York Undercover”) is 41. Singer-actress Nona Gaye is 34.