‘SNL’ sees boost in audience

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend propelled the late-night show to its largest audience in more than 14 years, NBC reported Thursday.

Figures from Nielsen Media Research showed that 15 million people watched the telecast, either live on Saturday night or on a video recorder the next day. Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, appeared early in the show with executive producer Lorne Michaels, watching a sketch in which Tina Fey was playing her. She returned later for a Weekend Update segment.

NBC said it was the largest turnout for “Saturday Night Live” since Nancy Kerrigan played host on March 12, 1994 – and the third-largest audience since Nielsen’s People Meter technology was rolled out in September 1987.

For further perspective, NBC noted that “Saturday Night Live’s” audience was larger than all but four series broadcast in prime time last week.

Damon ‘honored’ by plumber’s shout-out

San Francisco – Matt Damon is honored that the most recent celebrity of the presidential campaign – “Joe the Plumber” – dropped his name in an interview.

“That was a surprise. I hadn’t heard that Joe the Plumber dropped my name,” Damon said. “I’m honored to be in the little passion play, to be an extra.”

The plumber, whose real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher, became an overnight media sensation after he was referred to constantly in the final presidential debate. When the press arrived at his Ohio home, Wurzelbacher, a Republican, said he hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself with all the attention, “I don’t have a lot of pull. It’s not like I’m Matt Damon.”

Damon – a hardcore Democrat who has spent as much time campaigning for Barack Obama recently than he has acting – was in San Francisco promoting a charity, OneXOne (pronounced One-by-One).

O’Reilly extends contract with Fox

Bill O’Reilly, the combative commentator who hosts the most-watched show in cable news, has extended his contract with Fox News for another four years, the network said this week.

The host of “The O’Reilly Factor” said he knew that if he retired, “my friends in the elite media would miss me greatly.”

O’Reilly will be making more than $10 million a year under his new contract, according to the Washington Post.

For almost eight years, his blunt style have made “The O’Reilly Factor” the most popular show in cable news. The commentator has offended plenty of people along the way, but that has not dampened his appeal: In the past month, his show has averaged more than 4 million viewers a night, far outstripping the competition.

Hasselbeck set to campaign with Palin

New York – “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who vociferously defends the Republican presidential ticket on the air, is going to be an official campaign surrogate.

The conservative daytime-talk show panelist announced Thursday that she is set to introduce Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at two rallies in Florida on Sunday after the GOP vice presidential hopeful invited her to join her on the campaign trail.

“I am more than honored to be there,” Hasselbeck said on the show. “I’m excited to do it. And I’ll have some stories, I’m sure, on Monday.”

“Take some pictures,” co-host Joy Behar responded. “I want to see her wardrobe.”

The campaign appearance is the latest sign of the prominent role “The View” has assumed in the 2008 presidential race, particularly because of Hasselbeck, who remains one of the staunchest advocates for Palin and Sen. John McCain on television.

Rapper 50 Cent settles NY visitation issue

Central Islip, N.Y. – Rapper 50 Cent has reached a settlement with his ex-girlfriend over visitation of their 11-year-old son.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, will get one weekend per month with his son Marquise, as well as one month in the summer and half of each his winter and spring breaks.

Both sides say they are satisfied with the deal, which was reached Wednesday in Suffolk County Family Court in Central Islip, N.Y.

The boy and his mother, Shaniqua Tompkins, had been living in the Long Island community of Dix Hills when a fire destroyed the mansion last May. An arson investigation is ongoing.

Bianca Jagger’s eviction is upheld

Albany, N.Y. – New York’s top court upheld Bianca Jagger’s eviction from a rent-stabilized Manhattan apartment, concluding Thursday that foreigners on tourist visas generally can’t claim New York digs as a “primary residence.”

The British human rights activist and ex-wife of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger was evicted in December from the Upper East Side apartment she rented for 20 years. She hasn’t lived in the apartment for the past few years because of a dispute over asbestos and fungus contamination that led to a lawsuit against landlord Katz Park Avenue Corp.

“There are still claims for legal fees and unpaid rent and use and occupancy,” said attorney Magda Cruz, the landlord’s lawyer. She said there’s no way of knowing how many New York tenants on tourist visas might be affected by the ruling, since tenants generally don’t disclose their visa status when they rent.

Jagger’s lawyer, Roger Olson, did not immediately return a call Thursday.