Sarah Palin To Do Reality TV

Variety.com:

Sarah Palin to Discovery? You betcha.

Discovery Communications is expected to announce that it has won the Sarah Palin tourney. The cabler had been a front-runner to land the untitled Alaska-themed series, to be produced by Mark Burnett Prods., along with A&E.

Earlier today, word emerged, however, that A&E was likely no longer in the running, leaving Discovery as the presumptive winner.

Discovery execs were unavailable for comment all day, as many were in Chicago prepping for a mini-upfront presentation. Palin wasn't expected to make an appearance there, but she could be in attendance when Discovery conducts its official upfront in New York on April 8.

Show is believed to have fetched more than $1 million an episode -- a hefty pricetag for a freshman unscripted cable skein.

But this, of course, is not just your average unscripted cable skein. The controversial Palin is seen as a mega-draw -- both among her rabid fans, as well as curiosity seekers who might tune in to see how the former Alaska governor presents herself.

Listen, I like Palin and I've certainly learned not to underestimate her wild and crazy moves. But any Palin fan who watches reality-TV (including, I confess, yours truly) has to be aware of the further risks to Palin's credibility here. Granted, she's going to be adding a lot of digits to her bank account and it looks like her show will be more "Planet Earth" than say "Jersey Shore", but still.