Sarah Palin Is Going Toe-To-Toe With Katie Couric This Week By Co-Hosting The 'Today' Show

Sarah Palin and Katie Couric will go head-to-head this week in the morning news programs.

No, this is not an April Fools joke.

Sarah Palin will co-host NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday morning, pitting her directly against Katie Couric, who is guest-hosting ABC's "Good Morning America" for the entirety of next week.

The direct competition with Couric could have been an enticing factor for Palin. It's her chance to get back at the "gotcha" tactics of Couric from the 2008 election, or the "lamestream" media, or the "elite liberal" media, or whatever she likes to call it these days. Maybe she'll grace us all with new adjectives!

And it signals a freak-out mode for NBC, which has been in more of a ratings battle with ABC's morning show lately and is undoubtedly worried about Couric's hosting stint this week on its rival's show. NBC has also recently announced a "surprise" guest host on Monday -- they are saying "a legend returns," according to Forbes.

NBC is billing Palin's guest spot as a "side you've never seen before," one that gives insight into "what she really thinks about GOP politics and the president." Probably something about how, you know, he's taking us back to the days before the Civil War! . So mething about radicals. Something about Saul Alinsky.

The real intrigue, though, comes as Palin and Couric go alongside each other, after Palin's disastrous 2008 interviews with Couric. Palin has said she will never give Couric another interview, but she's certainly willing to go head-to-head in a ratings battle.

In ABC land, Robin Roberts is going on vacation. The network decided to bring in Couric for the week-long guest spot, which it announced last Thursday.

Serious pressure filling in for the fab @RobinRoberts! Couric tweeted. Rise + shine! Excited to be back on morning TV next wk, guest hosting @GMA w/ @GStephanopoulos.

Couric's role could help push ABC over the top in the morning show battle, which the network said last month was the closest it's been in five years.