When Sarah Palin’s plane touched down in Fairbanks, a crowd of a couple thousand people went wild. This was the first time Palin was back on Alaskan soil since she was announced as John McCain’s running mate. They chanted, “Sarah, Sarah” as Palin, her husband Todd, daughters Willow and Piper, and baby Trig made their way to the stage. The scene was electric.

I thought Palin’s speech though was a little flat. Her voice was hoarse from the non-stop campaigning and she seemed tired. Who can blame her for that? But her speech relied on many of the exact same lines used in her acceptance speech. I talked with one of her good friends who was in the crowd and she told me Sarah is really looking forward to these next few days in her home state. But they won’t be completely stress-free.

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Today, Palin will speak at her son Track’s deployment ceremony. It’s being held at Fort Wainwright here in Fairbanks. Her friend tells me Sarah is emotional about Track leaving just as any mom would be.

Then after the deployment ceremony, Palin will give her first interview. ABC’s Charlie Gibson won the prize. It will be interesting to see the dynamics. Much has been made about her lack of experience. How far will Gibson go in questioning her readiness to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? Even Alaskans who like Palin as their Governor question whether she’s up to such an awesome responsibility.

Once the interview is over, Palin goes back home to Wasilla. As far as I know there are no public events Friday. Her friend tells me that Sarah requested she be with her these next couple days to give her some normalcy. She needs to laugh and take a short break from the intense spotlight she’s been in for two weeks.

I’m hearing that there might be a rally on Saturday in the Anchorage-Palmer area. His would be a send-off as Palin jumps back on the campaign trail in battleground states. Most people I’ve spoken to here are giddy with all the attention Palin and their state are receiving.

A woman came up to me last night at the rally and gave me a name of some local people who have some fresh moose for Greta Van Susteren. Apparently while she reported from Wasilla she announced that she had never tasted moose but would like to. I’m sure Greta will be thrilled.

In keeping with the adventuresome spirit, I had Reindeer last night at a great restaurant. Reindeer is domesticated caribou. My kids would be horrified that I just ate Rudolph. I have to say while it was prepared well, I’m not a huge fan. Maybe moose will be better.

There is somewhat of a feeding frenzy happening in Alaska right now as reporters and political operatives try to learn as much as possible about Governor Sarah Palin.

There seems to be a new rumor every time you turn around thanks to the left-leaning blogs. First they went after Sarah Palin’s family and now it’s her faith. Palin has described herself as a born again Christian Conservative. She was baptized Catholic as an infant. But her mother became involved in the Wasilla Assembly of God church and at the age of 13 Sarah was baptized in that church. It’s denomination is Pentacostal.

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One of the pastors at the Wasilla Assembly of God has made controversial statements in the past. Ed Kalnins once preached that Alaska’s natural resource wealth will fulfill the state’s destiny of serving as a shelter for Christians at the end of the world. A staunch supporter of the Iraq war, Kalnins has described it as a battle for the very survival of Christianity. And in 2004 Kalnins told followers he questioned whether people who voted for Senator John Kerry could receive salvation. He has since apologized for the comment saying it was a poor attempt at humor. Nonetheless, many Obama supporters are trying to link Governor Palin to these and other fringe comments.

What I’ve been able to learn here in Alaska is that Palin’s faith is not easily pinned down. She left the Wasilla Assembly of God church in 2002 when she ran for Lt. Governor. She moved over to the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church. Pastor Larry Kroon describes Palin as a very positive member of Alaska’s Christian Community, but he does not claim to be her spiritual advisor. He tells me Palin also attends services at the Church of the Rock in Wasilla and another Christian church in Juneau. Keep Reading …

Comic Con is now in full swing. That means 125,000 comic book lovers…many dressed as their favorite character. I’ve seen just about all the Star Wars characters, plenty of Batmen and a few Ghostbusters for good measure.

This unusual crowd has become critical to the recent success of Hollywood. Right next to a vendor selling comic strip drawings you’ll see a flashy set-up from Paramount Pictures or Sony. The big studios have been raking in the cash in recent years with their films adapted from comic books. This year’s Batman movie, Dark Knight is likely to smash all records. It grossed $203 million in its first 5 days..becoming the fastest movie to reach $200-million smashing the old record by 3 days. Hollywood has learned that Comic Con is a great place to generate buzz about their upcoming films. These fans leave San Diego and blog endlessly about the convention and the cool movies they got to get a sneak peak at. And 2008 is shaping up as the Year of the Comic Book Movie. In addition to Batman, there’s Iron Man, The Hulk, Hellboy, and Hancock…all big budget movies.

I have to say when you get beyond the big studio releases, the comic book movies get pretty strange and have a much smaller audience. For every Batman, there are several movies that are true to the graphic novels, lots of sex, blood and always very dark. But these fans eat it up. They love their flawed heroes and twisted story lines.

But Comic Con is showing no signs of slowing down. What started as 300 people gathering in the basement of a San Diego hotel 38 years ago has now taken over the entire San Diego Convention Center with more that 1,000 exhibitors. In fact, organizers say they need even more space and are trying to get the Convention Center to expand. The weekend even brings in some $40-million to the local economy. Geek Pride Day has its economic benefit.