NEW YORK — Viewers who fantasized about potshots being volleyed between Sarah Palin and Katie Couric were disappointed Tuesday morning. Both women did their own thing in their respective morning-show guest spots.

Palin was the much-hyped guest co-host on NBC’s “Today,” going head-to-head against former “Today” anchor Katie Couric, who this week is subbing on “Good Morning America” at her current workplace, ABC.

Greeting Palin, host Matt Lauer joked that as part of the “Today” team, she was briefly including herself in the “lamestream media” she often rails about.

But Couric, with whom Palin has a particular beef after a bruising 2008 interview as the GOP vice presidential candidate, went unmentioned.

The closest reference to that face-off, which took place when Couric anchored the “CBS Evening News”: Palin was first glimpsed Tuesday on the “Today” show couch with her face buried in newspapers. It was a good-sport nod to an embarrassing moment from the Couric interview, when Palin couldn’t name any newspapers she regularly read, instead replying that she read “all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.”

Over on “GMA,” Couric was having fun in a video of taking a tour outside ABC’s Times Square Studio, where, at Madam Tussauds, she approached a wax statue of her former “Today” sidekick Al Roker and inquired, “How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?”

If Couric is a veteran in the morning-show world, Palin, who briefly was a local-TV sportscaster and currently is a contributor to Fox News Channel, displayed natural poise as part of the “Today” crew.

She participated in a party-planning segment with actress-reality star Tori Spelling and in a conversation with experts on raising teenage girls.

She joined in the “Today’s Professionals” panel with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Star Jones and Donny Deutsch.

Addressing the question whether Ashton Kutcher has the acting chops to portray Apple mastermind Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic, Palin said, “Do any of you here have experience with people being paid a lot of money to pretend like they’re you?”

She was talking about the recent HBO film “Game Change,” in which Julianne Moore portrayed her in the 2008 campaign.

“I didn’t see the movie,” the former Alaska governor hastily noted, “and I wouldn’t waste my time seeing the movie.”

Baldwin turns to Twitter to protect his fiancee

NEW YORK — When it comes to his 28-year-old fiancee, Alec Baldwin is very protective.

He used Twitter to blast a New York newspaper for “crashing” yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas’ class.

He tweeted Monday: “Shame on the no-talent trash from the Daily News for invading the privacy of 75 people in a yoga class to take a picture of someone.”

Baldwin also posted the names of reporters at the class. He included a picture of one, and called her “nutty,” followed by a mild curse word.

The actor celebrated his 54th birthday Tuesday. He popped the question last weekend.

The Daily News had no immediate response to comment requests Tuesday.

Ex-contestant urges pageant rule change

LOS ANGELES — A would-be Canadian Miss Universe contestant who was born male says the rule used to ban her should be dropped whether or not she gets a chance to compete.

Jenna Talackova, who underwent a sex change, told reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday that the rule requiring contestants to be “naturally born” women must be dropped so others won’t suffer discrimination.

Her attorney did not permit her to state whether she would compete if granted permission to do so.

A statement on the pageant’s website says Talackova can compete provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions.

But Talackova calls that statement confusing. Legal teams have been formed in Canada, New York and California to consider Talackova’s legal options.