America is going . . . going . . . going rogue.

A week after its release, Sarah Palin's memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life, has seized the nation's hearts and minds with such awesomeness that it may change the nature of political discourse. It sold 300,000 copies on its first day, topping Hilary Clinton's '05 memoir, Living History (200,000), but falling short of Bill Clinton's '04 My Life (400,000). So eager are fans to gobble up Palinian impishness, puckishness and roguery that HarperCollins has upped the first printing from 1.5 mil to 2.5 mil.

Not to undermine Palin's écriture, but she may want to fix a tiny mistake. She attributes the lovely quote used as an epigraph for Chapter 3 to a curious source, John Wooden. (The basketball coach?) The quote - "Our land is everything to us . . . I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it - with their lives" - is actually from Cheyenne chief John Wooden Leg.

Gosselin fiasco: An end in sight?

Methinks there's a light at the end of that bleak cultural tunnel that is the life and times of those most irksome local celebrities, Jon and Kate Gosselin. Champagne all around!

Jon's lawyer, Mark Heller, yesterday said the couple's six-hour divorce arbitration meeting on Saturday went so well, their split may be finalized before too long - well by year's end.

Yes, Jon showed up with a bouquet of roses (for the photogs or for Kate?, one wonders). And, yes, Kate turned them down. She did not want a "peace offering," as Heller called the stems.

On more substantive issues, Jon relegated, er, I mean conceded primary custody of the couple's eight children to Kate.

Heller put a nice spin on things: "Although there were many emotional moments throughout the process, Jon impressively put the best interests of his children above all and was extremely appropriate in his approach to the mediation," he said. "As a result of that, it came to a successful resolution."

Heller did not disclose financial terms of the divorce. Kate's people have yet to comment.

J.Lo's trippendicular performance

Megastar Jennifer Lopez yesterday told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show her lil' trip 'n' fall act at the American Music Awards Sunday - a trip heard round the world - was totally preplanned.

During a performance of "Louboutins," J.Lo lost her balance atop a human pyramid of semi-naked male dancers (I hate it when that happens . . .). The 40-year-old diva landed on her world-renowned derriere.

"Did I trip a little bit? I don't even remember," J.Lo said, laughing. "Yeah, I meant to do that. That was part of the choreography."

Lopez was a trooper: She regained her composure and continued the tune.

"The measure of things isn't what happens when you fall, it's how you recover when you fall," she said.

Adam Lambert's AMA show

There was one question on the lips of every reputable news outlet yesterday: Was Adam Lambert's sexually provocative, S&M-tinged performance Sunday at the American Music Awards too risqué for network TV? Was it too much of an eyebrow-raiser for The Average American Family?

It sure riled some folk: USA Today says ABC yesterday received more than 1,500 complaints. ABC isn't too worried: According to USA Today, a major PR disaster usually prompts 15,000 to 20,000 complaints.

What's all the hoopla about? Adam performed his debut single, "For Your Entertainment," while acting out some moves known to Madonna fans. At one point, he had a male dancer on a leash. Another dancer simulated oral sex with the singer.

"If I offended some people . . . I'm not an artist that does things for every single person," Adam told Access Hollywood. "I wish people would open their minds. . . . It's all for a laugh."

Later, Adam told CNN that a kiss he and a male keyboardist shared onstage (à la Madge & Britney Spears) was entirely spontaneous.

"Part of what I love about being a live performer is that sometimes you just are in the moment," he said. "Adrenaline is a crazy, crazy, crazy feeling."

Gayle King's Oprah withdrawal

Oprah's bosom buddy, Gayle King, yesterday said she'll have a hard time dealing with the Big O's retirement from her talk show.

"I, too, am having Oprah withdrawal," King said on ABC's Good Morning America.

But King said there are no regrets. "I'm happy because I know for her it's the right decision. . . . She's so at peace with it," she said.

Asked if she'd take over the show, she said, "No, no, no."

Oprah, sex and cable TV

If you thought Oprah Winfrey was leaving TV behind her, think again. Variety says the queen of daytime gab has signed a deal with HBO to develop a "sexually charged hour-long series pilot about a woman who leaves her seemingly perfect marriage and children in Santa Monica for the underbelly of L.A., where she indulges her secret fantasies and desires."

Woah! Is this the same Big O - the New Age pope - we're talking about?

It seems the cabler isn't going to skimp on the naughty: The pilot is being written by Erin Cressida Wilson, the screenwriter responsible for the seriously kinky Secretary, a drama about dominance, bondage, and discipline starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Tidbits 'n' pieces

Variety says Joshua Jackson, who plays Peter Bishop, the not-always-so-patient son - and guardian - of genius/mad scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) on Fox' Fringe, has signed to star in a feature adaptation of the British TV show UFO, to be helmed by special-effects guru Matthew Gratzner.

Susan Boyle rocks out on 'Today'

Scottish songstress Susan Boyle yesterday rocked out the audience on the Today show with tunes from her debut CD, I Dreamed a Dream. The 48-year-old You-Tube goddess waved with her red scarf at fans before launching into a string of tunes, including Mick Jagger's "Wild Horses," "Cry Me a River" and, of course, "I Dreamed a Dream." Meredith Vieira was like, "absolutely beautiful."

In an e-mail interview with USA Today, Boyle yesterday said she was anxious about the new record. "I don't want to disappoint anybody," she wrote. "[I] hope I have delivered the record that my fans want."

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Contact "Sideshow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.