Did you enjoy this week's Saturday Night Live sketch where Zac Efron has his toes sucked by older brother Jason Sudeikis? Well, my internet-equipped perv, you're not likely to find it online. NBC hasn't made the clip available on its SNL website, and it's stamping out the sketch on YouTube. Though the New York Daily News attempted to imply there was some skulduggery afoot (ahem), the real explanation is more simple -- though it's indicative of a major problem with SNL's online presence.
E! points out that the sketch used two bits of licensed music -- "Monkey Wrench" by the Foo Fighters and "Always and Forever" by Luther Vandross -- and that music licensing issues had not been worked out to allow NBC to use those same songs online (those same issues are often responsible for the delay of music-heavy series on DVD, since the format wasn't included in the contract when the songs were originally licensed).
One big problem? iTunes sells new SNL episodes online for $2.99 without giving any indication of which sketches will be cut -- and sometimes, the missing music-driven sketches (say, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake's "Single Ladies" skit from the Paul Rudd-hosted episode) are the buzzworthy ones that are motivating the purchase. As you can imagine, the discrepancy has a nation of foot and leotard fetishists up in arms, and the SNL section on iTunes is filled with complaints. Heed their cries, NBC, or face an outraged fan campaign that floods every executive desk with toenail-filled envelopes delivered via UPS.
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