Mark Zuckerberg to appear with Jesse Eisenberg on this weekend’s SNL?

When it comes to giving THE SOCIAL NETWORK any extra publicity, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg haven’t been very accommodating. When prompted for a response to THE SOCIAL NETWORK being nominated for 8 Oscars, Facebook issued a statement saying, “We’ve said all we’re going to say about the movie and the books. We’ve moved on from this discussion.” Zuckerberg did take some Facebook employees to see the movie but later said, in very Zuckerbergian fashion, “We build products that 500 million people see. If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much.” But is the Facebook finally set to add SOCIAL NETWORK as a friend? (God, I hate myself for making that joke.)

The NY Post is reporting that both SOCIAL NETWORK producer Scott Rudin and “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels are making a full-court press to convince Zuckerberg to make an appearance on this weekend’s SNL, which features Jesse Eisenberg as the host. And shock of all shocks, Zuckerberg is reportedly “interested” in the cameo.

Two things to keep in mind: 1) The news originates in the Post’s gossip column Page Six, and 2) The state of each episode of “Saturday Night Live” is constantly in flux from day-to-day and hour-to-hour and what looks good on Thursday may not work on Saturday. That said, that Zuckerberg is reportedly even considering the movie, as the paper says to “show his sense of humor,” is a surprise, especially given that Eisenberg still has yet to meet Zuckerberg in person.

Will it happen? Who knows but it should make for some interesting viewing if it does and should certainly give THE SOCIAL NETWORK a little added Oscar buzz…