Ashton Kutcher, taking your pledges now

Ashton Kutcher isn't at Sundance just to push "Spread," director David Mackenzie's ("Young Adam") morality tale about a gigolo whose life of wealth and excess is turned upside down when he falls for a waitress.

In fact, Kutcher will be taking a time out from his promotional duties to do some work for President-elect Barack Obama. As part of a collaboration between MySpace and Kutcher's Katalyst Films, Kutcher, wife Demi Moore and their celebrity friends will recruit users to pledge service to Obama by recording videos of their pledges and uploading them to MySpace.

We talked to Kutcher and MySpace Chief Executive Chris DeWolfe about the idea and how everyone can get involved:

Where did the idea come from?

Kutcher: My wife and I, since we met, had been looking for a charitable cause that we can stand in front of. We've stood behind a bunch of them, but we wanted to do something where we could make a quantifiable change in the world. Someone came into our office and had the idea of doing pledges for Obama and instantly it was like, "We have to do this."

How do the pledges work?

Kutcher: The first thing you do is set a goal. Then you have to say it out loud to make yourself accountable. That may be one of the only positive aspects of the ego, is that once you say something, your ego sort of forces you to back it up. There will be a site on MySpace that will let users upload videos of themselves making their pledge and have communities organized around actionable causes. Then you go and do what you say you're going to do. It's that simple.

This is pretty different from your prior MySpace collaboration, Blah Girls. What was the appeal of this idea?

DeWolfe: We've always had the Impact channel on MySpace, which is based on the idea that anyone can make an impact, whether it be volunteering for old people or cancer research or getting people to vote. One of our big focuses last year was on the election and getting users familiar with the issues. We made profiles for the candidates, and I really think that was one of the things that helped get young people interested in the election because they're already used to interacting with MySpace profiles. Our site registered over 1 million new voters.

But we wanted to continue this kind of thing after the election, and serendipitously, Ashton came to us with this idea. We really believe that 2009 is the year of hope and that people really will get engaged with this project and believe that they can make a change in the world.

Kutcher: The truth is it's going to take millions, hundreds of millions, of people for that to happen, though. I think there is an assumption that on Tuesday, Obama's going to put his hand on the Bible and the world's going to change. I know that that's true, but not because of anything he's going to do. It's going to because of what all of us do. He's the catalyst. It's his inspiring message that asks us to be of service to each other.

What’s your pledge?

Kutcher: I want to end human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. Whenever I'm faced with an opportunity, I always ask myself, "Am I going to care about this in five years? In 10 years?" It has to be something I'm going to rally behind for a long time. I feel like I can dedicate myself to this for the rest of my lifetime, and if I don't get it done this time, in the one after that.

We heard you’re actually going to make a presentation of these pledges to Obama himself very soon.

Kutcher: We wanted to do this before the inauguration to show him that he's not alone and that we already believe in what he's saying and that we're working on it. Our celebrity pledge video will kick off National Service Day, which Obama is launching on Martin Luther King Jr. Day [Monday, Jan. 19] as a day of community service. It will play at this service nation breakfast he's holding, and then we're all going to march to an elementary school and do a community service project. At some point, we're going to beam in Oprah and ask her to pledge something for us on the spot.

Gee, I wonder if she’ll go for it.

Kutcher: I'll guilt her into it. I'm just warning you, Oprah -- I'm asking you on live TV!

Did any of the celebrities who participated pledge something that surprised you?

Kutcher: Every single person surprised me. Every one that came in made me think, "Why am I not doing that?" From Alzheimer's to stem cell research to activism for autism to really small, practical things you can do.

Like what?

Kutcher: Smile more. Is it an action of service? Absolutely, because it's generosity to another. Everyone we shot pledged a small thing and had the courage to also pledge something daunting. And it's scary , man, it's scary to say you're going to change your life and get out of your comfort zone and in front of something.

Joel Madden came in and said he's going to help pass the Violence Against Women Act and make using women and subjecting women to rape a war crime. And you know what, he not only said that, he's already doing something about it.

This is not about complaining about what's wrong; it's about stating what you're going to do right. Hopefully, we can rock the world!

The site to upload pledges is set to launch Monday.

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Chris DeWolfe and Ashton Kutcher at the MySpace Cafe. Credit: Denise Martin / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Lena Bartula]

Violence against women comes n many forms, and in every culture. Can we just please find an end to this madness?

[savvydude]

This is all just a bunch of blather. I guess until Obama and Kutcher showed up nobody cared at all about anything. It is insulting to those who have devoted their lives, regardless of who was in the White House, to helping their fellow man.

Once again, celebrities are late to this party, but of course they think they invented it. Pathetic.

[Muhammad Daheem]

High hopes, good wishes.

[Mikey]

Pathetic and phony. What else would one expect from the shallow Hollywood crowd.

[Morgan]

There certainly has been significant community effort directed toward the homeless, protecting women etc. prior to Obama declaring his candidacy.
But what I think Kutcher is trying to do is keep up the tremendous momentum for change and hope shown during the campaign. He's right in saying we can't drop the ball when Obama is sworn in and let those doing all the 'good works' before the election continue carrying the load.

[Growltiger]

The Obamatons are out in full force giving new life to Lenin's term for a "useful idiot".

[Maggie]

Uh....the biggest source of sexual exploitation is Hollywood. I hope Kutcher's pledge begins with his own industry.

[shunha7878]

Will we get uniforms? Black or brown would be nice. Don't forget the boots.

[Carlos]

I serve my country, not an individual leader. Obama is by no means Hitler, but his followers have all the makings of the Brownshirts. Cult of personality if I ever saw it. They should be ashamed of themselves.

[Matthew]

How about instead of a pledge of service to Obama- a man, you pledge service to your country, to your neighborhood, to mankind? Barack Obama is going to be President- nothing more. And Kutcher is right that nothing is going to change simply because he's President.

[syn]

Oh joy, I just know these fine multi-millionaire/billionaire celebrities will pool their pile of money and bail out bankrupt California to show America what Obama means about spreading the wealth around.

Remember actors.... action, not words, define the character.

[Fred]

This kid is a punk. Bruce Willis needs to kick this kids ass all over Demi Moores house.

Then send the both to Bolivia one way.

Puke.

[marcos]

All the issue he talked about were just as important when Bush was in office so why the change of heart now that Obama is in?
Answer: Hollywood phonies looking to score points with a deomocrat, that's why!! Good causes but pathetic they play politics to do something about the causes!

[EVE ST.CHARLES]

HOLD UP.. PEOPLE!!! YES, SOME CELEBS, JUST LIKE SOME OF YOU..ARE SHALLOW, AND FULL OF BS!! **HOWEVER, ASHTON IS NOT!!! HE HAS BACKED AND PUT ACTION..WHERE HIS THOUGHTS ARE MANY TIMES!!!

HIS PERSONAL HISTORY, OF DOING GOOD.. IN A WORLDWIDE WAY, IS A FACT!!! DEMI AND ASHTON ARE AN HONEST TEAM,, THAT PROVE, HUMANS CAN BE RIGHTEOUS. YOU JUST HAVE TO CARE!!! SO, BACK OFF NAYSAYERS,,AND ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION... WHAT HAVE ''YOU'' DONE FOR MANKIND..LATELY''????

[Big Shaker]

Pledging service to Obama? Shouldn't they be pledging service to the country? And why did they wait until Obama's onboard? I guess it wouldn't have been cool to do something for their country while Bush was in office, when all they were doing was complaining. Shallow jerks.

[Dave]

January 22, 2013- The End of an Error.

[Christina]

Wow! Obama is Hollywood's Messiah. Could one of Obama's fawning stars ask him why taxpayers are shelling out $150,000,000 for his inauguration when our economy is collapsing? Obama is spending $110 million more than Bush's 2005 inauguration. How many Americans could be helped with the millions blown on pure decedence? Lets have our hands out to China for loans while Obama and his ilk throws the biggest party ever in America.

[movie lover]

Oh Ashton, I hope you and Scalett Johannson will start an Obama worship page on Facebook, you know one you can like, get in front of, or get behind or like, whatever..it will be so kewl. Thanks for proving airheads have no gender.

[Sheila Murray]

Here's a thought: How about ending all the hate towards others you disagree with? I truly think Hollywood is not capable of doing this.
Good luck with all that "smiling."

[michael loehrer]

Exploitation of children? Start with Demi.

[George]

Wow, even Hitler didn't start taking loyalty oaths until he got into office.

Kutcher, you're a useful idiot.

[jll]

Pledges to Obama? Why not pledges to America? Is he now bigger than America or even the ideals of America? Of course he is, for the Obama cultists. This type of recruiting to magnify the already creepy cult of Obama is appalling.

[Zazi]

I sure will "organize" a "worker's party" for the "commun-ity". Let's mobilise fellow travelers!

[lvh]

"He's the catalyst. It's his inspiring message that asks us to be of service to each other. "
You have got to be joking. People have been helping each other right along. He is no
"catalyst". What? it's now
become "hip" help others?
You should have been looking around before he showed up, with his message of "hope".maybe we would be impressed.
what a bunch of bull......

[thiaCyn]

Ahhh another Hollyweird out the door or should I say into my trash! These guys are dropping like flies...please finish rest of sentence because I just can't I get so mad!!!!!!! Ughhhhhh