Ashton Kutcher Using Social Media to "Set Record Straight" on New TV Role (BLOG)

Ashton Kutcher officially joins the cast of Two and a Half Men on Monday. The social media savvy actor, investor and activist penned an op-ed for USA Today explaining the reasons he took the role on the hit sitcom.

Notably, it was Kutcher's social media savvy, including his 7.6 million followers on Twitter, that helped convince the actor to take the job.

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He writes,


"When I really broke down the decision to take the job, there were so many rewards and few risks — except maybe one: I was stepping into a media frenzy. But I figured I could temper that a bit by keeping the lines of communication open with my social media presence. I can always set the record straight."

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The "media frenzy" that Kutcher is referring to is the fallout from former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen's very public exitfrom the show. In the wake of his suspension and subsequent firing, Sheen took to social media, performed one-man shows in clubs across the country and has coined a number of memes.

The Charlie Sheen media circus is something Kutcher, CBS and the show producers are all going to have to deal with head-on. Fittingly,Comedy Central's Charlie Sheen Roast will air 30 minutes after the season premiere of Two and a Half Men. (We should point out the fortunate timing of this programming decision was not accidental: Viacom and CBS are sister companies.) It will be important for Kutcher to own the messaging behind his own brand, as well as the brand of the show, to keep the attention on the product and not the larger media story.

As Christy Tanner, general manager and executive vice president ofTV Guide Digital told us back in May, "Two and a Half Men won't live or die by social media. The show will continue to be successful if fans continue to find the show funny."

Rumor has it that Charlie Sheen will be attending Sunday's 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

What impact do you think Kutcher's presence is going to have onTwo and a Half Men? Do you think his social graph will help get the right message out to audiences? Let us know.

This story originally published on Mashable here.