ASHTON KUTCHER is featured in a new Internet ad for the potato chip brand Popchips. It's actually disguised as an ad for a dating service, and Ashton plays several characters looking for love.
--One of those characters is an Indian guy named "Raj". And to portray him, Ashton put on brown makeup and adopted the classic fake Indian accent. Obviously, a lot of people are calling it RACIST.
--Here's what the Popchips people have to say about it . . . quote, "[The ad was] created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone.
--"At popchips we embrace all types of shapes, flavors and colors, and appreciate all snackers, no matter their race or ethnicity. We hope people can enjoy this in the spirit it was intended."
(--There's definitely a difference between "blackface" and just PORTRAYING A CHARACTER. Not every white guy who puts on brown or black makeup is performing in "blackface".)
(--But Ashton's goofy, sing-songy accent in this video is troubling . . . and if not racist, then it was certainly a poor decision.)
(--Popchips made a video of JUST the Indian character that's even more uncomfortable to watch. And they obviously know it, because they took it down . . . but you can watch it here.)
ASHTON COMEDY: Ashton Kutcher's new "Two and a Half Men" deal is worth about $725,000 an episode. It's not as much as Charlie Sheen . . . but then again, Ashton doesn't have to pay for HIS whores.