In David Fincher's The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, isn't exactly painted in the most brilliant light. In fact, he pretty much comes across as an asshole. But the real Mark Zuckerberg isn't an idiot (it's hard to make a billion dollars if you are). As much as the Facebook founder has distanced himself from the film and spoken about its inaccuracies, there will be people who don't differentiate between reality and fiction. This means damage control and getting the PR machine in motion.

The New York Times reports that Zuckerberg has pledged to donate $100 million to the city of Newark, New Jersey to help their public school system. Planning to make an official announcement along with Mayor Corey Booker and Governor Chris Christie on Oprah tomorrow, the donation will actually cause a slight shift in power as the governor will cede some of the state's control over the city's school system to the mayor in light of the donation. Having no connection to Newark or New Jersey in general (Zuckerberg grew up in Westchester County, New York and currently lives in California), the Facebook founder chose the troubled city after meeting Booker back in July and beginning a running conversation.

While I typically don't like to move away from the movie news angle (it's kind of the raison d'être for the site), this really is a fantastic thing that Zuckerberg is doing. Regardless of his motives, Newark is a deeply troubled city, and I know that from personal experience - I grew up in the adjacent town. I personally feel that giving money to our public school systems is one of the few ways that we can actually help future generations of Americans, and I sincerely applaud this philanthropic effort.