Leno Gives Free Shows in Battered Detroit

Jay Leno, the American late-night comedian and talk show host, gave two free performances in Detroit earlier this week. For almost an hour and a half, he riffed on on everything from cars to presidents. “The idea is just come on down, hopefully forget your troubles for a while, other people are in the same boat as you are and maybe take some of the weight off, that's all," Mr. Leno told reporters. He's proven himself a class act.

Detroit has it worse than most of America. With the auto industry on its backside and getting less help from Uncle Sam than the banks, Michigan's unemployment rate was 12% in February, but in Detroit it was 22.8%. The average price of a home there is just $18,000. Even the sports fans there can't get a break; Michigan State got crushed in the NCAA Basketball Final by North Carolina.

So, Mr. Leno announced that he'd do something to help out. He announced a few weeks ago that the shows would be free, that anyone who was out of work was welcome and tickets were given away (four per person) on an honor system. People were lined up for hours when tickets at The Palace of Auburn Hills became available.

Rap-Rocker Kid Rock, a kid from the city made good, introduced the comedian saying a sentence few have used lately, “What a great night for the state of Michigan and the people of Detroit.” Mr. Leno bounded on stage, and shook hands with the people in the front, just like at his TV studio. He tried to start the show a couple of times, but he was drowned out by a chant of “Thank you, Jay!”

His car jokes probably hit closest to the bone. He mocked the Smart car, which really does resemble a pregnant golf cart rather than a real car. He poked fun at Yuppies who give each other a Lexus at Christmas (fewer last year than before). Perhaps the biggest laugh he got was with a joke about a car Detroit was going to build that runs on urine. "How are you gonna fill that tank," he joked. "Most men can't even hit the bowl."

There was one small problem. The show wasn't actually in Detroit but in Auburn Hills, a suburb west of the City. Some members of the Detroit City Council were upset at this apparent snub. However,  Councilwoman and Motown star Martha Reeves has stated Mr. Leno is considering a further show in Detroit proper late this year. He started his show with "Thank you Detroit! Oops! I meant Auburn Hills. I am SO sorry!"

This isn't the first time Mr. Leno did a free show to help out. He played Las Vegas for free right after the Al Qaeda murders in 2001. People quit visiting the city, and his only demand was that his audience tip their servers, whose hours had been cut back. This journal gives him a standing ovation.

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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