With 11.6% unemployment, Michigan is currently number one for unemployment across the country. Mostly to blame is the car industry, as GM, Ford and Chrysler continue to add to their tidal wave of job cuts. Enter Jay Leno, who announced on his TV show last night that he'll be coming to Detroit to offer a free night of comedy for the city's unemployed, April 7 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It's all part of "Jay's Comedy Stimulus Plan."Leno, an avid car collector, proclaimed Metro Detroit "one of my favorite places." You might be asking, when's the last time Leno was actually there? As it turns out, New Years Eve, when he performed at Caesar's Windsor. Amid the daily bad news of home foreclosures and unemployment, people tend to forget that Detroit is really an amazing city. If you need a reminder, just check out the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Motown Historical Museum, or the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History just to name a few. The Diego Rivera Detroit Industry mural courtyard at the DIA remains one of my favorite places to be in the entire country.

Leno is setting the bar high for his fellow comedians to show their support for our country's unemployed. As Leno is no stranger to performing pro bono (he's performed for military troops around the world) it remains to be seen if performing for the unemployed will be the next big statement of national service. But I for one would love to see our top comedians fill his shoes. I'm talking to you Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, and Tina Fey. I bet the Flight of the Conchords could definitely make us forget about our economic woes for an hour. A special Will Ferrell "A Final Night With George W. Bush" Show for the unemployed would be highly appropriate.

Tickets to Leno's April 7th event will be dolled out based on the honor system. Just show up to the Palace box office starting Monday, and say you're unemployed. There's a limit of four tickets per person.