Entertainment
J. Law Is Hosting A “Politically Charged” Show In New Orleans That You Won't Want To Miss
Jennifer Lawrence is so many things: she's an award-winning actor, a Keeping Up With The Kardashians evangelist, and a talk show appearance expert. Her latest gig is even cooler, though. Lawrence is hosting a political show in New Orleans, and it may actually do some good. "Unrigged Live!" will take place on Feb. 3, and Variety bills it as "a politically charged variety show of comedy, music and other acts that will cap off a three-day political summit." The Oscar winner will be joined by comedians Nikki Glaser and Tig Notaro, as well as New Orlean's Preservation Hall All-Stars and former Ohio senator Nina Turner. But this is far from the first time that Lawrence has gotten political.
The Unrig The System Summit, which runs from Feb. 2-4 at Tulane University, "aims to bring together bipartisan political reform groups with activists, celebs, academics and philanthropists". The overall goal is working toward removing corrupt money from America's politics, and thus remove corrupt persons' influence over them as well. It's an ambitious gathering, and Lawrence's role in the Saturday evening variety show sounds like a welcome respite from otherwise intense discussion.
Apart from her obvious performing chops, the actor seems like a no-brainer to host this event. She's warm and welcoming, as fans have seen in her guest hosting stints on late night talk shows. But, more than that, she's a proudly political person. The Unrig The System Summit was created by Represent.Us, a "nonpartisan, non-profit organization" that works toward the goal of eliminating corruption from politics at every level. Lawrence has previously worked as a Represent.Us ambassador, and even auctioned off a wine tasting tour to raise money for their work.
Besides, the actor has never been shy about her feelings, but especially so since the 2016 election. In November 2016, the actor wrote an essay for Broadly that encouraged those angered by the election results to let their anger drive them forward toward change. She has joked in interviews that she'd love to get a drink with President Trump just for the opportunity to throw it in his face. In the last week of January, she even appeared at an Ohio high school as a guest lecturer on the subject of removing "dirty" money and corrupt influences from politics.
So, while Lawrence is famously funny and a skilled performer, it's her dedicated work with Represent.Us that makes her the ideal choice to participate in this summit. But in case you believe that "celebrities should stay out of politics," it's important to note that Lawrence and other celebrities present won't be writing policy. Their presence just adds to the well-rounded group of professionals Unrig The System gathers to solve the issue of political corruption. The more industries, political leanings, and points of view present, the greater the chance of solving Represent.Us' unifying issue.
If you're a Lawrence fan and are sad to miss out on her impactful new project, then don't worry. The "Unrigged Live!" show will stream live on the summit's website. An official time has not been announced, but it will be on Saturday, Feb. 3, and likely in the evening. Tulane students hoping to stake out the event will be delighted to hear that Variety reports it takes place on campus — in McAlister Auditorium, to be precise.
Again, the Unrig The System summit is a bipartisan effort to remove corrupt money (and by extension, influence) over American politics at every level. Regardless of one's political ideology, it's an idea everyone can get behind. But even though one summit can't solve the entire issue, here's hoping the conversation is at least productive.