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September 23, 2005TC may be a star in Christmas fantasyCity scouted as backdrop for debut effortByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City would be immortalized on film as a snowy Norman Rockwell-esque town if a West Coast feature film production company has its way. Jill Jaress, a veteran actress and head of Got A Laugh Entertainment, wants to use the city as the setting for her first production, "The Christmas Spirit." The family film - billed as a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th St." - would be shot this winter and directed by Rich Brauer of Brauer Productions. Written by Jaress and honored by the Writers' Guild of America Producers Access Program under a different title, "The Christmas Spirit" is about a young girl from a dysfunctional family who wishes for a fairy godmother. Instead, she gets an eccentric New York social worker with her own set of problems. "It's the kind of movie where you walk out feeling that no matter how bad things get, there's always a way out," said Jaress, a Detroit native who lives near Los Angeles. A former Miss Detroit, Jaress said she visited Traverse City while competing in the Miss Michigan competition "many moons ago." The city was suggested as a film setting by friend and actress Julie Kavner, who has a home in the area and has worked with Brauer Productions. Kavner is best known as the voice behind the animated TV character Marge Simpson. Jaress planned to arrive in Traverse City today to scout out possible film locations and to seek financial backing for the production. She scheduled a breakfast open house from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Park Place Hotel to introduce her plans. If she can round up the funding - estimated at between $2.5 and $5 million - she hopes to begin production at Christmas. Shooting would take four to five weeks and would include local landmarks like the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, the Park Place Hotel and local ski areas. Jaress said the film also would use local and Michigan talent with the exception of a few "stars" to help secure distribution. Academy Award-winning actor Martin Landau has agreed to a major role if his schedule permits, she added. Besides increasing exposure to the area, "The Christmas Spirit" would give Traverse City an economic boost, said Brauer. "There's no doubt that when a film shows up in town there's money that's spent," he said.
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