MichaelMoore.com

Michael Moore plans Traverse City comedy, arts fest

By Adam Graham / Detroit News

Traverse City -- When it comes to Michael Moore's plans for this northern Michigan resort town, his film festival is just the beginning.

During a discussion panel at the fifth annual Traverse City Film Festival Saturday, Moore, along with comedian Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), announced plans for the first Traverse City Comedy and Arts Festival. The weekend-long festival will feature stand-ups, comedy films, sketch comedy and more, and will take place in either in March or April 2010. Full details of the fest will be announced in about a month, Moore said.

Moore also said he's planning on eventually starting a book festival in Traverse City, which would take place sometime in the fall. "I want to bring people here other times of the year (besides summer)," the Oscar-winning director and founder of the Traverse City Film Festival said.

Plans for the comedy fest -- which Moore said he hopes to make an annual event -- have been in the works for several years, he said. He said he also plans to honor a well-known comedian at the fest, and joked to the audience at the Saturday morning panel, "I bet we could get Sarah Palin to come."

Garlin said although plans are still coming together, "I'm in -- that's a definite."

He said holding the festival in March is better than February in terms of booking out-of-town talent. When asking comedians to come to Michigan in March versus February -- although the weather is largely the same -- "a lot of the sting is gone," Garlin said.

Garlin has been a regular at the Traverse City Film Festival for years, and was on hand at this year's event previewing episodes from the upcoming season of "Curb," which premieres on HBO in the fall.

Moore is hosting a 20th anniversary screening of his breakthrough feature, "Roger and Me," at the festival Saturday night.