Tamalewood

New Mexico goes for the tinsel:

There, in the shadow of the snow-capped Sandia Mountains, the aircraft-hangar-like buildings at Albuquerque Studios house part of a budding film industry that one local newspaper dubbed Tamalewood. This year, four more soundstages will be added to anchor a bustling movie production center equal in size to 10 large supermarkets.

..."We had a very simple strategy," Gov. Bill Richardson said. "Get ahead of every other state in terms of incentives, throw the kitchen sink at accommodating film companies — tax rebates, loans from the state, free state land, write-offs…. It's created hundreds of jobs."

...Richardson took "Wild Hogs" director Becker to dinner. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez handed the director a proclamation honoring the film. And Strout helped set up meetings with residents in Madrid, a dusty former coal mining town off the Turquoise Trail where much of the film was shot.

Last summer, 200 crew members and celebrities, including John Travolta and Tim Allen, descended on the quirky community of artists, writers and gift shop owners. Production workers spruced up lawns, painted storefronts and built a diner on a lot next to a jewelry shop owned by Hugh and Honore Hackett. In return, they left the Hacketts the empty diner, which they used for storage. It's now a tourist attraction.

"We had 100 people here over the weekend wanting to take their pictures in front of the diner," Hackett said. "It's like we have a little piece of Hollywood right here in town."