Action and comedy star Jackie Chan seems just as nice in person as he does on screen — at least judging from his personal blog. Recently, he drove to Santa Fe with members of his crew (in the state for filming The Spy Next Door). He could be tapped to write a travel guide to the City Different — a positive one. It's clear from his blog that Chan wasn't sure what to expect. "But as soon as we arrived in Santa Fe, I thought Wow! What a town. The culture, the people, the art. Later I found out that Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States and one of the oldest towns. It's also well known as a center for the arts. There are museums and galleries everywhere and the town is full of historic buildings," he wrote. He added, "There is so much art in Santa Fe; sculptures everywhere; so many gorgeous buildings. I think that if you come to visit the U.S., you should definitely go to Santa Fe. It's only about a 6- or 8-hour drive from L.A., and it's wonderful. I took some photos just for fun so I could share them with you."

You can see his photos at www.jackiechan.com. Interestingly, even though Santa Feans generally ignore stars, they stopped Chan quite a bit during his day trip. Had he been left alone, he might have stayed in Santa Fe longer. But, hey, Jackie Chan is pretty cool.


Former New Mexico first lady Clara Apodaca, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation, has been selected as one of the "100 Influentials" by Hispanic Business magazine. Her accomplishments are detailed in the October issue of the magazine. Other New Mexicans include Arturo Jaramillo, cabinet secretary in the New Mexico General Services Department; and Robert Otto Valdez, executive director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy, The University of New Mexico.


The latest buzz? The Book of Eli, starring two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman is on its way to New Mexico. Shooting reportedly will begin in February around Alamogordo, Carrizozo and, thankfully, Santa Fe. It's a big-budget film, to be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, focusing on a loner in a "not-too-distant apocalyptic future who must fight across America to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption."


The success of Shirley MacLaine's Coco Chanel on Lifetime Television is leading to another bio-pic, this one featuring famed New Mexico artist Georgia O'Keeffe. It will star Joan Allen (who did such a lovely job reading O'Keeffe's letters during the O'Keeffe Museum's 10th anniversary celebration last year.) It will be directed by Bob Balaban from a script by Michael Cristofer, chronicling O'Keeffe's love affair with her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, to be played by Jeremy Irons. The film will shoot in and around Santa Fe starting in November, and is expected to hire some 250 local actors.


Who knows if he's leaving New Mexico for a job with President-elect Barack Obama, but Gov. Bill Richardson is spending whatever time he has left wisely. In addition to shaving his beard, the governor was spotted enjoying lunch at The Shed last week.

Send your news to elmitote@sfnewmexican.com.