Who knew? Fashion designer Michael Kors — it's his black dress that Michelle Obama wears in her official White House portrait — loves Santa Fe. We learned this from a recent Project Runway episode, in which contestants designed a costume, er, outfit, inspired by Kors' favorite cities. Other contenders included Palm Beach, Hollywood, NYC and Aspen.

• • •

Seen late last week enjoying the pizza at Café Café, was actor Gene Hackman with his wife, Betsy. Our spotter writes, "they were incredibly gracious and even though the house was full, they enjoyed their privacy and their meal undisturbed."

• • •

On the way: The Valerie Plame Wilson-Joe Wilson bio-pic is being screened. The film, Fair Game, stars Naomi Watts and Oscar winner Sean Penn as the CIA spy/ambassador Washington power couple turned Santa Fe residents. The film focuses on the outing of Plame Wilson as a spy and the resulting scandal and is based on her memoir, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House.

Adam54, a poster at coronacomingattractions.com, caught the film at an early screening and had this to say: "Fair Game is really a tremendous, thought provoking film ... Truly a wonderful human drama with political suspense that should interest anybody no matter how they vote." He's predicting another Oscar nomination for Penn.

• • •

Your chance for the big screen: Yet another made-in-New-Mexico-film is hunting for extras.

For $10 an hour with food and drink provided, The Loop needs extras of all types. "If you missed our open casting call we will be accepting applicants throughout the duration of the shoot. We will be filming through December, so anytime between now and then is fine to send your info to us," goes the posting. Send your photo to loopextras@gmail.com and include name, phone number, e-mail address and age range in the body of the e-mail.

The film deals with a courtesy patrol driver who cruises the New Mexico Highway by night, helping stranded motorists and finding love in the process. It stars Jackson Hurst and Rachel Nichols and is directed by Margaret Whitton.

• • •

One of the more eagerly awaited films of the fall, James Cameron's Avatar, has a New Mexico connection. Santa Fe local Wes Studi is in the film, which also stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Giovanni Ribisi. It marks Cameron's return to the big screen after Titanic, the 1997 film that made billions and won an Oscar. It hits the theater on Dec. 18, but the four-minute trailer on the film is out now.

Moviesonline.ca had this to say: "Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people."

The movie has been 10 years in the making and is estimated to have cost some $195 million.

Send your news to elmitote@sfnewmexican.com.