The PBJ reports that Arizona made $38 million from in-state moviemaking last year, per the state’s film office:

Overall in 2009, the film industry in Phoenix employed 4,795 technicians and actors who worked on 362 projects accounting for 1,290 shooting days and 2,080 hotel nights, the film office reported.

“Maneater,” which aired last May, employed hundreds of local crew members and actors during its three-month shooting schedule. Although the story was set in Los Angeles, producers selected Phoenix because of the visual similarities LA and the Motion Picture Tax Incentive Program administered by the Arizona Department of Commerce, according to the Phoenix Film Office.

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Maneater was a Lifetime movie. It sounds like quite a tale:

Beautiful, fashionable and fun, Clarissa Alpert (Sarah Chalke) is a shallow socialite whose speed dial is a veritable Rolodex of Hollywood power players. Staring her 32nd birthday directly in the eyes — though she will admit only to being 28 — the spoiled daddy’s girl is in a panic because she is still single. Clarissa, though, always gets what she wants — even if he’s Aaron Mason (Philip Winchester), the hottest new producer in town. With the help of her family and friends, Clarissa sets into motion an elaborate plan to lasso the dashing filmmaker.

Other prestige projects included “Supernanny,” “America’s Most Wanted,” and “Wife Swap.”