Well, Film Wisconsin may have been gutted last year to a mere shell of its former self, unable to offer truly big time savings to film, television, and video game makers, but like the little engine that kind of could, it’s still hanging in there, doing its very bestest. For example, some scenes from Transformers 3 will be shot in Milwaukee – at the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Tower Automotive site during the week of July 12.

Oh wait, scratch that. Upon further research (reading beyond the first paragraph in a Businessweek article), T3 doesn’t even qualify for the new, much smaller grant programs we still have in place. Film Wisconsin says director Michael Bay just liked the locations. (And honestly, who doesn’t want to see Optimus Prime shooting lasers in the Milwaukee Art Museum?) Also, they’re already filming in Chicago, so it’s nice and close and all.

So, basically, Milwaukee is the Walgreens you run into to pick up some allergy medicine because it’s close to Mega Foods where you need to buy stuff for dinner, and Walgreens has a slightly different brand that’s a little cheaper. Metaphors, roll out!

The whole production is expected to generate $1 million to the Milwaukee area for salaries, hotels, food, fuel, and equipment. But most of the money is expected to come from catering fees because those giant friggin’ robots can eat. And when you factor in Wisconsin’s cigarette tax, economic experts estimate Shia LaBeouf will generate $78,000 all by himself. And if you factor out how unspeakably bad Transformers 2 was, Milwaukee may very well come out ahead on this deal. Zingers, roll out!

And, this just in, Milwaukee will also be a host city for American Idol Season 10, with auditions at the Bradley center on July 21. So ... there’s that.