This July 13, 2016 file photo shows actress Debra Messing at the premiere of "Cafe Society" in New York. Messing will be honored May 6 at the GLAAD Media Awards as a champion against discrimination. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Debra Messing will be honored May 6 at the GLAAD Media Awards as a champion against discrimination.
The media LGBTQ advocacy organization announced Monday it will give the "Will & Grace" actress the Excellence in Media award at its 28th annual ceremony, to be hosted by Ross Mathews. Previous winners include Robert De Niro, Russell Simmons, Glenn Close and Diane Sawyer.
Messing, a longtime ally to the LGBTQ community, won an Emmy in 2003 for her "Will & Grace" character Grace Adler. The NBC show was instrumental in changing hearts and minds of countless Americans as among the first on prime-time network television to feature out gay lead characters.
It ran for eight seasons and will soon return to NBC.
This image released by Hallmark Media shows Hunter King, left, and Tyler Hynes in a scene from "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. (Joshua Haines/Hallmark Media via AP)
Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding.
"Christmas in the Spotlight" debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world's biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love — not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
"It's clearly inspired by Taylor and Travis, but I don't know them and I don't know what is going on behind the scenes. I only know what's been put out there," said Eirene Tran Donohue, a longtime, devoted fan who jumped at the opportunity to write a script even loosely based on her favorite musician.
She was inspired by the couple's support of each other's accomplishments, particularly Kelce's ease with dating the star despite the glare of the spotlight, adding, "I love the way that he celebrates her."
Tran Donohue wants fellow Swift fans to know she wrote the script with them in mind.
"There are so many Easter eggs," she said of little details added that a Swift fan would pick up on. "I put in as many as I could."
Then, on Nov. 30, Hallmark will air "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story." Instead of a nod to Swift, it's an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark's headquarters is also in Kansas City, so it makes sense why the company chose the Chiefs to be highlighted.
In this story, written by Julie Sherman Wolfe, sparks fly when a new employee for the Chiefs organization (Tyler Hynes) meets a woman — played by Hunter King — whose family's dedication to the team goes back generations.
Sherman Wolfe, a San Francisco 49ers fan, said she got the call a week after Super Bowl LVIII, when the Chiefs... Read More
