This file photo shows Ian Somerhalder attending "The Vampire Diaries" panel on day 4 of Comic-Con International in San Diego. The eighth season of "The Vampire Diaries" will be the supernatural series' final entry. The cast and crew of the CW show announced Saturday, July 23, 2016, at San Diego Comic-Con International that the forthcoming season will be its last.(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) --
The eighth season of "The Vampire Diaries" will be the supernatural series' final entry.
The cast and crew of the CW show announced Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con International that the forthcoming season will be its last.
"The Vampire Diaries" executive producer Julie Plec called the ending "bittersweet and emotional."
"We're all going to be crying in a minute," Plec said. "It's been a beautiful run."
Plec was joined at the pop-culture convention by executive producer Kevin Williamson and cast members Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matt Davis and Michael Malarkey.
The adaptation of the book series debuted in 2009 and centered on the spooky happenings in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.
The eighth and final season will premiere Oct. 21.
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
