In this July 11, 2016 file photo, actor Viggo Mortensen participates in AOL's BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the film "Captain Fantastic" in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
WATERTOWN, NY (AP) --
Viggo Mortensen will return to his northern New York hometown this month to kick off a film festival with a screening of his 2016 movie "Captain Fantastic."
Organizers of the Snowtown Film Festival say the 58-year-old actor will be in Watertown on Jan. 27 for the screening, which will be preceded by a "flannel-casual" red carpet and followed by a panel session featuring Mortensen.
Mortensen graduated from Watertown High School and St. Lawrence University in northern New York. His other films include "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Eastern Promises."
He has been nominated for multiple awards for his starring role in "Captain Fantastic." He plays the father of six children faced with suddenly coping with society after being raised off the grid in the Pacific Northwest forests.
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
