By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:53am PDT, Jun 7, 2019
How James Holzhauer's astonishing "Jeopardy!" run came to a dramatic end
James Holzhauer's record-breaking "Jeopardy!" winning streak finally came to an end after 33 games on the June 3 episode of the popular game show. The professional gambler lost to University of Chicago librarian Emma Boettcher by about $22,000 in the Final Jeopardy round. Both James and Emma answered the clue correctly, but the librarian won the wager. (The clue: "The line 'a great reckoning in a little room' in 'As You Like It' is usually taken to refer to this author's premature death." The answer: "Who is Christopher Marlowe?") James ended his run just $56,485 shy of breaking Ken Jennings' record for highest total earnings: $2,520,700 over the course of 74 games in 2004.
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Ellen Pompeo almost quit "Grey's Anatomy" over "really toxic environment"
During an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series that hit the Internet on June 5, Ellen Pompeo revealed that "there were many moments" when she wanted to leave "Grey's Anatomy." Explained the actress, "The first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behavior, really toxic work environment. … But after Season 10, we had some big shifts in front of the camera, behind the camera. It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years. My mission became, this can't be fantastic to the public and a disaster behind the scenes. Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story. That's what's kept me. Patrick Dempsey left the show in Season 11, and the studio and network believed the show could not go on without the male lead. So I had a mission to prove that it could. I was on a double mission."
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"Nashville Flipped" star Troy Shafer's cause of death released
People magazine reported on June 4 that, according to a Pennsylvania coroner's office, "Nashville Flipped" star Troy Dean Shafer died of an accidental drug overdose "due to combined drug toxicity." The coroner's office did not reveal publicly which drugs were found in the house flipper's system. He was 38 when he died in his sleep on April 28.
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Jussie Smollett will not return to "Empire," Lee Daniels says
Lee Daniels took to Twitter on June 4 to shoot down a Variety report that Jussie Smollett will return for the second half of the upcoming sixth and final season of "Empire." Tweeted the Oscar-nominated filmmaker, who created the series, "This is not factual. Jussie will NOT be returning to 'Empire.'" Variety previously reported that, according to "multiple production sources," the musical drama's writing staff is "breaking ideas" for the scandalized star's onscreen alter ego, Jamal, "with the expectation" that he will be back. Jussie's role on the fifth season of the show was downgraded after he allegedly filed a false police report claiming that he was the victim of a hate crime, which has since been called a hoax. In April, FOX released a statement saying that "at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to 'Empire.'"
The one reason Sara Gilbert is happy to be leaving "The Talk"
On the June 3 episode of Variety's "My Favorite Episode with Michael Schneider" podcast, Sara Gilbert said there's one thing she won't miss about "The Talk" when she says goodbye in early August to the show she co-created: publicly discussing her personal life. "There is some relief and thinking like, 'Wow, if I go through anything in my personal life now, I don't have to talk about it,'" she said. "That's a been a stretch for me because I've never been a very public person. I think I put myself on the show to try to push the boundaries like that and grow spiritually and psychologically, but I'm OK with letting that piece of it go." She added of her decision to leave the show, "Something had to give. And I've been lucky enough to do the talk show for nine years. And so that felt like the right move is, 'OK, I've done that. And I've fully explored it.' And now it's time to do other creative ventures."
Emilia Clarke: I "deeply regret" one thing from the final season of "Game of Thrones"
During an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series that hit the Internet on June 4, Emilia Clarke revealed that she has one major regret about the conclusion of "Game of Thrones" following eight season on HBO: "I didn't take anything, and I deeply regret it, and I'm very annoyed. I'm really hoping that the showrunners give me a dragon. I need my smelly socks. I think I did take those," she said.
"Blake's 7" and "Doctor Who" actor Paul Darrow dies at 78
According to the BBC, "Blake's 7" star Paul Darrow, who had a memorable stint on "Doctor Who and the Silurians" in 1970, died at 78 on June 3 following a short illness. The English actor had both legs amputated — one above the knee and one below it — after suffering an aortic aneurysm in 2014.
Why Tiffani Thiessen won't be a part of the "Beverly Hills, 90210" reunion series
During a June 2 chat with "Entertainment Tonight," Tiffani Thiessen explained that she isn't involved in the upcoming "Beverly Hills, 90210" reunion series because of her contractual obligations to her Netflix series, "Alexa & Katie." Said the "Saved by the Bell" alum, "I'm actually shooting Season 3 of 'Alexa & Katie' right now. So I am working at the moment and busy. … I'm literally in the middle of my season, and I go till September." She added of the new series, "I don't know too much about it but I know people are going to be excited. … My shoot schedule sadly won't allow [me to participate], but I wish them well. … I'm sure it's going to be great."
