Why did PBS’ ‘Frontline’ kill a gambling documentary?

TV Tattle

Why did PBS’ Frontline kill a gambling documentary?

Former 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman spent two years on the 90-minute documentary, Bigger Than Vegas, an “investigation into the shrouded activities of Chinese organized crime figures and money-launderers, and their alleged ties to American-owned casinos,” according to The Daily Beast. Bergman and his team claim PBS killed the documentary out of fear of “litigation from billionaire gambling titans Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.”


USA’s Women’s World Cup victory gets huge ratings

Last night’s Fox broadcast marked a new high for soccer in the United States, with 20.3 million viewers tuning in.


Stephen Colbert is eating pizza on his temporary Ed Sullivan Theater marquee

Check out Colbert’s marquee promoting Angelo’s Pizza, which CBS offered free of charge.


Kit Harington is confusing people by keeping his Jon Snow hairstyle

Why was the Game of Thrones star sporting his Jon Snow locks at Wimbledon?


Why do so many TV shows feature the same weird old blanket?

The same granny square afghan has appeared on everything from Taxi to Mad Men to The Big Bang Theory to It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Roseanne.


True Detective
’s third episode was Season 2’s best yet, despite a “BS” twist

As Todd VanDerWerff points out, “True Detective is currently grappling with the fact that it’s trapped in a format where detective stories struggle. In general, the detective story is helped by compression, by the way that events can be collapsed into each other to keep the plot momentum building. That’s why the two most familiar cinematic versions of detective stories are the detective movie (which rarely runs much longer than two hours) and the case-of-the-week TV procedural (which typically wraps each mystery in the span of an hour). Both can tell compelling stories because they’re working within set parameters.” PLUS: A picture is being drawn ever so slowly, was shade being thrown on Cary Fukunaga?, and here’s the story behind True Detective’s cover of The Rose.


Donald Trump is shocked by the backlash over his Mexican immigrant comments

Trump told Fox News on Sunday he “didn’t know it was going to be quite this severe, but I really knew it was going to be bad.”


See the (fake) trailer for Netflix’s TV adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events

A YouTube user has uploaded an unofficial An Unfortunate teaser.


Check out Jimmy Fallon’s big cast

The Tonight Show host is expected to talk about his hand injury when he returns from vacation next week.


Disney XD sets premiere date for animated Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

A special sneak preview will air Sept. 6 ahead of its official premiere on Sept. 26. PLUS: See the poster for the animated Guardians.


Watch Amy Schumer crash her high school

Mo Rocca brought Schumer back to her high school as part of a CBS Sunday Morning profile. PLUS: Schumer auditions for Real Housewives.


John Oliver tackles 15 topics in 1 minute

The Last Week Tonight host took the Fourth of July off, but that didn’t stop him from making “15 Shallow Dives” on everything from bagels to Al Roker.


Syfy unveils an extended Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! trailer

The new promo promises “three times the shark.”


Watch the 1st promo for Bachelor in Paradise

Featuring crying and an ambulance.


Penny Dreadful
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The Season 2 ending had been planned since before the start of Season 1.


Buffy
’s Nicholas Brendon tweets Dr. Drew for help

The troubled actor tweeted Friday night: “If anyone sees @drdrew, have him give a call. Could sure use a pep talk :/ #depressionisreal #helpisoutthere #keepfighting.”


Mario Lopez is under fire for smoking a cigar next to his 20-month-old son

The Extra host later deleted the photo that he posted on social media.


Simon Cowell is mourning the death of his mother

Cowell is said to be “absolutely devastated” following the death of his mom Julie Brett, 89, after a stroke. As a result, today’s start of The X Factor auditions in the UK have been canceled.


Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are married

The That ’70s Show co-stars tied the knot over the weekend in a secret wedding.