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Hugs, tears mark taping of final ‘Big Bang Theory’ episode
By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Hugs and tears punctuated the final taping of “The Big Bang Theory,” a lovefest for its stars, crew and audience alike.
There were plenty of punchlines as well, as the true-to-form hit comedy about scien- tists and those who love them wrapped the two-part, hour-long finale that will air in mid-May on CBS.
“This show has touched so many hearts,” an emotional Kaley Cuoco told the fans who filled a Warner Bros. soundstage Tuesday. She shared a comment made by series creator Chuck Lorre at a reading of the final script: “’The Big Bang Theory’ will live on in our hearts forever.”
Johnny Galecki, who plays husband Leon- ard Hofstadter to Cuoco’s Penny, thanked the audience and called the top-rated comedy’s 12-season run “a dream come true for all of us.”
It was definitely a pinch-me moment for those lucky — and persistent — enough
to be on hand for episode No. 279. Some, urged by audience warm-up comedian and emcee Mark Sweet, paid tribute to the series that turned the really smart set into unlikely crowd-pleasers.
Malerie Shakter of Oakland, California, who works in the tech industry, said she’s been inspired by the powerful female char- acters portrayed on the sitcom. She waited in line for 14 hours to get a seat, she said, adding, “I would do it all over again.”
Jim Parsons, who stars as awkward genius Sheldon Cooper, had a key fan in atten- dance: His mother, Judy Parsons. The actor, a four-time Emmy winner for the role, looked relaxed and even broke into a few dance moves between shots.
Parsons is keeping ties to his character, as an executive producer of “Young Sheldon,” the CBS spinoff about the future physicist’s
childhood in Texas that stars Iain Armitage in the title role.
The cast, including Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar and Melissa Rauch, lingered after taking their final bows. Mayim Bialik, who plays neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, hugged Lorre tightly on the stage that was named after the series last February. A plaque outside the building commemorates other projects filmed there, from movie clas- sic “Casablanca” to the TV series “Cheyenne” in the 1950s and ‘60s.
The “Big Bang Theory” episode taped Tuesday will air as the last half of a two-part finale on May 16. Also airing that night
is “Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell,” with Galecki and Cuoco hosting a behind-the-scenes look back at the show.
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Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ lynnelber.
Kristen Stewart celebrates young stars redefining sexuality
By RYAN PEARSON AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kristen Stewart says she felt a “huge responsibility” to define her sexuality after finding fame in the “Twi- light” movie franchise. But she’s glad today’s young stars don’t have to do so.
The 29-year-old actress said she was “so gay” on “Saturday Night Live” two years ago. But she sees a shift in culture that’s allowed young people - in and outside Hollywood - to accept fluidity in gender and sexuality.
“I felt this huge responsibility, like one that I was really genuinely worried about, if I wasn’t able to say one way or the other, then was I sort of like forsaking a side,” said Stew- art, who also had a long-term relationship with “Twilight” co-star Robert Pattinson.
“The fact that you don’t have to now is like so much more truthful,” said Stewart.
The actress stars alongside Laura Dern in “J.T. LeRoy,” a biopic about a young woman named Savannah Knoop whose sister-in- law Laura Albert created LeRoy as a literary persona. Knoop pretended to be a man in public appearances as the celebrated author, and now identifies as nonbinary.
Stewart celebrates that decision along with statements from younger Hollywood stars like Sophie Turner, 23, who have refused to label their sexuality.
“If you were to have this conversation with someone like in high school, they’d proba- bly like roll their eyes and go, ‘Why are you complicating everything so much?’ ... Just sort of do what you want to do,’” she said. “It’s really nice.”
Stewart says contemporary culture is still struggling to define fluid gender and sexu- ality: “I just feel like we don’t even have the
words to describe the complexities of identity right now.”
Stewart says she’ll be putting that spirit into her feature film directorial debut, an adaptation of the memoir of a bisexual swimmer-turned-artist titled “The Chronol- ogy of Water.”
“So much of that spirit is completely about finding new - finding a new language. And like really understanding that your word house, so to speak, is constructed by you,” she said. “And you can also have a million definitions of any word you want. Like they are open for interpretation. ... So like words as solace -- because they really can be used as weapons or really like more saviors.”
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This story has been corrected to fix Savan- nah Knoop’s first name.
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