By Lynn Elber, 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 scientists 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 Leonard 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 characters 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 attendance: 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 classic "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.
Nintendo reports lower profits as demand drops for its aging Switch console
Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario franchise, said Tuesday that its profit fell 60% in the first half of the fiscal year, as demand waned for its Switch console, now in its eighth year since going on sale.
Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. reported a 108.7 billion yen ($715 million) profit for the April-September period, as sales slipped 34% from the previous year to 523 billion yen ($3.4 billion).
More than 74% of its sales revenue came from overseas, according to Nintendo, which didn't break down quarterly numbers.
Global Switch sales during the period dropped to 4.7 million machines from 6.8 million units the previous year.
But Nintendo said in a statement that Switch sales were still growing and vowed to stick to its goal of selling a Switch console to each and every individual, not just one Switch per every household.
Nintendo stuck to its earlier projection for a 300 billion yen ($2 billion) profit for the full fiscal year through March 2025, down nearly 29% from the previous fiscal year.
Annual sales were forecast to drop 23% to1.28 trillion yen ($8.4 billion).
It also lowered its Switch sales projection for the fiscal year to 12.5 million units from an earlier forecast to sell 13.5 million.
Nintendo and other game and toy makers rake in their biggest profits during the Christmas shopping season, as well as New Year's, a holiday celebrated with fanfare in Japan, when children receive cash gifts from grandparents and other relatives.
Nintendo has not yet announced details on a successor to the Switch.
Among its million-seller game software titles for the fiscal half were "Paper Mario RPG," which sold 1.95 million units since going on sale in May, and "Luigi Mansion 2... Read More