Really Big Bang, ‘New Girl’ finis, and more

The season finale of “The Big Bang Theory” airs on Channel 4 (CBS) 7 p.m. Thursday, May 10.  It features the highly anticipated wedding of Sheldon (Jim Parsons) to Amy (played by everybody’s favorite Jewish celeb, MAYIM BIALIK). Of course, the whole regular cast will be in the episode (including the Jewish members — SIMON HELBERG, 37, as Howard; MELISSA RAUCH, 37, as Bernadette, and KEVIN SUSSMAN, 47, as Stuart). It’s unclear as of press time whether JUNE SQUIBB, 88, who has guest starred as Sheldon’s grandma or “Meemaw,” will be in the finale. Mark Hamill, 66, the “Star Wars” star, has an “undefined” role in the episode. Bialik, 42, went bananas a couple of weeks ago when she met Hamill for the first time. She shared her reaction with her 2.6 million Instagram followers: “He shook my hand. I can’t handle it…It was amazing.”

 The last (ever) episode of “New Girl,” the hit Fox series, will air at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 15. This one-hour special will be set three years ahead from the previous episode and catch us up with changes in the lives of the main characters. Suffice it to say they are all happy, including Jess (played by series’ title star Zooey Deschanel) and Schmidt (MAX GREENFIELD, 37). Guest stars include ROB REINER, 71, and JAMIE LEE CURTIS, 59, as Jess’s parents and ZOE LISTER-JONES, 35, as Schmidt’s former paramour, Fawn Moscato.  

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In 2015, Deschanel wed a Jewish guy in a “secret ceremony” and they now have two kids. US Weekly said she converted to Judaism before the wedding, but didn’t provide any details. This 2015 story has been repeated all over the interet, but there’s been no confirmation since 2015. 

 HAL LINDEN, 87, will guest-star in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” that will air on Channel 5 (NBC) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16. A rape claim is made by a woman living in an assisted living facility. She has Alzheimer’s and her mental state brings her allegation into question. Linden plays a mysterious man from her past. 

Star of the hit series “Barney Miller,” Linden was recently honored by the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival with a major award. In addition, the festival screened his new indie film, “The Samuel Project,” in which Linden plays a German Jewish refugee who tells his grandson about the Holocaust. 

Linden has been a spokesman for the Jewish National Fund for 20 years. He recently told the Jewish Journal he plans to keep on acting as long as he can. “Acting is a great profession,” Lindentold the Journal. “You start from zero every time. That point between words on a page and flesh on a stage is the most creative part for an actor. I appreciate the process more than the results. That’s where the joy is.”

At the Movies and more

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 Opening May 11 at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema is the documentary “RBG” and the dramatic film “Disobedience.” “RBG” is about the life and career of Supreme Court Justice RUTH BADER GINSBURG, 85. While Ginsburg has become a pop culture icon for some, relatively few know about the tremendous legal legacy she created even before she joined the high court or the details of her personal life. “RBG” explores how through “pure grit,” and the aid of a great husband, she was able to balance being a wife, mother, law professor, groundbreaking litigator, and judge. 

“Disobedience,” which has earned universally great reviews, is based on a novel by NAOMI ALDERMAN, 44, that centers on the London Orthodox community. The film opens with the death of an Orthodox rabbi after a fiery sermon (ANTON LESSER, 66; “Qyburn” on “Game of Thrones”). His rebellious daughter, Ronit (RACHEL WEISZ, 48), returns from New York for his funeral. She soon gets re-acquainted with the two best friends from her youth: married couple Esti (Rachel McAdams), and Dovid (Alessandro Nivola, who had a Jewish paternal grandmother). Dovid is a kind, much-admired Orthodox rabbi. Huge complications ensue when Esti shows she’s interested in a physical relationship with Ronit, who is already out as a lesbian. 

A Jewish Light reader was kind enough to tell me that I made an error in my recent brief bio item about Baltimore pitcher RICHARD BLEIER, 30. While he played eight games in the minors last year, he also played in the majors for 57 games. He had a good 2017 season, with a 1.99 ERA.