Theme: Once again, I can't do any better than the unifier.
55. Revived game show hosted by Jane Krakowski that's also an apt title for this puzzle: NAME THAT TUNE. This is a game show in which contestants attempt to identify a tune played by an on-stage orchestra in a minimum number of notes. It started on radio in 1952, and then appeared on TV from 1943 to 1959. Over the decades it has had several reincarnations, most recently in January, 2020. In the puzzle, theme fill are song titles. Let's see how it works.
18. Protest song?: COME ON EILEEN. A 1982 hit by Dexys Midnight Runners. "Come on" is plaintive plea for someone to be more compliant or stop being annoying.
33. Backing track?:
HELP ME RHONDA. A 1965 hit by The Beach Boys. To back someone is to help out in some sort of way.
41. Opening number?:
DEAR PRUDENCE. From the Beatles White Album, released in 1968. "Dear Someone" is the typical opening of a snail mail letter, if anyone sends them anymore.
Hi, Gang - JazzBumba here to fill your day with song. Don't feel bad it you found the theme to be a bit opaque. I had to appeal to the Corner blogger team to help figure it out. Special thanks to Husker Gary who saw the deepest. Some added layers here are that song, track and number are all synonyms for a tune, with each in a different context; and that each theme entry contains a girl's or woman's name, for an added touch of elegance.
Across:
1. "We can seat you now" gadget: PAGER. It beeps and flashes in a restaurant.
6. Italian wine used in cooking: MARSALA. A fortified wine made in Sicily. Marsala is most commonly used in cooking to create nutty, rich caramelized sauces.
13. Puts in a row: LINES UP. Puts things in order.
15. "So it would appear": I GATHER. I guess so.
16. Spoon, for one: UTENSIL. A tool or implement.
17. The 4,080-piece Disney Castle, e.g.: LEGO SET.
6. Italian wine used in cooking: MARSALA. A fortified wine made in Sicily. Marsala is most commonly used in cooking to create nutty, rich caramelized sauces.
13. Puts in a row: LINES UP. Puts things in order.
15. "So it would appear": I GATHER. I guess so.
16. Spoon, for one: UTENSIL. A tool or implement.
17. The 4,080-piece Disney Castle, e.g.: LEGO SET.
20. Boy in the "Star Wars" prequel films: ANI. Anakin Skywalker was a legendary Force-sensitive human male who was a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic and the prophesied Chosen One of the Jedi Order, destined to bring balance to the Force. Also known as "Ani" during his childhood, Skywalker earned the moniker "Hero With No Fear" from his accomplishments in the Clone Wars. His alter ego, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was created when Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, pledging his allegiance to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious at the end of the Republic Era.
21. "What __, your maid?": AM I. Sarcasm. But clean up after yourself - OK?.
22. Short mission?: RECON. An abbreviated form of reconnaissance - an exploratory military survey of enemy territory
26. Alexander of "Rizzoli & Isles": SASHA. Suzana Drobnjakovic [b 1973,] known by her stage name Sasha Alexander, is an American actress and TV director. She played Gretchen Witter on Dawson's Creek and has acted in films including Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You. Alexander played Caitlin Todd for the first two seasons of NCIS.
30. Msg. to the whole squad: APB. All Points Bulletin. An electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.
32. Drink suffix: -ADE. Generally used with drinks made from citrus fruits.
37. Twix ingredient: CARAMEL. Along with chocolate and a cookie.
40. Directly toward the sunset: DUE WEST. The cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees. westward.
43. Go bad: ROT. Decay.
44. "Hey, that's enough!": T M I. Too Much Information. Please tell me less.
45. "Hey, that's enough!": OK NOW. Stop it already.
48. Derisive look: SNEER. often with a curled lip.
51. Virginia Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS. Social commentary on upper class life in England after WW I.
53. Gear tooth: COG. As defined.
60. Prodded: POKED AT. Jabbed with a finger or other object
63. Rely on excessively: USE A LOT.
64. Buttercup family member: ANEMONE. Anemone is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.
65. Array for BB gun target practice, perhaps: TIN CANS. Cheap targets.
66. Broadway props?: TONY NOD. Props as praise rather than accessory items - clever clue
67. Really love: ADORE.
Down:
66. Broadway props?: TONY NOD. Props as praise rather than accessory items - clever clue
67. Really love: ADORE.
Down:
1. Climbing spikes: PITONS. Pegs driven into a rock or crack to support a climber or a rope.
2. Low-hemoglobin condition: ANEMIA. A low number of red blood cells.
3. __ therapy: GENE. The transplantation of normal genes into cells in place of missing or defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders.
4. Exxon, in Canada and Europe: ESSO. Brand name for auto fuel.
5. Damage beyond repair: RUIN. Destroy
6. Many-legged arthropod: MILLIPEDE. Any of a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda,
7. Outfielder Tommie in the NY Mets Hall of Fame: AGEE. Tommie Lee Agee [1942 - 2001] was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1962 through 1973, most notably as a member of the New York Mets. He was the American League rookie of the year in 1966 and a two time gold glove winner.
8. Wild party: RAGER. A larger gathering usually of highschool or college students where massive amounts of alcohol are consumed.
9. "La La Land" Oscar winner Emma: STONE. Emily Jean Stone [b 1988,] known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
10. Relieved sounds: AHS. An exhaled exclamation used to express a range of emotions including surprise, pleasure, sympathy, and realization.
11. Novelist Harper: LEE. Nelle Harper Lee [1926 - 1916] was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature.
12. Class with smocks: ART. To protect from paint spatters.
13. Pixar film that lost to "Encanto" for a Best Animated Feature Oscar: LUCA. A 2021 American computer-animated coming-of-age fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Set on the Italian Riviera, the film centers on Luca Paguro, a young sea monster boy with the ability to assume human form while on land, who explores the town of Portorosso with his new best friends,
14. Urgent request: PLEA.
19. Mosque authority: IMAM. A title of various Muslim leaders, especially of one succeeding Muhammad as leader of Shiite Islam.
23. Word with candy or sugar: CANE. Works either way.
24. Track figures: ODDS. The probability that one thing is so, or will happen rather than another thing.
25. Tidy: NEAT. Orderly.
27. __-Pei: dog breed from China: SHAR. The Shar Pei is a dog breed from southern China. Traditionally kept as a chicken eating dog and property guardian, the Shar Pei was driven to the brink of extinction in the 20th century. The breed is known in the West for its deep wrinkles, whilst a traditional less wrinkled form is maintained in Hong Kong.
28. Natural rope fiber: HEMP. Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It is used to make a variety of commercial and industrial products, including rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, and biofuel.
29. 30-Across, for one: ALERT. Warn someone of a danger, threat, or problem, typically with the intention of having it avoided or dealt with.
31. "24K Magic" singer Mars: BRUNO. Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, dancer, and music video director. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock.
I like this one more
34. Took a nosedive: PLUMMETED. Like the stock market this year.
35. "Darn it all to __!": HECK. Bowdlerized exclamation of anger or dismay.
36. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany": OWEN. A Prayer for Owen Meany is the seventh novel by American writer John Irving. Published in 1989, it tells the story of John Wheelwright and his best friend Owen Meany growing up together in a small New Hampshire town during the 1950s and 1960s. According to John's narration, Owen is a remarkable boy in many ways; he believes himself to be God's instrument and sets out to fulfill the fate he has prophesied for himself.
37. USN officers: CDRS. The written abbreviation for Commanders when it is used as a title.
38. Many millennia: AEON. An indefinite and very long period of time, often a period exaggerated for humorous or rhetorical effect.
39. Matter of interest?: RATE. Referring to the annual charge per year on a borrowed amount of money.
42. Gossip: DIRT. Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, usually negative, and typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.
46. Eye-related: OCULAR.
47. Had meager success in a series of games: WON ONE. Like, frex., the 1-4 Lions.
49. Foe: ENEMY. Adversary.
50. Home detector target: RADON. Radon is a chemical element with the symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas.
52. Boarded up: SHUT. Closed for business.
54. Understands: GETS. Comprehends.
56. Spanish hand: MANO. Literal.
57. __ Kate Dillon of "Billions": ASIA. Asia Kate Dillon [b.1984] is an American actor, best known for their roles as Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black and Taylor Mason in Billions. Dillon is non-binary and uses singular they pronouns.
58. Look after: TEND. Take care of.
59. Folded snack: TACO. In the U.S. this is a Mexican dish consisting of a fried tortilla, typically folded, filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned meat, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes. It is the Spanish word for sandwich. Once in Mexico I ordered a jamon con queso taco and got a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. True story.
60. "The Women of Troy" novelist Barker: PAT. Patricia Mary W. Barker [née Drake; b. 1943] is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and plainspoken
61. "Woman Power" singer Yoko: ONO. Yoko Ono [b. 1933] is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York City in 1953 with her family. In 1969 she married English musician John Lennon of the Beatles.
62. "__ Burns: America": KEN. Kenneth Lauren Burns [b. 1953] is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV and/or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS.
That's all folks. Hope you enjoyed the music.
Cool regards!
JzB
46 comments:
Tommy Agee was instrumental to the Miracle Mets of 1969 that shocked by winning the WS. I was in ChuLai at the time
LUCA LUCA Brasi sleeps with the fishes
KEN(Burns) perped and I didn't think of that Ken.
Theme was obscure. It reminded me of this episode Shuffle off to Buffalo
WC
I agree that the theme was obscure. Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Wanted I GUESS SO, but it was too short. Then tried LAB for that smock-wearing course. ART and I GATHER finally appeared. Messy. Still not sure I understand the theme, but got 'er done. Thanx, Amie and JzB.
Off for the quarterly dental maintenance...
FIR, but erased the unknown luna for the equally unknown LUCA, and due to decaf, evan for OWEN. I noted 10 other unknowns. Didn't get the theme until reading JzB.
In the US, the sun only sets DUE WEST in Hawaii, and even there only on a couple of days of the year. In other states it always sets somewhere south of it.
Since when is a TACO a snack?
Exactly where would one obtain TIN CANS for BB practice? In my ute I was disappointed when beer companies switched from steel to aluminum. A .22 will knock over a steel beer can, but will go through an aluminum one without causing it to move.
The Washington CDRS are also 1-4. The rest of the division is 13-2. Native Americans must be so relieved that they are no longer associated with those cellar-dwellers.
Thanks to Amie for the doable puzzle, and to JzB for the tour.
FIW. Never heard of Luca or the song Come on Eileen.
DNF. Far too many unknowns. Had I gotten the theme while attempting the CW, it may have helped, but did not get the theme until JzB ‘splained it. Really, very big DNF. I gave up with the CW only half filled. Ya got me but good, AW. Thanx for the terrific write-up, JzB.
Sometime near or on the Spring and Fall equinoxes the sun rises due east and sets due west all over the U S
I finished this one in 6:17, but it took me more than a couple notes to catch on to the theme.
"Come on Eileen" is one of my favorite 80s songs. I can't say there's many 80s songs competing for top honors, but that's one of them.
I second Jinx's question of when did a taco become a snack?
I found this theme or its clues to be lacking, and again too many proper names (Pat, Ken, Owen, Asia, Agee, Lee, etc.) in this crossName puzzle.
Good Morning:
The theme meant zero to me as I have never heard of any of those songs. My knowledge of pop music songs and artists would fit in a thimble, with room to spare. The only Asia I know is a continent and while I know oodles of Pats, I’m unfamiliar with Ms. Barker, despite her book referencing my home town. The Ani/Ami duo stood out as did A Prayer For Owen Meany, a wonderful novel.
Thanks, Amie, (Once In Love With Amy would have been cute) and thanks, JazzB, for a very interesting and enjoyable review. I learn a lot from your detailed expos.
FLN
Sandyanon, glad you chimed in, please stay with us!
Anon T, try Phrazle, which is Wordle on steroids.
Have a great day.
My second FIR in a row, improving on my earlier puzzles. With the reveal, I got the theme in spite of only being familiar with HELP ME RHONDA. Lots of white at first but the puzzle finally came together, due to fill I was sure of. Thanks, Amie.
Thanks, JazzB, for your usual helpful review. I'm starting my day with music running through my mind.
Anon @8:11 - You are right. Clue is right twice a year, everywhere on earth except at the poles (where there isn't east and west).
Hi Y'all! This was an okay puzzle, thanks, Amie. Thanks, JzB, enjoyed your expo & first time hearing Bruno Mars, altho have heard the name.
NAME THAT TUNE was a loss as a theme for me. Didn't know any of those theme TUNEs.
I got hung up on that Navy officer: Capt, Cmdr, CPOs, CDRS.
APB was ESP: tried "win". I was thinking sports or cheerleading squad.
DNK as clued: ANEMONE, LUCA, ASIA, PAT.
Anyone heard from Vidwan? Miss him.
Greetings! I didn't mind the song titles for the theme, but I didn't much care for the clues that went with them. Changed hell to HECK - who says that?
11D fooled me: I was going for Harper as a last name.
OWEN (36D), ASIA (57D) and PAT (60D) all from the perps. Still and all a good puzzle for a Wednesday.
19 proper names, sad.
Crossing of 13 down with 20 across left me out , since I didn't know either. Never heard of a Rager & who says " darn it all to Heck? Are there still tin cans? I thought they were aluminum, just being nit picking. This puzzle left me cold. Come on Eileen? Duh.
Musings
-Subbing today and as usual, the teacher has no pencils! I had to write over LEGO KIT for SET and DISH for DIRT and that other word for HECK.
-I am subbing at AHS today. TMI?
-SASHA got tired of the long hours and physicality of NCIS.
-CARAMEL – Ah yes, the word with the hidden syllable.
-USE A LOT – Erie, Ono, Era, Ore…
-I remember pointing a shotgun at a TIN CAN while holding it like a BB gun. The next thing I saw was the sky.
-DIRT – Election season has minions out looking for anything that can be construed as DIRT on the other candidate (oppo research)
-SHUT – Most of the stores in our mall
-Juliet, “What’s in a name?” Romeo, “A big part of crosswords today.”
A true boomers' puzzle with iconic '60s female named song titles. Had fun with it.
(IM, you never heard The Beach Boys'.. "HELP ME RHONDA"?)
I don't get "props" as praise for TONY NOD
Oscar Nod would mean a nomination, isn't this the same? PITONS was learnt from prior puzzles. Both "Encanto" and "Luca" were fun films (yeah I like cartoons), the latter was set on the Italian riviera but not sure why in the 1950s.
Like Jinx (I thinx?) to me a TACO is a meal not a snack but depends on your appetite I guess. So many more "likeable" clues for PAT. It's a med controlled heart condition I have (Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia). Not the same as A fib, (have that too 🙄)
Earl Grey quote: "We will ____ tea before its time".....BRUNO.
Recent devastating hurricane....AEON
In debt to....OWEN
Lots of Info JazB.. thanks for taking the time to do so much research (or do you just know all that stuff alreddy 😮)
PK..ditto on Vidwan. Anyone have any info?
FIR, got slowed down by my lacking music knowledge. The only title of the three I'd heard of was COME ON EILEEN, and the clues only "helped" (quite cryptically) with the non-name parts. ASIA and PAT were ESPs and I really don't see the need to clue them as people's names given the name density in the puzzle, but the crosses were fine.
Warbler Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Amy and JazzB.
Officially a FIW, but I did see the musical “tunes with names” theme, although I only knew HELP ME RHONDA. (Great extra layer HG)
I messed up in the mid west coast. I forgot SHAR and had CHAN which gave Sacha; I had CMRS instead of CDRS. Mean PRUDENCE seemed as good as any!
That arthropod was MILLI not centi.
Not Han or Ren but ANI.
I always have to remember IMAM vs. Iman the model.
I gasped as I entered Hell for 35D. Clue does have Darn, not Damn, and perps changed to HECK. Anon@9:17- I guess if you are going to swear, you would use both words together.
FLN- Sandyanon- keep chiming in here!
Wishing you all a great day!
Ray O @ 10:05 ~ Just to confirm that I didn’t misspeak, I went to YouTube and listened to Help Me, Rhonda by The Beach Boys and, hard as it may be to believe, I never heard that song before. As I have often admitted, my knowledge of pop music is almost nil. 🫣
Theme was easy enough (for me),
but the fill reminded me that, while I can usually name that tune, I more often than not screw up the words...
Thank you Wilbur Charles for the shuffle off to buffalo link, it made my day.
Shar-pei was the last fill for me, as I forgot how to spell it...
or what they look like...
5. Array for BB gun target practice, perhaps: TIN CANS. Cheap targets.
reminds me of a lament from an astronaut...
(Warning)
The following some might find a bit sappy, but it's the Gods honest truth.
FLN,
Went to sleep thinking of lucid dreaming, and just have to report that the very last vivid, lucid dream I had upon waking was that the reason we, or any of us are here on this Earth, is because of an incredible labor of love. We are conceived in love, born in a labor of love, and could not survive with years of tender loving care.
My first thought upon realising I was fully awake, was why can't we respect and honor this fact in our daily dealings with each other.
Found the theme early, but did not know any of the tunes, so those girl's names were difficult.
I liked the clue, Broadway Props, and was not fooled. I hear it often. "noun. Britannica Dictionary definition of PROPS. [plural] US slang. 1. : something that is said to publicly thank and give special attention to someone for doing something : credit or recognition."
LUCA was all perps. I had two LIUs of names, maybe not necessary, but these days I have less P and P for the names in these puzzles.
Jane Krakowski's mom lives a few doors down from me. I see her every day. I watched Jane on Name That Tune recently.
I am having less and less enthusiasm every day for the LAT puzzles. I finish many of them with a shoulder shrug and a MEH. That leaves me disinclined to post.
Musings 2
-Wordle has an online musical equivalent called Heardle where you try to Name That Tune by hearing one second of a song, and then two and so forth. I usually have no chance as most of it is very contemporary but when there is one that I might know, my daughter sends me the link. The first notes of Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman and Abba’s Mama Mia were all I needed!
Hola!
Finished but sans enthusiasm. These puzzles have lately lost their appeal for me. I love a challenge and look forward to solving difficult puzzles. But pop culture is a far reach for me. I want to learn and not that it's difficult, it's just so, sloppy, IMO.
Some good fill: MILLIPEDE, CARAMEL, ANEMONE, UTENSIL, MARSALA, PAGER. Loved the reference to MRS. Dalloway and who doesn't like a TACO but for me it's dinner (three at least) accompanied by either beans or rice.
Never heard of DEAR PRUDENCE and I listen to classical music but have heard of BRUNO Mars. I do know some songs by the Beach Boys but not HELP ME RHONDA.
Changed OPTIC to OCULAR. MRS. Dalloway was really boring, IMO.
I always enjoy a Spanish clue and MANO was nice.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Anon at 10:15AM Only knew COME ON EILEEN. Along with others, that was the only one I did not know. Crossed with obscure LUCA seemed especially unfair. Also grumbling at Unknown Proper Name Fest in the NE with MARSALA, AGEE STONE. WAG to FIR.
JazzBumpa Thanks for the COME ON EILEEN link. I did in fact know the song, just not the title.
Here I was in front of the DISNEY CASTLE with Mr DISNEY himself.
I am probably the only person in Southern California who has only been to DISNEYland once.
Does anyone else feel sad to see that LEGO has changed from actual SETs of blocks to build imaginative creations... to a kit to build just one thing?
CanadianEh Welcome back! On Sunday I posted this for you, but you probably didn't see it:
CanadianEh I forgot to thank you and reply regarding your link to the "SHOE protectors" meant to replace TOTES. Yes, what TOTES had was far more useful. They covered the entire shoe and on up to the ankle. Allowing one to WADE through puddles. Those "SHOE protectors" don't seem to provide much protection.
Also... I sent you a couple of emails, but I don't think you ever saw them.
From Yesterday and Today:
CrossEyedDave, AnonT, PK, Jayce, Lucina
Thanks for the discussion of DREAMs, notably Lucid DREAMs. I have done two intensive workshops on LUCID DREAMing. Yes, keeping a dream log is a fascinating experience in itself. I have over 6,000 dreams logged in detail over about a decade. The process of writing them down helps make future dreams easier to recall and more likely to be Lucid.
I have a psychology research colleague who does Lucid DREAM research and he noted something both ordinary and extraordinary about DREAMs: You create these wonderfully complex and detailed worlds... and also experience them. You are both the subject and the object.
Didn't have a lot of trouble with this puzzle, even though my knowledge of pop music is very spotty, and would probably fit in a thimble only a little larger than Irish Miss's.
I’m with Yellowrocks. So many proper names, often crossing.
The Saturday grids have been consistently lacking, now it seems to be trickling into the rest of the week.
I’m guessing the new editor has pictures of her boss at a party or something? Hard to watch this once great crossword turn into goo for no real reason.
FIR but it took several passes. Thanks Amie W. and JzB!
Hand up for liking "Broadway props?"
Would have liked to see this clue: Dealbreaker march? Walk Away Renee
It's a fit, right?
I doubt that Patti Varol reads this Blog, especially after all the negative comments, but it got me wondering...
I have done many of Patti's own puzzles, and found them enjoyable. I can only assume she has been charged with presenting crosswords to a new generation and is doing they best she can. While I miss the orderly transition of easy to hard puzzles throughout the week, I wonder if there is something we can do on our end?
A wise person once told me, "you can't please everyone."
(It was CC herself...)
Can I ask the constructors out there, is there a tool, where you can insert a clue, and it comes back with "alternate" clues?
Take for instance, Alexander of "Rizzoli & Isles"
(Or other obscure or unnown names/places )
It the internet comes backs with alternate clues (instead of an answer?)
This would be a wonderful asset for people of all ages and backgrounds to solve crosswords on their own without cheating...
Oh pleeze!
Musings 3
-I had this recent exchange with a constructor:
"I appreciate the push in the last few years in multiple venues to include more people who are famous or notable in different spheres as long as the crosses are fair, of course!"
Whatsamatter Anon@1:10
Too sappy?
(Bite me!)
Wednesday toughie, I'm afraid, but still with some fun clues--so, many thanks, Amie. And always enjoy your commentary, JazzB, thanks for that too.
I GATHER from some of the comments that we don't USE A LOT of TIN CANS anymore? But we still need a lot of PRUDENCE when when we LINE UP the trash, so we don't get any SNEERs or get POKED AT. Maybe we should keep a PAGER along with our other UTENSILS? Oh HECK, let's just go and have a TACO and maybe a CARAMEL candy CANE for lunch.
Have a good day, everybody.
A fairly easy Wednesday puzzle, thank you Aimee W. Thanks for the expo, JzB. I had no idea what the theme clues were asking for. I know all the songs so that was nice.
Hand up for all the other sticking points others have already mentioned.
66a A NOD to Anon-T.
27d ____ Pei: dog breed from China SHAR In my 14 1/2 years at the shelter I don't think we've ever had one of this breed. A few that looked like mixes but not a pure bred dog
I'll take a CSO at 60d The Women of Troy novelist Baker/ PAT
Tomorrow I get my latest Covid booster. I do not want to get this virus!
Have a great rest of your day!
Musings 4
-Speaking of shooting cans,
Well, er, um *shrug* not much to say. I soldiered on and did the whole puzzle and got as much satisfaction from it as would if I ate all the Brussels sprouts on my plate.
I definitely liked your recap, Jazzbumpa, as I always do, and learned from it too.
I also like reading all of your comments, everybody, and appreciate your contributions.
Good wishes to you all.
Re dreams. I rarely remember them, but somehow do remember, while dreaming, that I have been to this or that place before or done this or that activity before. I think they're called recurring dreams. I don't know how I know I've had the same or similar dream before. Sometimes they spill over into waking life, such as when I am convinced I have actually travelled such-and-such a road to such-and-such a place when in fact neither the road nor the place exists except in my mind. It's very weird.
The only song I knew was HELP ME RHONDA. We used to have a local TV personality by the name of Rhonda, so once a week or so she had a segment on the local news where she answered viewers’ questions asked via her “ Help me Rhonda” show.
Lots of unknowns, so had a few blank spaces.
CSO to my late cousin RHONDA. She was lively and fun. R.I.P.
FLN ~ Wilbur (WC) :
Yesterday you asked for the context for AND SCENE.
I became aware of the phrase years ago as a variation on the single word, "Scene," which would be announced by one or the other actor in a classroom exercise.
In the circumstances, actors would rehearse a section of a play or work up an improv (improvisation) on their own and bring it in to show to their classmates and the instructor. Because these pieces would not necessarily conform to the usual scene or act divisions of a formal script, and because such exercises would not use lighting or curtains to signal the end of the work, it was up to an actor to announce both the start and end by saying "Scene."
It was a short step from there to sometimes add the word "And." This would be most common when a director (or the instructor) was involved in working on it. From outside the piece this person would often add an "And" in order to ease his/her voice from the back of the room into the illusion of the scene. Often they would add a slight pause between the words.
All actors today are familiar with the phrase, so film directors sometimes use "AND... SCENE" in lieu of the classic, "Cut," to let both cast and crew know to stop filming. These same directors might begin by announcing, "Scene," instead of "Action." They might mix the two up.
It is a matter of personal taste.
~ OMK
DR Today's "Diagonal Report" has nothing to show.
I do not often provide a DR in the absence of diagonals, but I thought I would point out one very obvious way of checking for diags.
You know there can be none if the constructor blacks out a corner square, either of the two per side.
But today's giveaway is the central square. If you see black in the 8th square of the 8th row, there can be no diagonal either way.
~ OMK
Hi All!
Feeling quite puny today (not Covid - tested neg last night) and the puzzle seemed to take forever (and I saw the theme entries early!?!).
Thanks Amie for the grid. Thank you Jazz (and HG) for making sense of it.
WOs: EMir, ALaRm
ESPs: aplenty #Names
Fav: TONY NOD was cute and a CSO
//Ray-O: Props == respect / recognition in the modern vernacular.
If I'm given rock music between '67 and '97, I can usually NAME THAT TUNE (along with band and (+/-1) year) in less than ONE bar.
DW is not impressed [that's 'cuz I forgot when I proposed to her :-( ]
KS - back in the early '80s MTV hit the air (er, cable) and they'd play any video; most were from the UK at the time (another British invasion!). Us US midWEST kids got to hear the likes of Dexys Midnight Runners, Big Country, and a few bands from Down Under. [Men At Work].
If you're interested, read I Want My MTV. It was the soundtrack to my ute.
WC - LOL Honeymooners' clip. Thanks for that.
Jinx - we'd have to count the BBs in the CAN after playing with our slingshots. Mom was against guns -- that is, HG, until her second husband. I fired his .38 (with supervision) on his parent's farm and that put my 8yro butt on the ground. //Oh, thanks for The Jerk clip!
Anon @8:12 AKA SpeedySolver - re: snack -- when you can get a TACO from a truck at 1am after visiting your fav watering hole... Best snack ever!
MIA - Vidwan & OKL. I hope they're OK.
CED - LOL Tom Petty's Free Falling lyrics. Anther song folks mess up is Blinded by the Light. [Kids in the Hall]
I'll second your awaking sentiment -- Peace, Love, and Understanding.
Cheers, -T
Correction - it's the Vacant Lot troupe doing the Manfred Mann's Earth Band's lyrics wrong. -T
Cross Eyed Dave, when you wrote, " 5. Array for BB gun target practice, perhaps: TIN CANS. Cheap targets.
reminds me of a lament from an astronaut..."
I thought your link was for this astronaut lamenting while sitting in the tin can, far above the moon David Bowie - Space Oddity
Yesterday, I was stoked when 'Stro Yordan Alvarez completed that epic Houston comeback with the 2-out, bottom of the 9th 3 run HR to beat the Mariners, I wrote, "Whaddya think, TxMs ? 100,000 lumens on Yordan Alvarez with that swing ! AFAIC, the most exciting Astro's victory since Mike Scott's playoff-clinching no hitter in 86 !"
MLB analyst Mike Petriello posted this article today documenting just how historic Alvarez' performance was in the game. One for the ages ! There's never been a postseason game like Yordan's
Enough of this. Back to the Phillies / Braves game. I love MLB playoffs !
I'm with Jayce on recurring dreams
I would have thought the Beatles song would be most familiar. It had its own button on Sirius because 90% was listenable(pre 1955 not). And Help me Rhonda came out while I was in college and just had an upbeat sound. EILEEN I recognized but not the title.
OMK, great explanation of AND SCENE. Putting together a drama from ideas and pieces is complicated. I've thought of putting together an Ivanoe drama focused on the Templar, Brian who's so much more interesting than the meh Wilfred
Love me some "Jerk" with Steve Martin
CED, let me try to negate the boorish response to your uplifting post. I thought your reply might be a link or gif such as This
WC
That's ",pre 1965" of course
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