google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Chairman Moe

Advertisements

Showing posts with label Chairman Moe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chairman Moe. Show all posts

Mar 29, 2024

Friday, March 29, 2024, Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger

Theme:  Alphabet Soup


Puzzling thoughts:  

Will Nediger is a name well-known to crossword puzzles.  As the link describes, Will has done scores of puzzles in the NYT.  I also look forward to solving his Saturday and Sunday puzzles @ Crossword Club.  

Lisa Senzel may not be as well-known, but she has also been published in the NY Times.  Not sure if this is her debut @ LA Times, but if so, congratulations!  Also, I am not sure if she has done solo work, but the company she keeps (Will and Jeff Chen) are both solid collaborators

Today's puzzle uses a series of 4 phrases that are transformed into a play-on-words, of sorts, by adding another word which also contains a filler word ... capisce?  No?  Want me to explain?  OK.  Will do.  It's why I get paid the big bucks twice a month to help figure out what's going on in today's puzzle!! 😉

16-across. *Diner's entitlement to savory flavor?: UMAMI RIGHT.  Or is it: UM, AM I RIGHT?

19-across. *Reason yellowfin tuna are wallflowers at a school prom?: AHI CAN'T DANCE. Or is it: AH, I CAN'T DANCE?

36-across. *Pal who seconds whatever one says?: LIKE-WISE GUY. Or is it: LIKE, WISE GUY?

57-across. *Not-very-straight shooter?: ERRING CAMERA. Or is it: ER, RING CAMERA?

=================================================================

UMAMI = savory flavor; RIGHT = entitlement ... UM (a filler word) AM I RIGHT? (See below)





AHI = yellowfin tuna; (those who) CAN'T DANCE = wallflowers ... AH (a filler word) I CAN'T DANCE! (I dance similar to this person)





LIKE-WISE = same; GUY = pal ... LIKE (a filler word) WISE GUY (As a Stooge, I have to sneak in this image!)



ERRING = not very straight; CAMERA = (picture) shooter ... ER (a filler word) RING CAMERA (we have one installed but it's not active) 

 


The reveal:

61-across. Sound added to everyday speech, and what's been added to create the answers to the starred clues: FILLER WORD.  Not sure how else to explain it but to add this image:





Across:

1. Blue-green: TEAL.  AQUA would have been a fun word to begin with

5. Short form of a name that means "merciful": CLEM.  I had "no clue" and penciled in CLEO.  Guessing it's short for CLEMENTINE, but I'm not going to confirm

9. Lass: MISS.  I had HUGE in 9-down at first; that slowed me down in the NE corner

13. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA.  And 26-across. NHL great Bobby: ORR.  Two crossword puzzle proper name staples

14. Eta follower: THETA.  The "ABC's" of Greek:  ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, EPSILON, ZETA, ETA, THETA ...

15. Shape the narrative?: EDIT. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever, but sure, why knot [sic]?

18. __ therapy: GENE




21. "Easy-peasy": NO PROB.  Isn't the jargon used by kids these days just totes adorb?

24. In __ of: LIEU.  Moe-ku:

    They used stunt double
    In The Tiger's Apprentice,
    In Lucy LIEU of

25. Contacts list no.: TEL.  867-5309
    
27. Little dog: PUP.  Does anyone recall the expression "cuter than a speckled PUP"?





29. Michelin product: CAR TIRE.  This exact clue and entry were last seen at a WSJ puzzle in 2022

31. Planner division: WEEK.  Back in the day, this used to be my planner of choice:  




33. Q neighbor: TAB.  Oh, the "Q" key on a computer keyboard ... not the neighbor fellow who lived next door to the James Bond character ...

35. Yapped like a dog: ARFED.  The only dog I recall that said "ARF" was this one:




40. Lopsided: ATILT.  Like this famous tower??  




42. Cozy room: DEN.  Most new houses feature a great room (instead of a separate living room/family room), and an extra room without a closet is now used (mostly) as a home office 

43. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.  Moe-ku 2:

    Calling Ireland
    The Emerald Isle, not
    EIRE, gets my ire

46. Ill-fated: NOT TO BE.  The soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To be or NOT TO BE ..." 

49. "Need I go on?" abbr.: ETC.  Sometimes there are clues that are too clever ...

51. Sister: NUN.  SIB could've fit, I guess ...

52. Pump part: TOE.  Part of a pair of shoes for women (pumps) ... these: 



 [guessing that these might be open TOE??]




53. Said, informally: WENT.  [someone explain this to me, please ...]

55. Roamed freely: RANGED.  Moe-ku 3:

    "Home, home on the roam;
    Where the deer and buffalo
    RANGED. Where seldom is ... "

60. Half-moon tide: NEAP.  More crossword-ese

65. Intl. alliance joined by Finland in 2023: NATO.

66. First-year law students: ONE L'S.  [Wikipedia] "One L tells author Scott Turow's experience as a first-year Harvard Law School student. The book takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Harvard University is located. First years, or One-L's as they are often called, all face similar issues their initial year of law school. Harvard, known for its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country, takes only about 12% of applicants". 

Didn't we just have ONE L this past Monday??

67. Sunburn soother: ALOE.

68. Pub pours: ALES.  Moe-ku 4:

    I've heard when a pub
    Runs out of an IPA,
    This is what ALES you
    

69. Gift on "The Bachelor": ROSE.  "The Bachelor" is not on my watch-list.  Are any of you ladies that post here fans of the show?

70. Gripe: BEEF.  As opposed to "tripe" which is just offal ... 

Down:
1. __ cross: TAU.  If Lisa and Will wanted a clecho of sorts they might have chosen: "Sigma follower" ... The "ABC's" of Greek:  THETA ... IOTA, KAPPA, LAMBDA, MU, NU, XI, OMICRON, PI, RHO, SIGMA, TAU ...



TAU cross



2. Bark beetle target: ELM Bark beetle blog ==> for real!!

3. Old hoops gp.: ABA.  American Basketball Association

4. Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.  The video clip below is NSFW (or home, for that matter) ... 



 
5. Fashionable: CHIC.  (59-across. Fr. title for 9-Across:) MLLE.  (44-down. French street:) RUE.  Today's obligatory foreign words needed to fill in random places in the puzzle 

(in these cases, as Splynter would say, "Frawnche")

6. Pad size: LEGAL. [Blumburg dot com] "The term “legal pad” is a bit of a misnomer; it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the law. The defining feature of a legal pad is the 1-1/4" vertical margin on the left side of the paper. This margin, also known as the down line, was traditionally used for annotations or side notes.

Legal pads originated from paper mill scraps bound together and cut to legal size, hence the name. They were initially used by lawyers, which further contributed to the name"





7. Of a particular culture: ETHNIC.

8. Country singer Kathy: MATTEA.  This is the theme song for the country version of "The Bachelor":
 



9. Bigger than big: MEGA.  HUGE was my first thought ... yours, too??

10. Naming: IDENTIFYING.  Pretty common synonym, as my friend the Thesaurussaurus says: 




11. Heartfelt: SINCERE.  I tried GENUINE first; another mini-roadblock on my way to solving this in 25+ minutes, but I didn't cheat too much ... had to look up MATTEA 


12. Girded (oneself): STEELED.  [Merrium Webster dot com] defines STEELED (transitive verb) as:


















2
a
to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)
b
to fill with resolution or determination (girded)
The video below defines how to "gird ones loins" [courtesy of Redemption Community Church]




14. Ozzy Osbourne album in memory of Randy Rhoads: TRIBUTE. [Wikipedia] "Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released. The album was released in April 1987 in the US and May 1987 in the UK, five years after the death of Rhoads"

17. "Let's put a smile on your plate" chain: IHOP.  IHOP Brand Campaign - 2022

20. Garment that preserves hair waves: DURAG.  I thought it was spelled "DOORAG" but I discovered otherwise: [Wikipedia] "A durag (alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky hair, waves or locks in the hair ..."

21. This instant: NOW.  STAT and ASAP did not fit

22. Mine find: ORE.  Moe-ku 5:

    "49'ers" left
    CAL for their northern neighbor;
    They found ORE in ORE

23. Communicating with pictograms, perhaps: PRE-LITERATE.  My my, that's a big word for describing a stick-figure!!  BTW, this is a debut word for crossword puzzles.  Congrats!



Lasceaux Cave Painting



28. Dog's attention-getter, maybe: PAW.  


Covid Cartoon



30. Loyal: TRUE.

32. Scottish wedding garb: KILT.  This one is for the ladies here at the Corner ... I was told this was taken just before the wedding ... 




34. eBay action: BID.

37. Nabe that might have an H Mart: K TOWN.  I suppose that every puzzle needs to have an odd clue/answer or two these days ... K TOWN is an abbr. for "KOREATOWN" (as opposed to CHINATOWN, e.g.).  Nabe is an abbr. for neighborhood.  H Mart is a name for a chain of Asian food stores ... learning moe-ment, for sure

38. Get the picture: SEE.

39. Main courses: ENTREES.

40. Vehicle's shark fin, maybe: ANTENNA.  For modern cars, yes.  It's that fin-shaped device on vehicles that acts as an ANTENNA.  But the "shark-fins" on vehicles that I grew up with are shown below: 




41. Uncomfortably close to home: TOO REAL.

45. Sew up: END.  Good mis-directional clue

47. Request, as table food: BEG FOR.  I'm beginning to think that this puzzle has "gone to the dogs" 😀





48. Los Angeles neighborhood near Reseda: ENCINO.  Well, I have heard of ENCINO, but I haven't a clue where Reseda is ... maybe Art Fern does, but not today:





50. Quarterback Derek: CARR.  Erstwhile Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders QB, he now slings passes for the New Orleans Saints





54. Lore: TALES.  Tried STORY with no success

56. Muslim honorific from which "nabob" is derived: NAWAB.  I will let others comment about this entry ... I did confirm that this word has been used before in published crossword puzzles, but it's been almost a decade ... and only once before @ LA Times

58. Wall St. debuts: IPOS

62. Flamenco shout: OLE

63. Sushi topper: ROE.  Moe-ku 6:

    Sushi bar offers
    New roll shaped like a ship, called:
    ROE ROE ROE the boat
    

64. __ Jam Recordings: DEF. [Wikipedia] Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop"

And just like that, we are done.  At the end of the day, I, um, hope, er, that I, ah, explained the gist of the puzzle.  

Before publishing this blog I asked Margaret if she got it, and her response was "Like, totally"! 

So OK, like seriously, add some of YOUR comments below ... 

The grid:




Mar 15, 2024

Friday March 15, 2024, 2024 - Alan Levin

 Theme: Ides and Go Seek

 










Puzzling thoughts:  

Blogging a puzzle on the Ides of March?  Be prepared, then, fellow Cornerites for some puns (and jokes) to "celebrate" the 2068th year of Julias Caesar's assassination.  For starters:

This is a story about a Roman. His name was Herman. His name was Roman Herman. The fad of the era was berries. People collected berries. They were a status symbol. One day, while Roman Herman was roaming the outskirts of Rome, he spied a berry. It was the most beautiful berry he had ever seen. He took the berry and brought it to his wife, who loved berries. She saw the berry. She praised it. She said, "That's an awfully nice berry you got there Herman!" Pretty soon, word got around about the berry. People came from all over Rome to see the berry, and to praise it. One night, there was a menacing knock on the door. It was late. Herman opened it. He said, "Who are you?" They said, "We've come for your berry." He says "It's not my berry, it's my wife's berry. Have you come to praise her berry?" "No, we've come to seize her berry, not to praise it." 

OK, I digress ... on this year's Ides of March, our constructor du jour (Alan Levin) decides to tease us with a series of entries whose clues contain the "aha" behind the reveal:

58-across. When read as three words, suitable sponsor for "Sesame Street" and an alternate answer for 18-, 20-, 30-, 36-, 46-, and 53-Across: THE LETTER S.  


Wait, what??  THE LETTER S?? What does that have to do with the 6 entries??  Well, let me try to use the KISS method, as I highlight the key word(s) in each clue for you ...

18-across. It concludes The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds": CAROLINE, NO.  Forget about the final song track on the Beach Boys' album "Pet Sounds" and think about the last letter of the album's name; "Sounds" ends/concludes with THE LETTER S





20-across. Character seen at the beginning and end of "Star Wars": AR-TOO DE-TOO.  R2-D2 (the droid) is quite a character. Additionally, the movie title (name), "Star Wars" begins and ends with THE LETTER (aka, CHARACTER)





30-across. It comes early in September: LABOR DAY.  LABOR DAY is not only celebrated early in September (the first Monday, traditionally, in the US), but THE LETTER S also comes early in the "word" SEPTEMBER



This year's LABOR DAY is 9/2


36-across. One is used in basketball but not in hockey: SHOT CLOCK.  This is probably my most favorite of Alan's ... the "SHOT CLOCK" is a timer that sits above each backboard at a basketball game.  In the NBA, e.g., the team with possession has 24 seconds to attempt a SHOT, and at the very least, hit the rim of the net (or make the basket), or else they would turn the ball over to the other team  

In hockey, the only CLOCK is the one on the scoreboard that ticks down the minutes/seconds (20:00, to be exact) in each of three periods.  The skaters/players on each team have no sense of urgency to take a shot; hence, there is no SHOT CLOCK  

So what makes this clue/answer even more amazing is that the word "basketball" contains THE LETTER S; the word "hockey" does not ... very, very clever

The SHOT CLOCK is above the backboard for easy visibility



46-across. What can be seen in two places in Missouri: MLB TEAMS.  At first, I was a bit miffed at this answer (before I solved the puzzle) because the clue contains no abbreviated word(s).  Usually, if part of a crossword answer should be abbreviated, an abbreviation appears in the clue.  

But after further review I get it.  Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals are MLB TEAMS in the state of Missouri.  And guess what?  THE LETTER S also is seen in two places in the "word" Missouri.  Nice!  

 





53-across. One can't print dollars without it: SPECIAL INK.  Try printing the word "dollars" without THE LETTER S; it can't be done.  The word would be "dollar".  Try printing a sheet of US Dollars without SPECIAL INK (or special paper) and you'd be arrested for counterfeiting, if caught


Lots of SPECIAL INK used
                                    


I highlighted all 14 of THE LETTER ESSES found in today's puzzle.  Can't wait for the rest of the clues/words to see what else is in store ... 



The Grid

Across:

1. Cotillion VIPs: DEBS.  More information about a Cotillion vs a Debutante

5. Fades: DIMS.  Many lighting sources come with some sort of DIMming device these days

9. Redolence: AROMA.  Its literal meaning; mostly used as an adjective (redolent) 

14. Strip of wood: SLAT.

15. Legendary: EPIC

16. Participated in a regatta, maybe: ROWED.  My first thought was that a regatta was a boat race for sailing vessels, not rowing vessels ... but this image below shows the type of boat referred to:



17. Prefix between giga- and peta-: TERA. A GIGA-byte is 1 billion bytes; a TERA-byte is 1,000 gigabytes; but a PETA byte is what happens when a worker at the SPCA doesn't pay attention to the rescue's bark ...

22. Gain an advantage: ONE UP.  Who wants to ONE UP the Chairman today on dad jokes??!😏

23. Collection of vineyards, perhaps: ESTATE.  This one is right up the Chairman's alley

28. Tune from "10": BOLERO.  Been a lonnnnggggg time since I saw this EPIC film starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore ... the clip below is definitely NSFW [be warned!]



32. W-2 org.: IRS.  One month - to the day - and our 2023 1040 tax returns are due

33. Benefit: AVAIL. Many of us AVAIL ourselves of the blog to see where we went wrong (or succeeded)

35. Nose (out): EDGE.  Also a horse racing term; when a horse "wins by a nose" and EDGEs out its rival

Also known as a "photo finish", but the inside horse EDGEd out the other



39. Hearty partner: HALE

42. Animal also called a forest giraffe: OKAPI.  Fun facts about it in this short video clip:




43. Boxer's warning: GRR.  Maybe THIS is the warning made by a dog prior to giving one a "peta-byte"

49. Dinner-and-a-show platform: TV TRAY.  Margaret and I still use this device

Tables for two??



51. Small accident: MISHAP.

52. One-named K-pop singer: IRENE.  This filled in with perps; Her

62. Powdery mineral: TALC.  I'm sure the sales of this powder plummeted once the discovery of its connection to cervical cancer was made public

64. Inbox filler: EMAIL.

65. Cut down to size: CROP.  Most of my images in this blog are CROPped from its original size

66. Poetic tributes: ODES.

67. Study aids: NOTES.  I was a prolific NOTES taker when I was in school

68. Physicist Bethe portrayed in "Oppenheimer": HANS.  The movie "Oppenheimer" is bound to provide us with many new clues/entries this year in xword puzzles

69. Moon landing org.: NASA.

Down:
1. Summer hrs.: DST.  Not here in AZ (except for the Navajo Nation) ... apparently there is a bill before the Senate (and/or House) that would make DST permanent ... YMMV ... having more daylight here in the desert SW during the summer would not be welcomed

2. Roosevelt whom Truman called the "First Lady of the World": ELEANOR.  FDR's wife

3. Crude carriers: BARRELS.  TANKERS also fit as an answer

4. Square figure?: STATUE. Nice misdirection for a clue ... square, as in "town square", where many statues reside, though many that had to do with Civil War figures (CSA) have been torn down/removed.  

Here is a joke related to square figures ... (just one cuss word)

For decades, two heroic statues, one male and one female, faced each other in a town square until one day, an angel came down from heaven. "You've been such exemplary statues," the angel said, "that I'm going to give you a special gift. I'm going to bring you both to life for thirty minutes, during which time you can do anything you want." 

And with a clap of his hands, the angel brought the statues to life. The two approached each other a bit shyly and dashed for the bushes, from whence there came a good deal of giggling, laughter, and shaking of branches. Fifteen minutes later, the two statues emerged from the bushes with wide grins on their faces. 

"You still have fifteen more minutes," said the angel, winking at them. Grinning even more broadly, the female statue turned to the male statue and said, "Great! Only this time you hold the pigeon down and I'll shit on its head!"
[Jokes4us dot com]

5. Ert 's style: DECO.  as in Art DECO

6. Tablet since 2010: iPAD.  No tablets in the Moe household; just PC's and cellphones

7. Marshy spot: MIRE.  BOG didn't fit

8. Dundee resident: SCOT.

9. Melodic passage: ARIOSO.  Here is a nice Bach ARIOSO:



10. Director Howard: RON.  He's come a long way from playing Opie

11. Have debts: OWE. Mine include just a car payment and mortgage payment; credit cards, no

12. Guys: MEN.  MALES was too long to fit

13. Flap: ADO.  Had to check all of the synonyms ... does the thesaurussaurus agree?

Nope; ADO didn't make it



19. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB. Lots of proper names in today's puzzle; who kept track of them? Not I

21. 2021 interviewer of Meghan and Harry: OPRAH.

22. Kimono sash: OBI.  Lots of 3-letter words (TLW) today; who kept track of them?  Irish Miss, perhaps?

24. Arduous journey: TREK.

25. Append: ADD.  

26. Graffiti signature: TAG.  This, maybe??




27. Needle hole: EYE.

29. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO.  One who consumes dairy and eggs in their non-meat diet

30. Soundly defeats: LICKS.  I have been known to "soundly defeat" a lollipop ...

31. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Italian for "with"

34. Speck: ATOM.  IOTA fits, too

36. MacFarlane or Green of "Family Guy": SETH.  The man of many voices.  Does anyone else here watch The Graham Norton show?  It's one of our favorites - shown on BBC America 




37. Elect (to): OPT.  OPT in or OPT out; that's the "election"

38. Polite: CIVIL.  Unlike the CIVIL War, which was anything but "polite"

39. "Let me see ... ": HMM.  HMM and GRR in the same puzzle?? ARRGGHH

40. Mahershala with two Oscars: ALI.  Not the "boxer's" family member

41. Nt. wt. units: LBS.

43. Southernmost of the Windward Islands: GRENADA.

Grenada is situated to the northeast of Venezuela; to the northwest of Trinidad and Tobago; and to the southwest of Saint Vincent and Grenadines.



44. Really irks: RANKLES.

45. Saloon pour: RYE.  As opposed to a "salon" pour, which would've been DYE.  RYE is one of the Chairman's favorite whiskies - especially when used to make a Manhattan cocktail

47. Stands in front of artists: EASELS. MODELS could've answered this clue, too ... yes??

48. Dr. visit: APPT.  I like to make mine (APPT.'s) mid-morning

50. Son of Poseidon: TRITON.

54. Engrave: ETCH.

55. "Life & Beth" actor Michael: CERA. Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor and musician. He is known for his awkward, offbeat characters in coming of age comedy films and for portraying George Michael Bluth in the sitcom Arrested Development (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019). He is also known for voicing Brother Bear in The Berenstain Bears

56. Curling __: IRON.  RINK also fit, though I bet most Canadians refer to the surface for curling as a sheet

57. Egyptian snakes: ASPS.  Cleo's foil

58. Number of digits on a keypad: TEN. Note: the final five clues in today's puzzle yield TLWs, Irish Miss ...

59. Med. care provider: HMO.

60. "Don't let it get cold": EAT.

61. Whopper: LIE.

63. Farm-share program, for short: CSA.  Clues that match this answer to the group that split from the USA in 1861 are no longer allowed, methinks

And there you have it!  The IDES of March puzzle fell with no additional stab wounds.  Curious to know YOUR thoughts ... in the comments section below.  

On another note, the Chairman and Margaret will be attending the funeral of her mom today, so I won't be coming here until tomorrow, or much later tonight to see your comments.  Her mom passed peacefully a few weeks ago (at the age of 94).  May she RIP; she is now reunited with the love of her life who passed away in 2019, just a few days after their 68th wedding anniversary

Mar 1, 2024

Friday March 1, 2024 - Ryan Patrick Smith

Theme: Friday night at the movies

Check out the link in the theme title to see movie trailers and short video movie clips. I may want to bookmark this for finding future links for my blog ...

Friday night "date night"

Puzzling thoughts:

I don't know about you, but Friday night has become sort of  a "date night" at the Chairman's house ... dinner is almost always pizza and salad, and afterward we watch a movie; either on DVD or on one of the streaming sites. It's quite fitting that Ryan Patrick Smith chose this play-on-words clued movie theme for today's puzzle; five entries and no reveal, with the themers being placed in a pinwheel display. Lots to digest so let's get started, OK?

20-across. Movie with lots of pan shots?: RATATOUILLE. First thing to digest with these entries is that all of the parodied clues "focus" on an element of filming a movie. For example, in the entry RATATOUILLE the clue "... pan shots" refer to the scenes shot in a kitchen (pots and pans) as opposed to a filming technique that involves horizontally moving the camera from a fixed position. The camera pivots either to the left or right, capturing a panoramic view (see image and video below)


There's got to be a pan in there, somewhere



41-across. Movie with an iconic long shot?: ROCKY.  Lots to like here, too.  In this case, the clue refers to ROCKY being a "long shot" (underdog) to win the bout, as opposed to the movie filming technique of a long shot (see examples below)

The Chairman ran up these same steps many moons ago

58-across. Movie with lots of reaction shots?: OPPENHEIMER. How cool to find a current movie title that allows for this play-on-words clue?! In film production, cinematography and video production, a reaction shot is a shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.  The reaction shot is a basic unit of film grammar.  The "reaction shots" in OPPENHEIMER are featured below, as well as another type of reaction shot that this clue/answer ISN'T about ...

A literal reaction to a shot






 







11-down. Movie with lots of zoom shots?: SPEED RACER. So, by now, I hope y'all have figured out the connection between the clues, the movie references, et al. The video below shows an old commercial (Zoom, Zoom) with a zoom shot or two ... 

BTW, didn't we have "SPEED RACER" in a puzzle earlier this week?


Last, but not least, 29-down. Movie with lots of dolly shots?: CHILD'S PLAY. See images below:

Chucky doll

A film dolly












A mid-blog recap:

    1) "Pan shot", as in a photo of a pan used by a chef or a film-making term that shows lateral                     movement of the camera (RATATOUILLE)

    2) "Long shot", as in an underdog or a film-making term that shows multi-layers of detail in a scene        (ROCKY)

    3) "Reaction shot", as in picture of a nuclear reaction or a film-making term that show a character's          expression about an off-camera event (OPPENHEIMER)

    4) "Zoom shot", as in a sound made by a racecar or a film-making term that shows a closeup of an          image or character (SPEED RACER)

    5) "Dolly shot", as in a picture of a doll (child's toy) or a film-making term that is taken from a                "vehicle" known as a "dolly" (CHILD'S PLAY)


The grid (sorry, forgot to highlight "ROCKY")

On to the rest of the clues/words/phrases ...

Across:
1. Curly's replacement in the Three Stooges: SHEMP.  This one caught Chairman Moe's attention 😀

6. Canal spot: EAR.  Panama / Erie / Suez did not fit

9. Files that can't be opened: RASPS.  Cute Friday clue; a RASP is a type of file

14. Bar mitzvah scroll: TORAH.  Ryan could've clued it as "Bat mitzvah scroll" and had the same answer

15. Name of the T. rex at Chicago's Field Museum: SUE.  Sue, the T. rex

16. Short exile?: EXPAT.  As in "EXPATriate".  "An expatriate 

is a person who resides outside his or her country of citizenship. The term often refers to a professional or skilled worker who intends to return to their country of origin

 ..." [Wikipedia]

17. State known for huckleberries: IDAHO.  Moe-ku:

    IDAHO dog breed
    Can sniff out certain fruits; they're
    Huckleberry Hounds

Huckleberry was around in my childhood days 


    

18. Canine care org.?: ADAAmerican Dog Association?? Oh, the other canine ... or in the case of the inage below, a canine's canine ... would the American Dental Association approve of these choppers? I'D BET they would

Pretty clean looking, for a dog; it must floss



19. Actress Witherspoon: REESE. Have we established that she only likes peanut butter cups?

23. Language suffix: ESE. Chinese Japanese Portuguese ...

24. Actor Chaney: LON

25. Ramble: MEANDER.  As opposed to "serpentine":

27. Missing criminal who inspired James M. Cain's "Rainbow's End": D.B. COOPER. Read all about it

32. Limburger feature: ODOR. Limburger cheese is pretty stinky

33. "Wowzers!": OOH. I think I've seen the exclamation "wowzers!" used here by another blogger, perhaps?

34. Trojan War figure: PARIS.  Learning moe-ment: "Paris (Ancient Greek: Πάρις), also known as Alexander (Ἀλέξανδρος, Aléxandros), is a mythological figure in the story of the Trojan War. He appears in numerous Greek legends and works of Ancient Greek literature such as the Iliad. In myth, he is prince of Troy, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, and younger brother of Prince Hector" [Wikipedia]

36. Pathway stone: SLATE.  Hand up for having "PAVER" as the first word chosen for this spot?

39. Dip: SWIM.  As in taking a dip in the pool; or as in skinny-dip ... but not as in taking a dip from a tin of Skoal

43. Antioxidant-rich sorbet base: ACAI. A 21st century example of crossword-ese

44. Measure out: ALLOT

46. Berlin's "Blue __": SKIES. The Willie Nelson version (with lyrics)

48. Goof: ERR. Something the Chairman does often when he tries to solves an xword puzzle

49. Capital on the Persian Gulf: DOHA. I've seen this clue/word before

51. Orange garnish for sushi: SMELT ROE. aka "Masago" (a type of fish egg or fish roe. Masago is a very popular ingredient throughout Asia, particularly in Japanese cuisine), or the stuff shown in the image below








53. Some Cassatt works: PASTELS. OILS and WATER COLORS didn't fit. Here's a Cassatt for you to gaze upon









56. Ryan's "La La Land" role: SEB. All by perps. Never saw "La La Land" so this did not resonate

57. Little dickens: IMP. Could TINY TIM be clued as "A little Dickens'?"

64. Not as flushed: PALER. Flushed, as in "red-in-the-face"; not flushed, as in "partially-filled commode"

66. Regret: RUE.

67. River that feeds Utah Lake: PROVO. Never knew the city name PROVO was also the name of a river. The Provo River (Ute: Timpanoquint, “Rock River) is located in Utah County and Wasatch County, Utah, in the United States. It rises in the Uinta Mountains at Wall Lake and flows about 71 miles (114 km) southwest to Utah Lake at the city of Provo, Utah [Wikipedia] (see image)







 

 

68. Stage: PHASE.

69. Spleen: IRE. ORGAN didn't fit

70. "Yeah, sounds like": "I'D BET!".

71. Affectionate letters: ILYSM.  I had not seen this text abbr. before today.  Thanks to Margaret's younger son, he correctly identified the acronym as: I Love You So Much😍

72. 30-Down, for one: GOD. (30-down. Mythical archer): EROS.

73. "It's Gonna Be Me" band: NSYNC.  Margaret's younger son helped here, too

Down:
1. Shift slightly: STIR. [crossword tracker dot com] is a very useful data site for crossword puzzle constructors as well as solvers.  When I checked, this is a first use for this clue and answer:

Results

Sorry, no matches were found. If you think this is in error, please send us an email with what you were searching for and someone will take a look.

Tip: Try changing the clue to just a keyword (for example, if the clue is "Measurement with square units" try entering just "measurement") and supplying what you know of the answer so we can look for answers that are the right length. Even if you don't know any of the letters, just knowing the length of the answer can help the search engine immensely.


2. TV host Kotb: HODA.  She shows up every now and again

3. Proof word: ERAT.  If ACAI is 21st Century Crossword-ese, ERAT is a 20th Century example

4. Island "thank you": MAHALO.

5. Camera setting?: PHOTO OP.  Not an F-STOP - wouldn't fit and wasn't punny 

6. Genesis twin: ESAU.  Like OREO, ERIE, EIRE, and scores of other words that have 3 vowels and 1 consonant ... very useful to xword constructors

7. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI.  I owned two of these in my lifetime; great cars.  Another 4-letter word with three vowels and one consonant

8. Sphere: REALM.

9. Enjoys a favorite novel, say: RE-READS.  I am happy when I read a novel, let alone RE-read it

10. Felling tool: AXE

12. So five minutes ago: PASSE.  RETRO also fits, but I don't think anything five minutes old should be considered passe
 
13. Use a wheelchair's joystick, say: STEER.  In the assisted living care community where my mom lives they refer to these vehicles as "scooters"

21. Commensurate (with): ON PAR.  A slight CSO to HuskerGary who more often scores a PAR when playing golf ... though the phrase ON PAR has nothing to do with golf

22. Zodiac lion: LEO.  Folks born under the sign "LEO", and who want to know their 2024 "forecast", it is described here

26. Home of the NBA's Pels: NOLA.  CSO to all those from the Pelican State, and specifically New Orleans

27. Pancake served with chutney: DOSA.  I checked the word out @ [crossword tracker dot com] to see its usage.  This is an "archaic" word (crossword-wise) that's making a big comeback, post-pandemic:

Recent usage in crossword puzzles:

  • Universal Crossword - Dec. 24, 2023
  • Universal Crossword - Sept. 14, 2023
  • USA Today - March 14, 2023
  • LA Times - Aug. 16, 2022
  • USA Today - May 2, 2022
  • USA Today - March 14, 2022
  • USA Today - April 6, 2021
  • USA Today - Jan. 26, 2021
  • USA Today - Jan. 19, 2021
  • USA Today - Sept. 7, 2020
  • New York Times - April 1, 1987
  • New York Times - Feb. 14, 1970


28. Cereal dish: BOWL.

31. "Casablanca" cafe: RICK'S.

35. Hardly pore over: SKIM.  As in "read briefly"

37. Staple in African cuisine: TARO.  

38. Country led by the Taoiseach: EIRE.  As a lover of whiskies (Irish and Scotch) the ending "ach" is often used on the labels. I'm guessing it's Gaelic. The word EIRE filled in after I got the E, I, and R

40. Academic: MOOT Moot as in "boot"; not moot as in "mute" (although I do sometimes hear it pronounced this way)

42. "Gimme a break!": YEESH.  Earlier in the week a few of you were discussing the proper spelling of "tush" ... "YEESH" and "Yees" are sometimes used interchangeably, and are just a letter off of each other: Yeesh versus Yees 

45. Math proposition: THEOREM. We haven't seen this word @ an LA Times puzzle since 2018
 
47. Wake up late: SLEEP IN.  Something Margaret and I do often ... retirement is fun ... we try to schedule no appointment(s) before 10:30 am

50. Swiss peak: ALP.

52. Sporty Fords: T-BIRDS.  "... and we'll have fun, fun, fun 'til my daddy took the T-Bird away"

53. Longstocking of chapter books: PIPPI.

54. "__ and the Night Visitors": AMAHL.  An old joke:

A woman gave birth to twins and gave them up for adoption. One of them went to a family in Egypt and was named “AMAHL” 

The other son went to a family in Spain; they named him “Juan.”

Years later Juan tracks down his birth mother and sent a picture of himself to his Mom.

Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband she wishes she also had a picture of Amahl.

Her husband responded, "if you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amahl"


55. Thyme piece: SPRIG.  Ya know, if this word was spelled "SBRIG" it would be pronounced the same.  Try it ...

59. Vision prefix: EURO.  This:  Eurovision Song Contest

60. Shortage: NEED.  Good clue

61. Stage name of electronic musician Richard Melville Hall: MOBY.  Another clue/answer that Margaret's son offered when I asked.  I guess "___ -Dick" would've been too easy ... but it's interesting that Richard MELVILLE Hall shares his middle name with the author (HERMAN Melville) of the book, "MOBY-Dick"

62. Not odd: EVEN.  Anyone care to guess at the smallest EVEN number that is also a prime number?

63. VMI program: ROTCVirginia Military Institute is the school (VMI); naturally they have a ROTC program

65. Self starter?: ESS. The letter "S" (pronounced "ESS") starts the word "self" ... it also starts the word "starter"

And once again we reach the end of the blog.  Thanks to Ryan for the fun solve.  Please feel free to comment below ...