Saturday, July 11, 2020, by John-Clark Levin

John-Clark and Alex Trebek
His appearance aired in October of 2012

Themeless Saturday puzzle by John-Clark Levin

Today is the first John-Clark Levin Saturday LA Times puzzle. This was John-Clark's gracious reply for info on him and his puzzle:

Hi Gary,

A few words of introduction to readers of the blog... I am a native of Ojai, California, and currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge in the UK. My research focuses on how governments can do a better job of anticipating the impacts of artificial intelligence. I also work as an author and journalist at the intersection of technology, politics, and security. Among more lighthearted pursuits, I’ve been known to perform stage magic, and will take even the flimsiest excuse to sing Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements.” (This is linked below the grid and highly recommended! - hg)

For seed entries, I was glad to debut ITS A MATCH, the Tinder notification transformed dating for my generation—and sparked unions whose precocious offspring are in some cases just a few years away from becoming crossword puzzle fans themselves. SUGAR RUSH has less social relevance, but is just the kind of evocative phrase that I love to see livening up a grid. But my favorite entry is NOT THE ONION. There's been so much absurd news over the past few years that people in my newsfeed have to constantly use that as a preface!

Rich Norris suggested some edits to the fill, and I'm much happier with the way the final version turned out, although I wish I could have avoided a few somewhat awkward entries like CRIER and TBILLS. I love the clues Rich added for ISLANDS, ITEM, ACH. So big thanks to him, Patti Varol, and the rest of the editorial team both for the acceptance and improvements. They're a pleasure to work with.

I love seeing so many lovely comments from solvers—getting to entertain and challenge so many amazing people on a Saturday morning is a genuine privilege. I hope you enjoyed today's puzzle!

All the best,

John-Clark

I managed to move right along in this puzzle and admired the word sights along the way. BTW, John-Clark assured me there is no intrigue to his hyphenated first name and that he enjoys its uniqueness. He added, "And let's just say nobody calls me "John" if they want an answer!"

Across:

1. Author Allende: ISABEL - A Chilean author of "magical realism"

7. Counter proposals?: ISLANDS - Hey, they're not just in kitchens! 

14. Still ahead: TO COME.

15. 2003 disaster movie about a mission to Earth's center: THE CORE.

16. Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe is one: SALOON - A chance to take a break, sit down in a/c, get a cool drink and see a show at The Magic Kingdom

17. Mr. Rogers catchword: NEIGHBOR 

18. Car loan figs.: APRS 

19. Leaf pore: STOMA - A highly magnified open STOMA on a rose leaf

21. Tolkien being: ELF.

22. Champagne with a diaeresis - MOËT - the diaeresis is the punctuation mark over the E that tells the vowels are pronounced separately not as one. ZOË rhymes with snowy not snow

23. Lion, say: CAT 

24. Govt. securities: T-BILLS - Here's a million dollar one

27. Handy program: APP.

28. Suggests to the palate: TASTES OF - Does bad wine TASTE OF vinegar?

30. Join forces: TEAM UP.

32. Help a vacationing friend, maybe: HOUSE SIT - We paid our granddaughter big bucks to HOUSE/KITTY SIT for us

36. Old news source: CRIER.

37. No WNBA players: MEN - Hence the W

38. Clam or lobster: SAUCE.

39. Crunchy cantina fare: HARD TACO - My shell preference 

41. Became one company: MERGED and 37. 2006 Verizon acquisition: MCI.

42. Rockford's home: ILLINOIS - JFK visiting Rockford, Illinois in 1960. Life magazine called Rockford  "as nearly typical of the U.S. as any city can be."

44. Include in the mix: ADD - We enjoy Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and are sometimes amazed at what ingredients chefs ADD to their creations 

45. Court rival of Roger: RAFAEL - Recent numbers 

48. Iraq War danger: Abbr.: IED - A horrible abbreviation we all have learned 

49. Hub near de Gaulle: ORLY - A 34-min. drive

50. Broadway's Burrows: ABE - His IMDB

51. Crystal-lined rock: GEODE - For $16.95 you can break open your own

53. Chesapeake delicacy: CRAB - Home of the Maryland/Chesapeake Blue Crab 

54. Pull out all the stops: GO TO TOWN.

57. Perspicacious: ASTUTE - A person can be called "sesquipedalian" if they choose words that are way bigger than necessary

59. Prince of Darkness: EVIL ONE.

60. Midday nap: SIESTA.

61. Trips taken mostly in the dark: RED EYES - We took a RED EYE flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles on New Year's Eve in 1986

62. Leash: TETHER.

Down:

1. Tinder notice: IT'S A MATCH - Gotta be better than, "Hey, what's your sign?"

2. Show labeled for its early sponsors: SOAP OPERA.

3. Fix for an injured knee: ACL REPAIR - Doctor to an athlete with an Injured Anterior Cruciate Ligament: 26. Lead-in to bad news: "I FEAR your career may be over"

4. Increase: BOOST.

5. Broody rock genre: EMO - Here's an example entitled Miserable At Best

6. Blank photo cause: LENS CAP - Oops!

7. Couple of People: ITEM.

8. Massage technique: SHIATSU - I can choose SHIATSU or Rolling massage 

9. Race stage: LEG.

10. Hamburger beef?: ACH - Love this clue. This Hamburger is a resident of the German city and the beef is a complaint. ACH du lieber! is what you might say if you 58. "Sprechen __ Deutsch?": SIE.

11. Prize founder: NOBEL.

12. Like some humor: DROLL - 20 of Steven Wright's best jokes

13. Russia's Alexander II emancipated them in 1861: SERFS.

17. Disclaimer for sounds-absurd-but-it's-real news content: NOT THE ONION - THE ONION is a famous satirical site. NOT THE ONION is said of a real story that seems like it could only be satire like you see here

20. Many Ph.D. candidates: TA'S - Teaching Assistants

25. Supervisors: BOSSES.

28. Symbol of slowness: TURTLE.

29. Ages and ages: EON.

31. Press and such: MEDIA.

33. Consequence of too much sweetness?: SUGAR RUSH - John-Clark's evocative entry

34. Refreshing coffeehouse order: ICED LATTE - $3.95 and 130 calories for a grande at Starbucks®

35. Focus of a former Florida museum that featured a Hug Club: TEDDY BEAR - Now closed after being bought by the Naples, FL. YMCA

40. Expended: ALL GONE.

41. Region of long-frustrated peace efforts: MIDEAST - It seems like EONS

43. Its Jan. 2018 additions include "hangry" and "mansplain": OED.

What could possibly go wrong?

45. Abandoned party: RAGER - U.S. - A student party where large amounts of alcohol are consumed and riotous behavior occurs. Throwing a RAGER in an abandoned house leaves no one to press charges - USA Today (John-Clark told me this was Rich's clue)

46. Where the stars are: ABOVE.

47. Rank: FETID - A line from a song in the play 1776 - You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve, Not one damn thing do we solve. Piddle, twiddle, and resolve, Nothing's ever solved in Foul, FETID, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadephia!

49. G7, before Russia's suspension: OCTET.

52. Farm girls: EWES.

55. La Liga cheer: OLE - The League of soccer teams in Spain

56. Yorkie's group designation: TOY - dog

For further insight into John-Clark, listen to his rendition of The Elements from the 2014 from the Harvard Kennedy School Talent Show. What a hoot!

Comments for John-Clark:

Sunday February 23, 2020 John-Clark Levin

Theme: "Herd Mentality" - Each common phrase is reinterpreted as if one of the words is a collective noun for animals.

23. Ants in the British colonies?: CONTINENTAL ARMY. Army of ants.

37. Fish attending Mass?: CATHOLIC SCHOOL. School of fish.

45. Lions marching event?: PRIDE PARADE. Pride of lions.

63. Whales' sorely lacking veggie supply?: TWO PEAS IN A POD. Pods of whales.
 
80. Wolves from Lower Manhattan?: BATTERY PACK. Pack of wolves.

89. Bats living in an old Chrysler?: PLYMOUTH COLONY. Colony of bats.

106. Crows sailing from Ethiopia to Egypt?: MURDER ON THE NILE. Murder of crows.

This seems to be the first Sunday LAT puzzle for John. He had two weekly puzzles published last year. Congrats, John.

Lots of collective nouns. Some are not workable. Some are not common. John gave us a good set.
 
Across:

1. Small Mercedes sedan: A CLASS. Gimme for Dennis.

7. Golf match equalizer: HANDICAP. Rich Norris, our editor, used to be a scratch golfer.

15. Less risky: SAFER.

20. Lighthearted: BLITHE.

21. Cheerio relative: AU REVOIR. Zai Jian.

22. Yearn for: CRAVE.

25. Drove at Indy: RACED.

26. Tentative agreement: I GUESS SO.

27. Baton Rouge-to-Jackson dir.: NNE.

28. "Great" Russian czar: PETER I.

29. Sun Devils' sch.: ASU.

30. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr.: SEQ. Sequel.

31. Tennis immortal: ASHE.

33. Dull opening?: DEE. Just the starting letter in Dull.

34. Gp. with a three-finger salute: BSA.

35. Listing: ATILT.

41. Baroque painter Guido: RENI. Wiki says he painted "Crucifixion of St. Peter".

42. Elvis sings it in "Blue Hawaii": ALOHA OE.

44. Sarcastic "So sad": BOO HOO.

47. Cataract surgery replacement: LENS.

48. Green-lights: OKS.

50. Edmond __: the Count of Monte Cristo: DANTES. I read that book in Chinese.

51. Large body of eau: MER.

52. Fiscal execs: CFOS.

54. Pope's jurisdiction: HOLY SEE.

57. Reason for a star: HEROISM.

61. Juno, to Socrates: HERA. Roman/Greek.

62. Punk subgenre: EMO.

67. Goof: ERR.

68. Pringles alternative: LAYS.

70. Nestlé candy with a white covering: SNO CAPS.

71. "Shoulda listened to me!": I TOLD YA.

73. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT.

74. LAPD unit?: LOS. Spelled out.

75. Madame's Spanish counterpart: SENORA.

77. Pale __: ALE.

78. Dilute: THIN.

85. Things to avoid: TABOOS.

87. Rangers' domains: FORESTS.

88. Wild plum: SLOE.

92. Whoopi's role in "The Color Purple": CELIE. Never saw the movie.

93. VCR button: REC.

94. Degree in math: NTH. Did our tax this year with TurboTax. Pretty sleek. Of course, I have a pro in Texas to guide me.

95. Tinged: HUED.

96. Texter's qualifier: IMO.

98. NBC show since 1975: SNL.

99. Gives the slip: EVADES.

101. Be on duty at, as a battle station: MAN.

102. Aids in DNA sequencing research: GENE MAPS.

105. Fathered: SIRED.

110. Orson Scott Card protagonist __ Wiggin: ENDER. "Ender's Game".

111. Documented: ON RECORD.

112. Swimwear fabric: TRICOT. Learning moment for me.

113. Short: TESTY.

114. Closed ecosystems: BIODOMES.

115. Net worth component: ASSETS.

Down:

1. "black-ish" airer: ABC.

2. Symbol of monastic life: CLOISTER.

3. Alfredo __, "Ratatouille" character named for a pasta: LINGUINI. Helpful clue.

4. Alaskan island invaded by Japan in WWII: ATTU.

5. Least likely to mingle: SHIEST.

6. Connotation: SENSE.

7. Brinker on skates: HANS.

8. Start to correct?: AUTO. Autocorrect.

9. Gun lobby org.: NRA.

10. __ Taco: DEL.

11. Scott classic: IVANHOE.

12. "Race Matters" author West: CORNEL. Unfamiliar to me.

13. Lyon lover's word: AIME.

14. Ask invasively: PRY.

15. Certain owl's howl: SCREECH.

16. "How now? __?": Hamlet: A RAT.

17. News source for millions: FACEBOOK FEED. Lots of great fill in this puzzle.

18. "Be it __ humble ... ": song lyric: EVER SO.

19. Phone button: REDIAL.

24. Law firm abbr.: ESQ.

28. Baja bar tender?: PESOS. Nice clue.

29. __ The Magazine: AARP. Soon they'll send me letters.

31. Just barely: A TAD.

32. Oxford, but not Cambridge: SHOE.

33. Mousetrap brand: D-CON.

36. 1970s Plumber: LIDDY. G. Gordon Liddy.

37. Exercise target: CORE.

38. Shouts of discovery: AHAS.

39. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA.

40. Moonshine: HOOCH.

42. Reuters apps alternative: AP NEWS.

43. Tardy with: LATE ON.

46. Down __: Maine nickname: EAST.

47. Writer Uris: LEON.

49. "My bad": SORRY.

51. ER scans: MRIS.

53. "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA.

54. Beatles album with a bang: HELP.

55. The Wizard of Oz's hometown: OMAHA. Really? I don't remember Omaha mentioned in the movie.

56. Rewards for regulars: LOYALTY CARDS. Does any of you have the Target RedCard?

57. Lukas of "Witness": HAAS.

58. Debatable "gift": ESP.

59. Small piano: SPINET.

60. General __: MOTORS. Hope Hyundai Santa Fe has big leg room. The Ford Escape was tough for Boomer to get in and out.

64. Refinement: POLISH.

65. Aspiring MBA's major: ECON.

66. Fishing boat: DORY.

69. Boiling sign: STEAM.

72. What a subscription renewal prevents: LAPSE.

75. WWII weapon: STEN.

76. Crafts website: ETSY.

78. Hypes: TOUTS.

79. Frozen planet in "The Empire Strikes Back": HOTH. Another learning moment for me.

80. Tree trunk: BOLE.

81. J.Lo's fiancé: A-ROD.

82. Pumpkin pie seasoning: ALL-SPICE.

83. Vending machine feature: COIN SLOT.

84. Underwater projection: KEEL.

86. Not even moist: BONE-DRY.

87. Based: FOUNDED.

89. Car radio button: PRESET.

90. Adam of Maroon 5: LEVINE.

91. Mexican horseman: CHARRO. Read more here. Mexican cowboy.

92. Rising stars: COMERS.

96. QB's pass to a CB, say: INT.

97. L.A. Philharmonic Conductor Emeritus: MEHTA (Zubin)

100. Tick-ing bomb?: DEET.

101. City bond, briefly: MUNI.

102. "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" author: GORE.

103. Results: ENDS.

104. Spanish cordial: ANIS.

106. Rabble: MOB.

107. "The Name of the Rose" author: ECO.

108. __-com: ROM.

109. Presumed UFO crew: ETS.

Happy 81st birthday to dear Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), the longest-living Fowler on record.
 

The 43rd American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 20-22, 2020) will be held at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. 

Time to reserve your Cru Dinner again. As I mentioned before, the Cru Dinner officially kicks off the tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and fellow solvers. Will Shortz stopped by last year. The space is limited, so be sure to contact with Mike Alpern as soon as possible. Mike's email address is: alpernm@aol.com

More details can be found here.

Cru Dinner Celebrities, Will Shortz and Mike Alpern

 

Jeffrey Wechsler and Mike Alpern, ACPT, 3/23/2019

 

Thursday, July 18th 2019 John-Clark Levin & Jeff Chen

Theme: Could I get the scam on the side? As the diner said to the huckster.

The reveal tells us what to look for:

54. Freelance for extra income ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: SIDE HUSTLE. The first or last word is the hustle, depending on which side of the grid the entry is placed.

16A. *Goof off: FOOL AROUND

24A. *Mecca for sci-fi and superhero fans: COMIC CON. A lot of the attendees take it pretty "seriously", quite the colorful crew:

29A. *Trace-amount precipitation: SNOW FLURRIES. Thankfully rare in Los Angeles. I did my share of cold back in the old country. I'd not heard of "snow" in the context of a hustle before.

39A. *Object of Jason's quest: GOLDEN FLEECE. I always think of the skeleton-fighting scene from the movie "Jason and the Argonauts". Not bad special effects for 1963.

46A. *Make flashy modifications to: TRICK OUT. There's a whole culture of auto trick-outery here in Southern California.

This looks to be the second LAT collaboration between John-Clark and Jeff, the first was just back in May, and very enjoyable this was too. Entertaining theme, fun fill and some nice cluing and misdirection. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Like challah bread: EGGY

5. Obligations: DEBTS

10. Pistons' org.: N.B.A.

13. Broadway seductress: LOLA. From the musical "Kinky Boots". The Broadway production went dark this April after more than 2,500 performances. The impressarios got their money back on that one!

14. Threepio's pal: ARTOO. Star Wars droids, as we all know.

15. Take the show on the road: TOUR

18. Stunt legend Knievel: EVEL. His son, Robbie, continues the family tradition.

19. Suit parts: VESTS. Could be COATS or PANTS so wait for some help from the crosses.

20. Gross sales, on an income statement: TOP LINE

22. Juices up: FUELS

25. Jessica of the "Fantastic Four" films: ALBA

26. Mysterious power: ESP.

28. Votes against: NOES

33. Burden: TAX. Don't get me started.

34. Co-star/co-creator Issa __ of HBO's "Insecure": RAE. No clue, thank you crosses. I used to get HBO as a "bonus" when I switched providers, but I never watched anything on there, so I cancelled when my free trial was done.

35. Prefix with -gram: ANA. I find it disappointing you can't make an anagram out of anagram. I'm going to start a company called "Garmana" just so there is one.

36. Quick drink: NIP

42. Oil cartel: OPEC

44. Commotion: ADO

45. __ Stefani, returning coach on "The Voice": GWEN. She's great, I loved the third No Doubt album "Tragic Kingdom". Here's the breakout single.

49. Puts on Facebook: POSTS

50. Alerts on the road: HONKS AT. Generally not an alert, more a frustration-reliever.

51. Often-dystopian conflict: WW III

53. "Er, I'd rather not": UM, NO

58. Start of D-Day?: DEES. Two "D"s begin "D-Day". Nice clue.

59. Like Navy SEALs: ELITE

60. Run like heck: TEAR

61. Nursery roll: SOD

62. Intuit: SENSE

63. Watson who played Hermione in Harry Potter films: EMMA

Down:

1. Sprite: ELF

2. Muck: GOO

3. Car storage spot: GLOVE BOX. Very nice, took me a while to see the misdirection here.

4. Sonia Sotomayor's alma mater: YALE LAW

5. Pub flier: DART

6. Greek Cupid: EROS. No more Eros lessons, I think you've all got it now. Class dismissed.

7. Approx. 1,055 joules: B.T.U. British Thermal Units. Rule Britannia!

8. Depp's "Lone Ranger" role: TONTO

9. Genesis city of sin: SODOM

10. Beginner: NOVICE

11. __ Aires: BUENOS. A city on my bucket list to visit. I've worked for companies with an office there, but never managed to swing a trip.

12. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN. Harold Arlen was a musical machine - he wrote the melodies for many, many songs. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th Century's No. 1 song by RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts.

15. AT&T and Verizon: TELCOS. I think AT&T might be considered a little more than a telco with the acquisition of DirecTV and the takeover of Time Warner.

17. Pack animal: ASS

21. __ gland: organ that secretes melatonin: PINEAL

22. Extreme diet: FAST

23. Forearm bone: ULNA

24. Life-saving proc.: C.P.R. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Long desscription for something you need in a hurry. Thank you, abbreviations.

26. Mideast airline: EL AL

27. Took to court: SUED

30. Monastic garments: FROCKS. I call 'em cassocks, but what do I know?

31. South African capital: RAND

32. Recon target: INFO

36. One may trend on Twitter: NEWS ITEM

37. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE T. The NYPD's Special Victim's Unit is the basis for this version of the franchise.

38. Pilot products: PENS. I've got one next to my laptop as we speak. I love the thin stylus and free-flowing ink.

39. Sticky-toed lizards: GECKOS

40. Wear (away): EAT

41. Chanel fragrance for men: EGOISTE. Seems to be missing a "T" and adding an "E", but that's what you get with product names. I suppose "EGOTIST" doesn't send many positive connotations.

42. Words that begin the line before "Deny thy father and refuse thy name": O ROMEO!

43. Determined precisely, with "down": PINNED

46. Dull sounds: THUDS

47. Caravan stops: OASES

48. Functional: UTILE

49. More, on a score: PIU. Learning moment for me, I think. I know I'm going to forget about it in about 30 seconds time, but at least I've seen it now.

51. Dampens: WETS

52. Roller coaster cry: WHEE! Not me, the only coaster that doesn't scare me to death is the one I put my cocktail on.

55. Racket: DIN

56. Quick flight: LAM. Nice misdirection, I was on the "short HOP" track at first.

57. Eventful chapter: ERA. The penny dropped, I was thinking of novels at first.

Here's the grid in all its "edgy" detail, and I think I'm out of blog.

Steve

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 John-Clark Levin & Jeff Chen

"Tiny Bubbles"

4. It's often worn with a hood and mortarboard: ACADEMIC ROBE.  10^-6 or 0.000001

10. Computer screen array: DESKTOP ICONS.  10^-12 or 0.000000000001

25. Longtime late-night host: CONAN OBRIEN.  10^-9   or 0.000000001 

26. Don Ho's signature song ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters: TINY BUBBLES.


The circled answers are three of the twenty metric system "unit prefixes" used in the International System of Units (SI).   The prefixes are used for multiples or  fractions of the seven base units of measurements, which include second for time, meter for length, kilogram for mass, etc.   In case you missed the news, big changes occurred yesterday, May 20, 2019 as the redefinition of the base units went into effect.

However, the theme is Tiny Bubbles, and we have:

• Microbubbles - Used in biomedical imaging and for targeted drug delivery.
• Nanobubbles - Change the characteristics of water molecules, with widespread potential uses.
• Picobubbles - Being studied to improve extraction in phosphate production.  

Who knew ?  I only knew of microbubbles, and that led me to see if there were indeed, nanobubbles and picobubbles. 

If you aren't buying in, just count all of those zeros in the SI unit prefixes as Tiny Bubbles.

Moving on...

Across:

1. Fur-protesting org.: PETA.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

5. Criminals, to cops: PERPS.  Perpetrators.   Perps, to cruciverbalists:  perpendicular answers.

10. Idiotic: DUMB.

14. With, in France: AVEC. 

15. Paying careful attention: ALERT.

16. Biblical twin: ESAU.  The hirsute one that sold his birthright.

17. California county known for vineyards: NAPA.

18. JFK Library architect: I.M. PEI.  As you are aware, he died last week at 102.  Jackie Kennedy chose an unknown architect named I.M. Pei to design the Kennedy Library

19. Talked like a rat?: SANG.

20. Shoe brand with a three-stripe logo: ADIDAS.

22. Jabbing rudely: POKING.

24. Rescue helicopter: MEDEVAC.

26. Something for serving the English breakfast?: TEA TRAY.

27. Spanish hand: MANO.  Anatomy.  Mano a Mano: hand to hand. 

28. Crushing on: INTO.  Adoring on, or idolizing. 

29. Fronton game word: ALAI.  Didn't know the word fronton.  Had the clue been "Cesta game word" jai alai would have come to mind.   As it was, perps provided the answer.   If you are looking for a venue where you can watch a match, here's a list:  Frontons in the USA

32. Like about-to-be-toppled dominoes: ON END.

34. Surreptitious summons: PSST.

38. Branded wares, informally: MERCH.  Merchandise.

40. American gymnast Raisman with three Olympic gold medals: ALY.  Three Golds, Two Silvers and a Bronze in Olympic competition:

41. Magazine name: TITLE.  Caught me thinking of masthead names. 

42. Preface, briefly: INTRO. 

43. Tip of a quill: NIB.

44. Ensure the win: ICE IT.

45. "The Tempest" king: ALONSO.  Shakespeare.  That's about all I know about it. 

47. Send to iCloud: UPLOAD. 

49. "Doctor Who" airer, familiarly: THE BEEB.    "...a nickname originally coined by Peter Sellers...and popularised by radio DJ Kenny Everett."

50. Smoothie maker: BLENDER.

52. Gained altitude: ROSE.

53. "Survivor" faction: TRIBE.  If interested, here's a list of the tribes of "Survivor" through the years.  I think I've watched perhaps a total of 10 minutes of it in the 38 "seasons" it has been on TV.  They must average about two seasons a year, since Wiki tells me it has been on since 2000.   Apparently it's a very popular reality series.

55. Stud farm stud: SIRE.

56. Latin art: ARS.

57. Not yet sleeping: STILL UP.

59. Chicago ballplayer: CUB.


60. Show on which Tina Fey co-starred for six seasons: SNL. 

61. Cooks' prep tools: PEELERS.

62. India pale __: ALE.

63. "Yo!": HEY !

64. Bar tender in Tokyo?: YEN.  Two words for the currency clue rather than the singular word for an occupation.

65. For instance: SAY.  FREX, as JzB would abbreviate FoR EXample.

66. Blanc who voiced Bugs: MEL.


Down:

1. Former Delta rival: PAN AM.  Never flew Pan Am, but was a Delta frequent flyer member.  The only thing I got from them in return was lost and misrouted luggage at Hartsfield.   Still have my card

2. Give the slip: EVADE. 

3. Lukewarm: TEPID.

5. Italian chum: PAISANO. 

6. Massachusetts state tree: ELM.   They also have a state rock.  It's called Plymouth. And a state cream pie and terrier dog, both called Boston.

7. U.S. House member: REP.

8. Cursor beginning?: PRE.  Precursor - a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.

9. Grad student's income: STIPEND. 

11. Delta rival, as it was once known: US AIR.  US Airways, nee Allegheny Airlines, merged with American Airlines.   I remember the expansions of Pittsburgh International in the 70s and 80s, largely to support Allegheny / US Air.   TWA was the other major carrier that had a hub at Pittsburgh.

12. Exodus food: MANNA.

13. Glitch-ridden, as software: BUGGY.   Hopefully the bugs are caught in Beta Testing.

21. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.

23. Bread grain: OAT.

29. "What __ missing?": AM I.

30. "Stormy Weather" singer: LENA HORNE.


31. In a naive way: ARTLESSLY.

33. Giants QB Manning: ELI.  The New York Giants of the National Football League.

35. Stabilizer for movie shooters: STEADICAM.   Invented by Garret Brown.  He also invented Skycam, "the robot camera that flies on wires over sporting events."

 Description

36. Outmoded calculator: SLIDE RULE.

37. Hanoi New Year: TET.

39. Sharpen: HONE.

41. Shower wall piece: TILE.

46. Divan kin: SETTEE.

48. Thorax membrane: PLEURA.  More anatomy.  Thank you perps.   The Crossword Corner's  resident physician wouldn't need to look these up, but I had to.  The last anatomy class I had was in high school...

• Thorax - "the part of the body of a mammal between the neck and the abdomen, including the cavity enclosed by the ribs, breastbone, and dorsal vertebrae, and containing the chief organs of circulation and respiration; the chest.
• Pleura - "each of a pair of serous membranes lining the thorax and enveloping the lungs in humans and other mammals."

49. Garbage: TRASH. 

51. Defy authority: REBEL.

54. __-at-ease: ILL.

57. MI6 agent: SPY.

58. "Gangnam Style" musician: PSY.   The video, if you care to watch it.   Now with 3,349,033,725 views and counting.   That's 3.349 billion  (10⁹⁾  or 3.349 gigaviews,  if one were to use the SI unit prefix.