I'm in Charge Here. The circles cross two words, and when Merged, form a head or ruler of a realm/Empire.
17-Across. Serialized daytime dramas: SOAP OPERAS. The POPE is the head of the Catholic Church. The word Pope is derived from the Greek πάππας (páppas), which was an affectionate term meaning "father", but now refers to a bishop or patriarch.
26-Across. "Anything could happen": ALL BETS ARE OFF. The TSAR was the head of the Russian Empire. The word TSAR is a form of the ancient Roman imperial title Caesar. Ivan IV Vasilyevich, better known as Ivan the Terrible, was the first Russian tsar. He gave himself that title. Prior to becoming Tsar, he was the Grand Prince of Moscow. I discussed him recently.
43-Across. Writer and illustrator of Caldecott Medal winner "The Snowy Day": EZRA JACK KEATS. Hand up if you knew this writer and illustrator. The RAJA was a monarch in India. Depending upon the region, the Raja was a prince or a king. Chandragupta Maurya (340 BCE ~ 297 BCE) is considered as the first emperor of India. He ascended the throne in 321 BCE.
And the unifier:
58-Across. "Road narrows" sign, or when read as three words, an apt description of what 17-, 26-, and 43-Across do: MERGE AHEAD. And when read as three words, we get: Merge A Head.
And a related theme clue and answer:
52-Across. Realm: EMPIRE.
Across:
1. Calamine lotion target: ITCH. Calamine is a zinc carbonate mineral. It's a mixture of zinc oxide and a small amount of iron oxide. Calamine is commonly used in lotions and dusting powders to treat skin irritations.
5. __ Peace Prize: NOBEL. The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five prizes specified in Alfred Nobel's will. (The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences wasn't established until 1968.) The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway because, according to Alfred Nobel's will, the Norwegian Parliament is responsible for selecting the Peace Prize laureate, and the committee responsible for this selection is based in Oslo. The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901 to Frédéric Passy (May 20, 1822 ~ June 12, 1912) and Henry Dunant (May 8, 1828 ~ Oct. 30, 1910). Passy was a prominent international pacifist, and Dunant was the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
10. Internet destination: SITE.
14. City fooled by a wooden horse: TROY. Greek mythology.
15. Jazz singer Adams who toured with Tears for Fears: OLETA. Oleta Adams (née Oleta Angela Adams; b. May 4, 1953) gained her fame when she toured with Tears for Fears in the late 1980s.
16. Approximate location: AREA.
19. At sea: LOST.
20. Balderdash: UTTER ROT.
21. Needles: TAUNTS.
23. Sound in a library: SHH!
24. Early web portal: AOL. As in America On Line.
25. Pound or ounce: UNIT.
32. Choreographer de Mille: AGNES. Agnes George de Mille (Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Oct. 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. She was also the niece of film director Cecil B. DeMille (Aug. 12, 1881 ~ Jan. 21, 1959).
34. Bottom lines?: HEMS.
35. Miss Piggy's favorite pronoun: MOI.
36. Implores: BEGS.
37. Word after Cha-Cha and Electric, in dance songs: SLIDE.
39. Drawer pull: KNOB.
40. Director Ang: LEE. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim. Lee received 2 Oscars for Best Director for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Life of Pi (2012).
41. Heaps: A TON.
42. Cleaning staff members: MAIDS. If you haven't read The Maid, by Nita Prose, I highly recommend this murder mystery novel.
47. Shower alternative: BATH.
48. Managed: RAN.
49. Midwest city with two MLB teams, for short: CHI. Chicago, Illinois is home to both the Chicago White Sox (American League) and the Chicago Cubs (National League).
55. Job: POSITION.
57. Laundry batch: LOAD. I had 41-Across of laundry after returning from our vacation.
60. Levelheaded: SANE.
61. Disney princess with a mermaid tail: ARIEL. // And 52-Down. Disney princess with icy powers: ELSA.
62. Memo phrase: IN RE.
63. Picnic pests: ANTS.
64. Social equals: PEERS.
65. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.
Down:
1. "We're here!": IT'S US.
2. Pledge of fidelity: TROTH.
3. Cloakroom accessory: COAT HANGER.
4. Promote aggressively: HYPE.
5. Casual reply to "Thanks": NO PROB.
6. World Cup chant: OLÉ OLÉ!
7. Ernie's best pal: BERT. Think of Sesame Street.
8. GPS projection: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival.
9. First entry on many applications: LAST NAME. The Customs Declaration forms request the Family Name before listing the first name.
10. Sign of military respect: SALUTE.
11. Waffle __: IRON.
12. Skills evaluation: TEST.
13. Grub: EATS. // And: 30-Down. Grub: FOOD.
18. Hurdles for would-be doctors: ORALS.
22. Broadcasts: AIRS.
25. Employed: USED.
27. "__ Misérables": LES. Les Misérables is a historical novel by Victor Hugo. It was first published in 1862 and was inspired by the French June Rebellion of 1832. Les Misérables has been adapted into a Broadway musical and a movie. I read the novel in my French class years ago.
28. Cogitate: THINK.
29. All-knowing: OMNISCIENT.
31. Little white lies: FIBS.
32. Competent: ABLE.
33. "Oh, c'mon!": GEEZ.
37. Local meteorologist's backdrop, perhaps: STATE MAP.
38. __ Ness Monster: LOCH.
39. Actress Dennings: KAT. Kat Dennings (née Katherine Victoria Litwack; b. June 13, 1986), is an American actress best known for her portraying Max Black in the television sitcom 2 Broke Girls.
41. Somewhat open: AJAR. When is a door not a door ...
42. Short-lived obsession: MANIA.
44. Puts up with: ABIDES.
45. Grocery store chain: KROGER. The first Kroger Grocery store opened in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
46. Art studio stands: EASELS.
50. White with age: HOARY.
51. Back-of-the-book reference section: INDEX.
53. Haunted house sound: MOAN.
54. Act like a hot dog: PANT. Cute clue!
55. "Je vous en __": French "You're welcome": PRIE. Today's French lesson.
56. Not that: THIS.
59. Afore: ERE.
Here's the Grid:
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