Puzzle Arrangement in Black and White.
17-Across. * Be a little nosy: POKE AROUND.
32-Across. * Music, dance, drama, and the like: PERFORMING ARTS.
39-Across. * Squeeze-box instrument with a keyboard: PIANO ACCORDION. A piano accordion features a piano-style keyboard for the right hand to play the melody and multiple rows of buttons on the left hand for bass notes and pre-set chords.
58-Across. * Public relations manager: PRESS AGENT.
And the unifier:
66. Bamboo-loving bear, or, when parsed in three parts, a feature of the answers to the starred clues: PANDA or P AND A. There is a Panda Research Center in in Chengdu, China. Note that each of the theme answers is a two-word phrase where the first word begins with the letter P and the second word begins with A.
Here's the Grid:
Across:
1. Ed of "Lou Grant": ASNER. Before he had his own TV show, Lou Grant (alter ego of Ed Asner [Nov. 15, 1929 ~ Aug. 29, 2021]), was Mary Tyler Moore's boss. The former was a drama series, and the latter was a sit-com.
6. Flower holder: STEM.
10. Baseball officials: UMPs. As in Umpires.
14. Stir up: STOKE.
15. Bar mitzvah dance: HORA.
16. Bean fermented to make miso: SOYA.
19. __ a living: EARN.
20. Yale student: ELI. Why Eli, you ask. The name is derived from the first name of the university's early benefactor, Elihu Yale. Elihu Yale (Apr. 5, 1649 ~ July 8, 1721) was a British colonial administrator. Although he was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in England, Wales, and India.
21. Song for two: DUET.
22. Apple Music predecessor: iTUNES.
24. Whys and wherefores: REASONS.
26. Invitation letters: RSVP. Today's French lesson: Répondez S'il Vous Plaît.
27. Toward the stern: AFT.
28. Store: SHOP.
29. Acai bowl grain: OAT.
36. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. Today's Italian lesson: Penne pasta with a vodka-based sauce. Yummers!
37. + or - atomic particle: ION.
38. Self-referential: META. A word derived from the Greek.
44. "__-Hur": BEN. Before it was a movie, Ben-Hur was an 1880 novel by Lew Wallace (Apr. 10, 1821 ~ Feb. 15, 1905).
45. Move like a spooked horse, maybe: BUCK.
46. McKellen of "X-Men": IAN. That's Sir Ian Murray McKellen (b. May 25, 1939) to you!
47. Alien-hunting subj.: SETI. As in the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.
48. Royalties, e.g.: PAYOUTS.
52. Deli order: NO MAYO.
55. Ultrasoft mineral: TALC.
56. More, on a music score: PIÙ. A continuation of today's Italian lesson. Although it is on a musical score, it is not generally used alone. Composers put it in sheet music right before another musical term to tell the musician to do more of that action. For example, Più forte means Play louder.
57. "Growing Pains" actor Thicke: ALAN. Alan Willis Thicke (Mar. 1, 1947 ~ Dec. 13, 2016) was a Canadian-American actor. Sadly, he died after suffering a sudden ruptured aorta while playing hockey with his son.
61. Suppressed, with "up": PENT.
62. Toward sunrise: EAST.
63. Ore finder: MINER.
64. On a trawler, say: ASEA.
65. Gains after taxes: NETS.
Down:
1. According to: AS PER.
2. Took without asking: STOLE.
3. Big name in brick phones: NOKIA. Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation. Did you know that the company began as a pulp mill in 1865?
4. __ out a living: EKE.
5. List, as names during roll call: READ OFF.
6. Footwear: SHOES.
7. Sell aggressively: TOUT.
8. Directional suffix: -ERN. As in Eastern or Western or Southern or Northern.
9. Wisconsin's capital: MADISON.
10. Drain completely: USE UP.
11. Kvetch: MOAN.
12. Funeral pile: PYRE.
13. Comic __: informal typeface: SANS. A Brief History of Comic Sans.
18. Reach a cost of: RUN TO.
23. Rating for many shows aired at 8 p.m.: TV-PG.
25. Plastic wrap brand: SARAN.
26. Big horned animal: RHINO.
28. Recommended garment when using glitter glue: SMOCK.
29. Double Stuf cookie: OREO.
30. Env. directive: ATTN.
31. Bag-screening org.: TSA. As in the Transportation Security Administration.
32. Part of a glissade, in ballet: PLIÉ.
33. Dynamism: ELAN.
34. Christina who played Wednesday Addams and appeared on "Wednesday": RICCI. Christina Ricci (b. Feb. 12, 1980) is known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. She portrayed Wednesday in the Addams Family movies.
35. __ acid: AMINO.
36. PD alert: APB. As in All Points Bulletin.
40. Listen to: OBEY.
41. Signature replicator: AUTOPEN.
42. Iranian currency: RIALS.
43. Summer childcare option: DAY CAMP.
47. Christmas cookie receiver: SANTA.
48. Histories: PASTS.
49. Philly Ivy League sch.: U PENN.
50. Like a fork: TINED.
51. "Kama __": SUTRA. The Kama Sutra is an ancient Hindu Sanskrit guide written by the philosopher Vātsyāyana around the 3rd century CE.
52. West Coast wine region: NAPA.
53. Fútbol cheers: OLÉS.
54. Locks on a mustang: MANE.
55. Exam: TEST.
59. "Insecure" star Issa: RAE. Issa Rae (née Jo-Issa Rae Diop; b. Jan. 12, 1985) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. Insecure was a sit-com about two best friends deal who dealt with their own real-life flaws.
60. Supermodel Carangi: GIA. Gia Marie Carangi (Jan. 29, 1960 ~ Nov. 18, 1986) was an American supermodel who brought an edgy look to fashion modeling in the 1980s. Sadly, she was unable to cope with the lifestyle of a top model and became addicted to heroin. She died at age 26.
That's it for now. I will be taking a brief hiatus, but you will be in good hands during my absence.
חתולה
