Today's puzzle, from veteran constructors Sala and Emily, ( they appeared just last month as a duo as well ), failed to hit the mark for me this time. The theme is kinda weak, and the 20-something names, including a crossing where I had no choice but to do an alphabet run, just sucked the life out of this one. We have two 8-letter themers, and yet two Down answers are longer; a whopping 28 4LWs, and yet only 9 TLWs. On top of that, the one musical entry that I can relate to is the first - the others are just not my thing; sorry 'bout that. On a positive note, 17A., 40A., and the theme answer are unique fills, so there's that. The themers;
17. Fleetwood Mac hit with the lyric "I'll settle for one day to believe in you": LITTLE LIES - a LIE can cover the truth . . .?
26. Taylor Swift hit that features a sweater metaphor: CARDIGAN - usually covers a shirt/blouse . . .?
40. Elvis Presley hit about someone who only looks like an angel: DEVIL IN DISGUISE - disguise as a cover up . . .?
50. Rihanna hit about friends who stick together rain or shine: UMBRELLA - under cover from the rain . . .~?
63. Musical remakes, and what 17-, 26-, 40-, and 50-Across all are, in a way: COVER SONGS - "songs" that have something that covers; I guess. As for an actual cover song, if it's a "tribute" band, then all you do is cover songs. I feel that if an artist is going to cover someone else's song, then it should have some variation on the original, i.e., Run-DMC covering Aerosmith as a rap song - I couldn't narrow it down to one great choice, but here's an example;
Flamenco Led Zeppelin - Rodrigo Y Gabriela
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Update a historic home, say: REHAB - I am in the business of updating "historic", and we would never refer to it as a 'rehab' - rehab is where I spent six weeks after detox. 'nuf said.
6. Quick look: PEEP
10. "Dream on": "AS IF."
14. Enlighten: EDIFY
15. Crooner Paul: ANKA - I know him, but name #1
16. Novela introduction?: TELE - Telenovela, a serialized drama in Latin American TV
19. Jai __: ALAI - this used to appear in lots of puzzles "back in the day" - it's only popped up once or twice in a long, long time
20. Pro vote: YEA - My yeS had to change to yeA
21. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA - Oops, I thought it was ELSA - that's the "Frozen" girl - name #2
22. Strenuous: TIRING - Crosswords like this are not enjoyable, just TIRING
24. Prefix with tech: NANO - nanotech
28. Milwaukee team: BREWERS - Great logo - I like it when the letters/name is cleverly embedded in the image - here's another great logo
The m and b in the glove~? That to me is a well-designed logo
31. "The Daily" podcast producer, briefly: NYT - no clue, but I had _YT already; name(ish)
32. Special glow: AURA
33. Paul of "The Batman": DANO - name #3 - I looked it up; he played the Riddler. I did not see the movie
35. Venomous snake: ADDER
43. Be of __: help: USE TO
44. __ Point, California: DANA - DANO, DANA - Sheesh - name #4
45. Summer getaway: CAMP - I was never 'enrolled' camp, but from what I hear and read, it was not all that fun for many - SEND away, now that's more like it
46. Govt. intel org.: NSA - I could explain the abbr., but then I'd have to....
48. Gets to giggle: TICKLES - tickles my fancy
55. For fear that: LEST
57. Quite bright: NEON
59. Alley-__: OOP
62. Actor Alda: ALAN - crossword staple, name #5
66. Rare rocks: GEMS
67. Sinister: EVIL
68. Verdi work: OPERA - name(ish)
69. "Gotcha": "I SEE."
Dr. Venkman, @ 0:50
70. "The Voice" host Carson: DALY - name #6
71. Elevates: RISES - meh. rAises is a better match, e.g. stress from crossword solving RISES blood pressure~?
DOWN:
1. Depend (on): RELY
2. Actress Falco: EDIE - name #7
3. Touched on something touchy: HIT A NERVE - let me count the (names) ways . . . .9LW
4. Back of the boat: AFT
5. Author credit: BYLINE
6. Buds: PALS
7. Pioneering computer: ENIAC - I had ATARI until that showed up three answers later; name(ish)
8. Scrape (by): EKE
9. Danish, e.g.: PASTRY
10. Pong platform: ATARI
11. Former baseball commissioner Bud: SELIG - I could not recall this name, # 8
12. Glazer of "Broad City": ILANA - name #9
13. Pretend: FEIGN - I think this "crossname" is pretending to be a crossword
18. "Euphoria" actor Jacob: ELORDI - name # 10, 3 of the 4 previous clues - tho a unique fill
23. Pet collar attachment: ID TAG
25. Stand by for: AWAIT
27. Designate as a successor: ANOINT - meh. aPPoint fits better. Anoint to me is religious ceremony
28. Grammy winner Erykah: BADU - even if I DO know this one, ugh; name #11
29. Feels remorse: RUES - he rues the day he said he'd blog Wednesdays . . . . 😜
30. Flip-flop, e.g.: SANDAL
34. Confidentiality contract, for short: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement - I am seriously considering spending the money to get my board games produced - I need a patent lawyer - anyone at the Corner who can recommend one~?
36. Dodges: DUCKS - these DODGES are not DUCKS or ADDERS - they're VIPERS
37. Landline sounds: DIAL TONES - the other 9LW, 'longer than theme' fill
38. "Twilight" vampire Cullen: ESME - name #12
39. Gym count: REPS - now this is a good one - the singular count clue and the plural reps answer
41. Not a people person, say: LONER - I am definitely NOT a "people person"
42. Mariner: SAILOR
47. Prepared to serve, as pie: SLICED
49. Black out: CENSOR
50. With 56-Across, grilled eel dish: UNAGI - AND - 56. See 50-Down: NIGIRI - no clue, and when the clues are circumreferential* like this, it's even worse - and name(ish)
51. Odometer units: MILES - my car allows me to track gas prices when I fill up, but every now and then, the same buttons I use to adjust the price end up changing my MPH to KPH; I look down and I am doing "58" in a 30 - Yikes~!
52. Not one's best effort: B-GAME
53. Flush: RINSE
54. Blacksmith's block: ANVIL
58. Wriggly: EELY
60. Fantasy monster: OGRE
61. Unpaid ads: PSAs - Public Service Announcements
64. Egg cells: OVA
65. Maker of Lincoln Park After Dark nail polish: OPI - I've learned that the answer regarding makeup, etc., is either OPI or EOS these days - and name(ish)
* I made this word up, but you get my meaning, yes~?
Another RG puzzle on a Wednesday, a standard 15 x 15 grid with no circles, 18 TLWs, seven of which are abbrs, along with three out of the 28 4LWs in the construction. Lots of "quoted" clues and answers, too, only three(ish) names, but one still got me; I shoulda known via the crossing theme perp. Sigh. That said, the theme is a punny one with the opening line of
At the amateur comedy night...
17. the omelet chef had the audience __: CRACKING UP - an eggs-cellent joke
24. ... the personal trainer had the audience __: BUSTING A GUT - I ABs-olutley loved this one
38. With 51-Across, ... the professional bowler had the audience __: ROLLING - AND - 51A. See 38-Across:IN THE AISLES - "Aisle" never see bowling the same way again
60. ... the tailor had the audience __: IN STITCHES - this one is SEW funny
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Mosque leader: IMAM - Crossword staple
5. Get ready quickly?: PREP - abbr, the "short" version of prepare
45. Neither/__: NOR - I neither speak Frawnche, NOR write it
46. Little devil: IMP
48. Stinger in a swarm: WASP - this one is NOT an abbr. 😜
50. CBS show with the theme song "Who Are You": CSI - Crime Scene Investigation
55. Pay stub letters: YTD - Year-To-Date
56. Home to the Hockey Hall of Fame: TORONTO
57. Dark side force: SITH - the "anti" Jedi
59. Word with deep or dive: SKIN - Skin deep, Skin dive
65. Silent performer: MIME
66. Edmonton NHL player: OILER - Hockey again
67. "I'm all __!": "EARS~!"
68. "No sweat!": "EASY~!"
69. One of Canada's First Nations: CREE - filled via perps, name(ish), but common in crosswords
70. Recipe that may call for a bay leaf: STEW - I have a crock pot and a bay leaf; I should make me a stew
DOWN:
1. Company abbr.: INC - Ever wonder what it means, exactly~? More here
2. Helicopter carrying the Vice President: MARINE TWO - I knew it was named something similar to "Air Force One", but waited on perps; I found the history quite fascinating
3. Films that have been formatted to fit a smaller screen, e.g.: ADAPTIONS - this just sounds wrong; adapTAtions seems more common, and better yet, adapted to fit your screen
4. Apples that are inedible: MACS - I figured it was a computer reference
5. Tired initials?: PSI - I knew the gag, but could not think of a three-letter 'radial' tire brand - turns out to be the recommended pressure in Pounds per Square Inch
6. Aired: RAN
7. Caviar bit: EGG - I tried ROE - Bzzzt~!
8. Theoretical physicist Wolfgang: PAULI - name #2 - I knew we needed a name, so I tried PAULA
9. Negative charges?: BUM RAPS - "I was framed, I tell ya~!"
10. Chimp relative: ORANGutan
This one fits the "stalker" description
11. Boggy biome: BAYOU
12. Floating: ALOFT
15. Toss a coin?: SPEND - you'll need more than just coins these days . . . .
18. Region known for Wagyu: KOBE - took the "K" to remind me; everything Wagyu from Wiki - name #3
"You're sick, Jerry~! . . . Sick, sick, sick~!"
22. Growing old: AGING - I am definitely getting old-ER . . . sounds like I'm maturing, but not really
23. Beagle's bowlful: ALPO - I tried CHOW, but we were looking for a brand name(ish)
25. "Yeah, guess again": "UM, NO."
26. Catch a whiff of: SMELL
27. Withholding information?: TAX LAWS - I owe money this year, but I'm still waiting on a mess the IRS created two years ago
33. Current-ly?: TIDAL - Har-har
35. "Well, I'll be!": "FANCY THAT~!"
36. Question from behind a closed door: "WHO'S THERE~?" - AND - 51. Potential reply to 36-Down: "IT'S ME."
38. Japanese broth dish: RAMEN
39. Trading letters: NYSE
41. Dry as the desert: ARID
43. "I'm home, dear": "HI, HONEY~!"
47. Al fresco dining area: PATIO - eating outdoors
49. Soft "Hey, you": "PSST~!"
52. Early mobile phone manufacturer: NOKIA - I think my first cellular phone was a flip-open Nokia, and I had this one, as well
It had the game "Snake" on it
53. Haircuts that may not be noticeable: TRIMS - what's left of my hair takes so long to grow that it's hard to tell I'm into heavy metal
54. Type of chemical bond: IONIC - Such as Sodium and Chlorine = salt
58. Numbs, maybe: ICES - my knee is better, thank you for asking
61. High-end camera initials: SLR - Single Lens Reflex
I was attempting to find another movie/TV show with seconds, days, weeks or months in the title, and some obvious ones came to mind - e.g., 9-1/2 weeks, Gone in Sixty Seconds, but I wanted to keep with the "half of the theme answer" concept. I liked Strange Days, saw it when it came out 30 years ago. Mr. Vu is a prolific constructor with several LA Times puzzles alone. Today we have no circles, 24 4LWs, and very few names, but I still got done in by one - see the red square in the solution at the bottom - all in a standard 15 x 15 grid. The themers;
20. Olsen twins teen comedy set in the Big Apple: NEW YORK MINUTE- The reveal is "half" of the themer, and New York is "one" thing, but it is "two" words, IMHO. Just sayin'.
35. Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker buddy cop film with two sequels: RUSH HOUR- I have sat through a couple of these movies; Jackie Chan is just amazing, did most of his own stunts; Chris Tucker is just annoying.
42. Amy Adams rom-com about a February 29 tradition: LEAP YEAR- I know nothing about this one, so here's the IMDb
58. Highlights of many bowl games, and an apt description of 20-, 35-, and 42-Across?: HALF-TIME SHOWS - Here is the Wiki on all the halftime performances at the Super Bowl; none of these artists made me want to sit through what was most likely a lip-sync show; I DO know that C.C. was probably most pleased 10 years ago when Bruno Mars was the headliner; and let us not forget the "wardrobe malfunction" 20 years ago . . . .half-time is a rhythmic feel with the beat on 2 and 4; if you want to be more confused, check this drummer's YouTube video. Here's a song with the half-time feel at the end of the chorus;
The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive - twice in one week~!
And Away We go~!
ACROSS:
1. Random __ of kindness: ACTS
5. Range for a yodeler: ALPS - not fooled by the mountain range vs. pitch range
9. Instrument in Hindi cinema: SITAR - I like the "sitar-style" solo in the song below - there's a less "sitar-ish" solo in the live performance on YouTube; the only reason I bring it up is that the show aired on my 2nd Birthday - 52 years and three days ago
Steely Dan - Do It Again
14. Engage in costumed gaming, slangily: LARP - Live-Action Role Playing - sort of like this....
My short-lived marriage started with a Medieval Wedding
15. The Big Easy, for short: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA - Caesar's Super Dome just hosted the LIX Super Bowl
16. Start with a clean slate?: ERASE
17. Omnia vincit __: AMOR - Love Conquers All - Latin
18. Morose: DOUR
19. Solemn recitations: OATHS
23. Wrath: IRE - AND - 10D. Apoplectic: IRATE - FLW: Lucina, I cashed in my "trial" IRA that I never actually funded - its net worth dropped since it was opened, down to a mere $696. The one I have with the Pipe Organ company has a 5% match, so that's rocking right now. And I feel your pain - my mother's bank accounts are proving to be a nightmare to close because they, too, changed ownership right when she died, and NYS is now requiring I "prove" how I distributed the money - why~? What if I said I built a deck with the money~? Will they deny me this last account~? Feel my IRE, I am IRATE
24. Apply crudely: DAUB
25. Some phone notifications: ALERTS
28. Common part of a lunch combo: SALAD - I usually get the SOUP
30. Inca Trail to Machu Picchu locale: PERU - I did not see the word "locale" when I was solving the puzzle, so I thought we were looking for the NAME of the trail|
South America - I could go for a tour of the place
32. Cal. column: THUrsday
33. Grab a chair: SIT
38. Ice hockey gear: SKATES
41. Absolute gems: BEAUTS
44. Syst. in which "A" is a closed fist: ASL - American Sign Language
45. Ga. capital: ATLanta
46. Has a debt: OWES
48. Hard __ to break: HABIT - Also the title of this Chicago song
Smoking, drinking and sexual overtones; ah, the 80's
52. "Just suppose ... ": "WHAT IF..." - What if I went with "Ten Seconds to Love" for the blog title~?
55. Attention to detail: CARE
57. Single: ONE
61. Animal also called the zebra giraffe: OKAPI
63. Resting on: ATOP
64. Word said while pointing: THAT 👈
65. Concur: AGREE
66. Astronauts' org.: NASA
67. Additional: MORE
68. "Fun, Fun, Fun" car: T-BIRD - The Beach Boys are not normally my musical thing, but I listened and it's "Chuck Berry blues" - the link here - and anything guitar I can learn from is a good thing; I like the Ford Thunderbird - I had one just like the picture, ridiculously quick, but had to let it go because it had some bizarre Teves Swedish ABS system that failed, $1400 plus labor to replace 😟
1986 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe; I paid $1200 for it in 1998
69. Kill it on the runway, say: SLAY - I would not know - I have never attended a fashion show - oh wait - are we talking about a plane crash runway~?
Tenerife, Canary Islands, 1977 - most fatal airplane accident - Air Disasters
70. Ore deposit: LODE
DOWN:
1. "Jagged Little Pill" singer Morissette: ALANIS - this being her third album, it was a huge success, including the single "You Outta Know" - NSFW
2. Kodak innovation: CAMERA - I was today years old when I learned that Kodak is not Polaroid
3. Garden tool: TROWEL - for those 'heavy makeup days'
4. Agile: SPRY
5. "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" Oscar nominee Day: ANDRA - my last crossing, as one can see in the solution below - I had an "E" for the last letter, not knowing who Andra Day is - the WIki
6. "It's right above your head!": "LOOK UP~!" - I started "UP THERE", but it didn't fit
7. Expert at handling snakes?: PLUMBER - ah, yes, the plumber's snake
There's the drill type and the full-on power ones, as well
8. Dress in Hindi cinema: SARI
9. South Korean capital: SEOUL - twice this week
11. Curly fry alternative: TATER TOT
12. Some barbecue remains: ASH
13. Low-__: RES - we had "Hi _" on Monday
21. Quirky thing: ODDITY
22. Queasy feeling: NAUSEA - Quirky & Queasy - but no Q in the fill . . . .
And now there is~! Star Trek: TNG
26. Ergo: THUS
27. __ La Table: cookware retailer: SUR - I have never shopped here
29. "Now!" letters: ASAP - here we go; NOW means STAT, not "as soon as possible"
31. Massage: RUB
34. Begin a round of golf: TEE OFF - also the polite way to say one is "irate"
38. MacFarlane of "Family Guy": SETH - I happen to like his creations, not just Family Guy and American Dad~!, but his Star Trek homage "The Orville" was a great show, too
39. Desert that covers much of Botswana: KALAHARI
40. Adage: SAW
42. Murphy's __: LAW - rhyming sequential answers
43. Solo performance: RECITAL
47. Appetizer before a curry, maybe: SAMOSA - filled via perps; a recipe here
49. "Cry me a river!": "BOO-HOO~!"
50. To the middle: INWARD
51. Proctor's charge: TESTEE - 😝 a test taker
53. Dwindle (down): TAPER
54. "OK, that was untrue": "I LIED."
56. Settle a debt: REPAY
59. Basks in the sun: TANS - does an iguana "tan"~?
60. Webpage medium: HTML - filled via perps; HyperText Markup Language
61. Muesli morsel: OAT
62. Old CIA foe: KGB - The new Russian intelligence agencies are here
Now that's a hockey game "blow-out" - sorry, CanadianEh! Paul Coulter returns, having several LA Times puzzles under his belt - the last one was here back on a Monday in January 2024. Four 10- & 11-letter themers, no reveal, all definitions of the word/phrase 'blowout'. We have two bonus 9- and 10-letter fills* in the Down today, too - great fills, but usually frowned upon when two of the themers are the same length. Too many names, IMHO, a balance of 21 TLW and 22 4LWs, and no circles - they were in yesterday's puzzle, two weeks in a row. The theme answers;
17. Group that might enjoy a blowout: WINNING TEAM - there's a line about Brooklyn in Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire" @1:35
30. Host who might throw a blowout: PARTY GIVER
Bobbi Flekman, the hostess with the mostess
48. Wheel that might experience a blowout: RADIAL TIRE - happened to me in my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan doing 72mph on I-395 trying to make the Cross Sound Ferry in the summer of 2023 - I limped off the highway into a parking lot, determined not to miss the boat, and installed the spare in 13 minutes - and that's an accomplishment because the spare is on a chain you crank inside the van from the floor center to drop the donut beneath the vehicle 😜
And if it's rusted from non-use . . . .f$%^#@&~!
63. Professional who might provide a blowout: HAIR-STYLIST - Everything you wanted to know about a HAIR blowout - here
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Cry like a baby: BAWL - crossing BOWL
5. First game of a doubleheader: OPENER - I am sure C.C. can't wait
11. Appear onstage: ACT
14. Sandwich cookie: OREO - two weeks in a row for me
15. Not tricked by: WISE TO - quit cracking wise - I am reading the first book of the Robert Crais detective series - a great read, and there's 19 more in the series - a new one in 2025
16. "The Queen's Gambit" actress Anya Taylor-__: JOY - name #1, more here
at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards
19. Band's sound booster: AMP - I'm told this is an acceptable "non-abbr" here at the corner
20. Sooner or __: LATER
21. Melancholy: SAD - four syllables :: one syllable
22. Shake hands (on): AGREE
24. Lingering amount: TRACE
26. All alternative: NONE - briefly thought we were looking for a laundry detergent, as in TIDE
28. Spanish "those": ESOS - Español #1
35. Auden's "Musée __ Beaux Arts": DES - filled via perps, the Wiki
36. Video game archaeologist Croft: LARA - name #2 - there was a movie, too - but I am not an Angelina Jolie fan - shocking, but true
37. Place: LOCALE
38. Davis of "Stuart Little": GEENA - name #3 - the IMDb
40. [Not my error]: SIC
42. Some nesting figures: DOLLS - e.g., Russian Matryoshka
47. Gymnast Suni: LEE - name #4 - becoming the common clue for this answer
50. Landlord's income: RENT
51. "Puppy Love" singer Paul: ANKA - name #5
52. "Bad, Bad" Brown of song: LEROY - name #6
54. Head of cabbage?: HARD C - "C"abbage - I know some Cornerites don't much care for these kinds of ( meta ) clues, but I am OK with them
57. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI - name #6
59. Pond buildup: ALGAE
62. Many moons __: AGO - many moons ago, there were no names in a crossword
66. Mojito liquor: RUM
67. Discounted: ON SALE
68. "Battle Cry" novelist Leon: URIS - name #7
69. Atlas page: MAP - AND - 60D. Atlas section: ASIA
70. Far from fresh: ROTTEN
71. Theater production: PLAY
DOWN:
1. Many a New Year's Day football game: BOWL - The Buffalo Bills are out, so I am rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles, but I am not watching the Super Bowl for the second year in a row - I even canceled my live stream TV service to prove it.
3. Became shabby: WENT TO SEED* - from whence we get the phrase - another link here
4. Reclusive sorts: LONERS - HERMITS didn't fit
5. Private: OWN - as in, "it's my _ collection"
6. Pork-based dog treats: PIGS EARS - sorry, Irish Miss, but I am still waiting on my new house mate - but I do have another lead on where to look for a rescue Schnauzer~!
7. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA - Español #2
8. "You __ bother!": NEEDN'T - I am tiring of these kinds of fill-in clues
9. In-flight info, for short: ETA
10. Mercury and Saturn: ROMAN GODS* - name(s) #8, waited to see if we were looking for auto manufacturers
11. Letting in light, as a door: AJAR - Also in yesterday's grid - and Meh. I have a diamond window in my front door, and three "lites" in my sunroom door - they let in light, but they're not ajar- especially when it's -5° outside . . . .
12. "The best is yet to __": COME
13. Use a keyboard: TYPE
18. 401(k) kin: IRA - I have an IRA that changed banks literally five times since I opened it, and every time it does, I have to jump though hoops to verify it - so I figured it's time to be done with the nonsense....
23. Insurance company with a spokeslizard: GEICO - my choice for car insurance
25. Tax pro: CPA - Certified Public Accountant - busy season is upon them - I just got my W-2
27. Olive in the comics: OYL - name #9
28. "The Dance Class" painter Degas: EDGAR - name #10
Oil, 1874, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
29. "Bye now": "SEE YA~!"
31. "Spider-Man" trilogy director: RAIMI - name #11, but we had him some time last week
32. Stereotypical Southern California teen of the 1980s: VALLEY GIRL* - Like I totally was going to insert Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" clip, but I could not take a full five minutes of the dialect
33. Daytime talk show that ended in 2022: ELLEN - name #12, never watched
34. Button clicked by a password forgetter: RESET - ...part of the IRA fiasco was having to RESET my password with each acquiring bank, so I decided to cash out last week, penalties be damned
36. Secure a ship: LAY ANCHOR*
39. Water nymph: NAIAD - I knew this, but could not recall how to spell it; is there a "Y" in there~?
41. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" singer Belinda: CARLISLE - Ha~! Same here - is there a "Y" in there~? She is the lead vocalist for the Go-Go's, too - and name #13
44. Antlered animal: ELK - I pondered RAM, but those are more like "horns"
46. Casual top: TEE - T-shirt
49. Disciple of Lao-tzu: TAOIST - name(ish) #14 - Taoism per Nat Geo
50. Prepare to store, as a sleeping bag: ROLL UP
"Sandwiches~!"
53. Beam: RAY
54. Damage: HARM
55. Lago contents: AGUA - Español #3
56. Frolic: ROMP
58. Pesky kid: BRAT
61. Retail site with art and collectibles: ETSY
64. "So that's __?": "A NO~?" - I tried ALL - still don't like this type of fill-in clue
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR~! We move into the Year of the Wood Snake -- C.C. and I are Chinese Zodiac 'Pigs', but as far as I am concerned, the year ahead does not bode well; all the horoscope reviews suggest I be cautious in everything I do - and I already hurt my knee. Sigh.
ANYWAY, as for the crossword, it's been a while since I had an RG puzzle, but another 15 x 16 grid, with a melodious theme of "music" genres spanning four "rows" of the grid. Forty-Two 4LWs, the circles were in yesterday's grid, and for a change very few names; I did not get my "ta-DA~!" right away, so it took a few minutes to find my error in the SE ( I'm looking at you LIBS ). The centered reveal:
41A. Nashville district with historic recording studios, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: MUSIC ROW - there's a newsletter of the same name
The theme word rows alone:
SOUL - - - - - ALTERNATIVE
BLUES - - -TRAP - - - SWING
METAL - - - FUNK - - - SALSA
ROCK AND ROLL - - - FOLK
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Fireplace fuel: LOGS - I raid the wood shop at work for scraps to make kindling, too
5. Bath and body work locations?: SPAS
9. Carne __: ASADA - Yummers~!
Most of the recipe sites were blown up with ads
14. Hardly working: IDLE - I have kept working, and kept aggravating my knee muscles
15. Bucks: CASH
16. __ roll: KAISER
17. Animating spirit: SOUL - soul music = The "other" OTIS; see 25D.
18. Backup plan: ALTERNATIVE - alternative music = growing up, there were so many choices in the 1980s that qualified as 'alternative' - the group in the clip below was among them, but this is their only song I PREFER
The Cure - Open
20. Like better: PREFER - hey, I just said I preferred . . . .
22. Personalizable cookie: OREO - I did not know this - here's the website to 'design your own'
23. Orator's platform: DAIS
24. __ facto: IPSO - Latin for "the fact itself"
26. Spot for a backyard barbecue: PATIO
28. St. Louis team: BLUES - blues music = Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZTop, so many others; I am learning the solo in this masterpiece from 1969, a remake of classic Delta Blues with the AMP set to "eleven"
Led Zeppelin - You Shook Me
31. Catch in a cage: TRAP - trap music = The Wiki, which is the closest I get to this style of music
33. Playground fixture where pushing is encouraged: SWING - swing music = before my time, but I did enjoy this one as a "revival"
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot
37. House mems.: REPS - oh, that House - in the Capitol; I was thinking BROs, DADs, etc.
38. Epitome of ease: PIE
39. Red-letter: BANNER - as in memorable, a " - " day
40. Tiebreakers, briefly: OTs - sports Over Times
44. Blvd. kin: AVE - abbrs for street-like pavings
47. Quick snooze: NAP - spent most of Saturday napping icing and resting my knee
48. Dart: FLIT - usually with "about"
49. Gold or silver: METAL - metal music = my most beloved genre, but to pick "a" song . . . hmm OK, as far as I am concerned, here are the Godfathers of Heavy Metal, what with the image on their first album, the opening rain and thunder, the church bell, the "devil's interval" of the diminished fifth in the main riff, and the dark lyrics - I give you BLACK SABBATH
Black Sabbath
50. Feature of some cheeses: FUNK - funk music = this is the song that comes to mind
Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie
52. Chip dip: SALSA - salsa music = Marc Anthony is cited as the best-selling Salsa Artist per Wiki
53. Some viral content: MEMES
55. Devilish: EVIL
57. Sheer delight: GLEE
Delightfully sheer
60. Bills tracked at WheresGeorge.com: ONES - Interesting; the website
62. Sunset hue: ORANGE
66. Get the show on the road: ROCK AND ROLL - This one was tough - I chose to narrow it down to a three-minute length, with a catchy riff, lyrics you can sing to, and some hint at a guitar solo - and the winner is, well, self-titled
Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers - I Love Rock N Roll
69. People: FOLK - I will not do this injustice; folk music = you pick your favorite
71. "Sure about that?": "IS IT~?"
72. Coastal Pennsylvania town: ERIE - home to Organ Supply Industries - I did not have a chance to respond to some comments last week - T-Ken, I am working on the drawings for a NEW organ that is to be installed in the Nave triforium at the National Cathedral - an extremely narrow chamber of only 3ft.
73. Double take?: STUNT - the star of a movie's stunt double
74. Pointillism units: DOTS - I did a painting like this, using Q-tips . . . .