Thursday, January 9, 2025, Jem Burch

  

A, E, I, O, U
and sometimes Y. 

Today's constructor, Yale linguistics major Jem Burch is making his LAT debut and takes us back to elementary school to relearn our vowel sounds and to demonstrate some of the vagaries of English spelling and pronunciation.  His theme clues had me stumped for awhile -- they are identified only by being the 5 longest answers in the grid and they are not intended as a solving aid, but rather a second puzzle you can solve if you want to understand the theme ...

The first thing you notice is that the first word of each theme answer begins with the letters SH, but the rest of the letters don't seem to follow any pattern.  But when I moved them in order to the top of this review for explication, they made a bit more sense -- the remaining letters of the first word make the sound of the long vowels:  Ā, Ē, Ī, Ō, and Ū  i.e. ...

16A. Old New York ball field: SHEA STADIUM.  SHĀ.  Shea Stadium (/ʃeɪ/ SHAY), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. Opened in 1964, it was home to the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1964 to 2008, as well as the New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1983.

Shea Stadium

23A. Hit that one critic called "the original 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah' song": SHE LOVES YOU.  SHĒ. 

38A. Recoil (from): SHY AWAY.   SHĪ.  Here's Shy Away by Twenty One Pilots ...

50A. Class presentation: SHOW AND TELL. SHŌ.  Here's Show and Tell by Jerry Fuller sung by Al Wilson ...

59A. Some Dr. Scholl's products: SHOE INSERTS.   SHŪ.  I couldn't find any songs about SHOES, but I did find this INSERT in the Sunday funnies ...

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest.

Across:

 1. Shoots the breeze: CHATS.

6. Forest denizen: DEER.  Cue Bambi meets Godzilla (sound track by Gioachino Rossini) ...

 10. Disc golf target: PAR.  Nice misdirection.  In disc golf the "hole" you target is called a basket, but your score on this basket helps determine whether you make PAR ...

Disc golf basket

13. Metropolis in north central India: DELHI.  Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. 

14. Spanish diacritic: TILDE.  The tilde is also used in Portuguese.  It looks like this ... 

15. Historic name of Tokyo: EDO.  The history of Tokyo, Japan's capital prefecture and largest city, starts with archeological remains in the area dating back around 5,000 years. Tokyo's oldest temple is possibly Sensō-ji in Asakusa, founded in 628. The city's original name, Edo, first appears in the 12th century. From 1457 to 1640, Edo Castle was constructed, and was the city's center.

Ceramic jar
Edo 300 BC to 300 AD

16. [Theme clue]

18. Orinoco, por ejemplo: RIO.  Today's Spanish lesson: RIO = "river".  The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America.  It is also the namesake for Orinoco Flow, a popular song by the Irish singer/songwriter Enya ...

19. Boston hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time.

20. Short greetings: HIS.

21. "Ready to go!": I'M SET.

23. [Theme clue]

27. Guinea primate: BABOON.  The Guinea baboon inhabits a small area in western Africa. Its range includes Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, southern Mauritania and western Mali. Its habitat includes dry forests, gallery forests, and adjoining bush savannas or steppes.

Guinea baboon

30. "Here we gooooo!": ITS ON.

31. Nearly identical: ALIKE.

32. Make an acquaintance: MEET.  More casual than a MEET CUTE -- like When Harry Met Sally --which can get pretty intense.

34. Cry one's eyes out: BAWL.  If someone bawls you out, you might cry your eyes out.

37. Chili __ carne: CON.  Here's Chef Jimmy Lee's award winning recipe.

Chile con carne

38. [Theme clue]

41. "Eternals" actress McHugh: LIA.  Lia Ryan McHugh (born November 18, 2005) is an American actress. She has roles in Totem (2017), The Lodge, and Into the Dark (both 2019). She portrayed Sprite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Eternals (2021). 

Lia McHugh

42. Brewery containers: KEGS.  Popular at frat parties -- see 49A.
 
44. Defib pros: EMTS.  Emergency Medical Technicians are first responders to an emergency and specialize in keeping victims alive while they are being transported to a hospital.  They are experts in the use of defibrillators for restarting the heart of heart attack victims.

The Star of Life
Symbol of emergency medical service.

45. Once more: AGAIN.

47. "Otello," for one: OPERA.  An opera about pure evil -- here is the character Iago with his signature aria Credo in un dio crudel ("I believe in a cruel god"), sung by baritone Efilzeo di Reggio ...

49. Greek life inductee: PLEDGE.  Strictly speaking a PLEDGE is a candidate for induction into a fraternity or sorority (aka "Greek life").  They may need to pass a controversial trial period called "hazing" before being actually inducted.  Note that this does not apply to inductees invited to become members of honorary associations such as the Phi Beta Kappa society.

50. [Theme clue].

53. Mazda model: MIATA.  Here's a 2025 Mazda Miata ...
 

54. P-like Greek letter: RHO.   

55. Chicken __: POX.  Chickenpox is an illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It brings on an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Chickenpox spreads very easily to people who haven't had the disease or haven't gotten the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox used to be a widespread problem, but today the vaccine protects children from it.  This virus lies dormant in those who have had it and may re-emerge in older people as a more serious variant called shingles.  You should ask your doctor if and when you should be vaccinated for it.

58. Not feeling well: ILL.  E.g. after contracting 55A.

59. [Theme clue]

64. "haha": LOL. Meh.

65. Salad tossers: TONGS.  We use a large spoon and fork for tossing our salads ...

... and we use TONGS for serving tossed salads and steamed greens ...

66. Like some gases: INERT.  An inert gas is a gas that does not readily undergo chemical reactions with other chemical substances and therefore does not readily form chemical compounds.  This includes the so called "Noble gases" shown below in column 18 of the Periodic Table.  Some unreactive gases like Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide, both essential components of organic matter, do form chemical compounds under certain conditions.  It was subsequently found that some of the Noble gases can be forced to form compounds under specially created conditions. 

67. Twisty letter: ESS.  A vowel and the endings for two plurals.  What's not to like!

68. Some members of a flock: EWES. The others are RAMS and LAMBS.

69. Test for purity: ASSAY.

Down:

1. Some credit union accts.: CDS.  A certificate of deposit (CD) is a type of savings account that pays a fixed interest rate on money held for an agreed-upon period of time. The best CD rates are usually higher than savings accounts, but you lose withdrawal flexibility. If you withdraw your CD funds early, you'll be charged a penalty.

2. Texter's giggle: HE HE.  Very funny! 😀

3. Brewery stock: ALES.

4. "Not a problem": THAT'S OK.

5. Certain sib: SIS.

6. Schoolyard retort: DID SO.

7. Yale grad: ELI.  A nickname derived from Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) whose bequest made the creation of Yale University possible.  Yale was a British-American colonial administrator, born in Boston, Massachusetts. Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in England, Wales, and India (and a CSO to our constructor Jem Burch who is an Eli). 

Elihu Yale
Enoch Seeman

8. Yale URL suffix: EDU.  

9. Hardly diligent: REMISS.

10. Outmoded dating profile: PERSONAL AD.  Some personal ads were more personal than others (at least in Colorado).  I hope I don't get flooded with ISOs just for researching this one. 😀

11. "Toodle-oo": ADIEU.  TA TA was too short.

12. Square __: ROOT.  Today's math lesson: "the square root of a number X is the number Y such that (Y times Y) = X".  The notation for a square root in a formula is called a radical sign, and looks like this:

14. Dog, or a dog's body part: TAIL.  Clever clue.

17. In that case: THEN.

22. "Don't be nosy!" shorthand: MYOB.  Mind Your Own Business!  A text response to a request for TMI?

24. Breaks up a plot: HOES.

25. Instagram video tally: VIEWS.

26. James of jazz: ETTA.  Here Etta sings the Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler classic Stormy Weather ...

27. Endorse: BACK.

28. Soothing plant: ALOE.

29. Places to play a card game?: BINGO HALLS.  POKER TABLES was too long.

32. Greeting to one of the boys: MY MAN.

33. "Have some": EAT.

35. Kristen of "Palm Royale": WIIG.  Palm Royale is a period comedy-drama television series created by Abe Sylvia, based on the 2018 novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel. The series premiered on March 20, 2024.  Set in 1969, outsider Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons (Kristen Wiig) strives to attain a place in the high society of Palm Beach, Florida, through the town's most exclusive country club, the Palm Royale, in the process learning what she will and won't do to achieve this status ... 

36. Bowler's assignment: LANE.  Definitely not an ALLEY.

39. Greek goddess of childbirth: HERA.  Hera is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Olympus, sister and wife of Zeus (and forever on the watch for his roving eye). 

The goddess Hera

40. Southern pronoun: Y'ALL.

43. Watch out for at the gym, maybe: SPOT.

46. Coloring book options: GEL PENS.  A gel pen uses ink in which pigment is suspended in a water-based gel. Because the ink is thick and opaque, it shows up more clearly on slick surfaces than the typical inks used in ballpoint or felt tip pens.  Here's one in action ...

48. Old computer parts, e.g.: E-WASTE.   Electronic waste (or E-WASTE) is a result of the growing consumption of electronic goods due to the Digital Revolution and innovations in science and technology, such as bitcoin, which have led to a global e-waste problem and hazard. The rapid exponential increase of e-waste is due to frequent new model releases and unnecessary purchases of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), short innovation cycles and low recycling rates, and a drop in the average life span of computers.  Here are some myths about e-waste.

E-Waste

49. Laborer: PEON.  Especially an exploited laborer.  

Exploited peons 
being punished in Chile or Peru, 1862.
by American tycoon Henry Meiggs 

50. Grain containers: SILOS.

51. Bottom of the barrel: DREGS.

52. Taylor Swift's "__ Is Me Trying": THIS.  Cue the weekly Taylor Swift song ...

53. Marathon unit: MILE.  Our son is a marathoner and if you ask him why the race is 26.2 miles long his reply is always "because 26.3 miles would be crazy!".

56. Miner's quarry: ORES.

57. Additional, in adspeak: XTRA.

60. Word of awe: HOW.  HOW did this all happen?

61. Small bill: ONE.

62. Australian singer featured on the hit "Titanium": SIA.  Here's Sia's Titanium co-written with David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Afrojack...

63. Hog pen: STY.

Cheers, 

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Thursday, January 2, 2025 Matthew Stock

  

 Do You Want Fries
With That?

Today veteran Matthew Stock treats us to an embedded letter theme, and doubles our fun by embedding two consecutive letters, and then doubling them in the fill. And to add to our fun he has at least one Easter Egg, plus some sparkly fill -- and as we'll see very shortly, some of it may be too sparkly!

Here are the themers ...

20A. "Wait for meeeee!": I'M COMING I'M COMING.  A preview of coming attractions? ...

25A. Harry and Sally from "When Harry Met Sally ...," e.g.: ROM COM COUPLE.  I started with the iconic "I'll have what she's having" clip (just Google that phrase if you don't know what I'm referring to), but then stumbled on this video review, which has much more to say about Harry and Sally's long term relationship than the 3 minute scene in the restaurant. It also has a brief scene about the influence that the movie had on other ROM COMS, notably Heartburn another Nora Ephron film ...

And this is how it all ended ...

49. Oscar-winning song from "Mary Poppins": CHIM CHIM CHEREE. Dick van Dyke at his finest ...

And at 99 he's still going strong!

Here's the reveal ...
 
59A. Golden Arches order with two patties, and an apt title for this puzzle: MCDOUBLE.  It would be easy to miss this if you mentally parsed the three themers, because the double MCs each span two words, as is the crossword convention.  Feast your eyes on this ...

McDonald’s McDouble

5 Health Benefits of a McDonald’s McDouble, and Why You Should Eat One at Your Desk Daily. 😀
 
Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Brand with a four-ring logo: AUDI.

5. Box in, perhaps: TRAP.

9. D.C. ballplayers: NATS. The NLE Washington Nationals.

13. Small cut: SNIP.

14. __ Bock: dark beer from Texas: SHINER.  Bock beer is a dark beer first brewed in the 14th century in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony.  This one is brewed in Shiner, Texas ...
 

16. Dieciséis dividido por dos: OCHO.  Today we get a Spanish lesson and a math lesson all rolled into to one: "16 ÷ 2 = 8"

17. Behind: TUSH.  KEISTER or PATOOTIE were too long.

18. Hindu practice: TANTRA.  Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र, lit. 'expansion-device, salvation-spreader; loom, weave, warp') is an esoteric and quite complex tradition that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards in both Hinduism and Buddhism.  The term tantra, in the Indian traditions, also means any systematic broadly applicable "text, theory, system, method, instrument, technique or practice".  A key feature of these traditions is the use of mantras, and mandalas.  While Tantra is often associated in the West with eroticism, this connotation is not widespread in India.

Sri Yantra mandala

19. Welcome downfall for a gardener: RAIN.

20. [Theme clue].

23. Kindergartener: TOT.  A little TATER? 

24. RV park chain: KOA.  KOA (short for Kampgrounds [sic] of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds.

25. [Theme clue]

31. Brewpub offering: ALE.  A constructor's favorite brewski, but now it has competition -- see 14A.

33. Big changes: SHAKE UPS.  We may be in for a few SHAKE UPS in the coming year.

34. Race unit: LAP.

37. Perjurer: LIAR.

39. Soft mineral: TALC.  Number 1 on the Mohs Hardness Scale,  talc is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder (⚠). This mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant. It is also an ingredient in ceramics (glazes and low-fire clay bodies), paints, and roofing material. It is a main ingredient in many cosmetics.

Talc

40. "Your Majesty": SIRE.  If a Brit were to encounter this gentleman on the street, he/she would initially address him as "Your Majesty", and then address him in any further conversation as SIRE.  I've never met him, but I hear he's a nice bloke ...

King Charles III
United Kingdom

41. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.  An AFRO is hairstyle that was popular among some African Americans beginning in the 1960s, including the author of an autobiography I read recently called More Than I Imagined by CNN journalist John Blake -- about growing up in West Baltimore during that time.  It is a remarkable book that was strongly recommended to me by Nina (inanehiker), and I strongly recommend it to you ...

42. Cadence: RHYTHM.  While RHYTHM, along with MELODY and HARMONY has always been an essential component of Western music, it wasn't until the advent of Jazz that it moved to the front of American Music ...

44. Bread flour: ATTA.  Atta is a type of wheat flour, originated from the Indian subcontinent, used to make local flatbreads.  Whole common wheat (Triticum aestivum) is generally used to make atta; it has a high gluten content, which provides elasticity, so the dough made out of atta flour is strong and can be rolled into thin sheets.  Some of our favorite Indian dishes with atta flour are parathas (a portmanteau of from the Sanskrit "parat" and "atta" meaning literally "cooked dough").  The easiest to make are Aloo Parathas. 

Aloo Parathas

45. Inexperienced sort: NEWBIE.

47. Some field journalists: EMBEDS.  Today's constructor EMBEDDED MC into today's crossword fill -- definitely an Easter Egg.

49. [Theme clue]

54. African cackler: HYENA.  The "Laughing Hyena" is also known as the "Spotted hyena".  Not only are they funny, but they are highly intelligent.  Here are a couple of the cacklers having a laugh ...

55. Traveling: AWAY.

56. Rule: REIGN.  See also 40A.

58. "Helpful hardware folks" company: ACE.  Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It is the largest non-grocery retail cooperative in the United States.

59. [Theme reveal]

62. Higher ed hurdle: GRE.  The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is part of the admissions process for many graduate schools in the United States and Canada and a few other countries. The GRE is owned and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). The test was established in 1936 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

63. Not feeling so hot: ILL.

64. Passed (out): HANDED.  METED was too short.

65. Put a spell on: HEX.  Today's German lesson: "Witch = HEXE".  This brings to mind one of my favorite songs by Robert Schumann: Waldesgespräch ("forest conversation") about an encounter in a forest between a hunter and a witch named Loreley --  things do not go well for our hunter.  Here it's sung by Welsh mezzo-soprano Angharad Lyddon (with English subtitles) ...

66. In medias __: RES.  Today's Latin lesson: "In the middle of things".  Also today's literary lesson.  This phrase is used to describe a narrative than begins in the middle, rather than beginning at the beginning.  Some good examples are Hamlet, The Iliad, and the Odyssey.

67. Comes out with: UTTERS.

68. Vietnamese holiday whose full name translates to "festival of the first day": TET.

Down:

 1. Italian wine town: ASTI.

2. E pluribus __: UNUM.  Today's Latin lesson: "Out of Many, One", and the motto on the Great Seal of United States.

3. Shuffleboard piece: DISC.  Shuffleboard is a game in which players use cues to push weighted discs, sending them gliding down a narrow court, with the purpose of having them come to rest within a marked scoring area ... 

4. Onetime Apple media app: IPHOTO.  iPhoto is a discontinued digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. It was included with every Mac computer from 2002 to 2015, when it was replaced with Apple's Photos application. 

5. Larger __ life: THAN.

6. Take a toll?: RING.

7. Against: ANTI.

8. Long-lasting do: PERM.

9. Par for the course: NORMAL.

10. __ na tigela: Brazilian dish with berries: ACAI.  Today's Portuguese lesson: "CROSSWORDESE = CROSSWORDESE".  😀

11. Like a stick: THIN.

12. Karaoke selection: SONG.  I picked this one, but it might not be popular with some of our solvers ... 😀

14. Disney character initially called Experiment 626: STITCH.  Experiment 626 was created on another planet and sent to destroy the Earth.  After crash landing he is found by orphan girl Lilo, who names him STITCH.  Lilo & Stitch have appeared in an animated film, and a TV series and are set to return in a new animated, real life movie scheduled for release in theaters on  May 23, 2025 ...

15. Amass: RACK UP.

21. May honorees: MOMS.

22. "Silly me!": OOPS.

25. Rollers that might get stuck in the mud: REAR WHEELS.  AKA RWD.   There are actually 4 types of drivetrains:  FWD, RWD, AWD and 4WD -- what's the difference?

26. Vow: OATH.

27. "Uh-huh ... ": MKAY. If I read this correctly it is a slurring of OKAY and a near clecho to 51D (this one doesn't have a bang (!)).  This is supposed to tell us that the person quoted agrees with you. Don't you just love quote clues? 😀

28. Gaelic speaker: CELT.  They are not only speakers, but great singers as well ...

29. "Stop poking me!": OUCH.

  30. Rare spot for a No. 12 seed: ELITE EIGHT.  Like "March Madness," the phrase "Elite Eight" originally referred to the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship in 1956, the single-elimination high school basketball tournament run by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 

31. Astronaut Shepard: ALAN.  Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon, at age 47.

Alan Shepard, Jr.

32. Progression from birth to death: LIFE CYCLE. "To everything there is a season '' - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

35. Creative's credential: ART DEGREE.  An artist is not a special person, every person is a special kind of artist -- and we all color outside the lines now and then.

36. Matar paneer vegetables: PEAS.  Today's Hindi lesson: "MATAR = PEAS" and "PANEER = CHEESE".  Here's Swasthi's recipe.
 

Matar Paneer

38. Songbird with an orange belly: ROBIN.  They used to be a harbinger of Spring, but on the East Coast they seem be around all year ...

American Robin

Not to be confused with the English Robin, which albeit smaller, has been described as "aggressive, vicious, but peculiarly British".  Aww, does he look vicious to you?

English Robin

40. Buffalo NHLer: SABRE.  The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. 

42. Suggestion, casually: REC.  Nina and I strongly REC reading the book highlighted in 41A.

43. Nothing to write home about: MEH. Meh.

46. Prayer leader: IMAM.  For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque.  For Shia Muslims an Imam is a rightful descendent of the Prophet Mohammed and exercises not only spiritual power, but political power as well.

48. Trifling: MERE.  Or a 21D in France.

50. Tore into: HAD AT.

51. "Uh-uh!": I WON'T.  A near clecho to 27D (this one has a bang (!)). This is supposed to tell us the the person quoted doesn't agree with you.  Don't you just love quote clues? 😀

52. "Euphoria" actress Apatow: MAUDE. Maude Annabelle Apatow (born December 15, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Lexi Howard in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–present) -- IMHO an alternate title might be Depression. 🙃

Maude Apatow

53. E- kin: CYBER.  The prefix E(lectronic) and the prefix CYBER(netic) both connote machines.

54. Small margin of victory: HAIR.  A hair can be anywhere between 17 to 181 microns (micrometers), but I don't think the cameras recording race results are that precise. 😀

57. On deck: NEXT.  Mr. CHU ensues ...

60. "Wicked" director Jon M. __: CHU. Oz in an alternate universe -- Wicked is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, with songs by Stephen Schwartz. It is the first installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name based on the 1995 novel, which in turn is based on the L. Frank Baum's Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.  Here's the trailer ...

61. Mormon church inits.: LDS.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Their official logo

Cheers, 

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Thursday, December 26, 2024, Kevin Christian & Doug Peterson

Just Some Singers
in a Rock and Roll Band

Veterans Kevin Christian and Doug Peterson team up today with a simple theme consisting of 5 two word question clues, each beginning with a play on the last name of a pop singer.  They fill each clue with a two word in the language phrase beginning with the singer's first name.  I couldn't find any pattern in the second word of the fill and there was no reveal.  Here are the themers ...

17. Iggy's therapist?: POP PSYCHOLOGIST.  You can see why Iggy Pop might need a psychologist -- he was A Real Wild Child ...

23. Taylor's comeback?: SWIFT RECOVERY.  Taylor came back from her recent ERAs Tour and apparently finding the last leg to be rather torturous she was in need of some RECOVERY  ... 

39. Donna's time off?: SUMMER VACATIONS.  Known as the "Queen of Disco", Donna Summer's life was tragically cut short by lung cancer, even though she was not a smoker.  After getting thru this song you can see why she might need a VACATION ...

51. Fiona's rapidly changing backup band?: APPLE TURNOVER.  Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter.   Classically trained on piano as a child, she began composing her own songs when she was eight years old. Her debut album, Tidal, containing songs written when she was in her teens, was released in 1996 and received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single Criminal.  Here she tells us The Way Things Are ...

61. Al's state-of-the-art recording equipment?: GREEN TECHNOLOGY.  Al Greene (born April 13, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer.  Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and is referred to on the museum's site as being "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music" and is considered by some to be "The Last of the Great Soul Singers".  Here's his Take Me to the River ... 

Lyrics

Here's the grid ...

Despite the simplicity of the theme, I did find some clever cluing and IMO I didn't find any pop culture references that couldn't be resolved with perps.

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Rock blaster?: AMP.  TNT fit, but didn't perp.

4. Plus: BONUS.

9. Celery unit: STALK.

14. Fragrant garland: LEI. A perfect accessory for sitting on a 16A.

15. Are: EXIST.

16. Sunporch: LANAI.  A lanai or lānai is a type of roofed, open-sided veranda, patio, or porch originating in Hawaii. Many homes, apartment buildings, hotels and restaurants in Hawaii are built with one or more lānais.  

Albert Spencer Wilcox Beach House
Hanalei, Hawaii

17. [Theme clue]

20. __ equity: SWEAT.  Sweat equity refers to work one does to build up value without a salary. This ownership interest, or increase in value, is created as a direct result of hard work by the owner. For example, homeowners who renovate or repair their house themselves are investing in sweat equity that increases the value of their home.

21. Tide competitor: ERA.  Here are the best and worst laundry detergents for your money.  Spoiler alert: the best, most economical detergent is neither Tide nor Era.  And you can save even more money on laundry detergent by rolling your own.

22. Came across: MET.

23. [Theme clue]

28. Far away: NOT NEAR.

30. "Cobra __": Netflix series about a dojo: KAI.  Cobra Kai is an American martial arts comedy drama television series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. It serves as a sequel to the original The Karate Kid films created by Robert Mark Kamen.  Here's a preview of Season 6 ...

31. Primatologist's subject: APE.  Probably the most famous primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, who for 60 years has been studying chimpanzees, a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. 

Eastern chimpanzee
Kibale National Park, Uganda

32. Chocolate-and-caramel candy: ROLO.  Approximately 24.2 million pounds of ROLO® Candy are sold annually. 

35. Square quartet: SIDES.  Squares have four sides.

39. [Theme clue]

43. Evaluate: ASSAY. Usually specifying a quantitative evaluation, e.g. measuring the percentage of gold in an ore.

44. Even once: EVER.  If it has EVER happened, then it has happened at least ONCE.

45. 2016 Super Bowl MVP Miller: VON.  Vonnie B'VSean Miller (born March 26, 1989) is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).  At the conclusion of the 2015 NFL season, Miller was named Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl 50.  In 2021, Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LVI. 

Von Miller

46. Apr. 15 addressee: IRS.  

48. Word on some Oscars: ACTRESS.  The Oscar for Best Actress award has been presented 97 times, to 79 actresses.  The recipient of the most awards is Katherine Hepburn, with 4.

Katherine Hepburn

51. [Theme clue]

56. Wedding notice word: NEE.  Today's French lesson: Feminine adjective --"Née = Born".

57. Honest prez: ABE.  Did Lincoln really deserve the nickname, Honest Abe?

Abraham Lincoln

58. Attacks with vigor: HAS AT.

61. [Theme clue]

66. "Mercy!": LORDY.

67. Judges' attire: ROBES.  Here are nine ...

The Supreme Court of the United States

68. Prune: LOP.

69. Happen next: ENSUE.  70A ENSUES ...

70. Elitist sort: SNOOT.  See 71A.

71. __ trip: EGO. See 70A.

Down:

 1. Jungfrau's range: ALPS.  Today's German lesson: "Jungfrau (YOONG-frow) = maiden, virgin".  The Jungfrau ALP, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Swiss Alps and definitely not a climb for children.  It is located in the Bernese portion of the range.

Jungfrau Alp

2. 13-Down greeting: MEOW.

3. Mouthpieces for some smokers: PIPE STEMS.  This is not a pipe ...

4. Ride-or-die pal: BESTIE.  Or abbreviated BFF.

5. Stridex shelfmate: OXY.  Both products are used in the treatment of ACNE, a mild form of crosswordese.  The jury seems out as to which product is best, but as OXY is imported from South Africa it costs more ...

6. Actor Cage, informally: NIC.  Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards.  The first movie we ever saw him in was Moonstruck, co-starring with Cher.  

7. Playbill carrier: USHER.

8. Put away: STORE.

9. __-mo: SLO.

10. See 12-Down: TAG.

11. "Demon Slayer" genre: ANIME.  Thank you perps.  Demon Slayer: Blade of Demon Destruction is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga (comic book) series of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge. It follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who strives to become a Demon Slayer after his family was slaughtered and his younger sister, Nezuko, is turned into a demon. 

12. With 10-Down, game with light weapons?: LASER.  Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits.  In late 1970s and early 1980s, the United States Army deployed a system using lasers for combat training.  But laser tag didn't begin to take off until 1984 when George Carter III, inspired by the Star Wars movies, invented the first affordable system. So how do laser tag systems actually work ...?
 

13. Cat, affectionately: KITTY.

18. Front-row chess piece: PAWN.  This term also refers to a person who does not have any real power, but is used by others to achieve something, e.g. "The refugees were pawns in an international political dispute".

19. Deficiency: LACK.

24. Jamie of "M*A*S*H": FARR.  Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Corporal Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army by cross-dressing.  You have to wonder who kept him supplied with duds -- "Hot Lips" Hoolihan maybe?

Jamie Farr and Loretta Swit

 25. Cache: TROVE.  E.g. a TREASURE TROVE, the subject of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island.  There have been several adaptations of this novel including our favorite, this 1990 film with Charlton Heston as the obsessive pirate Long John Silver ...

26. Hops drier: OAST.  An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. Oast houses can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas, e.g. Kent and Sussex, England. Many redundant oasts have been converted into tourist inns.  

Oasts
Maidstone, Kent, England

27. Two before X: VIII. Today's math lesson (in base BCE):  "X (formerly known as Twitter) - II = VIII". 😀

28. Org. that oversees the Artemis moon program: NASA.  The Artemis moon program is named for the eponymous Greek goddess, the twin sister of Apollo, who was of course the namesake of the Apollo moon program.  Here is the Artemis Program logo, which tells the story in a nutshell ...

29. Major work: OPUS. The plural of OPUS is OPERA, which has come to mean a musical drama or comedy telling a story via a series of works such as an overture, arias, and interludes.  Ludwig van Beethoven, whose birthday we celebrated just 10 days ago, wrote only one opera, entitled Fidelio.  He wrote a total of 4 overtures to it, finally settling on this one ... 

33. Loo: LAV.  A Brit place to sit. 😀

34. Surname of heist masterminds played by Sinatra, Clooney, and Bullock: OCEAN.  Frank Sinatra played Danny Ocean in the 1960 film Ocean's 11.  In Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen Danny was played by George Clooney.  In Ocean's Eight women stole the franchise and Sandra Bullock played Debbie Ocean.  Got that?  Hand up if you've seen any of these flicks and put both yer hands up if I got any of that wrong!

36. Flatfish named for an English port: DOVER SOLE.  The town of Dover, England, directly across English Channel from Calais, France is famous for it's White Cliffs -- my Mother used to sing us this song about them.  As Dover was also a major fishing port in the late 19th century and a delicate white fish  called "King of Sole" was common in the town markets, the name was eventually changed to Dover Sole, a flat fish with a white underside.  Here's a simple recipe with capers, parsley, and butter.

37. Mireille of "Hanna": ENOS.  Hanna is a sci-fi TV series about a young girl played by Esme Creed-Miles raised in the wilds of Finland by her father, an ex-CIA man, to make her the perfect assassin. She has been receiving injections of DNA since birth as a part of a program called ULTRAX to make her a super-soldier.  Mireille Enos plays Marissa Wiegler, the CIA operative put in charge of the original UTRAX program, but who turns from a foe to an ally and mother figure to Hanna.  Here's a trailer ...

38. Hyphenated IDs: SSNS.

40. Lancelot's strong suit?: MAIL.  Well it must have been chain mail because it certainly wasn't Lancelot's fidelity to King Arthur. 

41. Literary governess: EYRE. Jane Eyre  is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë, published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847. It is a coming of age story that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall. The novel revolutionized prose fiction, being the first to focus on the moral and spiritual development of its protagonist through an intimate first-person narrative, where actions and events are colored by a psychological intensity.  

First Edition, vol 1.

42. With the bow, in music: ARCO.  "arco" a the literal score notation and it indicates when to return to bowing the violin after an interlude of "pizz", that is pizzicato -- plucking the strings with the fingers.  If you listen carefully and look closely at this score of Edvard Grieg's -Anitra's Dance from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, you'll hear and see the alternation between pizz and arco ...

47. ESPN datum: STAT.

49. Ryan Seacrest, for one: TV HOST.  Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest co-hosted and served as executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan, and has hosted other media including American Idol, American Top 40, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest. He became co-host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in 2005, and became the sole host following Clark's death in 2012.

Ryan Seacrest

50. Concrete: REAL.

51. A matter of degrees?: ANGLE.  An ACUTE clue ... 😀

52. "Evita" name: PERON.  The quoting of "Evita" probably indicates that this is a reference to the musical based on the life of Eva Perón, an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until her death in July 1952, as the wife of Argentine President Juan Perón.

Eva and Juan Perón

53. Scholarly article reviewers: PEERS.  Peer review is a quality control system for academic publications.  It is especially important for scientific publications, which can have widespread societal impact on medicine, health, and public policy.  In recent decades this process has come under severe stress due to the high stakes economic importance of some scientific disciplines, and the "publish or perish" phenomenon.  These are the probable causes of what concerned scientists call the reproducibility crisis -- the retraction of articles after publication due to the failure of other scientists' to get the same results using the same methodology.  This problem has become so serious that in 2010 two longtime health journalists, Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, founded Retraction Watch, “a site dedicated to reporting on scientific retractions and related issues” to bring to light how many scientific papers are withdrawn yearly and why.

54. Gets taken for a ride, in a way: UBERS.

55. Intel gathered by scouts: RECON.  One of the first RECON missions is recorded in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible.  In the painting below the scouts are shown returning from Canaan with grapes (sans the rumored milk and honey) and with bad news about the fortified cities and the race of giants they found there ...

The Grapes of Canaan
by James Tissot. 

59. Awestruck: AGOG.  Awesome - two vowels and two gerund endings!

60. Autocorrect target: TYPO.  I'd prefer DWIM ("Do What I Mean") to "autocorrect".

62. College domain: EDU.

63. Dec. 31: NYE.

64. "The White Lotus" network: HBO. The White Lotus is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO.  "It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose interactions are affected by their various psychosocial dysfunctions".  While I've not seen it, I suspect that like all satires it's on the edge of becoming what it parodies.  Here's the season 1 trailer (language) ... 

65. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

Cheers, 

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley