Theme: MEET THE PRESS ( 21D. Interview show since 1947 ... and what this puzzle's starred answers do in two ways). The FOURTH ESTATE (4D. 21-Down group) refers to the news media and acts as PRESS in the grid, with starred answers coming either before or after it.
20A. *Public distribution : RELEASE. Press Release. When companies want to make news but don't have any, they issue a press release...
20A. *Public distribution : RELEASE. Press Release. When companies want to make news but don't have any, they issue a press release...
22A. *2011 NBA finals runner-up : HEAT. Heat press. A heat press is a machine that is used to transfer designs onto T-shirts. But the Miami HEAT were also in a press (tough race) for the finals.
31A. *Loose : FREE. Free press.I can write whatever I want on this blog - it's a free press, after all!
43A. *Bond, for one : AGENT. Press agent. Ones who issue lots of 20As. James Bond might have issued a couple promoting his latest movie.
52A. *Champagne, e.g. : WINE. Wine press. To extract every bit of flavorful goodness from the grape.
Marti here on the first day of December, so "Rabbit, Rabbit!" I am traveling in Germany right now, so wiki does really weird thing to my computer. Until I figure it out, I beg your forgiveness for not providing links in this write-up.
Across:
1. Up in the air : ALOFT
6. Runner's woe : CRAMP
11. "Very funny" TV station :TBS. Turner Broadcasting System.
14. Instrument for the musically challenged : KAZOO. Hey, some guys can really play those things!
15. Panting, perhaps : EAGER. Or, just plain hot.
16. Art, now : ARE. Thou art too cute with this clue!
17. 1-Down follower : ASSUMED NAME And 1D. Letters before a 17-Across : AKA. "Also known as".
19. Ad __ : HOC. Like some committees, formed for a specific purpose. Latin for "for this".
21. Subject to debate : MOOT. Like the value of ad hoc committees?
25. Mao follower? : ISM. Maoism.
26. Garden purchases : SEEDS
27. A pop : EACH. I remember when hot dogs were ten cents a pop...
28. "Golly!" : OH GEE
32. Routes for two-wheelers : BIKE PATHS
36. 1962 NASA launch : TELSTAR
38. Hairstyle with an appendage of sorts : RATTAIL. A hybrid of the "mullet" hairstyle, with a long strand at the back of the head. I cannot find images.
40. Modern information sources :DATABASES
42. "Java" jazzman : HIRT. Al. I'll leave the link to Jazzbumpa.
44. Scratched (out) : EKED
45. Hightails it : SCATS. But Ella Fitzgerald is the queen of scat!
48. Stephen of "Citizen X" : REA. Did not know him. Irish actor.
51. Causes of grins and groans : PUNS
53. Wall-mounted safety device :GRAB-BAR
56. Baby carrier : EGG
57. Prevailing tendencies : MAINSTREAMS
61. 72, at Augusta National : PAR. Golf.
62. Door support : HINGE
63. Time piece? : ISSUE. Time magazine.
64. Take a shot : TRY
65. Of yore : OLDEN. Happy golden days...
66. Stage device : ASIDE
Down
2. __ Cruces : LAS
3. Wt. units : OZS. Ounces. Abbr. in clue. So class, what does that mean?
5. Heavy reading? : TOME
6. Yields : CEDES
7. Went ape : RAN AMOK
8. Turkish titles : AGAs. Are they a gas?
9. Unit of cultural information : MEME. Ooh, ooh, Me! Me! No, that's not right. "meme" is from "mimeme", ancient Greek for "something imitated".
10. Fix opening : PRE. Prefix.
11. Chevy SUV : TAHOE
12. Group of chicks : BROOD
13. Doctrinal offshoots : SECTS. Not to be confused with sex, although I'm sure they must have some.
18. "The Book of __": 2010film : ELI. Has anyone seen it?
22. Test by lifting : HEFT
23. Dog-__ page : EARED. C.C. doesn't like it when people do this to her books, and neither do I - especially since mine are on and I pad, and when they get dog eared, I'm in big trouble!
24. Speedy Amtrak train : ACELA
26. Relief for a commuter : SEAT. Great visual.
29. "Take it!" : HERE
30. 3.0 and 4.0: Abbr. : GPAs. Grade Point Averages
32. Pig movie : BABE
33. Founding member of OPEC : IRAN
34. 17-syllable work : HAIKU. Ok, who can give us examples of their own original haiku?
35. Emergency indicator : SIREN.
37. Puts out, in a way : TAGS. Oh, like with a baseball at the plate. I was thinking more like "knocks unconscious with the bat"!
39. Old Fords : LTDS
41. Adjective for Ripley : STRANGE. Believe it or not...
45. Won all the games : SWEPT.
46. Gag that might explode : CIGAR. Another fun clue.
47. Explosive : ANGRY
49. Clampett player : EBSEN. Jed Clampett made his money in oil, so they say.
50. NYC dance troupe : ABT. American Ballet Theater.
53. Author Godwin : GAIL.
54. Fruit cover : RIND
55. Met excerpt : ARIA
57. Old reciprocal electrical unit : MHO. Reciprocal of an ohm.
58. "__ always say ..." : AS I
59. Pie material? : MUD. Mmmm...mud pie is really delicious1
60. Reference word : SEE. See??? I told you so!!
Answer grid.
Hugs,
Marti
Constructors' note:
When I first proposed this idea to Don, it's simply a mundane theme with a few phrases starting/ending with words that can precede/follow PRESS and use "MEET THE PRESS" as a unifier. Don thought that we should try to take a familiar theme idea and do something more creative with it. Don came up with FOURTH ESTATE as a partner for MEET THE PRESS, and suggested that we put words that can precede PRESS on the left & words that can follow on the right. We had fun with this grid.
