Title: It's my job man not my life.
I agree, not every title is a gem, but 2020 is almost over and I am worn out. Robin's debut at the LAT was this 2009 FRIDAY which is worth visiting because it tells us about Robin, and also shows the joy of a C.C. write-up which led to her being a preeminent constructor. Today's effort is substantially easier, with a wordplay gimmick that makes sense once you see it. After a brief struggle, the always helpful 17A filled and I was off to the races. There were some unknowns but the perps were all fair and the longer non-theme fill helped getting the solve. ARRANGE, AVONLEA, ENLARGE, IVORIES, MIDEAST, YIELDED, BROWN BAG, and COOLANTS were the helpers. We end up with 5 fill in the theme symmetrically placed. So now what?
First the themers, then the rest.
17A. Organizer of a party for a mom-to-be?: SHOWER HEAD(10). The mandatory baby shower is not just for females any more in our new
realities.
34A. Musicians at a formal gala?: BALL PLAYERS(11). A CSO to our own Trombone master JzB.
49A. The most amazing party guests ever?: DO WONDERS(9). Sussing this one was the most difficult. First, you have to relate to throwing a DO, meaning a party. The dictionary says this is a mostly British definition of a social event such as a party. The WONDER as a noun, oh my he is a Wonder!
58A. Radio hobbyists at a park outing?: PICNIC HAMS(10). This is very cute.
Across:1. HBO political satire until 2019: VEEP. The show that won Julia Louis-Dreyfus more Emmys.
5. Low areas: DALES. A CSO to dear Lucina.
10. __-deucey: ACEY. A card game I have not played in years which I have seen in rare visits to the casinos.
14. Limo bar: AXLE. I never get tired of a good misdirection.
15. Light __: Offenbach music genre: OPERA. This is a short, amusing musical play; an operetta. This is OFFENBACH.
16. Love of "The Real": LONI. I knew nothing of this comedian, her show or the CONTROVERSY.
19. __ vault: POLE. What else would you call it?
20. Tree goo: SAP. Goo?
21. Collar: NAIL. Think police and a perpetrator.
22. Judaism : kosher :: Islam : __: HALAL.
23. Inuit relative: ALEUT. The same but DIFFERENT.
28. Depot worker: REDCAP. A train depot, as these are baggage handlers at the train station.
30. Orchestrate: ARRANGE. One could think about arranging as a type of musical composition, requiring the same skills and talents required of all composers. Orchestration is the art and craft of arranging a musical composition for performance by an orchestra or other ensemble. According to New Music Box.
31. "Kung Fu Panda" voice actress Lucy: LIU.
32. Health haven: SPA.
33. Dude who time-travels with Bill: TED. And they have excellent adventures.
38. Damage: MAR.
40. Sauce in a tiny packet: SOY. Very Asian.
41. Ergonomic kitchenware brand: OXO.
42. Keys for a music room?: IVORIES. Keys, NOT keys!
45. Words of emphasis: NO LESS.
52. Car company that owns SolarCity: TESLA. A pure guess, but why not.
53. Blah feeling: ENNUI. High school.
54. German automaker: AUDI.
56. Prefix with gender: CIS. Another modern word added- cisgender.
57. Mass robes: ALBS. Not sure why but I always remember this fill.
61. Political goal: SEAT.
62. Field of conflict: ARENA.
63. Weapon with two accents: ÉPÉE. Both of which are French.
64. States' plates: TAGS.
65. She played Julia in "Julie & Julia": MERYL. Did you know that because of Meryl Streep's height (5'6") several camera/set/costume tricks had to be employed to mimic Julia Child's height (6'2")? Countertops were lowered, Streep wore extra-high heels, and forced perspective camera angles were used.
66. Major muddle: MESS. I am into kerfuffle today.
Down:
1. Poughkeepsie campus: VASSAR. Once a famous female-only school, now COED.
2. Yoga class directive: EXHALE. Breathe in, breathe out; repeat.
3. Got together quietly?: ELOPED. I like this clue/fill combo.
4. Place to pray: PEW. Unless it is Pepe Le's place.
5. Bilingual toon explorer: DORA. She is becoming a regular, but I guess if it were clued, "Jason's aunt" it wouldn't be fair.
6. Rose pest: APHID. While they benefit Peonies, not so much roses. You can often get rid of the aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dish soap.
7. "Futurama" woman with one eye and purple hair: LEELA. I could hear Katey Sagal's voice but my brain only got me as far as Leeza which I knew was wrong.
8. Detergent brand: ERA.
9. Pathetic: SAD.
10. Source of silky wool: ALPACA.
11. Radiator fillers: COOLANTS.
12. Blow up: ENLARGE. A photograph, not a bomb.
13. Produced: YIELDED.
18. Necessitate: ENTAIL.
22. Part of HRH: HER. Or HIS Royal Highness.
24. Bruins' sch.: UCLA. University of California Los Angeles. They played a classic football game last Saturday.
26. Valley with a Wine Train: NAPA. California's wine region; more from Chairman Moe if he feels like it.
27. Handout with a kids' menu: CRAYON. Restaurants want to keep the little ones occupied so they do not disturb the haters.
29. Throbbed: PULSED. Either a headache or a ... oh never mind.
32. Subtle: SLY.
34. There might be a lunch in it for you: BROWN BAG. Before fast food was king you brought your lunch to work either in a lunch box or a brown bag.
35. Prepare for a selfie: POSE. So many spend so much time...
36. Definitely not from around here: EXOTIC.
37. IMDb listing: ROLE.
38. Region spanning three continents: MIDEAST.
39. "Anne of Green Gables" setting: AVONLEA. I mentioned how much I enjoyed Anne with an E.
43. De-bunks?: ROUSTS. very witty, especially if you were a camp counselor and you had to get the little darlings up in the morning. The hyphen and the "?" give it away.
44. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" singer __ Kamoze: INI.
46. Get away from it all: ESCAPE.
47. Coats with goo: SLIMES. Nickelodeon and Ghostbusters both made slime famous.
48. Gets lippy with: SASSES. No talking back!
50. Danica Patrick, for one: RACER. Now she is just a talker.
51. Fair: SUNNY. It's always sunny in Philadelphia.
55. Remote precursor: DIAL. Yep, you had to get up and turn the dial.
58. Cooking spray: PAM. I have mentioned before that PAM was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin who, with Arthur Meyerhoff, started Gibraltar Industries to market the spray. The name PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff.
59. Fury: IRE.
60. Blind stitch: HEM. So you do not see it.
