Thursday, June 22, 2023, Taylor Johnson

 Let the Good Times Roll!

Today veteran constructor Taylor Johnson (7 previous LAT and 4 NYT puzzles) presents us with an interesting challenge.  It's not uncommon for puzzles to have clues that reference other clues, but I've never seen one where all the theme clues just referenced another clue, which of course had to be the reveal:

57A. "Time to go," and a phrase that could be uttered by a 15-, a 21-, a 32-, or a 48-Across?: LET'S ROLL.   This is an idiom that can have at least four different meanings, depending on who the "utterer" is ...

15A. See 57-Across: DIRECTOR.  This utterer is the one who says "Lights, camera, action".  In this case LET'S ROLL means "start the film reels that record the action".  This is an anachronism these days as most video is recorded digitally or generated by CGI.   We see a few examples of the latter in the clues below.

21A. See 57-Across: CRAPS DEALER.  The role of this utterer is not a simple one.  As near as I can tell her/his job is to direct the activities at the craps table, determining who "shoots" next and how much, if any the players at the table will win or lose, depending on their bets prior to the roll.  In this case the dealer might say LET'S ROLL to keep the action going and maximize the house's cash intake. This video explains it all (you've got nothing to lose, so good luck!) ...

32A. See 57-Across: SUSHI CHEF.  This utterer might say LET'S ROLL to his crew if a party of 8 has just placed a big order for makizushi.  Of course if the order is for sashimi or nigiri sushi, the chef might say LET'S SLICE.

48A. See 57-Across: JAZZ DRUMMER.  Actually I think the utterer in this case would be the band leader who would cue the DRUMMER: "it's time for your solo", LET'S ROLL.  In this case he points to TWO of the greatest drummers of all time to show their chops: Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich:

Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich
The Famous Drum Battle

Did the guy who came down stage at the end look familiar? He played Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess in last Thursday's puzzle.

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Oscar, __, Quebec: NATO sequence: PAPA.  From the The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet.  It's the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the Roman alphabet.

5. Wand-waving org.: TSA.  Transportation Security Administration.

8. Peas, for a peashooter: AMMO.

12. Thou: ONE G.  One Grand.  Parse this differently and you get O NEG, the blood type of 13% of blood donors.

13. Dated: OLD.

14. Scout group: TROOP.

15. [Theme clue]

17. Wears away: ERODES.

18. Dickens miser: SCROOGE.  Ebenezer Scrooge is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.  He has been played by countless actors over the years in a wide variety of media.  This one was neither filmed digitally nor via CGI (with apologies to any Scots on the Corner) ...

19. Silent performer: MIME.

20. SLC athlete: UTE. Salt Lake City athlete.  That was easy. 😀

21. [Theme clue]

25. Season with heavy rainfall: MONSOON.  A MONSOON is a seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest, winds of a region. Monsoons cause wet and dry seasons throughout much of the tropics. Monsoons are most often associated with the Indian Ocean

27. Faux __: PAS.  "False step" (pl. FAUX PAS), today's French lesson.  I make a lot of FAUX PAS when creating reviews  (as opposed to TYPOS, which Teri catches) and I rely on the early crew (you know who are), to point them out in their comments and give me a chance to fix them.   It's likely that the Cornerites who get up at a reasonable hour don't even know I made them.

28. The Cavaliers of the NCAA: UVA.  The Virginia Cavaliers football team represents the University of Virginia in the sport of American football (not the one played in most other parts of the World).  Here's why they're called The Cavaliers.

29. Not behind: ANTI.  "Not behind" as in "Does not support".

30. Fated: DESTINED.  See 64A.

32. [Theme clue]

36. Put the final touches on, say: POLISH UP.  Sometimes I just don't know when to stop.

39. Some bros: SIBS.

43. Tan line cause: BRA.  Colorful cue.

44. "Mangia!": EAT.  Today's Italian lesson.

45. Core-sculpting apparatus: AB TONER.  This is not a well-defined term.  Presumably anything, whether it be machines, electrical stimulation, or stuff that you strap to your body to make your ABS look like a 6-pack of beer.

48. [Theme clue]

51. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.  Saint Paul.   Today's Portuguese lesson.  A city in Brazil named for a famous letter writer.

52. Strong dark beer: BOCK.  The dark lager known as BOCK beer was first brewed in the 14th century in the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony.  Definitely not a good way to get 6-pack ABS.

53. Buoys: UPLIFTS. 

55. Palm leaves: FRONDS.

57. [Theme reveal]

59. "Oh, I remember now!": AH YES.  Said by people all over the Corner every day.

60. "__ you serious?": ARE.  R.U. Sirius is the name of the space station where most of the action takes place in the daily cartoon Brewster Rockit, drawn by Tim Rickard.  Here's Dr. Mel Practice counseling Oldbot in the June 13th 2023 episode ...

61. Region: AREA.

62. Big cheese: BOSS.

63. Homer's "okily-dokily" neighbor: NED.  Apparently NED has a lot of relatives ...

64. "Champagne Life" R&B singer: NE-YO.  I'm not sure if he was DESTINED for this fill or it was just perped in by a Google search, but Champagne Life does qualify as Rhythm and Blues, and he can sing it.  Here's NE-YO and his posse having a good time with some bubbly ...

Down:
 
1. "__ Save America": Crooked Media production: POD.  In the review racket this clue is called a political "hot potato" and I'm punting. 

2. Jennifer of "The Morning Show": ANISTON.  The Morning Show, is an American comedy-drama television series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, that premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. The series has been renewed through 2023.

3. Degree of interest?: PERCENT.

4. Antiquing agent: AGER.

5. "My Neighbor __ ": 1988 Miyazaki film: TOTORO.  This one was right on the tip of my tongue (where it stayed until perped).  My Neighbor TOTORO is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film that was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. The film stars tells the story of a professor's young daughters Satsuki and Mei, and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.  Beautiful animation (English voice overs provided by the Fanning sisters, Dakota and Elle) ...

6. Branding words: SLOGAN.

7. Pro pitcher?: AD REP.  EWER was too short.

8. Something in the air: AROMA.

9. Gp. with student diplomats: MODEL UN.  MODEL UN is a popular activity for those interested in learning more about how the UN operates. Hundreds of thousands of students worldwide take part every year at all educational levels.
 

Model UN Assembly

10. One of the Three Stooges: MOE.  A CSO to our Chairman!  Here's hoping he and Margaret are enjoying their vacation.

11. Curtailed missions?: OPS.  "BLACK" was chopped off the front?

14. Italian port neighboring Slovenia: TRIESTE.  TRIESTE is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste, on a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia; Slovenia lies approximately 8 km (5 mi) east and 10–15 km (6–9 mi) southeast of the city, while Croatia is about 30 km (19 mi) to the south of the city.

Trieste

16. Pixar film with the song "Remember Me": COCO.  COCO is a 2017 American computer-animated fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.  The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel (Gonzalez) who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living and to reverse his family's ban on music.

17. Punctuation found in many Emily Dickinson poems: EM DASH.  Here's a brief bio of the Bell of Amherst -- and a selection of her poems -- see if you agree with Taylor on that assessment.

Emily Dickinson

20. Actress Thurman: UMA.

22. Blueprint info: SPEC.

23. Part of NYE: EVE.

24. "Cool, man": RAD.  A truncation of RADICAL -- Dude!

26. "Absolutamente": SI SI.  Yes Yes.  Italian lesson #2 (idiomatic).

30. Party bowlful: DIP.

31. "In that case ... ": IF SO.

33. Bargain bin stock at some music stores: USED CDS.  Most music is streamed from the Cloud these days, free or with a fee -- e.g. Spotify -- so USED CDS can be had cheaply.  Or you can listen on your favorite radio station -- e.g. WBJC -- streamable free from anywhere in the world (I assume you have Internet service or you wouldn't be reading this) --  I think Emily is starting to rub off on me.

34. San Jose team: SHARKS.  The San Jose SHARKS are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference.

The Sharks website.

35. Native Rwandan: HUTU.  The HUTU, also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great Lakes Twa.

Rwanda Burundi

36. Vegan sandwich, initially: PBJ. 

37. "Your Song" singer Rita: ORA.  No automobiles were damaged in the making of this (rated PG13) video ...

38. Some recliners: LA-Z-BOYS.

40. Forthcoming: IN STORE.

41. "Moonlighting" actress Allyce: BEASLEY. Moonlighting is an American comedy drama television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989, starring Cybill Shepherd (Maddie) and Bruce Willis (David) as private detectives, and Allyce Beasley (Agnes) as their quirky receptionist. In this scene Agnes has arrived early at the office, but David has arrived earlier ...

42. Full house indicator: SRO.

45. Electrical unit: AMPERE.   The amount of current (AMPERES (I)) passing through a conductor of a given resistance (OHMS (R)), for a given voltage (VOLTS (V)), as defined by Ohm's Law.

46. Sang with gusto: BELTED.  Here's the late, great Dimitri Hvorostovsky BELTING out the aria Largo al Factotum from Giaochino Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville ...
 

47. Swim/bike/run races, briefly: TRIS.  Short for Triathlon, and a CSO to sumdaze, who has done several TRIS and 10 marathons!!!

The three legs of a Triathlon

49. Regions: ZONES.

50. Disney retelling of a Chinese folk legend: MULAN.   As it turns out, Disney made two versions of this legendary story: an animated version in 1998 and a live action version in 2020.  As I avoid decisions wherever possible, here are trailers for both.

 

54. Drescher of "The Nanny": FRAN.  "The Nanny" is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993 to June 23, 1999, starring FRAN Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York–British high society.  Here's her job interview ...

55. Groovy: FAB.  A sibling of 24D.

56. Sigma preceder: RHO.

58. Asian language: LAO.


Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for her constructive criticism.

waseeley