Whenever I see a Friday with lots of black squares I know there is a visual aspect to solution, in this case the visual is revealed both by circles (if you do not have them, the 'theme' is virtually impossible to find) and by 55A. Appears ... and the contents of this puzzle's circles? : SHOWS UP (7). Words like BACK, UP and DOWN in a reveal let you know direction. This is a return trip for John, who. spoke with CC in 2012 . This layout has many short words, but quite a bit of longer fill like ATE DIRT, CHOLERA, ESKIMOS, ETHICAL, GULF WAR, NEMESES, PATRONS, PEACHES, PRIOR TO, SHOWS UP, TOO LATE. I am confused as to whether we were supposed to give up using the word Eskimo, but the rest are fun.
I will treat the hiding places for the theme, as the theme answers.
2D. Bit of deception : HOCUS POCUS(10). Which is basically a self-referential clue then. Reading from the bottom up, we see COPS revealed. This show launched Spike TV. Nicely juxtaposed with the Police.
8D. Realization often preceded by "Whew!" : IT WAS ALL A DREAM (14). I would bet this was the seed entry, and Mr. Farmer, while creating one of his more common themeless puzzles, noticed that DALLAS, (4:07) with its most famous episode, was hidden in this fill.
13D. Rodgers and Hart title lyric that precedes "I get no dizzy spells" : THIS CAN'T BE LOVE (14). I tried really hard to find a connection between CSI and these LYRICS but I had no success; did I miss something?
20D. James Brown memoir : I FEEL GOOD (9). Did they ever sing any James Brown on GLEE? EPISODE 21 season 1.
29D. One way to lighten the mood : CRACK A JOKE.(10) Nice fill, with a J! Well Telly Savalas as KOJAK (0:46) with his lollipop was a fun cop show....
Across:
1. Fall follower? : THUD. Well this puzzle did not begin with a BLAM.
5. Ophidian menace : ASP. Somewhat obscure, as OPHIS is Greek for snake.
8. Brightness stats : IQS. Paired with, 46A. Hardly bright : DIM. Some intellectual elitism?
11. Arts supporters : PATRONS.
14. Frat letter : RHO.
15. Son of Akhenaten : TUT. The boy PHARAOH.
16. On the level : ETHICAL.
17. Battle of Khafji conflict : GULF WAR.
19. "Battle it out" quintet : AEIOU. Like facetious, a place to find the vowels in order, I guess.
20. Plasma particle : ION. Okay scientists, explain how plasma is a hot ionized gas consisting of approximately equal numbers of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons.
21. Loafer's lack : LACE. The shoe, not your lazy neighbor.
22. Some audiobooks : CDS.
23. Pro shop supplies : SHAFTS. Golf clubs are made of many different materials, and having your clubs reshafted is not uncommon.
Now the question becomes is there a genteel way to ask our audience about whether they prefer stiff shafts...26. Opposite of bids : ASKS. This is from the stock markets, as well as any auction.
27. Kool-Aid alternative : HI-C. Well they are drinks, but one primarily in powder form, one in liquid...
28. "__ Eterno": 2004 sports documentary : PELE.
29. Boorish : CRASS.
30. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. Three letters had to be FAB or...
31. Bone: Pref. : OSTEopath? Osteoarthritis?
32. "Seasons in the Sun" songwriter : BREL. This BELGIAN was popular when I was young.
33. Dot on an MTA map : STN.
34. "Love in the Time of __": García Márquez work : CHOLERA. This winner of the NOBEL PRIZE for Literature. I am afraid was not on my radar. This was a very hard fill, especially as it crosses three (3) of the five theme holding fill. In the end, it was I FEEL GOOD that put me on the right track.
36. ICU staffer : LPN. Licensed Practical Nurses can work in the Intensive Care Unit.
39. "Can't argue with that!" : TRUE.
41. Former car-financing org. : GMAC. General Motors Acceptance Corporation. This became ALLY during the bailout process of 2009.
42. It may come after you : ARE. You are here. Not following you.
43. Court attire : ROBES. Does the 21st century really need the judiciary in robes?
45. Rooting sound : OINK. Certainly true of Arkansas fans, but he meant 'rooting', not 'rooting'. This word has many meaning, and they use pigs to root out truffles; also perhaps KZ can confirm this word means 'shagging' in Oz. Depending on your partner, it may have more meaning.
47. "Agreed!" : AMEN.
48. Title girl in a 1965 #1 hit : RHONDA. I was in high school.
50. Sushi topper : ROE. Bear in mind that fish eggs, are also known as CAVIAR.
51. Mall draw : SALE.
52. Sci-fi suffix : OID. Interesting factoid about androids and humanoids who use steroids and become freakazoids....
53. Signs of dissatisfaction : JEERS.
57. "Missed your chance!" : TOO LATE.
59. Brief facilities? : LAVatories.
60. Zing : PEP.
61. Early Alaskans : ESKIMOS. Help me Rhonda? Opps wrong clue.
62. Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE.
63. Year abroad : ANO.
64. Payroll deduction, perhaps : DUES. In the old days union dues were common deductions.
Down:
1. The Police, most of the time : TRIO. The Police not the police. I am sure if you would get this wrong, it would sting.
3. A, in Argentina : UNA. Can you imagine a puzzle with each of these USA, UMA, UTA, UNA, UPA, UVA, ULA, UCA, UFA, UGA, UBA, UEA as fill?
4. ISP option : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line.
5. Shoptalk : ARGOT. Meh, this is more specific a term meaning a special language.
6. Treats as persona non grata : SHUNS.
7. D.C. figure : POLitician. How cool that this is next to...
9. Charlatans : QUACKS.
10. Hardly gloss over : STRESS.
11. Still-life subject : PEACHES. Really?
12. Swallowed one's pride : ATE DIRT. Dirt is not the only four letter word that fits, but....
18. Roadside warning : FLARE.
24. Inclusive pronoun : HE/SHE. Are there any safe comments?
Now if we shave that Adam's apple, and put on lipstick- maybe.25. Quartet member : ALTO. I am confused because ALTO is for female voices with baritone, tenor and base for males not to mention soprano, contralto, mezzo-soprano, counter-baritone. So what quartet is this?
32. Word before or after name : BRAND. Brand name = name brand.
35. Key of Dvorák's "New World Symphony": Abbr. : E MINor.
37. Before : PRIOR TO.
38. They can't be beaten : NEMESES. An interesting plural.
40. Get Wired again : RENEW. The capital W lets you know this is referring to the magazine, Wired so it is a subscription that is being renewed.
43. Fight in the sticks : RASSLE.
44. Fred Astaire, by birth : OMAHAN. I am sure a fact known to our Nebraska contingent. HG?
48. President François Hollande's birthplace : ROUEN. Not to speak politics, but do many Americans know much about this socialite SOCIALIST?
49. Whale relative : HIPPO. Isn't SCIENCE grand!?!
54. Bulldog fans : ELIS. The mascot at Yale is the Bulldog, also at UGA.
56. Facial spot : SPA. Ha ha, not a Zit.
57. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TED. All gone now.
58. College Football Playoff champion crowned Jan. 12, 2015 : OSU. The Ohio State University. The third national championship for coach Urban Meyer.
Funny, yesterday we had 72 words and only 29 blocks with today having 74 words, 42 blocks (8 cheater squares), so many ways to build a grid. Anyway, while many of you may not get into this style, I really enjoyed this. It was good to have John back. Here comes March...Spring? Lemonade out
