July 9, 2020

Title: LAST ACT

Constructor: Mark McClain

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

MEDIA CIRCUS (17A: Instance of excessive press coverage)

MIDDLE CLASS (66A: Intermediate socioeconomic group)

HALF SISTER (10D: Maggie or Lexie, to Meredith Grey)

JOB OPENING (29D: Posting with a "required skills" section)

Theme synopsis: The LAST word of each theme answer can be placed in front of the word ACT to form a new phrase: CIRCUS ACT, CLASS ACT, SISTER ACT, OPENING ACT.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RAJ (27A: "What's Happening!!" protagonist) What's Happening!! was a TV sitcom that aired from 1976 to 1979. The principal character, Roger "RAJ" Thomas, is a teenager living with his mother, Mabel, and his sister, Dee. A sequel series, What's Happening Now!! aired from 1985 to 1988.
• EMO (34A: Hayley Williams genre) EMO is a melodic variant of punk rock music characterized by an emphasis on emotional expression. Hayley Williams is the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Paramore.
• TEXAS (35D: State where Juneteenth originated) Juneteenth - a portmanteau of June and nineteenth - is a celebration of the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Specifically, it commemorates the proclamation of emancipation read in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. There are many ways to clue the word TEXAS. Choosing to use the clue to highlight Juneteenth is an example of the inclusivity I appreciate in the USA Today crossword.
• DEPOT (41A: Bus place) and STOP (43A: Bus place) Nice clue pairing of side-by-side answers.
• PLOTS (44A: Novelists and schemers devise them) I liked this clue. It could have easily been "Novelists devise them," or "Schemers devise them." Pairing the two elevated the clue nicely. Maybe "Scheming novelists devise them?"
• AIDY (3D: "Shrill" star Bryant) In addition to starring in Shrill, for which she is also a writer and executive producer, AIDY Bryant is a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
• HALF SISTER (10D: Maggie or Lexie, to Meredith Grey) Meredith Grey, portrayed by Ellen Pompeo, is the narrator and title character on Grey's Anatomy. Lexie Grey is Meredith's paternal HALF SISTER introduced in the show's third season. Maggie is Meredith's maternal HALF SISTER, introduced in season ten.
• ALLAH (56A: He has 99 names) In Islamic tradition, there are 99 names of God, each evoking a distinct characteristic of ALLAH. 

Geography review:

• DELHI (46A: Indian metropolis) DELHI's official name is the National Capital Territory of DELHI. Since the 6th century BCE, DELHI has been continuously inhabited. 
• LAKE (Mendota or Monona, in Madison) LAKE Mendota and LAKE Monona are two of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. (The other two are LAKE Kegonsa and LAKE Waubesa.) LAKE Mendota and LAKE Monona  are separated by the Madison Isthmus, which contains most of the city of Madison. Madison is the capital and largest city of Wisconsin. 

For the first time since I began blogging about the USA Today crossword, there wasn't anything in the puzzle that was completely new to me. While I enjoy learning new things, it's also okay to have a puzzle which feels familiar. Although I am generally a competent speller, this puzzle was a bit of a test for me as it contained two words I always have to stop and think about when I spell them, EEYORE (which I want to make EYEORE for some reason) and DELHI (which my brain wants to be DEHLI). A solid puzzle and enjoyable solve. I especially liked the theme answer MEDIA CIRCUS. 

Today this blog is one month old! I wrote my first blog post about the June 9, 2020 puzzle and officially launched the blog two days later. It's been fun (for me, at least!) to see the blog evolve as I've settled into a new routine of starting my day by blogging about the puzzle. As I was reflecting on the last month, I wrote down some thoughts about why I'm writing a blog about the USA Today crossword blog. (I put them on a separate page so they'd remain accessible, and that means you don't have to read them unless you want to follow the link!) 

As always, if you have comments about the blog - things you like, things you want to see more of, suggestions for improvement - I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment, email me, or look me up on Twitter. My hope is that you enjoy reading the blog as much as I enjoy writing it.