August 3, 2020

Title: OPENING BARS

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editors: Erik Agard and Paolo Pasco

Theme Answers:

CHOCOLATE LAB (20A: Popular brown pupper)

SAND CASTLE (31A: Bit of beach architecture)

SPACE OPERA (47A: Intergalactic sci-fi genre)

SALAD SPINNER (58A: Kitchen item for washing greens)

Theme synopsis: The OPENING word of each theme answer can also be the OPENING word for a phrase including the word BAR: CHOCOLATE BAR, SAND BAR, SPACE BAR, SALAD BAR.

And now a word from our constructor:

Matthew: Hi y'all! I’m a 23-year-old crossword constructor based in St. Louis, and I’m so thrilled to be making my USA TODAY debut with this puzzle. I think this theme is especially fun because each “bar” in the theme answers is different from the others (i.e. no CHOCOLATE bars and CANDY bars, though I’d definitely take both in real life). I loved working with the editing team on this grid and was especially excited to feature some fun long entries like 9-Down, 35-Down and 41-Down, which may be the best movie I’ve ever seen. Hope you enjoy solving! And if you want to try more of my puzzles, check out my new(ish) website, happylittlepuzzles.com.

Things I learned:

• MATT (49A: Hard-to-beat Wii Sports character) Matt is a computer player in Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Wii Party. Apparently he is the only computer player to have championship status in more than one sport. A bit of trivia - Matt is the only computer player in the Wii series who is bald.  If you want to beat Matt, you might try Tennis, as my intel says he's one of the worst players in Tennis. Never having played any Wii Sports, this was all news to me. However, the crossings are fair and the answer is easily inferable. This is a great example of how I learn new things from crossword puzzles. (Also, shoutout to Matthew for incorporating a form of his name in the puzzle!)

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PANDA (9A: WWF logo animal) That's the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly the World Wildlife Fund), not the World Wrestling Federation! Three years before the WWF was established, a PANDA named Chi Chi was moved from the Beijing Zoo to the London Zoo and became famous as the only PANDA living in the Western world at that time. Chi Chi was the inspiration for a WWF logo that would have an impact in black and white printing and was recognizable as a symbol of an endangered species. 
• SPACE OPERA (47A: Intergalactic sci-fi subgenre) The term has no relation to music, but is a play on the term "soap OPERA." A SPACE OPERA emphasizes melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, and romance. Spaceballs, directed and co-written by Mel Brooks, is a parody film that has many SPACE OPERA characteristics.
• SALAD SPINNER (58A: Kitchen item for washing greens) I have a small kitchen, so to earn storage space, a TOOL (44D: 54-Across or 58-Across, for example) must prove it is worthy of taking up space. My SALAD SPINNER is a TOOL that has done so. It currently resides on top of my refrigerator because I don't have a good place to store it. I'm grateful for my SALAD SPINNER every time I wash lettuce or spinach. Also, it's fun to use!
• ANNIE (68A: Photographer Leibovitz) ANNIE Leibovitz is known for her portrait photography which often features subjects in intimate settings. Her photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, taken shortly before Lennon's murder, was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and is considered to be the magazine's most famous cover photo.
• RACHEL (2D: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" actress Brosnahan) RACHEL Brosnahan plays aspiring stand-up comedian Miriam "Midge" Maisel in the TV series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also played the role of RACHEL Posner in 19 episodes of House of Cards.
• PARASAILS (9D: Does an aquatic kiting activity) What a lovely long bonus answer! I also like it
  
  because it reminded me of the time I went parasailing in 2007 in Door County, Wisconsin - a wonderful, fun adventure and great memory.
• LIFE HACKS (35D: Timesaving techniques) Another nice long bonus entry! The term LIFE HACK  was coined at a technology conference in 2004 by technology journalist, Danny O'Brien, to describe shortcuts IT professionals use to get their job done. After his presentation, the term caught on and its usage has grown to include tricks and shortcuts outside of the tech realm. What's your favorite LIFE HACK? 
• PARASITE (41D: Palme d'Or winner for Bong Joon-ho) The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards a film can receive. PARASITE, directed by Bong Joon-ho, was the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or.
• LAMP (46D: Lava ___) My grandma had a lava LAMP, and I remember plugging it in and being mesmerized. Such a simple, yet somehow appealing, thing.

Geography review:

• LOS (25A: ___ Angeles) LOS Angeles is the largest city in California and the second most populous city in the United States (after New York City).
• PLANO (34A: Dallas suburb) Several large companies have their headquarters or major regional offices in PLANO, Texas, including Cinemark Theatres, J.C. Penney, and Keurig Dr. Pepper.

This puzzle was a delightful way to start the week. All of the theme answers were delightful, and as Matthew noted, it was nice that all of the types of BARS referred to were unique. SPACE OPERA and SPACE BAR were particularly nice finds. Smooth and interesting fill all around. Congratulations on your USA Today debut, Matthew - I look forward to solving more of your USA Today puzzles!