September 5, 2020

Title: WHEN IN ROME

Constructor: Evan Kalish

Editor: Erik Agard

**Note: This post was edited and updated on December 2, 2020. This puzzle was originally constructed and published before Elliot Page announced he was transgender and nonbinary. The constructor and editor have provided a revised puzzle for this date in the USA Today puzzle archives. This grid is for the revised puzzle. The revisions did not affect any of the theme answers for the puzzle.**

Theme Answers:

ROGER AND ME (16A: 1989 film about GM layoffs in Flint, Michigan)

ROLE-PLAYING GAME (35A: Ehdrigohr or Swordsfall)

ROSE TO FAME (56A: Rapidly gained name recognition)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer begins with RO- and ends with -ME. Therefore, each theme answer is IN ROME.

And now a word from our constructor:

Evan: [Note: Evan's note refers to the originally published grid.] Three entries, widely spaced? Hello, long downs! I was really pleased with all four of the nine-letter downs (7-, 10-, 32-, 33-Down), and especially with how cleanly this grid turned out.

Things I learned:

• ROGER AND ME (16A: 1989 film about GM layoffs in Flint, Michigan) The documentary ROGER & ME was Michael Moore's directorial debut. Moore made the movie to demonstrate the effects of GM plant closures on his hometown. The title character is Roger Smith, General Motors CEO from 1981 to 1990. In 2013, the movie was chosen to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Here's some interesting trivia: Mary Poppins and Pulp Fiction were added to the registry in the same year.
• ADA (19A: "Freshwater" protagonist) Akwaeke Emezi's novel, Freshwater, is the story of a Nigerian girl named Ada. The story is told from the perspective of the multiple spirits residing within Ada.
• ELISE (20A: "Set It Off" star Kimberly) In addition to playing the role of Tisean "T.T." Williams in Set It Off, Kimberly ELISE played the role of Maureen Scofield in the TV Series, Close to Home. She  has won four NAACP Image Awards. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AGES (27A: Gets on in years) and OLDER (45D: Further on in years) Today's puzzle reminds us that none of us are getting younger. 
• ROLE-PLAYING GAME (35A: Ehdrigohr or Swordsfall) I am not familiar with either of these games (though I'm sure my son is!) but the answer was inferable after getting a few crossing letters. I'd also figured out the theme, so knew the beginning and ending letters.
• MET (43A: "Have we ___?") This was a fun way to clue this short word.
• EAT (54A: "You can't ___ a crown" (Althea Gibson)) Althea Gibson is in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1956, she won the French Tennis Championships, becoming the first Black person to win a Grand Slam title. She went on to win 11 Grand Slam tournaments. When she retired from amateur tennis in 1958, Gibson said, "The truth, to put it bluntly, is that my finances were in heartbreaking shape. Being the Queen of Tennis is all well and good, but you can't EAT a crown. Nor can you send the Internal Revenue Service a throne clipped to their tax forms."
• SKIS (12D: Equipment for Lindsey Vonn) The 2019 documentary, Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, tells the story of how Lindsey Vonn ROSE TO FAME and won three Olympic medals.

Geography review:

• INCA (5A: 15th-century Peruvian) At its largest, the INCA Empire encompassed present-day Peru and parts of Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.
• DESERTS (45A: Kalahari and Namib, for example) The Kalahari DESERT is in Southern Africa, covering most of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. The Namib is a coastal DESERT stretching along the Atlantic Ocean coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.
• SALEM (14D: Capital of Oregon) SALEM, Oregon's nickname is The Cherry City.
• TAMPA (47D: Florida city by a bay) TAMPA, Florida is on TAMPA Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico.

I liked this theme, particularly the grid-spanning ROLE-PLAYING GAME. The smooth fill made for an enjoyable solve. I especially liked finding GENIUS BAR. I appreciated learning about the film ROGER & ME - a reminder that Flint, Michigan has faced challenges even prior to the water crisis. Definitely a pleasant way to start my Saturday morning!