October 5, 2020

Title: TONED UP

Constructor: Ria Dhull & Paolo Pasco

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

WOMAN IN GOLD (17A: 2015 film whose title references a painting)

GIRL IN RED (34A: Queer icon with the song "we fell in love in october")

LADY IN WHITE (55A: 1988 movie with a ghostly title character)

Theme synopsis: We usually think of getting TONED UP as getting "in shape," but in each theme answer today we have a person (WOMAN/GIRL/LADY) getting TONED UP by being put "IN color." 

Things I learned:

• DEBRA (5A: Producer ___ Martin Chase) I am delighted to learn DEBRA Martin Chase's name, because she produced the movies The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2, which I enjoy immensely. Chase practiced law in the 1980s, and first became involved with the film industry as part of the legal department at Columbia Studios. In 2000, she formed her own company, Martin Chase Productions. 
• EVA (16A: "Hadestown" actress Noblezada) The musical Hadestown tells a version of the Greek myth of Orpheus going to the underworld to rescue his fiancée, Eurydice. EVA Noblezada played the role of Eurydice in London and continued in the role on Broadway. She won a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical for this role. My husband and I have tickets to see a touring production of Hadestown next April. Whether or not this happens, remains to be seen, but I hope so, because I miss live theater!
• GIRL IN RED (34A: Queer icon with the song "we fell in love in october") GIRL IN RED is the professional name of Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven. (Note: I am capitalizing GIRL IN RED because it is an answer, but it is normally stylized as all lowercase letters.) GIRL IN RED  produces music from her bedroom studio. She has been named a queer icon by the magazine Paper. Her song, "we fell in love in october" was released in 2018.
• BALD (45A: Like the Dora Milaje, hair-wise) The Dora Milaje are a team of women appearing in Marvel Comics. They serve as special forces for Wakanda. The Dora Milaje first appeared in 1998 in the comic Black Panther, vol. 3 #1.
• RICE (63A: Pongal grain) Pongal is a South Indian dish of RICE mixed with boiled milk and sugar.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WOMAN IN GOLD (17A: 2015 film whose title references a painting) The Woman in Gold, also called Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a painting by Gustav Klimt. The movie, WOMAN IN GOLD, is based on the true story of Maria Altman, whose aunt was the subject of Klimt's painting. Altman fought the Austrian government to reclaim the painting which had been stolen from her relatives by the Nazis prior to World War I.
• KEN (58A: Doll introduced in 1961) KEN was introduced two years after Barbie. According to Barbie myth, Barbie and KEN met on the set of a TV commercial. Since his debut, KEN has held at least 40 different jobs. Trivia: KEN's full name is Kenneth Sean Carson.
• EROTICA (2D: Explicit fanfiction, say) and NUDES (26D: Some full-body sketches) An appropriate pair of answers to spice up your Monday crossword!
• REBECCA (10D: "Friday" singer Black) In 2011, REBECCA Black's YouTube video of "Friday" went viral. The song was dubbed the "worst song ever" by some music critics and viewers.
• ANITA (29D: "Angel" singer Baker) "Angel" is from ANITA Baker's 1983 debut album, The Songstress, and became her first top ten single. In 2018, ANITA Baker was awarded a BET (Black Entertainment Television) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Geography review:

• UTAH (28A: May Swenson's home state) Poet and playwright, May Swenson, was born in Logan UTAH, and was the eldest of ten children in a Mormon household. UTAH State University Press sponsors the May Swenson Poetry Award, an annual competitive prize given to an outstanding collection of poetry.

A fun theme set to begin the week! As you can see above, I learned a number of things from this puzzle, which I always enjoy. Thanks to fair crossings and inferable clues, my lack of knowledge about some of the clues and answers didn't adversely affect the solve at all. Nice long down answer pairs in all four corners were a bonus. I was especially amused by some of answers paired together in placement. Thinking of DEMONIC EROTICA and ELASTIC SASHIMI gave me a chuckle. A delightful solve which I was thankful for in the midst of what has been a rather hectic Monday morning as I took both pets to the vet (for dental cleanings) and my Internet connection was not cooperating!