January 14, 2021

Title: STORMY WEATHER

Constructor: TRACY GRAY

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

RAIN VALDEZ (3D: "Ryans" star)

THROWS A HAIL MARY (7D: Goes big out of desperation)

PHOEBE SNOW (30D: "Poetry Man" singer)

Theme synopsis: Each of the theme answers contains a type of STORMY WEATHER. The WEATHER words can stand on their own, but each can also precede the word STORM, giving us a RAINSTORM, HAILSTORM, and SNOWSTORM.

Things I learned:

• RAZOR (46A: "___ Tongue" (3-Down web series) RAIN VALDEZ created, crowdfunded, produced, and stars in the web series RAZOR Tongue. The series explores issues of misogyny, discrimination, and "call out" culture. VALDEZ plays the role of Belle, a trans woman who publicly calls out damaging behaviors. 
• RAIN VALDEZ (3D: "Ryans" star) Ryans is a short film about a trans woman going on a date with a man named Ryan. RAIN VALDEZ, a trans woman herself, co-wrote and co-directed Ryans, in addition to starring in it. 
• PHOEBE SNOW (30D: "Poetry Man" singer) "Poetry Man" was a 1975 song by PHOEBE SNOW. You may recognize the voice of PHOEBE SNOW, as she sang commercial jingles for many companies including Coca Cola, General Food International Coffees, Salon Selectives, and Stouffer's.
• FAITH (52D: Futurist Popcorn) FAITH Popcorn is the founder and CEO of BrainReserve, a marketing consulting firm. She has written three books: The Popcorn Report: FAITH Popcorn on the Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life; Clicking: 16 Trends to Future Fit Your Life, Your Work, and Your Business; and EVEolution: The Eight Truths of Marketing to Women. 
• ARIA (Solo for Sawsan Al Bahiti) Sawsan Al Bahiti is Saudi Arabia's first professional opera singer. She can sing in Italian, French, German, and English, and has opened a studio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia called "The Soulful Voice."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CHAI (14A: ___ tea (redundant phrase)) The word "CHAI" means "tea" in several languages, which makes the phrase CHAI tea equivalent to "tea tea."
• SNL (33A: Punkie Johnson's show, for short) Punkie Johnson joined the Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast in 2020. 
• JETHRO (37A: "Aqualung" band ___ Tull) Aqualung is a 1971 album by the British rock band, JETHRO Tull.
• EEL (45A: Anago is the saltwater kind of it) Anago is the Japanese word for saltwater EEL. Freshwater EEL is known as unagi.
• SCI-FI (1D: Octavia Butler genre) Octavia Butler's SCI-FI writing includes the Patternist series, the Xenogenesis series, and the Parable series, as well as the stand-alone novels Kindred and Fledgling. 
• NASA (34D: Org. with an Artemis spaceflight program) The goal of NASA's Artemis program is to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The long-term goal of the program is to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon, and eventually send humans to Mars. Wouldn't that be cool?

Geography review:

• OSLO (60A: Capital home to the Vigeland Museum) The Vigeland Museum in OSLO, Norway is dedicated to sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The museum is located in Vigeland's former studio and residence.
• ASIA (64A: Home to Lebanon and Laos) ASIA is home to 48 countries, including Lebanon and Laos. 
• LOS (28D: ___ Rios (region of Chile)) LOS Rios is one of 16 regions in Chile. The capital of LOS Rios is Valdiva.
• ERIE (31D: Lake that's the "E" in HOMES) HOMES is the mnemonic device that helps us remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, ERIE, and Superior.

A fun theme today. I appreciated a couple of added touches that elevated the theme: that the STORMY WEATHER progressed from RAIN to HAIL to SNOW, and that the words RAIN, HAIL, and SNOW were placed such that they moved downward across the puzzle as if they were falling. Appropriately, today's weather forecast where I live includes the possibility of both RAIN and SNOW. Today's puzzle also featured three of our frequently-appearing geography crossword friends - OSLO, ASIA, and ERIE. This is the first appearance this year for both ASIA and ERIE, but the third appearance this year for OSLO (which, in fact, we saw just yesterday). In addition to the theme answers and our crossword friends, I especially liked HASHTAG, the clue for OREGANO [Herb that starts and ends with the same letter], and FISHNET. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Thursday.