June 13, 2021

Title: SENIOR PARTNERS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CITIZEN KANE (16A: 1941 Orson Welles film)

YEAR OF THE GOAT (26A: 2015 or 2027)

CLASS STRUGGLE (47A: "Das Kapital" topic)

CENTER STAGE (62A: Prominent spot in a theater)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer can PARTNER with the word SENIOR to form a new phrase. We have SENIOR CITIZEN, SENIOR YEAR, SENIOR CLASS, and SENIOR CENTER.

Things I learned:

• MIRA (36A: "Queen of Katwe" director Nair) MIRA Nair is a director and producer whose works include Mississippi Masala, and Monsoon Wedding. A Walt Disney Studios' senior creative executive, Tendo Nagenda, visited MIRA Nair in Uganda to recruit her to direct Queen of Katwe. The biographical movie is adapted from a book written by Tim Crothers titled, The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster. Katwe is a slum of Uganda's capital, Kampala. The movie tells the story of Phiona Mutesi, a girl in Katwe, who learns to play chess. Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong'o, and David Oyelowo star in the movie. 
• TEA (52A: Beverage in a chawan) The word "chawan" means "TEA bowl." In East Asian TEA ceremonies, a chawan is used for preparing and drinking TEA. There are different types of chawan, varying in shape.
• EDITOR (4D: Angelica Cheung, for one) Angelica Cheung is the EDITOR of Vogue China, which published its first issue in 2005. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CITIZEN KANE (16A: 1941 Orson Welles film) Citizen Kane was the directorial and acting debut of Orson Welles. The movie's central character, Charles Foster Kane, is a composite character based on several men, including William Randolph Hearst, who did not allow the movie to be mentioned in his newspapers. Citizen Kane has been called "The Greatest Movie Ever Made," although it recently fell to the number two spot, behind Paddington 2, on the review-aggregation site, Rotten Tomatoes. (This has more to do with the methods used on Rotten Tomatoes than a comparison of the movies.)
• YEAR OF THE GOAT (26A: 2015 or 2027) Based on the lunar calendar, the Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year. The YEAR OF THE GOAT is the eighth of the 12-year cycle. According to the zodiac, the YEAR OF THE GOAT will be a year of promise and prosperity, and people born in the YEAR OF THE GOAT will love peace and be helpful and trusting, while also being resistant to change. 
• LINDT (38A: Parent company of Ghirardelli) Founded in 1852 by Italian chocolatier, Domenico Ghirardelli, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is the third-oldest chocolate company in the United States. The Swiss chocolatier, Lindt (formally known as Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG), acquired Ghirardelli in 1998. Former owners of Ghirardelli include the Golden Grain Macaroni Company and Quaker Oats - at least Lindt and Ghirardelli both make chocolate! Speaking of which, I would happily eat any chocolate from Ghirardelli or Lindt.
• SOBA (41A: Nutty-flavored Japanese noodles) SOBA noodles are made from buckwheat, which is not related to wheat, but rather to sorrel and rhubarb.
• LBJ (61A: Prez sworn in on Air Force One) Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) was sworn in two hours and eight minutes after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. 
• ROTI (3D: Bread sometimes baked in a tandoor) A tandoor is a cylindrical oven made of clay or metal that is used in cooking and baking. ROTI is a flatbread made with atta flour.
• SONTAG (8D: "Notes on 'Camp'" author Susan) Susan SONTAG was a writer, filmmaker, and political activist. "Notes on 'Camp'" was her first published essay, and appeared in the Partisan Review in 1964. The essay was also included in a collection of essays by SONTAG titled, Against Interpretation. "Notes on 'Camp'" described the key elements of "camp" as "artifice, frivolity, naive middle-class pretentiousness, and shocking excess."

Geography review:

• TAI (29D: Lake ___ (third-largest freshwater lake entirely in China)) Lake TAI is in the Jiangsu province of China. Lake TAI covers an area of 869 square miles, and is home to 90 islands. A 377-foot tall Ferris wheel, the "Star of Lake TAI," was built on the shore of the lake in 2008.

SENIOR PARTNERS is a term used in business, or relationships between countries, to describe those in a top-ranking position. It works nicely as a puzzle theme. I liked that two of the new phrases - SENIOR CITIZEN and SENIOR CENTER - use the word SENIOR as it refers to an older person, while the other two use the word as it refers to an upperclass student. Just now as I glanced at the grid, I see that STAY STRONG intersects the theme answer CLASS STRUGGLE - a nice pairing. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Sunday.