June 27, 2021

Title: TV DOCTORS

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

DEBBY RYAN (16A: She played Jessie Prescott in "Jessie")

DANI RAMIREZ (23A: She played Rosie Falta in "Devious Maids")

DORIS ROBERTS (52A: She played Marie Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond")

DONNA REED (64A: She played Donna Stone in a classic ABC sitcom)

Theme synopsis: Each of the theme answers is a TV star with the initials DR.

Things I learned:

• DEBBY RYAN (16A: She played Jessie Prescott in "Jessie") Jessie was a TV show that aired on the Disney Channel from 2011-2015. DEBBY RYAN played the title character, a young woman from a small Texas town who moves to New York City and takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy family.
• DANIA RAMIREZ (23A: She played Rosie Falta in "Devious Maids") Devious Maids was a TV show that aired on Lifetime from 2013-2016. The show centered on the lives of four Latina women working as maids for wealthy families in Beverly Hills, California. DANIA RAMIREZ played the role of Rosie Falta, an undocumented immigrant working as a maid for Peri and Spence Westmore.
• DORIS ROBERTS (52A: She played Marie Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond") Everybody Loves Raymond was a TV show on CBS from 1996 to 2005. The main character of the show is Raymond Barone, a sportswriter who lives on Long Island. DORIS ROBERTS played the role of Raymond's mother, Marie Barone.
• DONNA REED (64A: She played Donna Stone in a classic ABC sitcom) The DONNA REED Show originally aired on ABC from 1958-1966. Reruns of the show have aired on various stations since 1985, and some episodes of the show are currently available on Amazon Prime. On the show, DONNA REED played the role of Donna Stone, a middle-class housewife. Her husband, TV DOCTOR, Alex Stone, was played by Carl Betz. Here's a fun bit of trivia: The pop hit, "Johnny Angel," sung by Shelley Fabares premiered on an episode of The DONNA REED Show. Shelly Fabares played Donna Reed's daughter, Mary, on the show.
• HARD NEWS (5D: Urgent journalistic focus) The term HARD NEWS is a new one to me. According to Wikipedia, the term is used to differentiate NEWS from "soft media," media centered on entertainment and commentary.
• FOE (9D: Royal Pain, to the Strongholds) This clue is a reference from the 2005 movie, Sky High. I've seen (and enjoyed!) the movie, but could not recall this information. Sky High is a high school for teenagers with superpowers. The Strongholds are the main characters of the movie, parents Steve and Kelly - the superheroes The Commander and Jetstream - and son, Will. Will attends Sky High. As the clue informs us, Royal Pain is the FOE of the Strongholds, but I won't say more about Royal Pain, in case you haven't seen the movie and want to watch it.
• STEW (37A: Nikujaga, for example) Nikujaga is a STEW of Japanese origin, consisting of meat, potatoes, and onion, flavored with soy sauce and mirin (a type of rice wine). 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DOLL (20A: Computer Engineer Barbie, e.g.) Computer Engineer Barbie, released in 2010, is one of a line of Barbie career DOLLs. In 2013, Mattel released a book to accompany Computer Engineer Barbie, I Can Be a Computer Engineer. The book received widespread criticism, eventually leading to Mattel issuing an apology and discontinuing the book, for its portrayal of Barbie as needing to rely on male friends for coding help. 
• RED (29A: Adzuki bean color) Adzuki beans are also known as RED beans, or RED mung beans. The most popular varieties of adzuki beans are RED, but white, black, gray, and mottled varieties also exist. Adzuki beans are used for eating, and also to make RED bean paste.
• UTES (2D: People with an annual Bear Dance) The Bear Dance is one of the oldest ceremonies of the UTES, the indigenous people of the Great Basin area. The ceremonial dance is part of an event that lasts seven to ten days and includes feasting and games in addition to dancing. The Bear Dance is held in the spring after the first sound of thunder is heard.
• EMBED (4D: Enclose in a blog post, perhaps) For some reason I felt the need to EMBED a video in my blog at this point. Here's a video of my cat, Willow, showing off her mighty hunting skills to nab a fly. 
  
  
• TOPAZ (12D: Gemstone sometimes mistaken for citrine) In its natural state, TOPAZ is a golden brown to yellow color, similar to citrine, a variety of quartz. TOPAZ is heavier than citrine, a characteristic used to distinguish it from the less valuable gemstone.
• TACO TRUCKS (28D: Vehicles with carnitas) and REESE (34D: ___'s Pieces (candy)) Is anyone else suddenly craving a TACO followed by a dessert of REESE's Pieces? The word "carnitas" means "little meats." Carnitas is a dish made by simmering pork for several hours, until it is tender and juicy.
• TORI (39D: "Winter" singer Amos) The 1992 song, "Winter" by TORI Amos is about the singer's relationship with her father.
• DOC (66D: Physician, familiarly) An appropriate last clue for a puzzle titled TV DOCTORS.

Geography review:

• SAO (50A: ___ Paulo Cathedral) The SAO Paulo Cathedral in SAO Paulo, Brazil is also known as the See Cathedral. 
• OMANI (53D: Like the anthem "As-Salam as-Sultani") "As-Salam as-Sultani," which translates to "Sultanic Salutation," is the anthem of the Sultanate of OMAN.

When I saw the title of this puzzle, I wondered if it might be about actors who played TV DOCTORS. I had some trepidation about that, since I don't watch a lot of TV. As it turns out, it had nothing to do with TV DOCTORS. It was about TV shows, though, and I haven't seen any of the shows mentioned! However, that didn't present a problem. Crossing answers provided plenty of assistance, and I recognized the names of most of the actresses, even though I hadn't seen the specific shows mentioned. I liked the long Down entry INSERT COIN, as well as the hunger-inducing TACO TRUCKS. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Sunday.