July 5, 2021

Title: PERFECT MATCH

Constructor: Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

PITCH BLACK (18A: Extremely dark)

SQUARE MEAL (61A: Satisfying supper, for example)

WORLD FAMOUS (4D: Like an international superstar)

STORM CLOUDS (26D: They gather before a big rain)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer can MATCH up with the word PERFECT to create a new phrase. We have PERFECT PITCH, PERFECT SQUARE, PERFECT WORLD, and a PERFECT STORM.

Things I learned:

• MOMMA (52D: Kendrick Lamar track about coming home) "MOMMA" is a song from Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly. The song contains the lyrics, "Thank God for rap, I would say it got me a plaque / But what's better than that? / The fact it brought me back home."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• STIR (17A: Key verb in a risotto recipe) Risotto is a RICE dish originating from Italy. To make risotto, a high-starch variety of RICE, such as Arborio RICE, is cooked slowly with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. A variety of meats, vegetables, and herbs can be added to risotto. To make risotto, one must STIR the dish constantly for the 30 to 40 minute cooking time. (True confession, when I make risotto, I don't STIR it constantly, but you are supposed to.)
• ARE (22A: Verb that sound like a letter) and BEE (23A: Insect that sounds like a letter) A nice clue echo in these consecutive clues.
• VERA (34A: Wang or Bradley) VERA Wang is a fashion designer well-known for designing evening wear for public figures. She also has a line of ready-to-wear clothing, Simply VERA. VERA Bradley is a company that designs handbags and luggage. The company was founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller. VERA Bradley is named for Barbara Bradley Baekgaard's mother.
• DINO (68A: T. rex or ankylosaurus, for short) T. rex, or Tyrannosaurus rex was a bipedal carnivorous DINOsaur. The word "rex" means "king" in Latin. Ankylosaurus was a quadrupedal, armored DINO with a broad body. The name "Ankylosaurus" means "fused lizard."
• NASA (69A: Perseverance rover org.) If you are a regular reader, you can probably guess what I'm going to say about this clue. So, here's your reminder that you can follow the adventures of NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover on Twitter. A recent Tweet explained the process involved for Perseverance to take a selfie. Since Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18 of this year, it has sent over 100,000 photos to NASA. 
• RICE (12D: Main ingredient in congee) Congee is a type of RICE porridge that originated in India, and is a part of many Asian cuisines. Congee is made by cooking RICE for a prolonged time, so that the rice disintegrates and thickens. As noted in my comments on risotto, RICE is also the main ingredient in risotto.
• BEGUN (19D: "We've only just ___") Technically, this clue is not the title of the Carpenters song, since only the first word is capitalized. However, I can't hear this phrase without singing it..."We've only just BEGUN to live / White lace and promises / A kiss for luck and we're on our way..." "We've Only Just BEGUN" is a 1970 song by The Carpenters. Part of the song was originally used in a wedding-themed ad campaign for a bank. Richard Carpenter saw the TV commercial and approached Paul Williams, who co-wrote the song with Roger Nichols, to ask if there was a full-length version of the song. "We've Only Just BEGUN" reached number 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100. I began learning to play piano just a couple of years after the release of "We've Only Just BEGUN." An "easy-to-play" version of the song was one of the first pop songs I learned to play. (I might still have the sheet music...playing it might be on my to-do list for today.)
• SONIA (30D: Sanchez of the Black Arts Movement) SONIA Sanchez was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement during the 1960s and 1970s. A 2015 documentary spotlighting her work is titled BaddDDD SONIA Sanchez, a reference to her second published book, We a BaddDDD People. The book focused on the everyday lives of Black men and women.
• NUNS (36D: Many "Sister Act" characters) Sister Act is a 1992 movie starring Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer who is placed in a convent as part of a witness protection program. What a fun movie - now I have a desire to rewatch it!
• NINE (60D: ___ Inch Nails) NINE Inch Nails is a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. NINE Inch Nails were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. During the virtual induction ceremony, Iggy Pop gave the speech welcoming the band into the Hall of Fame. 

Geography review:

• TEL (53A: ___ Aviv) TEL Aviv is located on the Mediterranean coastline of Israel.
• TEHRAN (9D: Capital of Iran) In addition to being its capital, TEHRAN is Iran's largest city. TEHRAN is a twin town, or sister city, of Los Angeles, California.
• ARAB (11D: The A in UAE) The United ARAB Emirates is located on the Arabian Peninsula and borders the Persian Gulf. The capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi.

You might say this puzzle features four PERFECT theme answers. (I couldn't resist.) An enjoyable set of PERFECT theme answers, in fact. I found it interesting that in the case of PITCH BLACK, PERFECT can not only precede the word PITCH, but also follow it to form the title of the 2012 movie, PITCH PERFECT. From a construction standpoint, placing two theme answers Across and two Down, lessens the constraints on the grid. It works well here, allowing for plenty of nice non-theme fill, such as LIP SYNCS and PEP TALKS. Nice cluing today - I especially enjoyed the clues for SMACK (67A: Synonym for "trash" in the phrase "trash talk") and PETER (44D: Piper who picked a peck of pickled peppers, in a tongue twister). This puzzle was a PERFECT way to begin my Monday.