September 25, 2021

Title: STARS IN THE SKY

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ROBIN LOPEZ (25A: NBA player with the nicknames "Captain Hook" and "RoLo")

RAVEN SYMONE (37A: Actress in "The Cheetah Girls" and "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century")

JAY PHAROAH (52A: Comedian whose impressions include Denzel Washington and Smeagol)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a STAR whose first name is also the name of a bird. Flying in our crossword SKY today we have a ROBIN, a RAVEN, and a JAY.

Things I learned:

• ROBIN LOPEZ (25A: NBA player with the nicknames "Captain Hook" and "RoLo") Since August of this year, ROBIN LOPEZ plays basketball for NBA's Orlando Magic. He has also played for the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, and Washington Wizards. This list made me wonder how many NBA teams there are. The answer is 30, meaning that so far, ROBIN LOPEZ has played for 27% of the teams in the NBA. Fun fact: ROBIN's twin brother, Brook LOPEZ plays for NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. (A potential theme answer for a water-related puzzle, perhaps?)
• RAVEN-SYMONE (37A: Actress in "The Cheetah Girls" and "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century") The Cheetah Girls is a 2003 Disney movie based on Deborah Gregory's book series of the same name. RAVEN-SYMONÉ played the role of Galleria, one of four teen girls who form a singing group known as The Cheetah Girls. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is a 1999 Disney movie based on a book of the same name by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. The title girl of the movie is a 13 year old who lives on a space station. After she gets into trouble, her parents send her to Earth to live with her aunt. RAVEN-SYMONÉ played the role of Nebula Wade. Although RAVEN-SYMONÉ is the only one of the theme answers familiar to me, I did not know these movies. I know of RAVEN-SYMONÉ from the TV series, That's So RAVEN and her role as Princess Asana in The Princess Diaries 2. 
• JAY PHAROAH (52A: Comedian whose impressions include Denzel Washington and Smeagol) Known for his impressions, JAY PHAROAH has an amazing range. There are many clips of his work online, including this one of him reviewing hot sauce as a variety of personalities. Note: that clip contains some "adult language," so if you'd rather avoid that, check out his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel instead. JAY PHAROAH was on Saturday Night Live from 2010-2016, and I've seen some of his work from that, but could not recall his name without the help of crossing answers.
• SOL (12D: El ___ (Loteria sun card) In Spanish, "el SOL" is "sun." Thanks to the that hint in the second part of the clue, the answer was attainable for me. Loteriá (meaning "lottery") is a traditional Mexican game of chance similar to Bingo, but using images instead of numbers. The winner of the game shouts, "Buena!"

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DIA (14A: Martes or miercoles) I dusted off my minimal Spanish knowledge to remember "martes" is "Tuesday," and "miércoles" is "Wednesday." Tuesday is a "day" or "DIA," as is Wednesday.
• RAFA (56A: Nickname for Nadal) I'm always excited when I actually know the answer to a sports clue! Rafael "RAFA" Nadal is a professional tennis player from Spain. His many accomplishments include 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and 36 Masters 1000 men's single titles.
• WORLD (66A: Beyonce song "Run the ___ (Girls)) "Run the WORLD (Girls)" is a 2011 song from Beyoncé's studio alum, 4. 
• TREAT (70A: Post-bath reward for a cat) This clue made me laugh!
  
  Although I know a few cats who don't mind baths, many cats, Willow included, do not enjoy being wet. If I ever need to give Willow a bath, she will not be the only one needing a TREAT afterward. Interestingly, although she doesn't like being wet, Willow likes hanging out in sinks and bathtubs (as long as they are dry).
• PLUTO (6D: Its moons include Nix and Styx) I always feel old when PLUTO is mentioned. "In my day PLUTO was a planet..." Reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, PLUTO has five known moons: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.

Geography review:

• DENALI (29A: Alaskan peak) DENALI, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet, is the highest mountain in North America. Its name is based on a Koyukon word for "high." (The Koyukon are a Native Alaskan people.) DENALI is part of the Alaskan Range, and because of the variable weather in the mountain range, the view of DENALI is frequently partially obscured by clouds. My mom visited Alaska last month, and was fortunate to be among the estimated 30% of visitors who are treated to an unobstructed view of DENALI. (Hi, Mom!)
• TAJ (41D: ___ Mahal) It's only been three days since we last saw TAJ Mahal in the puzzle. Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the best examples of Mughal architecture.
• TACOMA (51D: Washington city) TACOMA, Washington is located on Puget Sound, approximately 30 miles southwest of Seattle. 

Based on the title, I made a guess about what the theme might be, and I was completely wrong. It was as a filled in RAVEN-SYMONÉ, after filling in ROBIN LOPEZ based on crossing answers, that I recognized the feathery link between the answers. A fun interpretation of STARS IN THE SKY. Having theme answers that are all proper names can be tricky, but it wasn't a problem here, as the crossings were fair and the fill was smooth. I enjoyed the sprinkling of Spanish and Italian in the clues, as well as references to Chinese philosophy and Buddhism. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Saturday.