September 5, 2021

Title: CC ME

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:
CINDY CRAWFORD (20A: Supermodel with a trademark mole)
CONNIE CHUNG (37A: First woman to co-anchor CBS Evening News)
CAROL CHANNING (55A: Tony winner for "Hello, Dolly!")

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is the name of a person with the initials C.C.

Things I learned:
  • OBOE (61A: Liang Wang's instrument) Since 2006, Liang Wang has been the principal OBOE for the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. He was born in Qing Dao, China, and has been playing OBOE since he was seven years old.
  • ODOR (9D: "Stink bird" emanation) The hoatzin, also known as a skunk bird, or stink bird, is a South American bird with an unpleasant ODOR. The smell, akin to animal dung, is a result of the fermentation of their food, which occurs in a digestion process similar to that of cows. Although the clue made the answer inferable, I was unfamiliar with this bird. Now I have learned 40 facts about it.
Random thoughts and interesting things:
  • OGRE (9D: Nish in "Ella Enchanted," e.g.) The 2004 movie, Ella Enchanted, was loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel with the same title. Although I've seen this movie, I needed the help of some crossing answers to remember there is an OGRE in it. Jim Carter played the ROLE of Nish.
  • STANA (17A: Absentia" actress Katic) Absentia is a TV series that originally ran for three seasons from 2017-2020. STANA Katic played the ROLE  of Special Agent Emily Byrne, a former FBI agent who disappeared while hunting a serial killer, and was declared dead in absentia. Six years later she reappears with no memory of her abduction. I have not seen Absentia, but I know of STANA Katic from her ROLE as Kate Beckett on the TV series Castle. 
  • CINDY CRAWFORD (20A: Supermodel with a trademark mole) From the time she was 17 years old until she quit full-time modeling in 2000, CINDY CRAWFORD appeared on numerous magazine covers, and in many fashion campaigns. In addition to modeling, she has appeared in movies, fitness and music videos, and TV shows. In 2020, CINDY CRAWFORD joined with The American Red Cross to encourage people to give blood. 
  • CONNIE CHUNG (37A: First woman to co-anchor CBS Evening News) It was 1983 when CONNIE CHUNG became the co-anchor of CBS Evening News. It was a first for CBS, and she was only the second woman to co-anchor a network newscast. The first woman to do so was Barbara Walters, who became a co-anchor on ABC in 1976. It wasn't until 2006 that a woman - Katie Couric - became the solo anchor of a network evening news broadcast. 
  • CAROL CHANNING (55A: Tony winner for "Hello, Dolly!") CAROL CHANNING played the role of Dolly Levi in the 1964 Broadway musical, Hello, Dolly! The ROLE won her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Here's some trivia for you: CAROL CHANNING was the first celebrity to appear in a Super Bowl halftime show. That happened in 1970. 
  • ROLE (63A: Beth Harmon, for Anya Taylor-Joy) Anya Taylor-Joy played the ROLE of Beth Harmon in the 2020 miniseries, The Queen's Gambit. 
  • NON (33D: The N in NGO) NGO = NON-governmental organization
  • COLD CALL (37D: Tough task for a telemarketer) Bonus theme answer! Although not a person, COLD CALL has the initials C.C. It's not what people generally have in mind when they say, "CC ME," however!
  • HOSTA (39D: Ornamental plant hidden in "look who's talking) Until my husband and I moved to the Iowa City area, I had never (to my knowledge) seen a HOSTA.
    Here, they are seemingly everywhere, including in our backyard. These shade-loving perennial plants requiring little care, making them perfect for me. One variety of our HOSTAs (there are many varieties) are currently displaying their purple blooms, a favorite of bees and the occasional hummingbird. 
  • SHE (40D: Pronoun for H.E.R., aptly) H.E.R. is the stage name of singer Gabriella Wilson, and is an acronym for Having Everything Revealed. 

    Geography review:
    In today's puzzle, "CC ME" is not something you might say to ask someone to keep you in the loop, but something the people featured in the theme answers might say to refer to themselves. This puzzle also comes with an inside joke that I will let you in on if you don't know it already. The constructor of today's puzzle, Zhouqin Burnikel, uses the nickname C.C. I especially enjoyed some of the clueing today: ANIMAL (47D: Word after "party" or "stuffed"), OINK (19A: "Feed me some slop, please!") and ARE (51A: "What ___ you trying to tell me?") This puzzle was a fine way to begin my Sunday.

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