August 13, 2022

Title: FOUR TOPS

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CREST TOOTHPASTE (4D: Dental product with a red-and-blue logo)

SUMMIT TALK (6D: Diplomatic meeting)

PEAK SEASON (29D: Most productive period for a crop)

ACME CORPORATION (10D: Cartoon company that sells anvils)

Theme synopsis: The TOP word of each vertical theme answer is a synonym of TOP: CREST, SUMMIT, PEAK, and ACME.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: synonym themes are some of the hardest for me to think of so i'm always glad when i come up with one. this one brings a lot of joy -- i hope you enjoy some four tops music today!

Things I learned:

• STAN (8D: Artist Douglas) STAN Douglas is an artist known for his video, photography, and film installations. Some of his work explores the obsolete technology and the failure of utopian movements. His artwork has been displayed around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Tate Gallery in London. STAN Douglas lives and works in Vancouver, Canada.
• URDU (50D: Language in Parveen Shakir poems) Parveen Shakir (1952-1994) was a Pakistani poet. She is known for bringing a distinctive feminine voice to URDU literature. Parveen Shakir died as the result of a car accident at the age of 42. The "Parveen Shakir URDU Literature Festival" is held annually in Islamabad.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• FURRY (14A: Having a thick coat of hair) and HIS (22A: "A Man and ___ Cat") A Man and HIS Cat is a Japanese manga series about a widower that adopts a cat. A live-action adaptation of the series began airing in 2021, with the cats being portrayed by puppets. I have not read or seen A Man and HIS Cat, but I can offer this photo of a man and HIS FURRY cat. 

  

  My husband, Randy, and Willow

• FREEDOM DAY (14A: April 27 in South Africa) FREEDOM DAY commemorates the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, held on April 27, 1994.
• X-MEN (21A: Storm's superhero group) The X-MEN are a team of superheroes appearing in Marvel comic books, TV shows, films, and video games. X-MEN are humans born with the X-gene, a genetic mutation that confers superhuman abilities. Storm, who is able to control the weather and atmosphere, made her first comic book appearance in 1975. Halle Berry first portrayed Storm in the 2000 movie, X-MEN.
• UP TOP (38A: "High five!") and STOPS (28D: Places to wait for buses) and OBIE (13D: Four Tops singer Benson) and OUR (44D: "Darling, I Hum ___ Song" (Four Tops song)) I have grouped these clues together because I noticed that they contain FOUR TOPS hidden in plain sight in the clues and answers. This made me smile. Especially fun to see references to one of the singers and one of the songs of the FOUR TOPS. The original members of the FOUR TOPS were Levi Stubbs, Duke Fakir, OBIE Benson, and Lawrence Payton. These FOUR performed together over four decades, from 1953-1997. The FOUR TOPS are still performing, but Duke Fakir is the only original member remaining with the group. "Darling I Hum OUR Song" was the B side of the 1965 single, "Something About You." If you need more FOUR TOPS in your day, here's a link to the 1966 song, "Reach Out I'll Be There."
• SCORPIO (45A: One of the water signs) In astrology, the water signs are Cancer, SCORPIO, and Pisces. Those born between October 23 and November 22 have the sign, SCORPIO. (This includes that guy in the photo with Willow.)
• LEONA (48A: Lewis who played Grizabella in Broadway's "Cats") LEONA Lewis played Grizabella in the 2016 Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical CATS. This was her Broadway debut. It's been a while since we've seen a reference to the musical CATS. There was a time when we saw frequent mentions of CATS and I was collecting the characters we saw mentioned in the puzzle.
• CREST TOOTHPASTE (4D: Dental product with a red-and-blue logo) Did you know that CREST TOOTHPASTE was originally introduced in the United States in 1954 as Fluoristan? The next year the name was changed to CREST with Fluoristan.
• SYD (5D: The Internet singer) I have previously written about the band, The Internet, and their vocalist, SYD.
• SEP (59D: Mexican Independence Day's month (Abbr.)) Mexican Independence Day, celebrated on SEPtember 16, commemorates the ringing of a church bell by a Catholic priest that served as a call to arms for the Mexican War of Independence.

Geography review:

• MAUI (19A: Island home to Haleakala) Haleakalā is a volcano that forms over 75% of MAUI, the second largest of Hawaii's islands. Haleakalā and the area surrounding it was designated as a national park - Haleakalā National Park - in 1976. This is a national park my husband and I have not been to, but are hoping to visit someday.
• PESOS (29A: Coins in Cuba) The country of Cuba includes the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and a number of smaller islands. The capital of Cuba is Havana, and Cuban PESOS are the currency used there.
• HOT SPRINGS (57A: Arkansas city home to Bathhouse Row) Bathhouse Row is part of HOT SPRINGS National Park in HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas. Bathhouse Row is comprised of eight bathhouses in a row, constructed between 1892 and 1923. The bathhouses were originally competing businesses, and each bathhouse has its own style. Bathhouse Row was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987. HOT SPRINGS National Park is also on our "Yet To Be Visited" list of National Parks.

When I filled in FREEDOM DAY, I thought, "There's no reference to TOP or FOUR here...what is the theme? A nice moment when I realized the themers were vertical, an excellent choice so the synonyms of TOP would be on TOP. "Aha!" A delightful theme excellently constructed. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle that was a superb way to begin my Saturday.