November 26, 2022

Title: SIDE PART

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

PARK AND RIDE LOT (15A: Place to leave a car before taking public transit)

PARADIGM SHIFT (26A: Fundamental change in the way something is understood)

PLAYED BY HEART (44A: Performed without sheet music)

PROMISING START (56A: Beginning of future success, hopefully)

Theme synopsis: The word PART is PARTed and found at the SIDEs of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• BELA (24A: "Mikrokosmos" composer Bartok) The Hungarian composer and pianist, BÉLA Bartók (1881-1945) wrote "Mikrokosmos," a six volume collection of piano pieces, for his son's music lessons. The 153 piano pieces, written between 1926 and 1939, are progressive in difficulty, and are still used in piano lessons.
• LEE (8D: "Precious" director Daniels) LEE Daniels made his directorial debut with the 2005 film, Shadowboxer. In 2009, he directed Precious, a movie about a young woman struggling to find her way amidst poverty and abuse, which was adapted from a 1996 novel, Push, by Sapphire. LEE Daniels won multiple Best Director awards for Precious.
• AD ASTRA (34D: Latin phrase meaning "to the stars") In his Latin epic poem, Aeneid, the ancient Roman poet, Virgil, wrote, "sic itur AD ASTRA," which means "thus one journeys to the stars." AD ASTRA is, appropriately, the name of a 2019 movie about an astronaut traveling to space in search of his father. The phrase AD ASTRA is used in some mottos. De profundis AD ASTRA, meaning "From the depths to the stars," is the motto of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Per ardua AD ASTRA, meaning "Through adversity to the stars," is the motto of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, as well as the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. My personal favorite is AD ASTRA per alas porci, meaning "To the stars on the wings of a pig," which John Steinbeck used on his personal stamp.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• LOOP (11A: "A Strange ___" (Michael R. Jackson musical)) A Strange LOOP is a Broadway musical about a Black, queer writer (named Usher) writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer. Earlier this year, A Strange LOOP won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
• PARADIGM SHIFT (26A: Fundamental change in the way something is understood) This was my favorite of the theme answers. I just like the way it sounds. I also noted that following the PARADIGM SHIFT, the SIDE PART switched from PAR/T (in the first two theme answers) to P/ART (in the last two theme answers).
• SMH (37A: [facepalm emoji]) SMH = shaking my head 🤦
• BMW (42A: Company that pivoted to making cars after The Treaty of Versailles) Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, commonly known as BMW, was founded in 1916 to manufacture aircraft engines. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, at the end of World War I. It wasn't until 1928, however, that BMW began manufacturing cars. 
• ERMA (50A: Humorist Bombeck) From 1965 until 1996, ERMA Bombeck wrote a syndicated newspaper column titled "At Wits End." The column provided a humorous take on everyday life as a Midwestern housewife. Her last column was written just five days before she died from complications of a kidney transplant operation at the age of 69. Many of her humor columns were collected into books that had appropriately humorous titles such as If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? (1978) and When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home (1991).
• ASIAN (55A: Like biryani and kimchi) Originating from the Indian subcontinent, the ASIAN dish, biryani, is a dish of rice mixed with meat and vegetables. The exact ingredients vary depending on the region. The ASIAN dish, kimchi, originated from Korea, and is made of salted and fermented vegetables, often napa cabbage.
• CAPS (60A: IN ALL ___) I THOUGHT ABOUT WRITING THIS BLOG POST IN ALL CAPS, BUT I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO THINK I WAS YELLING AT YOU.
• PIPES (1D: Some take Mario and Luigi to Warp Zones) In the video game, Super Mario Bros., warp zones, accessed by PIPES, are secret areas allowing the player to skip forward through the game. 
• ALAS (4D: "Tis most regrettable") This clue made me smile. ALAS, I might start dropping, "Tis most regrettable," into my conversations.
• KENAN (16D: Thompson who hosted the 2022 Emmy Awards) Actor and comedian KENAN Thompson has been an SNL cast member since 2003. Side note: He's the longest-tenured cast member in SNL history. In September of this year, KENAN Thompson hosted the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. 
• ROTTEN (27D: ___ Tomatoes (film review website)) ROTTEN Tomatoes is a review aggregation website. The site ranks movies based on the percentage of positive and negative reviews received. Each movie is given a "Tomatometer" score. 
• MYSTIC (41D: Masters of the ___ Arts (Dr. Strange and others)) In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), The Masters of the MYSTIC Arts are sorcerers dedicated to protecting the Earth from mystical threats.
• YO-YO MA (45D: Cello prodigy who formed the Silk Road Ensemble) At the age of three, YO-YO MA began playing the violin, piano, and viola. It wasn't until age four that he settled on what would become his instrument, the cello. The Silk Road Ensemble, initiated by YO-YO MA in 1998, is a musical collective, rather than a set group of musicians. Named for the ASIAN trade route used for over 2,000 years, the Silk Road ensemble brings together musicians from countries historically linked by the Silk Road. 
• MARIA (51D: She sings "I Feel Pretty" in "West Side Story") Here's a fun video that compares the 1961 and 2021 movie versions of "I Feel Pretty." 

The SIDE PART is neatly styled in this fun puzzle. Helpfully, the puzzle provides an ASST. (55D: Helper (Abbr.)) to AID (44A: Give a hand to) and HELP UP (33D: Give a boost to) in case it's needed. Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to start my Saturday.