April 18, 2023

Title: ETC, ETC, ETC

Constructor: Wendy L. Brandes

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

DON'T GET CUTE (17A: "No funny business!")

PET CARRIERS (38A: They're useful for toting cats and dogs)

DUVET COVERS (64A: Decorative cases for comforters)

Theme synopsis: The letters ETC are found connecting two words in each of the theme answers.

And now a word from our constructor: 

Wendy: I loved working on this puzzle. I learned about Electropop musician Happ -- she is quite a talent! I also really enjoyed the interplay between 21-Across and 38-Across. Many thanks to Erik for his help with the grid. I also want to give a major hat tip to Anna for her brilliant editing. And finally, much appreciation to the USA Today team for all of their amazing work getting the puzzle out into the world. I hope you enjoy it, yada yada yada....

Things I learned:

• REP (37A: Title for Summer Lee (Abbr.)) Summer Lee was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, and assumed office in January 2023. REP. Summer Lee was elected by Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, and is the first Black woman from Pennsylvania to serve in the House of Representatives.
• ERIC (45A: "Modern Family" actor Stonestreet) Modern Family is a mockumentary TV series following the lives of three families. It originally aired for 11 seasons from 2009-2020. We have seen several of the Modern Family cast members in the puzzle previously (Ariel Winter, Julie Bowen, and Sofia Vergara), but this is the first time we've seen ERIC Stonestreet, who played the role of Cameron Tucker on the show.
• IMOGEN (2D: Electropop musician Heap) IMOGEN Heap has an impressive list of musical accomplishments. Reading them, I realize I have definitely heard her music before, and have likely heard her name, but didn't remember it. (I will try to remember it now!) IMOGEN Heap has released five solo albums and collaborated with a long list of artists. She has been recognized as an innovator in pop and electropop music. IMOGEN Heap wrote the music for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I've seen the play, and the music is amazing. (Note: I share the disappointment and anger of many at the transphobia of the creator of Harry Potter. One of the sad things is that her actions affect so many talented people that have worked on these projects.) IMOGEN Heap also co-wrote and produced the Taylor Swift song, "Clean." One of the fascinating things I learned about IMOGEN Heap is that she helped develop wired musical gloves known as Mi.Mu (a name derived as an abbreviation of "me" and "music"). You can hear a sample of IMOGEN Heap's music and see her demonstrate the Mi.Mu gloves by watching the Tiny Desk Concert she did for NPR. 
• DUNE (59D: Sci-fi saga set on the planet Arrakis) I have previously written about the sci-fi novel DUNE, which was written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. I've also written about the two DUNE movies when we saw them referenced in a clue for SPACE OPERA. Neither time did I mention the fictional desert planet, Arrakis, on which the saga takes place.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EMO (16A: Paramore's genre) EMO is a genre of rock music characterized by angsty, and sometimes confessional, lyrics. Paramore released an album in February of this year titled This Is Why. 
• NAN (19A: Photographer Goldin) The work of photographer and activist NAN Golden is often deeply personal and candid. One of her works, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, is a slideshow of photographs set to music that chronicled her life in New York during the 1980s. NAN Goldin is the subject of the 2022 documentary, All the Beauty and Bloodshed, which won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival. The movie tells the story of NAN Goldin's career, and her attempts to hold Purdue Pharma accountable for the opioid epidemic. In 2017, NAN Goldin revealed she was recovering from opioid addiction. She began the campaign P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) to encourage art institutions to stop accepting donations from the Sackler family (owners of Purdue Pharma).
• GYM BAGS (21A: They're useful for toting sweats and sneakers) and PET CARRIERS (38A: They're useful for toting cats and dogs) We're toting a variety of things around today! I don't have a GYM BAG, but I do have a PET CARRIER. Willow, like many cats, is not fond of PET

  

  Willow

  CARRIERS. She turns her back at the mention of them (and if one appeared, she would hide). 
• SEGA (43A: Publisher of the video game Sonic Frontiers) Sonic Frontiers is a 2022 video game featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends. 
• SETH (47A: Actor/ceramist Rogen) You may know SETH Rogen from his acting work that includes portraying Ira Wright in the movie Funny People (2009) and voicing the role of Pumbaa in The Lion King. SETH Rogen has been making ceramics since 2017, after taking a pottery class with his wife. 
• EPISODE (57A: "Candy Zombies" or "Holiday Hookah," for Abbott Elementary) I liked the choice to highlight specific EPISODEs of a show for this clue.
• OCTOBER (61A: LGBTQ+ History Month) In the United States, Canada, and Australia, LGBTQ+ History Month is observed in OCTOBER to coincide with National Coming Out Day on OCTOBER 11. The 1979 and 1987 National Marches for LGBT rights also occurred in OCTOBER. LGBT History Month was started by a history teacher in Missouri named Rodney Wilson.
• SENATORS (11D: Ottawa hockey team) The Ottawa SENATORS are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). 
• ROBERT (50D: "Soap" and "The Lion King" actor Guillaume) In 1979, ROBERT Guillaume (1927-2017) won an Emmy Award for portraying the recurring character of Benson DuBois on the TV sitcom, Soap. He won another Emmy Award in 1985, this time for portraying the character of Benson DuBois on the spin-off series, Benson. ROBERT Guillaume voiced the character of Rafiki in The Lion King. 

Geography review:

• TEL (23A: ___ Aviv) TEL Aviv is located on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. TEL Aviv is the economic and technological center of Israel.
• ARG (66A: 2022 World Cup winner (Abbr.)) The World Cup is the football (known as soccer in the United States) world championship that is held every four years. Argentina (ARG) defeated France in the championship game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Qatar. 
• ERIE (68A: Warmest Great Lake) Our crossword friend Lake ERIE is the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes. On the other end of the spectrum, the deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes is Lake Superior. My husband and I recently did some crossword tourism, and visited ERIE,

  

  North Pier Lighthouse on Lake ERIE

  Pennsylvania and walked along the shore of Lake ERIE. This photo shows the North Pier Lighthouse on Lake ERIE. This lighthouse is located in Presque Isle State Park, a lovely park on a narrow peninsula that juts out into Lake ERIE.
• EST (65D: ME time zone) Maine (ME) is the northernmost state on the eastern coast of the United States, and is on Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Maybe it's appropriate that I found a lot to write about today and went on and on and on... I enjoyed this theme; my favorite theme answer is DON'T GET CUTE. It was a delight to learn about REP. Summer Lee and IMOGEN Heap today, and to learn more about NAN Goldin. Thank you, Wendy, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to begin my Tuesday.