May 22, 2023

Title: PRIMARY FROM THE LEFT

Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

SCHOOL OF ROCK (19A: 2003 movie that builds up to a battle of the bands)

CARE PACKAGE (34A: Gift box of necessities and comfort items)

COLOR BARRIER (50A: What Moses Fleetwood Walker and Jackie Robinson broke)

Theme synopsis: The LEFT-most word of each theme answer can be paired with the word PRIMARY, giving us PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIMARY CARE, and PRIMARY COLOR.

Things I learned:

• SKA (22D: The Specials genre) The Specials are a British SKA band. Their 2021 album is titled Protest Songs 1924-2012.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DEL (10A: Drag queen Bianca ___ Rio)  I have previously written about Bianca DEL Rio, the winner of season 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race.
• CHER (14A: "Believe" diva) "Believe" is the title track from CHER's twenty-second studio album. The song hit the top of the charts when it was released in 1998, earning CHER a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, for being the oldest female American artist to have a number one single. CHER was 52 when the song was released.
• KNEAD (16A: Verb in a challah recipe) and FRY (58D: Verb in a latke recipe) Are you up for some cooking today? First we'll KNEAD the dough for challah, a braided bread eaten on Shabbat (Judaism's day of Sabbath rest) and other Jewish holidays (except Passover). Then we'll FRY up some latkes, potato pancakes traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
• SCHOOL OF ROCK (19A: 2003 movie that builds up to a battle of the bands) The 2003 movie, SCHOOL OF ROCK, starred Jack Black as a struggling rock guitarist who poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school. I haven't seen the movie, but I have seen the stage musical adapted from it, which opened on Broadway in 2015.
• KOMODO (27A: ___ dragon (Indonesian lizard)) Found on the Indonesian islands of KOMODO, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang, the KOMODO dragon is the largest species of lizard. A KOMODO dragon can be up to 10 feet in length, and weigh up to 150 pounds.
• COLOR BARRIER (50A: What Moses Fleetwood Walker and Jackie Robinson broke) In 1884, Moses Fleetwood Walker played one season for the Toledo Blue Stockings, breaking the COLOR BARRIER and becoming the first openly Black man to play for Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball didn't have another Black player for 63 years, until Jackie Robinson again broke the COLOR BARRIER, making his first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
• ACK (1D: "Cathy" exclamation) Cathy is a comic strip written and illustrated by Cathy Guisewite from 1976-2010. The title character's struggles with the four "guilt groups" of work, food, love, and mom often led her to exclaim, "ACK!" (or"AACK!") 
• HBO (20D: "Station Eleven" network) I learned about the HBO miniseries, Station Eleven, when we saw it as a theme answer back in February (in a Rebecca Goldstein puzzle!).
• FUN FACT (21D: "Here's a little tidbit of trivia...") FUN FACT: The phrase "FUN FACT" is apparently one of my favorites! In nearly three years of blogging, the phrase "FUN FACT" has appeared in over 100 of my posts. (I stopped counting after I reached 100...)
• GAY PRIDE (36D: Annual commemoration of the Stonewall riots) The Stonewall riots occurred in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn (a gay bar in Greenwich Village in New York City) on Saturday, June 28, 1969. The first GAY PRIDE marches took place on June 28, 1970 in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. Many cities around the world now celebrate GAY PRIDE throughout the month of June. Here's a list of some upcoming PRIDE events around the world.
• ELLA (37D: "Boo'd Up" singer ___ Mai)  In 2019 ELLA Mai won the Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Artist. Her first U.S. top ten hit was "Boo'd Up," released in 2017.
• MUG (40D: Cup for cocoa) My Instagram account is essentially a MUG appreciation account. 
• TRANS (47D: ___ rights are human rights) Always a good reminder: TRANS rights are human rights.

Geography review:

• SOHO (6A: Manhattan neighborhood) The SOHO neighborhood in New York City derives its name from being SOuth of HOuston Street. The area is home to a number of art galleries, artists' lofts, and shops. In addition to New York city, areas called SOHO are found in London, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, and Tampa, Florida.
• ARAB (55A: ___ Republic of Egypt) ARAB Republic of Egypt is the official name for the country often referred to simply as Egypt. Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt extends into the southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. The capital of the ARAB Republic of Egypt is Cairo.
• SRI (44D: ___ Lanka) SRI Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean.

OH, WOW! This is a fun puzzle to start the week, isn't it? In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I enjoyed DIASPORA, GO LIVE, and SMURF. Thank you, Rebecca, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Monday. SEE YA!