July 19, 2023

Title: ALBACORE

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

OATMEAL BATH (17A: Skin-soothing remedy enjoyed in a tub)

PERSONAL BAGGAGE (37A: Your stuff, in more ways than one)

CRYSTAL BALL (59A: Fortunetellers tool)

Theme synopsis: The letter string -ALBA- forms the CORE of each theme answer, connecting the two words in each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• PLAY ("Stop Kiss," for example) The PLAY Stop Kiss, written by Diana Son, was first performed off-Broadway at The Public Theater in New York City in 1998. At the time, the PLAY was one of the few that featured a lesbian couple. The central characters of Stop Kiss are two women who are assaulted after sharing their first kiss. 
• INCA (54A: Coricancha builder) The city of Cusco, Peru was the center of the INCA Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries. There, the INCAs built Coricancha, a temple dedicated to Inti, the INCA sun god. Coricancha was considered the most important INCA temple. As with yesterday's clue for INCAS, although I wasn't familiar with the subject of the clue, the answer was fairly inferable.
• ELLEN (6D: Tien Tran's character on "How I Met Your Father") How I Met Your Father is a TV series that premiered in January 2022. The show's main characters are a group of friends living in Manhattan. Tien Tran plays the role of ELLEN Gilbert. 
• NINE (38A: Number of tracks on Curtis Mayfield's "Super Fly") Curtis Mayfield's 1972 album, Super Fly is the soundtrack of the movie of the same name. Curtis Mayfield and his band had a cameo in the movie Super Fly. The album does indeed include NINE tracks, the last of which is titled "Superfly."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HBO (16A: "Barry" channel) The TV series, Barry, premiered on HBO in 2018. The title character is a hitman from Los Angeles, portrayed by Bill Hader. Barry travels to Los Angeles for a job, and finds himself in an acting class taught by an eccentric acting coach portrayed by Henry Winkler.
• PERSONAL BAGGAGE (37A: Your stuff, in more ways than one) Ha! This clue is fun. What do you mean I have PERSONAL BAGGAGE?
• DROP (1D: ___ tower (amusement park ride with a free-fall)) A DROP tower is exactly what it sounds like. It's a tall tower; many are in the 300 to 450 feet range. Riders are transported to the top of the tower in a gondola or similar seat, and then DROPped in a free fall. Brakes (hopefully) kick in as the gondola nears the ground. The tallest DROP tower is currently Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, with a height of 456 feet. Riders experience a 415 foot DROP.
• ROAD (8D: Rainbow ___ (Mario Kart course)) Rainbow ROAD is a level in the Mario Kart games that features a rainbow-colored road suspended in space. If you have 18 minutes to spare, this video will take you through the "Evolution of Rainbow ROAD in Mario Kart (1992-2017)."
• ALEC (18D: "Ugly Betty" actor Mapa) Ugly Betty is a TV series that originally ran from 2006-2010. The series was based on the telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea. In the show's second season, ALEC Mapa joined the cast as a recurrent character, Suzuki St. Pierre, the flamboyant host of a gossip and news show. I have previously written about Ugly Betty, and about ALEC Mapa, but this is the first time I have written about the two together.
• MISO (25D: Japanese soup also known as omiotsuke) MISO soup, also called omiotsuke, is a traditional soup in Japanese cuisine. It is made by adding MISO paste to dashi stock, forming a soup base to which other ingredients are added.
• PUMA (26D: Mountain lion) A PUMA, also known as a mountain lion, or a cougar, is a big cat native to North and South America. The PUMA is the fourth largest of the big cats, following the tiger, lion, and jaguar. Here's a photo of Willow attempting to be fierce like her big cat relatives.

  

  Willow

  
  
• EGOT (Four-award feat completed by Viola Davis in 2023) Viola Davis's EGOT is comprised of an Emmy Award in 2015 (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for How to Get Away with Murder), a Grammy Award in 2023 (Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for Finding Me) an Oscar/Academy Award in 2016 (Best Supporting Actress for Fences), and Tony Awards in 2001 (Best Featured Actress in a Play for King Hedley II) and 2010 (Best Leading Actress in a Play for Fences).
• GULLIBLE (40D: "Look! It says '___' on the ceiling!") This clue made me laugh! Also, in related news, did you know that the word GULLIBLE is not in the dictionary?

Geography review:

• ABU (19A: ___ Dhabi) ABU Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and its second-most populous city, following Dubai. ABU Dhabi is also the capital of the Emirate of ABU Dhabi, one of the seven emirates that comprise the UAE.
• TEHRAN (10D: Capital of Iran) In addition to being the capital of Iran, TEHRAN is the country's biggest city.
• OMAHA (48D: Nebraska city) OMAHA is the largest city in Nebraska. OMAHA's motto is Fortiter in Re, which is Latin for "Courageously in every enterprise."

ALBACORE is a species of tuna. In today's puzzle, however, the word is parsed as ALBA CORE. I guessed the theme as soon as I read the title, and it was fun to discover I was correct. WHAT A SHAME was definitely not my reaction to this puzzle. Thank you, Jared, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Wednesday.