July 28, 2023

Title: BIRDS OF A FEATHER (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Kelsey Dixon

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. BIRDS OF A FEATHER is a nod to TUCA AND BERTIE (18A: Animated sitcom with a toucan protagonist).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALTO (13A: Cher's vocal range) As I was deciding which answers to highlight, I thought, "Oh, I'll link to one of Cher's songs." Now, which of Cher's 81 official singles, 25 promotional singles, and 25 guest appearances on others' singles should I choose? Here's Cher's 1998 song, "Believe." Enjoy her powerful ALTO voice.
• TUCA AND BERTIE (18A: Animated sitcom with a toucan protagonist) TUCA AND BERTIE is an animated sitcom that airs on the Cartoon Network as part of their Adult Swim programming. TUCA AND BERTIE are anthropomorphic BIRDS, a toucan and a song thrush. TUCA AND BERTIE live in the same apartment complex, and the show's episodes focus on their interactions with each other and with their friends. At first I thought I didn't know about this show, but then I realized I wrote about it on January 29, 2022. 
• ABED (21A: "Troy and ___ in the Morning" (show-within-a-show on "Community") This is another answer I thought was new to me, but it turns out I've previously written about it. The TV series, Community, originally aired from 2009 and 2015, and featured an ensemble cast of characters that were part of a college study group. Two of the characters, Troy (played by Donald Glover) and ABED (Danny Pudi) occasionally host a talk show. This show-within-a-show is Troy and ABED in the Morning, which is not actually broadcast, but is simply the two characters goofing around in one of the study rooms.
• OUTKAST (39A: "ATLiens" hip-hop duo) OUTKAST is a hip hop duo that originated from Atlanta (ATL), Georgia. "ATLiens" is the title single from OUTKAST's 1996 album. (Fun fact I just learned: "ATLiens" was released on my 31st birthday. The album was released a week later.) 
• SRY (44A: "my b!") my b = my bad! - SRY = sorry!
• BLUE (50A: Color of Grover or Gonzo) Muppet references will always make me happy. When muppets are used to clue my favorite color, I feel like I've hit the jackpot! The Muppet character that would eventually become Grover was first introduced in 1967 on The Ed Sullivan Show, as a greenish-brown puppet with a red nose, and referred to as Gleep. The character received the name Grover on May 1, 1970, and later that year debuted his BLUE fur and pink nose on another Ed Sullivan appearance. I could talk about Grover all day, but he isn't the only BLUE Muppet in in this clue. Gonzo also made his first appearance in 1970. Gonzo is known for his stunt performances on The Muppet Show.
• MODES (63A: Beast and goblin, for two) It hasn't been quite two weeks since I wrote about "goblin MODE" being the Oxford English Dictionary's 2022 Word of the Year. We saw GOBLIN MODE as a theme answer in April of this year. I thought I'd also written about beast MODE, but it appears not. Constructors, I'll be waiting to see "beast MODE" as a theme answer...
• BTS (64A: "Butter" group) "Smooth like butter / like a criminal undercover..." As soon as I read this clue, these lyrics from "Butter" became my earworm. We saw both BTS and "BUTTER" in a delightful Erik Agard-constructed puzzle on July 21, 2021.
• PARADES (2D: Mardi Gras celebrations) This answer gave me so much trouble! It makes absolutely perfect sense, but the thing is that some friends of ours have an annual Mardi Gras party, which we have been attending for over 25 years. (Funny story: They quickly gave up on having it around Mardi Gras because of the challenge of schedules, so they now just pick a date and put up their Mardi Gras decorations. This year's Mardi Gras party is August 16.) Unfortunately, PARtiES and PARADES both fit in this slot! And since that T and I were part of answers I knew but had forgotten - TUCA AND BERTIE and ABED - it took me a long time to sort this out. The important thing is that I got there in the end. Whew!
• BARBIE (5D: Movie with the tagline "She's everything. He's just Ken.") Well, this is timely! Have you seen BARBIE yet? The movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, premiered earlier this month. I haven't seen it, but have heard so many great things about it, I definitely plan to do so. 
• STORK (7D: Bird that delivers babies, in folklore) I note that STORK crosses TUCA AND BERTIE in the grid. This makes sense, as BIRDS OF A FEATHER flock together.
• DOLE WHIP (9D: Nondairy pineapple flavored dessert) DOLE WHIP is a pineapple-flavored, dairy-free soft serve dessert. Prior to 2023, DOLE WHIP was only served at Disney theme parks. Elsewhere, the product was called DOLE Soft Serve. 
• OPI (10D: Yank My Doodle nail polish brand) If you're wondering what color OPI's Yank My Doodle nail polish is, I can report that OPI describes it as "tawny copper." 
• SHED (25A: Leave fur everywhere) Mentions of SHEDding remind me of this cat (Willow)

  

  Willow

  
  and this mug ("Everything tastes better with cat hair in it"). It's real; the cat hair is everywhere, particularly this time of year.
• BERET (50D: 58-Down in a Prince hit) and HAT (58D: Piece of headwear) This is a fun pairing of clues. That Prince hit is, of course, the 1985 song, "Raspberry BERET." New earworm: "She wore a / raspberry BERET / the kind you find in a secondhand store..."

Geography review:

• STL (11D: Gateway Arch city (Abbr.)) At 630-feet tall, the Gateway Arch is the world's tallest arch. The stainless steel monument is located in St. Louis (STL), Missouri, and is Missouri's tallest accessible building.
• IRAN (Country where Shohreh Aghdashloo was born) Shohreh Aghdashloo is an actress whose credits include the role of Chrisjen Avasarala on the TV sci-fi series, The Expanse, and the role of Sajida Talfah on the HBO miniseries, House of Saddam. Shohreh, Aghdashloo was born in Tehran, IRAN.

This was a delightful solve all the way from the Dalmatian's SPOT to the last HAT. In addition to the answers I've highlighted, I enjoyed STARLETS, DOGSIT, SCUBA, and SECRET. Thank you, Kelsey, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Friday.