August 15, 2023

Title: ACCIDENTALLY

Constructor: Hoang-Kim Vu

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

FLAT SCREEN TV (19A: Slender family room fixture)

NATURAL WINE (37A: Drink made of unadulterated fermented grape juice)

SHARP OBJECTS (54A: Gillian Flynn novel-turned-HBO miniseries)

Theme synopsis: The first word in each theme answer can be an ACCIDENTAL in music: FLAT (♭), NATURAL (♮), and SHARP (♯).

Things I learned:

• SHARP OBJECTS (54A: Gillian Flynn novel-turned-HBO miniseries) The 2018 HBO miniseries, SHARP OBJECTS, is based on Gillian Flynn's 2006 debut novel of the same name. The miniseries is a psychological thriller in which Amy Adams portrays a reporter struggling with alcoholism and mental health issues, who returns to her hometown in Missouri to investigate the murders of two young girls. Gillian Flynn is also the author of Gone Girl, the book upon which the 2014 movie of the same name was based.
• SNAP (36D: Finger click that activated the Infinity Gauntlet) Amanda Rafkin's July 2, 2022 puzzle was themed around the Infinity Gauntlet, and the six stones that it holds. The Infinity Gauntlet is used by Thanos, an alien warlord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Today I learned that Thanos activated the Infinity Gauntlet with a SNAP, once it held all six Infinity Stones. That SNAP caused the Blip, an MCU event that wiped out half of all living things in the universe.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HAIR (14A: Musical with the song "Aquarius") "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius / Age of Aquarius..." These lyrics immediately popped into my head when I read this clue. "Aquarius" is the opening number of the rock musical, HAIR, which opened on Broadway in 1968. The musical's full title is HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.
• HERO (15A: Moana in "Moana," e.g.) I really liked this clue. In Disney's 2016 animated movie, Moana, the title character is indeed a HERO, chosen by the ocean to restore balance on her island.
• OLSEN (16A: "Love & Death" actress Elizabeth) Love & Death is a 2023 TV miniseries based on a true story. Elizabeth OLSEN plays the role of Candy Montgomery, a woman from Texas accused of the axe murder of her neighbor in 1980. I have previously written about Candy, another TV miniseries based on the same events. 
• ARTIST (50A: Yayoi Kusama, e.g.) Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary ARTIST known for her sculpture and installation art. Many of Yayoi Kusama's work incorporate dots, earning her the nickname, "the princess of polka dots." In October of this year, an exhibit titled "Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Love" opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
• SHO (52A: "Ziwe" network, for short) I learned about the Showtime (SHO) talk show Ziwe, hosted by Ziwe Fumodoh from the October 7, 2021 and November 12, 2021 puzzles.
• ESTE (64A: Haim member who plays bass) ESTE Haim and her sisters, Danielle and Alana, comprise the band Haim. ESTE plays bass guitar and sings.
• SHE'S (67A: "___ So High" ('90s hit)) "'Cause SHE'S so high / High above me..." Reading this clue replaced the lyrics of "Aquarius" running through my mind. "SHE'S So High" is a Tal Bachman song released in 1999. Tal Bachman wrote the song about an experience he had in high school, when he tried to bribe a girl to go on a date with his stepbrother.
• ARE (10D: "___ You Gonna Be My Girl") "ARE You Gonna Be My Girl" is a 2003 song by the band Jet. (I'm not as familiar with this song, so the lyrics didn't begin running through my head when I read the clue.) The music video for "ARE You Gonna Be My Girl" won a VMA Award for Best Rock Video.
• MOD (11D: Subreddit admin) and AMA (58D: Reddit Q&A) A pair of Reddit clues today. Reddit is an online social site for news aggregation and discussion. MOD stands for moderator, the person overseeing an online forum. AMA stands for "ask me anything," a genre of interactive interviews that are especially popular on Reddit.
• TET (21D: Banh ___ (Vietnamese New Year food)) Banh TET is a cake made from glutinous rice rolled into a log-like shape, with a mung bean or pork filling. After boiling, the cake is sliced into wheel-shaped servings.
• TELEPHONE (31D: Device that once had rotary dials) Ah, this brought back memories! Using a TELEPHONE that featured a rotary dial required patience, especially if the phone number had lots of nines in it. When you dialed a number, you had to wait for the dial to return to its original position before dialing the next number, otherwise you would get a wrong number. Nines required the most movement of the dial, and therefore took the longest time to dial. Those phones were also attached to the wall by a cord. TELEPHONEs have changed quite a bit over the years.
• KITTIES (44D: Totes adorbs baby cats) KITTIES! Here's a "totes adorbs" photo of Willow 12 years ago.

  

  Willow

  
  

Geography review:

• ISLA (17A: Mallorca, por ejemplo) Mallorca is an island (o ISLA, en español) in the Mediterranean SEA. Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community and province of Spain. The name of Mallorca is derived from the Classical Latin for "larger island."
• IRAN (29D: Shirin Ebadi's birth country) Shirin Ebadi is a lawyer and a former judge. She founded the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a human rights organization in IRAN. Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, "for her efforts for democracy and human rights," particularly the "struggle for the rights of women and children." Shirin Ebadi was the first Iranian, and the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Since 2009, Shirin Ebadi has lived in exile in the United Kingdom.

I was intrigued by the title of this puzzle, and wondered how ACCIDENTALLY would play out as a theme. I still didn't know when I finished the puzzle. A nice "Aha!" moment while reviewing the theme answers," FLAT, NATURAL, SHARP ... oh, it's a music thing!" In musical notation, an ACCIDENTAL is a note that is not in the currently applied key signature. ACCIDENTALs are indicate by FLAT (♭), NATURAL (♮), and SHARP (♯) symbols. In addition to the theme, I enjoyed the long Down answers today: IT'S ALL AN ACT, THIRST TRAP, and MAKES A SCENE. Thank you, Kim, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.