August 2, 2023

Title: IN THE SENT FOLDER 

Constructor: Mark Valdez

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

SEA SERPENT (15A: Mythical aquatic snake)

SECRET AGENT (33A: Undercover operative)

SEE MY POINT (57A: "Get what I'm saying?")

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is contained IN THE word SENT.

Things I learned:

• RAPS (56A: Performs like Ice Spice, say) Ice Spice began her RAP career in 2021. Her song "Munch (Feelin' U)" went viral on TikTok in 2022. Recently, Ice Spice teamed up with Nicki Minaj on the song "Barbie World," which is part of the official soundtrack for the movie Barbie. Speaking of which, I'm happy to report that I am going to see Barbie this afternoon! 
• EDIE (61A: Nicolette Sheridan's role on "Desperate Housewives") Desperate Housewives is a TV series that follows the lives of a group of women living on Wisteria Lane (a street in the fictional town of Fairview, Eagle State). The eight seasons of the show cover 15 years of the women's lives. I have previously written about Desperate Housewives, but not about Nicolette Sheridan, who played the role of EDIE Britt in the show's first five seasons.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BOBA (1A: Drink with tapioca pearls) BOBA, also known as bubble tea, is a tea drink (with or without milk) accompanied by chewy tapioca balls. BOBA originated in Taiwan.
• ANIMATE (21A: Work on a DreamWorks movie, maybe) Since its start in 1994, DreamWorks Animation has released 46 feature films, as well as shorts, specials, and TV shows. The first DreamWorks Animation movie was Antz, released in 1998. Other DreamWorks movies include Shrek (2001), Madagascar (2005), and How to Train Your Dragon (2010). The most recent DreamWorks movie, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, was released on June 30.
• BARB (25A: "___ and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" (Kristen Wiig film)) BARB and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a 2021 movie starring Kristen Wiig (as Star) and Annie Mumolo (as BARB) as best friends from Nebraska that go to Florida for vacation. I learned about this movie from the May 1, 2022 puzzle. 
• LOVE (38A:"___ on Top" (Beyonce hit)) "LOVE on Top" is a song from Beyoncé's 2011 album, 4. "LOVE on Top" has an amazing four key changes! We saw "LOVE ON TOP" as a theme answer on August 8, 2022.
• DURAG (39A: Garment that protects waves) A DURAG is a close-fitting cloth worn on the head to protect the hair. It can be worn while sleeping to keep wave patterns and braids from shifting.
• CARRIE (49A: Sarah Jessica Parker's role on "And Just Like That...") The TV series, And Just Like That... is a sequel to the 1998-2004 series Sex and the City, the 2008 movie Sex and the City, and the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2. And Just Like That... is set 11 years after the events of the second movie. Sarah Jessica Parker portrays CARRIE Bradshaw in all of these productions.
• BTS (1D: "Dynamite" band) Released on August 21, 2020, "DYNAMITE" was the first BTS song fully in English. The upbeat song features the repeated lyric, "light it up like DYNAMITE."
• BEA (3D: "The Golden Girls" actress Arthur) BEA Arthur (1922-2009) portrayed Dorothy Zbornak on the TV series The Golden Girls. In 2002 she starred on Broadway in a show based on her life and career, BEA Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. Before taking up acting, BEA Arthur served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve during World War II.
• POND (6D: "Folklore: The Long ___ Studio Sessions" (Taylor Swift documentary)) Long POND Studio is a recording studio in Hudson Valley, New York. It is the setting for Taylor Swift's 2020 documentary Folklore: The Long POND Studio Sessions. In the documentary, Taylor Swift performs all 17 songs from her Folklore album, and discusses creative process with her collaborators, Aaron Dessner (who owns Long POND Studio) and Jack Antonoff. 
• EVE (35D: "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" rapper) "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" is a Grammy Award-winning 2001 song by EVE, featuring Gwen Stefani. We saw LET ME BLOW YA MIND as a theme answer on March 2, 2023. 
• ANA (40D: SNL alum Gasteyer) ANA Gasteyer was a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1996 to 2002. One of the things she became known for on the show was her Martha Stewart impressions. ANA Gasteyer currently stars on the TV series, American Auto, which I have written about recently.
• GIN (41D: Spirit in an aviation cocktail) An aviation cocktail is made with GIN, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice. Hugo Ensslin, the head bartender at New York City's Hotel Wallick, is credited with creating the aviation cocktail early in the 20th century.
• PARADE (43D: Mardi Gras or Pride event) It's just been a few days since we saw the plural PARADES clued as [Mardi Gras celebrations]. Today I had no trouble with this answer!
• SYFY (47D: "Sharknado" channel) Sharknado is a series of six made-for-TV comedy disaster movies distributed by SYFY. The first movie, Sharknado, was released in 2013. As the name suggests, the movies are about "sharknadoes" - tornadoes filled with sharks.

Geography review:

• ERIE (14A: Warmest of the Great Lakes) At an average depth of 63 feet, Lake ERIE is the shallowest and the warmest of the Great Lakes. On the other end of the spectrum, the deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes is Lake Superior, with an average depth of 483 feet, and a maximum depth of 1,333 feet. This is the first August appearance of our crossword-friend ERIE. How many times do you think we'll see ERIE this month?
• CHILE (30A: Easter Island's country) Easter Island, is located in the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. Easter Island is located in Polynesia, and is a special territory of CHILE. Also known as Rapa Nui, the Easter Island is most well-known for the 887 statues, called moai, found at various locations across the island and on its southeastern coast. The monolithic human figures - said to be the living faces of ancestors - were carved by the early Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1600.

What's in your SENT FOLDER? Hopefully not  SEA SERPENT or a SECRET AGENT! I enjoyed this version of a classic theme type. Thank you, Mark, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Wednesday.