September 1, 2023

Title: MIDLER

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

FATAL ERRORS (16A: Costly mistakes)

TITLE ROLE (28A: Malcolm X in "Malcolm X")

TABLE READ (45A: First run-through of a script)

CATTLE RANCH (62A: Cowgirl's workplace)

Theme synopsis: The MID, or center, letters of each theme answer are LER.

Things I learned:

• ELENA (66A: Abuelita's name in "Coco") The 2017 animated movie, Coco, is inspired by the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Metros, or Day of the Dead, a time to pray for and remember family and friends that have died. Although I've written about Coco, I haven't seen the movie, and therefore didn't know that Abuelita (Miguels' grandmother) was named ELENA Rivera. Renee Victor provided the voice for Abuelita.
• TAI (30D: ___ Lung ("Kung Fu Panda" villain)) Kung Fu Panda is a franchise of animated movies about a group of anthropomorphic animals. Once again, I've written about these movies, but haven't seen them. TAI Lung is a snow leopard with supernatural strength, and the main antagonist of the first movie, Kung Fu Panda (2008). 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WIFE (6A: Stephanie Allynne, to Tig Notaro) Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro are both comedians and actors. They met on the set of the 2013 movie, In a World, in which they both had parts. The two were married in 2015.
• URL (41A: lambdalegal.org, for example)  Lambda Legal is an organization that "represents LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV - in the court of law and in the court of public opinion."
• MALLET (43A: Mochi-making tool) MOCHI is traditionally made of by pounding short-grain glutinous rice into a paste using a wooden MALLET and a mortar, a job that takes two people. The paste is then molded into cakes.
• YURT (49A: Kyrgyz shelter) The Kyrgyz people are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central ASIA. The YURT is a a portable, circular shelter used by the Kyrgyz and other nomadic people.
• AC/DC (52A: "Highway to Hell" band) and ABBA (52D: "Mamma Mia!" group) It tickled me to see these "4-letter musical groups frequently seen in crosswords" crossing at the A.
• BOAT (57A: Kettuvallam or kayak) A kettuvallam is a traditional type of houseBOAT used in Kerala, a state in INDIA. A kayak is a small, narrow BOAT, usually designed for one or two people.
• BOA (61A: Lady Gaga wore one made of $100 bills) It was in 2021, on a private jet headed to Las Vegas for a residency, that Lady Gaga accessorized a polka dot dress with a BOA made out of $100 bills. 
• RIAN (2D: "Glass Onion" director Johnson) RIAN Johnson directed Knives Out in 2019, and its sequel, Glass Onion in 2022. I highly enjoyed both of these movies, and am hoping RIAN Johnson has more in store for us in this genre.
• ATOM (55D: Small particle studied by Maria Goeppert Mayer) Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972) was  a theoretical physicist. She won a Nobel Prize in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the nucleus of an ATOM. Hooray for science in crosswords, and for women scientists! I encourage you to take some time today to learn more about Maria Goeppert Mayer, who spent a large part of her career in unpaid roles, "just for the fun of doing physics."
• ONES (58D: "The ___ Who Stay and Fight" (N.K. Jemisin short story)) "The ONES Who Stay and Fight" is the opening story in a collection of N.K. Jemisin short stories titled, How Long 'Til Black Future Month (2018). The story is written in conversation with Ursula Le Guin's 1973 story, "The ONES Who Walk Away from Omelas" (which I have previously written about). 

Geography review:

• ASIA (22A: Tianjin's continent) Tianjin is the largest coastal city in northern China, which means it is located in ASIA. Tianjin is home to a number of universities, and is one of the top 20 cities in the world with regard to scientific research output. 
• ARAB (24A: Like Lebanon and Egypt) Lebanon and Egypt are ARAB states, meaning the majority of people in both countries are ARAB. Arabic is the official language of both countries. Lebanon is located in West ASIA, with coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Beirut. Egypt is located in northeast corner of Africa, and extends into the southwest corner of ASIA. The capital of Egypt is Cairo.
• STL (5D: Forest Park's city, for short) Forest Park is a public park in St. Louis (STL, for short), Missouri. Forest Park is a fabulous place that I have visited often. It is home to the St. Louis Zoo, as well as the city's Science Center, Art Museum, and History Museum. The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, known as The Muny, is also located in Forest Park. The area was designated a public  park in 1876. In 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair (officially called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) was held in Forest Park. 
• INDIA (29D: Country with the most vegetarians) It's estimated that 24% of the people in INDIA are vegetarian. Hinduism is the largest religion in INDIA. Many Hindus eat a vegetarian diet as a way to practice the principle of ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living beings. 
• CST (62D: Austin, TX, time zone) Austin is the capital of Texas, and follows Central Standard Time (CST).

I am a fan of puzzle titles that need to be interpreted in a different way in order to understand the theme. Today's puzzle is not a tribute puzzle to Bette MIDLER (though I would very much enjoy such a puzzle). Instead, the title needs to be parsed as MID LER, pointing to the letter pattern in the center of each theme answer. These types of themes generally lead to a nice "Aha!" moment. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Friday.