September 16, 2023

Title: FACE THE MUSIC

Constructor: Nate Cardin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

EAR TRUMPET (17A: Early hearing aid)

NOSE FLUTE (38A: Woodwind played in many Polynesian countries)

MOUTH ORGAN (65A: Another name for a harmonica)

Theme synopsis: The first word of each theme answer is a part of the FACE, and the second word in each theme answer is a MUSICal instrument.

Things I learned:

• TODD (45A: ___ Chavez (asexual character on "BoJack Horseman")) BoJack Horseman is an adult animated TV series centered around an anthropomorphic horse. Will Arnett voices the title character, who was formerly a Hollywood sitcom star. TODD Chavez, voiced by Aaron Paul, is BoJack's "off-and-on best friend and former roommate." In season four, TODD confirmed that he is asexual.
• ONES (73A: "The ___ We're Meant to Find" (Joan He novel)) On the "Unofficial Bio" on her website, Joan He says, "As a second-generation Chinese American, I was raised on a diet of Chinese cartoons and dramas." The ONES We're Meant to Find is Joan He's sci-fi dystopian story of two sisters that have become separated in a world facing climate disaster.
• TOM (24D: Sculpture artist Tsuchiya) TOM Tsuchiya is perhaps best known for his sports sculptures. He created the life-size bronze sculptures of four Cincinnati Reds players that are engaged in an imaginary baseball game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• POPES (14A: Religious leaders who use the @Pontifex handle on a certain social media app) That certain social media app, on which the POPES use the handle @Pontifex, would be the one formerly known as Twitter. 
• EAR TRUMPET (17A: Early hearing aid) An EAR TRUMPET is essentially a sound-collecting funnel that is held up to the ear. Their use dates back to the 17th century. Over the years, EAR TRUMPETs - which have largely been replaced by hearing aids - have been made of metal, wood, and even animal horns.
• ARI (26A: NPR host Shapiro) ARI Shapiro is one of the hosts of NPR's news program, All Things Considered. 
• NOSE FLUTE (38A: Woodwind played in many Polynesian countries) A NOSE FLUTE is exactly what it sounds like - an instrument that is played with air blown from the nose instead of the mouth. Nose flutes carved of bamboo or wood are popular in some places including Hawaii, the Philippines, and New Zealand. Plastic NOSE FLUTEs or nose whistles are sold as children's novelty toys. My husband is quite good at playing the NOSE FLUTE (of the plastic variety) - an interesting talent to have. We've seen NOSE FLUTE as a theme answer before, but it was almost three years ago.
• TARGET (Store with a bull's-eye logo) Ah, I am quite familiar with this logo. In general, I do not like to shop. I can, however, thoroughly enjoy a good TARGET run.
• ARO (60A: Like some people in queer platonic relationships, for short) ARO is short for aromantic, and describes people that do not feel romantic attraction. Queerplatonic relationships are friendships with a deep commitment, and are often not romantic or sexual in nature. The term is new, but the type of relationship has been around for a long time. 
• UKE (66A: Genoa Keawe's instrument, for short) I learned about ukulele (UKE) player, Genoa Keawe (1918-2008), who was known as Auntie Genoa, from the October 16, 2022 puzzle.
• CHESS (72A: "The Queen's Gambit" game) The Queen's Gambit is a 2020 miniseries based on the 1983 book of the same name by Walter Tevis. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the role of fictional CHESS prodigy, Beth Harmon.
• APP (7D: BeReal or Bluesky, for example) BeReal is a social media APP that notifies users at a random time each day. When the notification is received, users snap a photo of whatever they're doing at the time - the app simultaneously captures images from both the front facing and rear-facing cameras. Users can view BeReal pics from their friends, but only after they've uploaded their own photo. Bluesky Social is a social networking APP that, in my opinion, is a nice alternative to a certain other social media app.
• ME TIME (16D: Period alone to recharge) As an introvert, I value my ME TIME.
• FAB FIVE (25D: "Queer Eye" quintet) The FAB FIVE is a nickname for the hosts of the reality TV series Queer Eye. The original version of the show, which premiered in 2003, featured the FAB Five of Ted Allen ("food and wine connoisseur"), Kyan Douglas ("grooming guru"), Thom Filicia ("Design Doctor"), Carson Kressley ("Fashion Savant"), and Jai Rodriguez ("Culture Vulture"). The 2018 revival of Queer Eye features a new FAB Five: Antoni Porowski ("Food and Wine"), Bobby Berk ("Design"), Jonathan Van Ness ("grooming"), Karamo Brown ("Culture and Lifestyle"), and Tan France ("Fashion").
• USA (40D: Letters on a Dream Team jersey) The 1992 USA Men's Olympic basketball team was nicknamed the Dream Team. 
• YOLO (52D: Modern "carpe diem" acronym) "Carpe diem" is a Latin phrase translated as "seize the day." YOLO is an acronym for "you only live once."
• KOOSH (56D: Type of ball with rubber strands) This answer made me happy!

  

  Willow and the KOOSH ball

  I have a red, yellow, and blue KOOSH ball that I've had for years. It's so tactile and fun to mess with. I found it on my shelf, and Willow decided she likes it, too.

This is such a fun theme! When I filled in EAR TRUMPET, I might have chuckled and said out loud, "Oh, that is so fun..." Okay, I did do that. It was a delightful, "Aha!" moment. So much enjoyable fill, too. In addition to what I've already highlighted, I liked Á LA MODE, OCTAGON, DUE DATE, MERMAID, and ESTEEM. Thank you, Nate, for this magical Saturday puzzle.