September 8, 2023

Title: LAST CALL

Constructors: Darby Ratliff & Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

EARLY BIRD (16A: One who gets the worm, in a saying)

ROCK AND ROLL (27A: Genre for Tina Turner and Heart)

HARRY'S HOUSE (48A: Album with "As It Was" and "Satellite")

FLIP PHONE (62A: The Motorola Razr, for example)

Theme synopsis: The LAST word of each theme answer can be paired with the word CALL. We have BIRD CALL, ROLL CALL, HOUSE CALL, and PHONE CALL.

Things I learned:

• GAL (25A: "___ Gohan" (manga series)) GAL Gohan is a Japanese manga series by Mario Taiyou. The title character is Miku Okazaki, a fun-loving high school student that asks her home economics teacher to help her bake cookies so she can bribe her other teachers.
• FEDORA (8D: Brimmed hat worn by Spider-Man Noir) Spider-Man Noir is a Marvel Comics superhero. This alternate version of of a noir-themed Spider-Man living in a version of New York during the Great Depression, first appeared in a four-issue mini-series in 2009. Spider-Man Noir, as the clue informs us, wears a FEDORA.
• LSU (63D: Alma mater for Seimone Augustus) Seimone Augustus is a former professional basketball player, who played for WNBA's Minnesota Lynx from 2006-2019, and the Los Angeles Sparks from 2020-2021. In 2021, she was named to the W25, a WNBA list of the Top 25 Players of All Time. Seimone Augustus played basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU), during which time she won the Naismith College Player of the Year award twice.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PARR (9A: Family name in "The Incredibles") I've seen the 2004 Pixar movie, The Incredibles, and when I read this clue, the only name I could remember was Edna Mode, fashion designer for the Supers. I needed the P from POUR (9D: Serve a drink) to jog my memory and remember the PARR surname. Members of the PARR family are Bob PARR (Mr. Incredible), Helen Parr (Elastigirl), Violet PARR (who can become invisible), Dashiell "Dash" PARR (who has superhuman speed), and Jack-Jack PARR (the baby of the family).
• POETS (19A: Writers like Joy Harjo, Tracy K. Smith, etc.) Joy Harjo was the POET Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022. Tracy K. Smith was the POET Laureate of the United States from 2017-2019. 
• ROCK AND ROLL (27A: Genre for Tina Turner and Heart) Both Tina Turner and the band Heart are in the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame. Tina Turner was inducted in 1991 as part of the duo, Ike & Tina Turner, and again in 2021 as a solo act. Heart was inducted into the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame in 2013.
• HARRY'S HOUSE (48A: Album with "As It Was" and "Satellite") HARRY'S HOUSE is the 2022 studio album by HARRY Styles. The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom. "As It Was" and "Satellite" were both released as singles from the album. As I have noted previously, "As It Was" broke the Guinness World Record for the "most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours (male)."
• LEA (54A: Actress Seydoux) In 2013, LEA Seydoux was awarded the Palme d'Or, the highest honor given at the Cannes Film Festival, for her performance in the movie Blue is the Warmest Colour. She also played Madeleine Swann in the 2015 James Bond movie, Spectre. She reprised the role of Madeleine Swann for the 2021 movie, No Time to Die.
• FLIP PHONE (62A: The Motorola Razr, for example) The original Motorola Razr was released in 2004. Have you heard that the FLIP PHONE is making a comeback?
• YEARS (17D: Dog ___ (age measurement)) It's popularly believed that dog YEARS are equivalent to seven human YEARS. It's a little more complicated than that, as the correlation isn't linear. The first YEAR of a dog's life is equivalent (in growth and development) to approximately 10-15 human YEARS, the second YEAR is equivalent to three to eight human YEARS, and after that each dog YEAR is equivalent to four to five human years. That's a bit complicated, so I'm going to stick with the seven YEARS equivalency.
• VEAL (41D: Osso buco protein) Oso buco is Italian for "bone with a hole." The dish is made with cross-cut VEAL shanks that have a narrow hole in the center of the cut. The marrow in the hole is an important feature of the dish. The VEAL shanks are braised with vegetables, white wine, and broth.
• POTS (58D: Houseplant holders) As I have previously written, I used to have difficulty keeping houseplants alive, but that has changed in recent years. A few months ago I had to buy some more POTS so I could repot some of my growing houseplant collection.

  

  African violet

  Yesterday my African violet bloomed. It's a new plant in my collection, as I recently traded one of my friends a money plant for it. Though it was blooming when I got it, this is the first time it has bloomed under my watch. This is a happy thing!

Geography review:

• ERIE (14A: Great Lake with the most abundant fish population) Lake ERIE is the shallowest and southernmost of the five Great Lakes. These conditions mean Lake ERIE has relatively mild water temperatures. That and an abundant plankton supply in the lake help the fish population thrive. Many species of fish call Lake ERIE home, including indigenous species such as steelhead, walleye, lake trout and king salmon, and non-indigenous species such as rainbow smelt and white perch. Over the years, overfishing and pollution have challenged the ability of Lake ERIE'S fish populations to survive. Since the 1970s, environmental regulations have helped restore water quality in the lake. We just saw our crossword-friend ERIE yesterday, and this is its third appearance this month.
• KYOTO (30D: Japan's "Eternal City") KYOTO was the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. The name "KYOTO" means "capital city." The current capital of Japan is Tokyo. KYOTO has been referred to as Japan's "Eternal City." It is known for its temples, shrines, and royal palaces.

LAST CALL works great as a title and theme. A nice variety of CALLs represented by an enjoyable theme set today. ADMIT ONE, PONDERS, AIRPLANE, and UTOPIAS are all nice answers, too. Thank you, Darby and Matthew, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Friday.