October 12, 2023

Title: FAIRY-TALE ENDINGS

Constructor: Bruce Haight

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

LIVE A LITTLE (16A: "C'mon, don't be uptight!")

SEEING RED (31A: Really angry)

JOY RIDING (47A: Driving recklessly for thrills)

POPS THE HOOD (62A: Reveals a car's engine compartment)

Theme synopsis: Taking the ENDINGS of the theme answers in order gives us the name of a classic FAIRY TALE, "LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD."

Things I learned:

• CEO (18A: Thasunda Duckett, for TIAA) TIAA (formerly TIAA-CREF) is the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund. You can see why it uses the initialism TIAA! Thasunda Duckett became the CEO of TIAA on May 1, 2021. Previously, Thasunda Duckett was the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• NSA (10A: "Snowden" org.) Snowden is a 2016 biographical movie about Edward Snowden, a whistleblower that leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). XKeyscore is the computer system used by the NSA that collects, searches, and analyzes internet data. In a 2013 interview, Edward Snowden revealed the purpose of XKeyscore, raising questions about its legality.
• MOORE (14A: "G.I. Jane" actress Demi) G.I. Jane is a 1997 movie that is a fictional account of the first woman to undergo specialized military training similar to that of the U.S. Navy SEALs. Demi MOORE portrays Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil, who is given the nickname G.I. Jane by the media. Demi MOORE received a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in G.I. Jane. (The Razzie Awards, or Golden Raspberry Awards, are parody awards given each year to honor cinematic failures.)
• NINA (20A: "Mississippi Goddam" singer Simone) In response to the racially motivated killings of Emmet Till and Medgar Evers in Mississippi, and the bombing of a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four black children, NINA Simone wrote "Mississippi Goddam." The civil rights protest song was first recorded in 1964. In 2019, "Mississippi Goddam" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
• AMIGA (29A: Female friend, in Spanish) and AMIE (38D: Female friend, in French) This is a nice friendly pair of clues.
• OREO (52A: Cookie with a Kettle Corn variety) Kettle Corn OREOs are a limited edition flavor  that was released as part of a special campaign called "My OREO Creation." A Kettle Corn OREO features golden OREO cookies and Kettle Corn flavored creme. The creme contains bits of puffed millet. Kettle Corn OREOs were originally released in 2018, so I'm not sure they're still available. 
• POPS THE HOOD (62A: Reveals a car's engine compartment) By the time I reached this answer, I had caught on to the theme, so I knew the last word here would be HOOD. POPS THE HOOD makes perfect sense, but I nonetheless tried "lifts" and "raises" here first instead of POPS.
• ASK (69A: One of the A's in AMA) AMA here doesn't stand for the American Medical Association, but rather the question and answer sessions that became popular on Reddit known as "ASK Me Anything."
• NINE (70A: Number of forms for the goddess Durga) Durga is a Hindu goddess who is honored during the 10-day Hindu festival, Durga Puja. We saw Durga Puja as a theme answer October 11, 2021, and I learned that Durga has nine forms from the November 27, 2021 puzzle. 
• URL (8D: dream defenders.org is one) Dream Defenders is an organization that began in Florida in 2012, and became a national organization in 2023. According to their website, Dream Defenders are abolitionists, Black feminists, socialists, and internationalists. 
• ATARI (30D: Developer of the game Pitfall!) The ATARI video game Pitfall! was released in 1982. Players control a character named Pitfall Harry, who is a fortune hunter and explorer. Pitfall Harry is seeking treasure in a jungle, and has a limited time to find it, while avoiding pitfalls, of course. 
• JOSHUA (47D: Actor Henry who played Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration") Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is a TV special based on Disney's 1991 animated movie, Beauty and the Beast. The special first aired in December 2022. As the clue informs us, JOSHUA Henry played the role of Gaston. H.E.R. portrayed Belle, and Josh Groban played the role of the Beast.
• OPI (63D: Maker of Swipe Night press-on nails) Swipe Night by OPI are "black to magenta cat eye press-on nails in a coffin shape."

Geography review:

• ENG (36A: London's country (Abbr.)) London is the capital of England (ENG). England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland comprise the United Kingdom (aka Britain). London is also the capital of the United Kingdom.
• YEMEN (53A: Country on the Red Sea) YEMEN is located on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. YEMEN's neighbors are Saudi Arabia and Oman. YEMEN has coastline along the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Guardafui Channel.

If you're looking for a FAIRY-TALE ENDING, you're come to the right place. This is a fun theme. My "AHA!" moment came after uncovering LIVE A LITTLE and SEEING RED. This is a striking grid with the diagonal line of black squares down the center. Thank you, Bruce, for this puzzle that was a FAIRY-TALE beginning to my day.