November 12, 2023

Title: PHOTO SPREAD 

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

POSTAPOCALYPTIC (17A: Like the world of "Mad Max: Fury Road")

PROP COMIC (35A: Stand-up performer such as Carrot Top)

PAPER OR PLASTIC (52A: Checkout counter question)

Theme synopsis: The word PIC (a synonym of PHOTO) has been SPREAD by each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• PROP COMIC (35A: Stand-up performer such as Carrot Top) A PROP COMIC is, as you might guess from the name, a COMIC that uses PROPs in their comedy routine. The PROPs might be humorous objects, or they might be conventional objects used in humorous ways. Carrot Top is the stage name of stand-up comedian Scott Thompson. Yes, he has red hair. He is known for his PROP comedy which incorporates numerous PROPs pulled from trunks on the stage.
• URL (37A: glasshalffull.co is one) Glass Half Full is a grass roots glass recycling company located in New Orleans, Louisiana (aka The Big EASY). The company recycles glass by crushing it into eco-friendly sand and gravel. The sand and gravel is utilized in a variety of ways, including restoration of eroded shoreline and in sandbags for flood mitigation. Although the answer of URL was inferable here, I did not know about the company Glass Half Full, and I was delighted to learn about them and their fascinating approach to glass recycling.
• NBC (7D: "Lopez vs Lopez" network) Lopez vs Lopez is a TV series that premiered on NBC in November 2022. The show was created by George Lopez, Mayan Lopez, and Debby Wolfe, and features father and daughter George Lopez and Mayan Lopez playing fictionalized versions of themselves.
• TWO (25D: Number of acts in the play "Jitney") Jitney is a TWO-act play by August Wilson. It is the eighth of ten plays in August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, a decade-by-decade dramatization of the Black American experience in the twentieth century. Although I was unfamiliar with Jitney, I have previously written about Gem of the Ocean, the first play in The Pittsburgh Cycle.
• PAULA (49D: Actress ___ Jai Parker) PAULA Jai Parker voices the role of Trudy Proud in the animated TV series The Proud Family (2001-2005), and in the reboot series, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022-present). PAULA Jai Parker was also one of the main cast on the reality TV series Hollywood Divas (2014-2016).
• ELLEN (51D: "Dead Like Me" actress Muth) Dead Like Me was a TV series that originally aired from 2003-2004. ELLEN Muth portrays Georgia "George" Lass, an 18-year-old that was killed when a toilet seat from the de-orbiting Mir space station fell on her. After dying, George becomes a grim reaper in Seattle, Washington, one tasked with removing the souls of people just before they die.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HENNA (16A: Diwali dye) Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated during the Hindu month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November). During Diwali, diyas, oil lamps made from clay, are lit throughout the home and outside, and women may adorn themselves in colorful clothes and decorate their hands with HENNA. This is a timely answer, because the multi-day festival of Diwali is being celebrated now.
• POSTAPOCALYPTIC (17A: Like the world of "Mad Max: Fury Road") Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 movie, the fourth in the Mad Max franchise. Mad Max: Fury Road is a POSTAPOCALYPTIC action movie set in a desert wasteland where gasoline and water are scarce.
• ABU (29A: "Aladdin" monkey) In the Disney movie Aladdin, ABU is Aladdin's kleptomaniac pet monkey. Frank Walker provided the vocal effects for ABU in both the 1992 animated movie, and the 2019 live-action remake.
• BLAINE (47A: ___ Anderson ("Glee" character) BLAINE Anderson, played by Darren Criss, joined the cast of the TV series Glee (2009-2015) in the sixth and final season. BLAINE was the lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, which was a rival show choir to the show's primary show choir, New Directions.
• PAPER OR PLASTIC (52A: Checkout counter question) I try to remember to bring my own reusable bags, a side effect of which is that I am not asked, "PAPER OR PLASTIC."
• TAYE (65A: Stage and screen actor Diggs) TAYE Diggs has performed in the Broadway musicals, Rent (originating the role of Benny, the landlord) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (playing the title character, Hedwig). TAYE Diggs has also appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, including the TV series Private Practice (portraying Dr. Sam Bennett). 
• USAIN BOLT (8D: Olympic sprinter with an apt surname) USAIN BOLT is a retired Jamaican sprinter that is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, and an eleven-time World Champion. He holds the world record in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 x 100 metres relay.
• EZRA (27D: Progressive journalist Klein) EZRA Klein was a co-founder of Vox, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The American Prospect, holding editorial positions at the last two. He is also the host of the podcast, The EZRA Klein Show.
• CELLISTS (36D: Musicians such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Tina Guo) CELLIST Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the BBC Young Musician award in 2016, and was the first Black musician to win the competition. Sheku Kanneh-Mason is one of seven Kanneh-Mason siblings, all of whom play the piano, cello, or violin. (I have previously written about Isata Kanneh-Mason.) Tina Guo is a CELLIST that has become known for her videos featuring theatrical backdrops and elaborate costumes. 
• HER (46D: "Ramona and ___ Father" (kids' book)) Ramona and HER Father (1977) is one of a series of books about Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary. 

Geography review:

• IRAN (66A: Country that's home to Vakil Bazaar) Vakil Bazaar is a market located in Shiraz, IRAN. Vakil Bazaar was built in the 1760s.
• EASY (67A: The Big ___ (NOLA)) The Big EASY is one nickname of New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA). The exact origin of "The Big Easy" nickname is unknown. Some think it is a comparison to New York City's nickname of "The Big Apple," suggesting life in New Orleans is more laid-back than in New York City. Others have suggested "The Big Easy" is a reference to how easy it was for musicians to find work in the city in the early twentieth century.
• OMANI (31D: Person wearing a khanjar, maybe) A khanjar is a type of dagger that originated from Oman. A khanjar has a short curved blade that's shaped like the letter "J." The khanjar is pictured on the reverse side of the OMANI rial (the currency of Oman).
• IOWA (56D: Cedar Rapids' state) Cedar Rapids is about 30 miles north of where I live in IOWA. Cedar Rapids is the second-largest city in Iowa, following the state's capital, Des Moines. 

POSTAPOCALYPTIC is an interesting word. It sounds kind of cool, and is fun to say, but its meaning is bleak. It is however, a great grid-spanner today. As you can see, there were quite a few things I didn't know in this puzzle. That's not a bad thing; it simply means today was a big learning day for me! Thank you, Jared, for this puzzle that was an informational way to start my Sunday.