November 5, 2023

Title: WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (16A: "Don't even try to change things")

THE ACROPOLIS (32A: Ancient Greek site located on a hill overlooking Athens)

THUMBS UP EMOJIS (54A: Texters' indicators of approval)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is contained IN the word THIS.

Things I learned:

• MASTERS (12D: Paralympian Oksana who has won seven gold medals across three different sports) According to her website, Oksana MASTERS is a "coffee drinker, animal lover, and world traveler with a passion for sports." She's also a Paralympic athlete, and has won gold medals competing for Team USA in para cross-country skiing, para biathlon, and para-cycling. She has also competed in pararowing. Oksana MASTERS was born in Ukraine, near the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. Exposure to radiation resulted in significant birth defects to her limbs and some of her organs. Her memoir, The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph, was published this year.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OBOE (13A: Instrument similar to a bassoon) Both the OBOE and the bassoon are double-reed woodwind instruments. The OBOE plays in the soprano range, while the bassoon, which is larger, plays in the tenor and bass ranges.
• AXE (14A: Deodorant brand) and SECRET (27D: Deodorant brand) A little subtle reminder from the crossword to remember to use deodorant.
• SPARTA (15A: Greek city-state in the movie "300") The 2006 movie 300 is based on a comic book series of the same name. It's an epic historical action movie revolving around King Leonidas of SPARTA, who leads 300 soldiers into battle against an army of more than 300,000 soldiers.
• RENT (21A: "La Vie Boheme" musical) "La Vie Bohème" (French for "The Bohemian Life") is a song from the 1996 musical RENT. In the musical, "La Vie Bohème" is broken into two parts ("La Vie Bohème A" and "La Vie Bohème B"). The song "I Should Tell You" is sung as an interlude between the two halves. RENT is loosely based on the 1896 opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.
• THE ACROPOLIS (32A: Ancient Greek site located on a hill overlooking Athens) THE ACROPOLIS is the remains of an ancient Greek citadel located on a hill above the city of Athens, Greece. THE ACROPOLIS includes the remains of several ancient buildings, including the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena. Many of the monuments that are part of THE ACROPOLIS were built during the fifth century BCE.
• RUFFLED (37A: Like some feathers or tuxedo shirts) I like this fun clue!)
• BEEF (39A: Wagyu, e.g.) Wagyu is a Japanese breed of BEEF cattle. Meat from Wagyu cattle is sometimes labeled according to areas, such as Kobe BEEF, or Mishima BEEF.
• NORSE (40A: Like the gods Thor and Hel) Thor is the NORSE god associated with storms, thunder, and lightning. In NORSE mythology, Hel is said to preside over an underworld realm that shares her name.
• MOANA (3D: Disney movie with wayfinding) The 2016 Disney animated movie, MOANA, is set on a Polynesian island. One of the characters in the movie is Maui, a trickster and shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and a master of wayfinding, a Polynesian system of navigation.
• HEELYS (7D: Brand of "roller shoes") HEELYS are a brand of roller shoe - shoes with wheels embedded in the sole, allowing wearers to roll along by shifting their weight to their heels. 
• SHEILA (17D: ___ E. aka "The Queen of Percussion")  SHEILA E. gave her first public performance, including a drum solo, at the age of five onstage with her dad, Pete Escovedo. Known as the "Queen of Percussion," SHEILA E. has performed with Prince, Beyoncé, and Phil Collins, while also having a successful career of her own.
• REGINA (41D: Oscar winner King) REGINA King won the 2019 Academy Award (aka Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Sharon Rivers in the movie, If Beale Street Could Talk.
• ODE (47D: Many a Sharon Olds poem) Sharon Olds won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2013 for her poetry collection, Stag's Leap. Even if you were unfamiliar with Sharon Olds, this answer is inferable since ODE is a frequent crossword answer. 
• PUMAS (48D: Some big cats) Willow is happy to see her big cat cousins,

  

  Willow

  
  PUMAS in today's puzzle. No PUMA has life as easy as Willow's life as a house cat.

Matthew Stock is treating us to another Sunday puzzle based on a High School Musical song. This time, the song is "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER," which has a pep rally feel. In case you've missed the other puzzles in this series, you can find them all here. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful Sunday puzzle.