January 3, 2024

Title: CATCH AN EARLY SHOW

Constructor: Sally Hoelscher

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

GREAT LAKES (17A: What the HOMES mnemonic is used to remember)

BRITISH COLUMBIA (27A: Washington's neighbor to the north)

BAKE AND SHARK (46A: Popular Trinidadian dish with fried flatbread and boneless fish)

OFF THE GRID (62A: In a spot without phone service, say)

Theme synopsis: The first (EARLY) words of the theme answers form the name of a SHOW, GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SHE'S (10A: "___ So Unusual" (Cyndi Lauper album)) and HE'S (63D: "___ So Unusual" (1929 Helen Kane song covered by Cyndi Lauper)) When I realized I had the near dupes of SHE'S and HE'S in the grid, I decided that instead of trying to change one of them, I wanted to find a way to clue them in a related way. SHE'S So Unusual is Cyndi Lauper's debut studio album, released in 1983. The album includes the songs "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," and "She Bop." SHE'S So Unusual also includes a 45 second cover of "HE'S So Unusual," a song recorded by  Helen Kane in 1929. (Helen Kane was the inspiration for the animated cartoon character, Betty Boop.) Cyndi Lauper won six Grammy Awards for SHE'S So Unusual, including Album of the Year. 
• DISC (21A: The second "D" of DVD) DVD stands for digital video DISC or digital versatile DISC.
• NEOPET (36A: Virtual animal such as Shoyru) A NEOPET is a virtual animal that users of the online site Neopets can take care of - buying them food, toys, and other accessories. Shoyru is a dragon-like NEOPET.
• BAKE AND SHARK (46A: Popular Trinidadian dish with fried flatbread and boneless fish) BAKE AND SHARK is a popular street food offering in the island country of Trinidad and Tobago. BAKE AND SHARK is a sandwich of breaded and pan-fried SHARK meat served on fried flatbread. 
• OCT (50A: Spina bifida awareness month (Abbr.)) Spina bifida is a birth defect caused by incomplete closing of the spinal cord during the early stage of pregnancy. Spina Bifida Awareness Month is observed in October (OCT.) of each year. It's a time to bring awareness to Spina Bifida and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of people living with Spina Bifida. As part of Spina Bifida month, OCT. 25 is World Spina Bifida Day. On that day, many people wear teal to raise awareness of Spina Bifida. This clue goes out to my friend, Megan, who spends each October educating folks about Spina Bifida, and whom I celebrate each October 25 by wearing teal. 
• DOSAS (68A: Crepes sometimes served with chutney) Originating from South India, DOSAS are thin pancakes made from a fermented batter of lentils and rice.
• LPGA (1D: Org. that Lydia Ko competes in) Lydia Ko was the youngest person to win a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour event, which she did at the age of 15. I learned about Lydia Ko from the June 24, 2022 puzzle. 
• ASL (5D: Language at Gallaudet) Gallaudet University, located in Washington D.C., is the only institution of higher education where all programs and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.
• PH SCALE (9D: 7 is in the middle of it) Hooray for science in my crossword! The PH SCALE,  which ranges from 0 to 14, is used to determine the acidity or basicity of a solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic, solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic.
• ELMO (12D: Red Muppet who made a guest appearance on "The West Wing") and KERMIT (47D: "The Muppet Show" host) I managed to fit two Muppet references into the puzzle, and that made me happy! In the fifth season of the TV series, The West Wing, ELMO made a guest appearance on the show, along with Big Bird and Zoe. On the episode, ELMO received a medical checkup from the First Lady, Abbey Bartlet (Stockard Channing). I have fond memories of watching The Muppet Show. Here's a compilation of KERMIT in the opening sequences.
• TERI (18D: "The Fosters" star Polo) The Fosters is a TV series following the Adams Foster family. TERI Polo portrays police officer Stef Adams Foster. Sherri Saum portrays Stef's wife, Lena Adams Foster, a vice principal of a charter high school. The couple's blended family includes one biological son and four adopted teenagers.
• SEX (42D: "___ Education" (TV series)) SEX Education is a Netflix TV series centered on the lives of Otis (portrayed by Asa Butterfield) and Maeve (portrayed by Emma Mackey), teenagers who set up a SEX advice business.
• CAT FOOD (43D: Feline kibble) Hooray, I managed to get CAT FOOD into the grid!

  

  Willow

  This one's for you, Willow. 
• MFAS (55D: Some Iowa Writers' Workshop degrees) The Iowa Writers' Workshop is a graduate level Program in Creative Writing at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. (Hello from Iowa City!) Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, as well as writers Rita Dove and Jane Smiley, are just three of the many people that have received MFAS from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
• ODES (60D: "Black Roses" poems) Black Roses: ODEs Celebrating Powerful Black Women is a 2022 book by Harold Green III. The book includes ODEs to Ava DuVernay, Janelle Monae, Kamala Harris, Simone Biles, and others.

Geography review:

• GREAT LAKES (17A: What the HOMES mnemonic is used to remember) and ERIE (58D: The "E" of HOMES) It was fun to have this pair in the puzzle and to clue them in a related manner. The GREAT LAKES are (in HOMES order): Huron, Ontario, Michigan, ERIE, and Superior. Our crossword-friend ERIE is off to strong start this year, with back-to-back appearances just three days into the year! It's not too late to get your guess in for how many times we'll see ERIE in 2024. See yesterday's post. 
• BRITISH COLUMBIA (27A: Washington's neighbor to the north) BRITISH COLUMBIA is the westernmost province of Canada. It is north of the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, west of the province of Alberta, and south of the Canadian territories of Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The western edge of BRITISH COLUMBIA is Pacific Ocean coastline. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, and its largest city is Vancouver.
• CHAD (6D: N'Djamena's country) CHAD is a landlocked country in Africa. The capital of CHAD is N'Djamena.
• PORTUGAL (40D: Lisbon's country) PORTUGAL, along with Spain, is located on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Lisbon is the capital and largest city of PORTUGAL.

This theme idea came to me last September when my husband and I were on vacation. At the time, we were in Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA, and a new episode of the GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF had just become available on Netflix. Aha! I am a GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF fan; it's one of the few TV shows I watch on a regular basis. The show is marketed as the GREAT BRITISH Baking Show in the United States (for reasons relating to the Pillsbury BAKE OFF). I hope you had as much fun solving this puzzle as I had putting it together.