February 8, 2024

Title: LIE DOWN

Constructor: Jared Goudsmit

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme Answers:

POPS A WHEELIE (4D: Does a bike trick)

ANGELINA JOLIE (14A: Actress who played Lara Croft and Maleficent)

BORDER COLLIE (22D: Type of herding dog)

Theme synopsis: Each vertical (DOWN) theme answer ends with the letter pattern -LIE.

• POPS A WHEELIE
• ANGELINA JOLIE
• BORDER COLLIE 

Things I learned:

• CINEMA (40A: ___ Sins (YouTube channel that critiques movies)) Jeremy Scott and Chris Atkinson created the YouTube channel CINEMASins, which has the slogan, "No Movie is Without Sin." The channel is home to a series of videos titled "Everything Wrong With..." that critiques and provides commentary on movies.
• ARIA (2D: J'Nai Bridges solo) J'Nai Bridges is a Grammy-Award winning mezzo-soprano. She has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, and San Francisco Opera. She is featured in a documentary titled J'Nai Bridges Unamplified, which is part of the PBS series, American Masters: In the Making.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• AGE (15A: ___ of Aquarius (astrological time)) The AGE of Aquarius is an astrological term. There is an AGE corresponding to each sign of the zodiac. Each AGE lasts approximately 2,160 years, and is related to the rotation of the Earth. Astrologers do not agree on when the AGE of Aquarius will start, or whether it already has. When I read this clue, I immediately thought of the lyrics of "Aquarius," the opening number of the 1968 rock musical Hair. "This is the dawning of the AGE of Aquarius / AGE of Aquarius..." Surely I wasn't the only one!
• OBAMA (21A: Michelle who said, "Success isn't about how your life looks to others. It's about how it feels to you") This Michelle OBAMA quote is from a commencement speech she delivered at Oregon State University in 2012. She went on to say, "...being successful isn't about being impressive, it's about being inspired. That's what it means to be true to yourself." Good advice.
• MOLES (25A: "Star-nosed" mammals) Star-nosed MOLES are small, semi-aquatic animals. Each star-nosed MOLE has 22 appendages on its nose, arranged in a star shape. This uniquely-shaped nose isn't used to smell, but for touching and feeling and navigation, as its eyesight is quite poor.
• EDAM (39A: Holland cheese) EDAM is a semi-hard cheese traditionally sold in spheres wrapped with red paraffin wax. The cheese is name after the town in the northwest Netherlands where it was originally made.
• APP (42A: Snapchat or Subway Surfers) Snapchat is a social media APP focused on sharing photos. Subway Surfers is a game APP where users assume the role of young graffiti artists caught in the act of "tagging" a metro railway site, who then run through the railroad tracks to avoid being caught.
• JOE (45A: "We did it, ___" (Kamala quote)) "We did it, JOE," is what Vice-President Kamala Harris said in a phone call to President Joe Biden upon learning they had won the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
• CAT (46A: Cheetah, e.g.) Willow is always happy to see her big CAT cousins mentioned in the puzzle. This particular photo of Willow makes me laugh. She was curled up on my lap,

  

  Willow

  and she felt the need to hold her tail down with her paw. 
• VOODOO (50A: Louisiana ___ (African diasporic religion)) Louisiana VOODOO combines elements of traditional religions of West Africa, Catholicism, and Haitian VOODOO.
• ELF (53A: Fantasy humanoid such as Legolas) Legolas is an ELF in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
• CLARA (54A: American Red Cross founder Barton) The American Red Cross is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides relief and support to those in crisis. CLARA Barton (1821-1912) was a hospital nurse during the U.S. Civil War. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881.
• SARI (59A: Garment such as the paithani) A paithani is a type of SARI made of silk woven with gold thread. It is named after the town in India where it was first made.
• ELLEN (5D: Actress Burstyn) ELLEN Burstyn made her Broadway debut in 1958. In 1975 she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Doris in Same Time, Next Year.  She reprised the role for the 1978 movie adaptation of the play.  She has appeared in many plays, movies, and TV shows over the years. Last year she appeared in the movies Mother, Couch and The Exorcist: Believer.
• DEE (6D: "Mudbound" director Rees) Mudbound is a 2017 movie based on a 2008 novel of the same name by Hillary Jordan. The movie is a historical drama telling the story of two World War II veterans – one white, one Black – who return home to Mississippi after the war. DEE Rees won a New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Director for Mudbound.
• ARE (8D: "Why ___ You Like This" (comedy series)) Why ARE You Like This? is an Australian TV show that follows the lives of three young adults living in Melbourne. The show is currently available on Netflix, which describes it as a "razor-sharp satire of 20-something life in Melbourne."
• ANGELINA JOLIE (14D: Actress who played Lara Croft and Maleficent) ANGELINA JOLIE has played many characters; it must have been difficult to decide which ones to feature in this clue. She played the role of Lara Croft in the movies Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003). She's portrayed Maleficent twice so far, in the movies Maleficent (2014) and Malefecent: Mistress of Evil (2019). She will play the role of Maleficent again in the upcoming movie Maleficent 3.
• SLIME (20D: Goo in some ASMR videos) ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, and refers to a tingling sensation beginning at the scalp and moving down the back of the neck and the spine. ASMR may be triggered by auditory or visual stimuli, and some people are more susceptible to the experience. There are millions of YouTube videos designed to induce ASMR, and some of theme feature SLIME.
• BORDER COLLIE (22D: Type of herding dog) As herding dogs, BORDER COLLIEs are energetic dogs that require a lot of physical exercise. The breeds name derives from the fact that the dogs were originally bred in the BORDER lands between England and Scotland.
• AZTEC (49D: Quetzalcoatl worshipper) Quetzalcoatl is a deity in AZTEC culture and literature. From the Nahuatl language, the name "Quetzalcoatl" means "precious serpent."
• ALI (60D: "Tuca & Bertie" star Wong) I wrote about the animated sitcom Tuca & Bertie on July 28, 2023. Tuca and Bertie are anthropomorphic BIRDS, a toucan and a song thrush. ALI Wong voices the character Bertie.
• BTS (61D: "Fake Love" band) "Fake Love" is a 2018 song by the K-pop group BTS.

Geography review:

• TEXAS (12D: Beyonce's birth state) Beyoncé was born in Houston, TEXAS. Located in the southeast part of TEXAS, Houston is the state's most populous city.

 Although none of the vertical theme answers end with the word LIE, they all end with the letters L-I-E. I appreciate the consistency that the word LIE is "hidden" in a sense at the end of each answer. I also like the added effect of the word LIE moving DOWN in the grid as you proceed from left to right. Thank you, Jared, for this great puzzle.