August 28, 2025

Title: SUPERSTAR(T)

Constructor: Emma Oxford

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Theme synopsis:

• SCRIPT DOCTOR (20A: Screenwriter who makes revisions)
• VISION BOARD (36A: Dreamer's collage)
• MARKET SHARES (54A: Measures of businesses' dominance)

SUPERSTAR(T): The first word (i.e. START) of each theme answer can form a new word with SUPER at it's START: SUPERSCRIPT, SUPERVISION, and SUPERMARKET.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• HODA (14A: Journalist Kotb) HODA Kotb co-hosted Today (NBC's morning news show) from 2007 to 2025. She's also an author, and has written books for children and adults. Her 2010 autobiography is titled, HODA: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee. 
• MSNBC (58A: "Morning Joe" network) Morning Joe is a news talk show on MSNBC. Former U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough discusses the news of the day with his co-hosts and guests.
• BIAS (62A: Unconscious ___ (hiring concern)) You may have heard that we all have BIAS. It's true. Unconscious BIAS, also referred to as hidden BIAS or implicit BIAS, is often shaped by our early experiences. If you'd like to learn more about unconscious BIAS and test yourself for hidden BIAS, check out this article.
• ANNE (65A: "Colossal" actress Hathaway) ANNE Hathaway may certainly be a colossal (as in exceptional) actress, but since the word is in quotation marks, this clue is referring to her role in the 2016 movie Colossal. In this sci-fi movie, ANNE Hathaway portrays Gloria, an unemployed writer in New Hampshire who accidentally manifests a giant reptilian monster in Seoul. I'm always happy to see ANNE Hathaway in the puzzle.
• STEW (67A: Kamounia or goulash) Kamounia is a North African beef and liver STEW seasoned with cumin. It is a part of Sudanese, Egyptian, and Tunisian cuisines. Goulash is a meat and vegetable STEW and a national dish of Hungary.
• LOLCAT (2D: Online feline who might request "treets plz") A LOLCAT is essentially a cat meme, and the term is particularly used to refer to cat images that feature intentionally grammatically incorrect text. A classic example of a LOLCAT is an image Eric Nakagawa posted in 2007 of a gray cat that appeared to be smiling with the caption, "I can HAS cheezburger?" My cat, Willow, enjoyed this clue. I thought about turning this photo into a meme, but I don't really have those skills!

• LEGO (7D: Toy brand that makes a Millennium Falcon kit) The Millennium Falcon is the starship  commanded by Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca. If you'd like to build a model of the Millennium Falcon, LEGO can make that happen. The Millennium Falcon LEGO kit contains 7,541 pieces and currently costs $849.99 on the LEGO website.
• ENID (25D: Emma Myers' role in "Wednesday") Wednesday Addams is the daughter of the Addams Family franchise, which is based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. She is also the title character of Wednesday, a TV series that premiered on Netflix in November 2022. Jenna Ortega portrays Wednesday on the show. ENID Sinclair, portrayed by Emma Myers, is a werewolf and is Wednesday's roommate at Nevermore Academy. Clever Emma Oxford, today's constructor, to work a fellow Emma into this clue.
• MENSA (32D: "My Year in ___" (podcast about a high-IQ society)) MENSA is an international organization founded in 1946. To join MENSA, prospective members need to score in the 98th percentile or higher on an IQ or other approved intelligence test. My Year in MENSA is a four-part podcast released by iHeartRadio in December 2019. The podcast is hosted by comedian Jamie Loftus, who recounts her experience of passing the test required to join MENSA, and tells of her interactions and experiences with the group's members. You can read a review of the podcast here and listen to it here. 
• PIN NUMBER (34A: ATM code, redundantly) PIN stands for "personal identification NUMBER," which indeed makes PIN NUMBER redundant. (One moment while I contact the Department of Redundancy Department.)
• BEN (37D: Obi-Wan Kenobi's alias) In the 1977 movie Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is introduced as a mysterious hermit living under the alias BEN Kenobi in order to hide from agents of the Galactic Empire.
• AMISH (39D: Like many residents of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) The AMISH are an ethnoreligious group known for simple living and plain dress. Many AMISH immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, and Pennsylvania – particularly Lancaster County – has the largest population of AMISH in the United States.
• SXSW (57D: TX film festival whose "W: stands for "west") SXSW, or South by Southwest, is a conglomeration of festivals - music, interactive media, and film - held in mid-March in Austin, Texas. The next SXSW will be March 12-18, 2026.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• EAT HERE (24A: Phrase on a neon diner sign)
• SEEN IT (33A: "I've watched that before")
• RIM (26D: A swish doesn't touch it, in basketball)

I was so intrigued by today's title. Once I figured out the theme, it made sense. "SUPERSTART" is not an actual word, so putting the T in parentheses is a clever way to alert solvers to look at the START of the theme answers. Thank you, Emma, for this super puzzle.