August 6, 2025

Title: MY STARS! (Freestyle)

Constructor:  Zachary Edward-Brown

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

MY STARS! (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to GOOD HEAVENS (20A: "You startled me!"). 

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• INES (40A: Poet Juana ___ de la Cruz) Juana INÉS de la Cruz (1651-1695) was a poet, philosopher, and composer and a Catholic nun. In her writing, she advocated for the education of women and wrote about gender equality.
• WII (4D: WarioWare: Smooth Moves console) WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2006-2007) is a video game developed by Nintendo for their WII console. It was the first spin-off Mario game to be released for the WII. WarioWare is composed of a series of microgames, each of which lasts about five seconds.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• PTS (9A: Scoring stat for Caitlin Clark) Caitlin Clark is a professional basketball player. She is a point guard for the WNBA's Indiana Fever. In college, Caitlin Clark played for the University of Iowa. She is the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, with 3,951 points (PTS). Living in Iowa City, and being a University of Iowa alum myself, I have managed to learn a lot about Caitlin Clark even though I don't usually follow sports closely.
• TRAIN (12A: The Polar Express, for one) The Polar Express is a TRAIN featured in the 1985 children's picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. The TRAIN takes children to the North Pole to visit Santa. The book was adapted into a 2004 movie of the same name.
• NOIR (13A: Film genre that's an anagram of an element) NOIR is an anagram of IRON.
• AERIAL YOGA (16A: Fitness practice involving hammocks) AERIAL YOGA uses a hammock as a support for traditional YOGA poses. Michelle Dortignac developed AERIAL YOGA in 2006 by combining aspects of YOGA, pilates, and dance along with the use of a hammock. I am simultaneously intrigued by and frightened of AERIAL YOGA.
• MANE (26A: Pride members pride) Although my cat, Willow is not a lion, and thus not a member of a pride, she is proud of her "MANE." 

• ASHE (41A: Arthur ___ Stadium) Arthur ASHE Stadium is the largest tennis arena in the world. Part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, Arthur ASHE Stadium is the primary stadium for the US Open. It has a seating capacity of 23,771. Arthur ASHE (1943-1993) won the inaugural US Open in 1968.
• PELE (47A: One-named soccer star) PELÉ (1940-2022) is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. During his career, PELÉ averaged a goal per game.
• HAN (58A: Leia's love interest) and ARM (66A: One of four for Jedi hunter General Grievous) We have a pair of Star Wars clues today. Leia is Princess Leia Organa. Her love interest is HAN Solo. General Grievous is a Kaleesh cyborg. His two mechanical ARMs can split into four ARMs, allowing him to wield four light sabers at the same time. During the Clone Wars, he was the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Armies. 
• STAGS (1D: Deer old dads?) Read carefully to see that the first word in this clue is "Deer," not "Dear."
• POKEMON GO (9D: Mobile game in which you might "catch" Pikachu) POKÉMON GO is an augmented reality game in which players move around real world locations attempting to find and "catch" POKÉMONs (such as Pikachu).
• TRANS ICON (10D: Laverne Cox or Elliot Page) Laverne Cox's filmography includes the TV shows TRANSform Me (2010) and Orange is the New Black (2013-2019) and the movie Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word (for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award). Elliot Page's filmography includes The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024), Gaycation (2016-2017), and Close To You (2023). Two worthy examples for the answer TRANS ICON.
• RAE (14D: "Barbie" actor Issa) Issa RAE portrayed President Barbie in the 2023 movie Barbie.
• AHS (21D: Scary TV show with a season titled "Delicate") AHS here stands for American Horror Story, a TV series that first aired in 2011. AHS is an anthology TV series, meaning each season is a self-contained miniseries with a different set of characters and story lines. American Horror Story: Delicate is the show's 12th season, which aired from September 2023 to April 2024. The season was based on Danielle Valentine's book, Delicate Condition.
• ATE (29D: Enjoyed some gimbap, say) Gimbap is a Korean dish consisting of rice and other ingredients that are rolled in dried sheets of seaweed. The name gimbap combines the name of the seaweed used, gim, and the word bap, which refers to cooked rice.
• PEA (44D: Wasabi ___ (spicy snack bit)) Wasabi PEAs are PEAs that have been roasted or fried and then coated with wasabi powder, giving them a spicy kick.
• LENO (48D: Fallon's predecessor on "The Tonight Show") The Tonight Show has had six hosts since it first aired on NBC in 1954. Jay LENO has had two stints as host of The Tonight Show, from 1992-2009 and then again from 2010-2014. The current host of The Tonight Show is Jimmy Fallon, who followed Jay LENO in 2014.
• TAJIN (52D: Zesty spice mix) TAJÍN is a seasoning consisting mainly of chili peppers, lime, and salt. It is sold by a Mexican company that was founded in 1985. 

When I solve a themeless puzzle, I'm on the lookout for the entry or entries that inspired the title. Sometimes it doesn't click while I'm solving, and I need to look back on the grid to figure it out. Today, however, as soon as I encountered GOOD HEAVENS I knew it had inspired MY STARS! The answer FOR THE LOVE OF GOD (37A: "I'M GONNA LOSE IT!") goes nicely with the title as well. Thank you, Zachary, for this enjoyable puzzle.