February 5, 2026

Title: ENTERTAIN ME (Freestyle)

Constructor: Hannah Slovut-Einertson

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

ENTERTAIN ME (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. There are many answers in the puzzle that the title of ENTERTAIN ME could apply to. I think it is particularly apt for the stack of answers in the upper right corner:

• DRUM ROLLS (1A: Suspense-building sounds)
• MOVIE REEL (14A: Old-time film storage device)
• SOUND BITE (16A: Short audio clip)

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• MASKS (30D: "Minna's ___" (children's book by Louise Gooding about the neurodiverse experience)) Louise Gooding is an author whose children's books feature characters that "stand out, are different, and who have something to say." Her picture book, Minna's Masks, was released last summer. The book teaches kids about the awesome abilities neurodiverse people have and introduces information about masking at an age appropriate level. Masking is the (conscious or subconscious) suppression of autistic behaviors done in order to be perceived as neurotypical. I'm always happy to learn about a new book and author. 
• LEE (37D: "Foundation" actor Pace) Foundation is a sci-fi TV series loosely based on a series of stories by Isaac Asimov. The show originally aired on Apple TV+ from 2021-2025. The show takes place in the future at a time when most of the known galaxy is ruled by a trio of despotic leaders collectively known as Empire. One of those leaders is Brother Day, portrayed by LEE Pace.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OTIS (10A: "Try a Little Tenderness" singer Redding) OTIS Redding released his version of the song "Try a Little Tenderness" in 1966. 
• We have a number of clues in today's puzzle getting us ready for the 2026 Winter Olympics (known as the Milan Cortina Games), which are happening now in Italy. Events started yesterday, and the Opening Ceremony is tomorrow. The Winter Olympics will continue through February 22.
• FLIPS (18A: Some Snowboard Big Air tricks) Snowboard Big Air debuted at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and became an official event in 2022. Athletes snowboard down a ramp and then launch off and perform aerial tricks – including FLIPS. To learn more, check out "Snowboarding 101: What to know about Olympic big air."
• NINE (17D: Number of distinct medal events for short track speed skating in the 2026 Olympics) The NINE short track speed skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics include three individual events for men, three individual events for women, and three team events (one men's, one women's, and one for mixed teams).
• LOS (20D: ___ Angeles (host city for the 2028 Olympics)) As we enjoy the Winter Olympics, we also anticipate the 2028 Summer Olympics, when the host city will be LOS Angeles, California.
• STAR (54D: Standout athlete at the Olympics) Who will be the STAR(s) of the 2026 Winter Olympics? We'll discover that over the next few weeks.
• PLINKO (19A: "The Price Is Right" game with chips) I wrote about PLINKO a few months ago.
• ADA (21A: Programming pioneer Lovelace) It's always delightful to see computer programmer ADA Lovelace (1815-1852) in the puzzle. She is considered to be one of the first to recognize the full potential of computers.
• SEDONA (28A: Arizona city known for its pink sandstone formations) SEDONA is a city in north-central Arizona. Located within the Coconino National Forest, SEDONA is known for its natural beauty, which includes formations of pink and red sandstone.
• INGA (34A: "Young Frankenstein" role played by Teri Garr) Young Frankenstein is a 1974 movie directed by Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder portrays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (the grandson of Victor Frankenstein), and Teri Garr portrays INGA, Frederick's assistant.
• ALADDIN (36A: "Friend Like Me" musical) The 2011 stage musical ALADDIN is based on Disney's 1992 animated movie of the same name. The song "Friend Like Me" appears in the original movie, but was expanded into a big production number for the musical, complete with a tap dancing break.
• KANSAS (42A: The "K" of KCMO) KCMO is KANSAS City, Missouri. Located on the western edge of Missouri along the Missouri River, KANSAS City is the state's largest city. The KANSAS City metropolitan area straddles the Missouri-KANSAS border.
• TEETH (45A: What most humans are born without) Most humans begin to get TEETH around six months of age. However, some babies are born with one or more visible TEETH. Humans develop two sets of TEETH. Humans usually have 20 baby TEETH and 32 permanent (adult) TEETH.
• RAMOS (53A: "In the Heights" actor Anthony) In the Heights is a 2005 musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was adapted into a musical film of the same name in 2021. Anthony RAMOS stars in the movie as Usnavi de la Vega, the owner of a bodega in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
• RODE (60A: Did dressage, for example) Dressage is a form of exhibition and competition horse riding. In this equestrian sport, a rider directs the horse through a sequence of predetermined movements. Dressage is sometimes described as "horse ballet." This type of horse riding requires immense precision and subtle communication between horse and rider.
• ROOF (2D: "Fiddler on the ___") The classic musical Fiddler on the ROOF was first performed on Broadway in 1964, and it won a Tony Award for Best Musical. I was trying to decide whether to use this mention of Fiddler on the ROOF as an excuse to link to the song "Tradition" or to "Sunrise, Sunset." Then I decided ... why not both?
• UVULA (3D: Body part sometimes seen when a cartoon character screams) This is a fun clue! The UVULA is the tissue that can be seen hanging down at the back of your mouth when you open wide and look in a mirror. (You know, the hangy-downy-thing...) This clue creates a great visual of a cartoon character screaming with their mouth so wide open that their UVULA is visible.
• RED PANDA (5D: Bamboo-eating raccoon relative) The RED PANDA is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Despite its name, the RED PANDA is not closely related to the giant panda. It is more closely related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks.
• TAEKWANDO (11D: Martial art with kyorugi) TAEKWONDO is a martial art that originated in Korea. It primarily involves kicking techniques and punching. The term kyorugi refers to TAEKWONDO sparring. Many years ago now, our family did TAEKWONDO. (I made it to the rank of blue belt, but I remember nothing!) The part of TAEKWONDO that I didn't enjoy was sparring. 
• DID THE MATH (29D: Ran some numbers) DID THE MATH is a great phrase. Fun to have a little MATH in our word puzzle.
• ESCAPE POD (31D: Sci-fi emergency vehicle) Some days I wish for an ESCAPE POD, but alas, that's only a sci-fi thing.
• APES (43D: "Great" animals) The quotation marks around the word "great" in the clue indicate that this word can be directly paired with the answer. Great APES are a family of primates that includes, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.
• ROSIE (50D: "The Flight Attendant" actor Perez) The Flight Attendant (2020-2022) is a TV series based on Chris Bohjalian's novel of the same name. ROSIE Perez plays Megan Briscoe on the show.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• YOU BET I AM (61A: "Yep, that's definitely an accurate description of me!")
• SUPERHERO (63A: Person who might fly to the rescue)
• I'M DOING IT (12D: "Look at me!)

Hopefully this puzzle lived up to its title for you and you were entertained. We have mentions of several musicals, a couple of TV shows, a song, a sports team, a book, a game show, and of course the Winter Olympics ... there's a lot of entertainment to be had in addition to DRUM ROLLS, a MOVIE REEL, and a SOUND BITE. Thank you, Hannah, for this entertaining puzzle.