May 29, 2026

Title: RANDOM SAMPLE

Constructor: CJ Tan

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• COUPLES MASSAGE (19A: Relaxing spa booking for two)
• I'M PLEASED (33A: "This satisfies me")
• TIME-LAPSE PHOTO (53A: Image of a sunset progression, e.g.)

RANDOM SAMPLE: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word SAMPLE: COUPLES MASSAGE, I'M PLEASED, and TIME-LAPSE PHOTO.

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• ELLE (31A: "Sentimental Value" actor Fanning) Sentimental Value (2025) is a Norwegian film that tells the story of two sisters and their reunion with their estranged father. It won the Grand Prix Award at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. ELLE Fanning stars (appropriately) as a famous American actress.
• ANN (61A: "Some Bright Nowhere" author ___ Packer) Some Bright Nowhere is Ann Packer's most recent novel, published last year. The premise of the book is that a woman with a terminal illness asks her husband of 35 years to leave the house so her best friends can take care of her. In learning about the book, I started watching an interview of ANN Packer by Oprah Winfrey, who chose Some Bright Lights as her book club selection last November. I finally realized I needed to stop watching the 45-minute interview since I was supposed to be writing this blog post. I might have to check this book out.
• GERMANY (39D: Country home to the Miniatur Wunderland) Miniatur Wunderland, located in Hamburg, GERMANY, is the largest model railway system in the world (according to Guinness World Records). (Oh dear, here's another rabbit hole I went down!) Construction began on Miniatur Wunderland in December 2000, it opened in 2001, earned the Guinness World Record in 2015, and the railroad continues to grow. In 2016, Minatur Wunderland partnered with Google to produce a miniature version of Google Street View. The result is an interactive map that allows you to explore Minatur Wunderland.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CREEK (1A: "Dawson's ___" (teen drama set in Massachusetts)) Dawson's CREEK originally aired from 1998-2003. The TV series centers on a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts. James Van Der Beek portrayed the title character, Dawson Leery, who was 15 years old during the show's first season.
• BOTOX (14A: Injection that might treat chronic migraines) BOTOX is the familiar name for botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This is the neurotoxin that causes the disease botulism. In controlled doses, BOTOX has a number of medicinal uses, including being used to treat migraines and cerebral palsy. BOTOX is also used cosmetically for smoothing facial wrinkles.
• OMW (15A: Possible response to "wru?") wru? = where are you? OMW = on my way!
• DAE (18A: "Lost" star Daniel ___ Kim) Lost is a sci-fi TV series that originally aired from 2004 to 2010. The show follows the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Daniel DAE Kim portrayed Jin-Soo Kwon on the show.
• CHU (22A: "In the Heights" director Jon M. ___) In the Heights is a 2005 musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was adapted into a musical film of the same name in 2021. The movie was directed by Jon M. CHU. In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that has a large Dominican community.
• PRADA (41A: "The Devil Wears ___ 2" (2026 film)) As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I'm looking forward to seeing The Devil Wears PRADA 2, the sequel to the 2006 movie The Devil Wears PRADA.
• LOA (57A: Mauna ___ (Hawaiian volcano)) Mauna LOA is one of five volcanoes that form the island of Hawai'i. Mauna LOA is an active volcano, and has likely been erupting for over 700,000 years. Mauna LOA is one of a pair of Hawaiian volcanoes with 3-letter names that make frequent crossword appearances. The other volcano of the pair is Mauna Kea. Mauna LOA and Mauna Kea are about 35 miles apart on the island of Hawai'i. Unlike Mauna LOA, Mauna Kea is currently dormant.
• E-BIKE (58A: Two-wheeler with a battery) My husband and I have had E-BIKEs for nine years. I really appreciate my E-BIKE, and have been putting in a lot of miles on it this year. (Don't let anyone tell you riding an E-BIKE isn't exercise!)
• NOKIA (63A: "___ brick" (nickname for a 2000s-era phone known for its durability)) I have previously written about the NOKIA brick.
• TREE (65A: "Poems are made by fools like me / But only God can make a ___") "Poems are made by fools like me / But only God can make a TREE," is from Joyce Kilmer's 1913 poem "TREEs." The poem begins with, "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a TREE."
• SODA POP (10D: "Thirsty" Saja Boys song) "SODA POP" is a 2025 song performed by the fictional boy band the Saja Boys in the 2025 animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The song is performed by Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Chung, Kevin Woo, and SamUIL Lee, who provide the singing voices of the Saja Boys in the movie.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• DAME (6A: Title for Maggie Smith)
• ET TU (4D: "You're betraying me, too?!")
• CGI (22D: Tech for "Jurassic Park" dinos)
• PASTA BAR (34D: Buffet area with alfredo sauce)
• PIPE (54D: Portal in Super Mario games)

The word RANDOM in today's title is serving as an anagram indicator. It is alerting us that in the theme answers the letters of the word SAMPLE appear in a RANDOM order. Thank you, CJ, for this interesting puzzle.

A note about comments: I welcome your comments on the blog! For one thing it's nice to know folks are reading what I've written. My goal for this blog has always been for it to be informational, conversational, and kind. I ask that you keep those goals in mind when commenting. Unkind comments will be deleted. Note that I am more likely to delete a negative comment if it is posted anonymously. (P.S. You can point out when I make a mistake – in fact, I appreciate that so I can correct it.)