Wednesday, October 23, 2013 C. C. Burnikel
Theme:
VERMILION INTERSECTIONS, or
WHERE REPUBLICANS AND COMMUNISTS MEET AND GREET. [I refuse to call this
THE RED WEDDING!] The starred clues refer to themed answers indicating various shades of red that cross in the grid, [I dare to report with no trace of embarrassment.]
21 A. *Small fruit first cultivated in Oregon :
BING CHERRY. Wikipedia tells us, "The cultivar was created as a crossbred graft from the Black Republican cherry in 1875 by Oregon horticulturist Seth Lewelling and his Manchurian Chinese foreman Ah Bing, for whom the cultivar is named."
58 A. *Vin Scully will be its 2014 Grand Marshal :
ROSE PARADE. This New Year's Day festival of equestrians, marching bands and flower-covered floats antedates the Rose Bowl football game by 12 years. The latter was added in 1902 to help fund the former, which is now the province of the Honda motor car company.
12 D. *Chain named for a Stones hit :
RUBY TUESDAY, song and restaurant.
24 D. *"Clue" suspect :
MISS SCARLET
Leslie Ann Warren, shown here close to the other suspects - and tantalizingly close to a wardrobe malfunction - stepped in to play
Miss Scarlet in the movie version of
CLUE when director Johnathon Lynn's first choice, Carrie Fisher, went onto rehab four days before filming started. Whether she had the DT's is unreported.
And the centrally located unifier: 41 A. Humanitarian symbol, and a hint to what happens where the answers to starred clues intersect :
RED CROSS.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here. Our fearless leader has blended a colorful cocktail for us today, with an unusual 15 x 16 grid design, and intersecting horizontal and vertical entries long with a creative theme. Other possibilities include beets, apples, catchup, Bob the Tomato, Rover, Erik the Viking, Lucille Ball and the Rouge River. Let's see what else she has in store for us.
