L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, October 12, 2022 Amie Walker

Theme: Once again, I can't do any better than the unifier.  

55. Revived game show hosted by Jane Krakowski that's also an apt title for this puzzle: NAME THAT TUNE.  This is a game show in which contestants attempt to identify a tune played by an on-stage orchestra in a minimum number of notes.  It started on radio in 1952, and then appeared on TV from 1943 to 1959.  Over the decades it has had several reincarnations, most recently in January, 2020.  In the puzzle, theme fill are song titles.  Let's see how it works.

18. Protest song?: COME ON EILEEN.  A 1982 hit by Dexys Midnight Runners.  "Come on" is plaintive plea for someone to be more compliant or stop being annoying.

 

33. Backing track?:  HELP ME RHONDA.  A 1965 hit by The Beach Boys.  To back someone is to help out in some sort of way.

41. Opening number?:  DEAR PRUDENCE.  From the Beatles White Album, released in 1968.  "Dear Someone" is the typical opening of a snail mail letter, if anyone sends them anymore.

Hi,  Gang - JazzBumba here to fill your day with song.  Don't feel bad it you found the theme to be a bit opaque.  I had to appeal to the Corner blogger team to help figure it out.  Special thanks to Husker Gary who saw the deepest.  Some added layers here are that song, track and number are all synonyms for a tune, with each in a different context; and that each theme entry contains a girl's or woman's name, for an added touch of elegance.

Across:  

1. "We can seat you now" gadget: PAGER.  It beeps and flashes in a restaurant.

6. Italian wine used in cooking: MARSALA.   A fortified wine made in Sicily. Marsala is most commonly used in cooking to create nutty, rich caramelized sauces. 

13. Puts in a row: LINES UP.  Puts things in order.

15. "So it would appear": I GATHER.  I guess so.

16. Spoon, for one: UTENSIL. A tool or implement.

17. The 4,080-piece Disney Castle, e.g.: LEGO SET. 

It's expensive

20. Boy in the "Star Wars" prequel films: ANI.   Anakin Skywalker was a legendary Force-sensitive human male who was a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic and the prophesied Chosen One of the Jedi Order, destined to bring balance to the Force. Also known as "Ani" during his childhood, Skywalker earned the moniker "Hero With No Fear" from his accomplishments in the Clone Wars. His alter ego, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was created when Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, pledging his allegiance to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious at the end of the Republic Era.

21. "What __, your maid?": AM I.  Sarcasm.  But clean up after yourself - OK?.

22. Short mission?: RECON.  An abbreviated form of reconnaissance - an exploratory military survey of enemy territory

26. Alexander of "Rizzoli & Isles": SASHA.  Suzana Drobnjakovic [b 1973,] known by her stage name Sasha Alexander, is an American actress and TV director. She played Gretchen Witter on Dawson's Creek and has acted in films including Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You. Alexander played Caitlin Todd for the first two seasons of NCIS.

30. Msg. to the whole squad: APB.   All Points Bulletin.  An electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.

32. Drink suffix: -ADE.  Generally used with drinks made from citrus fruits.

37. Twix ingredient: CARAMEL.  Along with chocolate and a cookie.

40. Directly toward the sunset: DUE WEST.   The cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees. westward.

43. Go bad: ROT.   Decay.

44. "Hey, that's enough!": T M I.   Too Much Information.  Please tell me less.

45. "Hey, that's enough!": OK NOW.  Stop it already.

48. Derisive look: SNEER.  often with a curled lip.

51. Virginia Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS.  Social commentary on upper class life in England after WW I.

53. Gear tooth: COG.   As defined.

60. Prodded: POKED AT.   Jabbed with a finger or other object

63. Rely on excessively: USE A LOT.  

64. Buttercup family member: ANEMONE.   Anemone is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.

Grown from bulbs

65. Array for BB gun target practice, perhaps: TIN CANS.  Cheap targets.

66. Broadway props?: TONY NOD.  Props as praise rather than accessory items - clever clue

67. Really love: ADORE.

Down:

1. Climbing spikes: PITONS.   Pegs driven into a rock or crack to support a climber or a rope.

2. Low-hemoglobin condition: ANEMIA.   A low number of red blood cells.

3. __ therapy: GENE.   The transplantation of normal genes into cells in place of missing or defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders.

4. Exxon, in Canada and Europe: ESSO.   Brand name for auto fuel.

5. Damage beyond repair: RUIN.   Destroy

6. Many-legged arthropod: MILLIPEDE.  Any of a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, 

7. Outfielder Tommie in the NY Mets Hall of Fame: AGEE.  Tommie Lee Agee [1942 - 2001] was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1962 through 1973, most notably as a member of the New York Mets.  He was the American League rookie of the year in 1966 and a two time gold glove winner. 

8. Wild party: RAGER.   A larger gathering usually of highschool or college students where massive amounts of alcohol are consumed.

9. "La La Land" Oscar winner Emma: STONE.   Emily Jean Stone [b 1988,] known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

10. Relieved sounds: AHS.  An exhaled exclamation used to express a range of emotions including surprise, pleasure, sympathy, and realization.

11. Novelist Harper: LEE.   Nelle Harper Lee [1926 - 1916] was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. 

12. Class with smocks: ART.  To protect from paint spatters.

13. Pixar film that lost to "Encanto" for a Best Animated Feature Oscar: LUCA. A 2021 American computer-animated coming-of-age fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Set on the Italian Riviera, the film centers on Luca Paguro, a young sea monster boy with the ability to assume human form while on land, who explores the town of Portorosso with his new best friends,

14. Urgent request: PLEA.

19. Mosque authority: IMAM.  A title of various Muslim leaders, especially of one succeeding Muhammad as leader of Shiite Islam.

23. Word with candy or sugar: CANE.  Works either way.

24. Track figures: ODDS.   The probability that one thing is so, or will happen rather than another thing.

25. Tidy: NEAT.   Orderly.

27. __-Pei: dog breed from China: SHAR.   The Shar Pei is a dog breed from southern China. Traditionally kept as a chicken eating dog and property guardian, the Shar Pei was driven to the brink of extinction in the 20th century. The breed is known in the West for its deep wrinkles, whilst a traditional less wrinkled form is maintained in Hong Kong. 

28. Natural rope fiber: HEMP.   Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use.  It is used to make a variety of commercial and industrial products, including rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, and biofuel.

29. 30-Across, for one: ALERT.  Warn someone of a danger, threat, or problem, typically with the intention of having it avoided or dealt with.

31. "24K Magic" singer Mars: BRUNO.   Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, dancer, and music video director. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. 

I like this one more

34. Took a nosedive: PLUMMETED.  Like the stock market this year.

35. "Darn it all to __!": HECK.   Bowdlerized exclamation of anger or dismay.

36. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany": OWEN.   A Prayer for Owen Meany is the seventh novel by American writer John Irving. Published in 1989, it tells the story of John Wheelwright and his best friend Owen Meany growing up together in a small New Hampshire town during the 1950s and 1960s. According to John's narration, Owen is a remarkable boy in many ways; he believes himself to be God's instrument and sets out to fulfill the fate he has prophesied for himself.

37. USN officers: CDRS.  The written abbreviation for Commanders when it is used as a title.

38. Many millennia: AEON.  An indefinite and very long period of time, often a period exaggerated for humorous or rhetorical effect.

39. Matter of interest?: RATE.  Referring to the annual charge per year on a borrowed amount of money.

42. Gossip: DIRT.   Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, usually negative, and typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

46. Eye-related: OCULAR.

47. Had meager success in a series of games: WON ONE.  Like, frex., the 1-4 Lions.

49. Foe: ENEMY.  Adversary.

50. Home detector target: RADON.  Radon is a chemical element with the symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas.

52. Boarded up: SHUT.  Closed for business.

54. Understands: GETS. Comprehends.

56. Spanish hand: MANO.  Literal.

57. __ Kate Dillon of "Billions": ASIA.   Asia Kate Dillon [b.1984] is an American actor, best known for their roles as Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black and Taylor Mason in Billions. Dillon is non-binary and uses singular they pronouns.

58. Look after: TEND.   Take care of.

59. Folded snack: TACO.  In the U.S. this is a Mexican dish consisting of a fried tortilla, typically folded, filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned meat, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes.  It is the Spanish word for sandwich.  Once in Mexico I ordered a jamon con queso taco and got a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread.  True story.

60. "The Women of Troy" novelist Barker: PAT.   Patricia Mary W. Barker  [née Drake; b. 1943] is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and plainspoken

61. "Woman Power" singer Yoko: ONO.  Yoko Ono [b. 1933] is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York City in 1953 with her family.   In 1969 she married English musician John Lennon of the Beatles. 

62. "__ Burns: America": KEN.   Kenneth Lauren Burns [b. 1953] is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV and/or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS.

That's all folks.  Hope you enjoyed the music.

Cool regards!

JzB