Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Paste BN's daily crossword puzzle, First Dance
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! First Dance
Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & Sally Hoelscher
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor
Olivia: This was a fun one! I was actually able to give shoutouts to my top 3 films of all time in this puzzle: My Cousin Vinny (an absolute classic), Revenge of the Sith, and of course, Howl's Moving Castle. In fact, the book of the same name that the film is based on, by Diana Wynne Jones, is also a fave of mine (if you have young readers at home, definitely check out Diana's wonderful books!!). Thanks to Sally for a great collab once again.
Sally: Back in July, Olivia sent me four phrases she'd like to use as theme answers in puzzles. A couple of weeks ago when Olivia and my puzzle, "We Finish Each Other's Sandwiches," was published, I mentioned that it was the first of a set of four puzzles that resulted from our brainstorming efforts around those phrases. Today we're delighted to bring you the second puzzle of this set. The seed theme answer here was STUDIO GHIBLI. As always, it's a joy to collaborate with Olivia!
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- HOME (12A: Base that four runners cross after a grand slam) I would just like it noted that I – who have learned (almost) everything I know about sports from crossword puzzles – wrote a sports-related clue. Baseball is the sport I probably know most about, as my dad was a baseball fan.
- OREOS (17A: Cookies paired with Coca-Cola in a "Besties for a limited time" promotion) This "Besties for a limited time" collaboration between OREO and Coca-Cola resulted in Coca-Cola OREOS and OREO Coca-Cola. The OREOS have cookies "with a Coca-Cola taste" and "red edible glitter" in the creme. The soda has "a refreshing Coca-Cola taste with flavorful, OREO cookie-inspired hints."
- STUDIO GHIBLI (18A: "Howl's Moving Castle" animation company) STUDIO GHIBLI is an animation film STUDIO headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The STUDIO took its name from the Italian word, GHIBLI, which is based on a Libyan Arabic word referring to a hot desert wind. Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 animated movie from STUDIO GHIBLI that is loosely based on the 1986 book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones.
- RECAPS (23A: Intros to "Only Murders in the Building" episodes, for example) Like many shows, the intros to Only Murders in the Building feature RECAPS that remind viewers what happened on previous shows (and sometimes previous seasons). Yes, I did leap at the chance to include a reference to Only Murders in the Building in the puzzle.
- ANTLER (27A: What the stick the Grinch ties on his dog's head represents) This clue makes me happy. The Grinch tying a big stick on top of his dog's head (the dog's name is Max) to try and make him look like a reindeer is a classic scene.
- SPEEDY (43A: Like a cheetah but not a sloth) A SPEEDY cheetah is capable of running at a rate of 50 - 80 miles per hour. A not-so-SPEEDY sloth moves at a rate of 13 feet per minute. That's 0.14 miles per hour.
- LEA (49A: Salonga who has voiced two Disney princesses) LEA Salonga provided the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in the 1992 animated movie, Aladdin, and Mulan in the 1998 animated movie, Mulan.
- TOMEI (54A: Marisa who won an Oscar for "My Cousin Vinny") My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 movie about two New Yorkers - Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) - who are traveling through Alabama and end up getting arrested for a murder they didn't commit. They are defended by the titular character, Bill's cousin, Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci), who recently passed the bar exam (after five attempts). Marisa TOMEI plays Bill Gambini's fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito. Marisa TOMEI won an Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress for this role.
- I, TOO (58A: Langston Hughes poem with the lines "They'll see how beautiful I am / and be ashamed") Langston Hughes (1901-1967) wrote the poem, "I, TOO," in 1925. It's always a good day to be reminded of this poem.
- INDIE (59A: Not mainstream) And now a word from Olivia: Did you know there are INDIE crossword publications? AVCX is an INDIE puzzle outlet that publishes a weekly crossword puzzles (themed and themeless), as well as midi puzzles, cryptic puzzles, and trivia. In all of their puzzles, AVCX strives to highlight the voice of the constructors, and to pay constructors and editors fairly for the puzzles they make. If you're not familiar with AVCX, I encourage you to check them out. Also, AVCX subscriptions make great gifts for the puzzle lovers in your life.
- STOLEN (7D: Like Mona Lisa's smile in a Carmen Sandiego video game) In the Carmen Sandiego media franchise that began with the 1985 video game, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Carmen Sandiego and her fellow crooks have STOLEN things such as the Olympic Flame, the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, and yes, the Mona Lisa's smile. A knowledge of geography and an appreciation of punny humor were needed to thwart Carmen's plans.
- ABE (9D: Name of Timehop's dino mascot) Timehop is a smartphone app that collects your pictures and posts from other applications – photos, Facebook, Instagram, and the like – and each day presents you with memories that happened on that date in previous years. Timehop is part of my daily routine. I take a lot of photos, and I enjoy being reminded when things happened. I'm often amazed that it's been five years since we went on that trip or 13 years since we adopted our cat – you get the idea. The app also mixes in memories of pop culture happenings. Timehop's mascot, ABE, is a cartoon dinosaur. He appears at the end of each day's collection of memories with some witty quote. Timehop keeps track of how many days in a row you've checked in on your memories. I'm not going to admit to exactly how long my Timehop streak is, but it's longer than the number of days I've been blogging about the Paste BN crossword!
- IRENE (19D: "Flashdance ... What a Feeling" singer Cara) IRENE Cara (1959-2022) starred in the 1980 musical movie, Fame. She also sang the movie's theme song, which was also used as the theme song for the TV series Fame (1982-1987). "Fame! / I'm gonna live forever / I'm gonna learn how to fly..."
- PAW (25D: Feline or canine foot) This one's for Willow (my cat) and Charlie (Olivia's dog). Charlie has brought along a friend in his photo today, his cousin Ruby (Olivia's sister's dog). Ruby is kindly showing off her PAW.
- STAR (34D: "___ Wars: Revenge of the Sith") It was fairly easy to decide which entry in this puzzle to clue in reference to STAR Wars! STAR Wars: Revenge of the Sith was originally released in 2005. It is the third movie in the STAR Wars prequel trilogy, and the sixth STAR Wars movie that was released.
- EDU (42D: www.newschool.___) The New School is a private university in New York City that includes the Parsons School of Design, the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, and the Schools of Public Engagement.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- STUDIO GHIBLI (18A: "Howl's Moving Castle" animation company)
- STEP RIGHT UP (34A: "Come on over and take a look")
- CLUB SANDWICH (50A: Stacked deli offering)
FIRST DANCE: The FIRST word of each theme answer can be paired with the word DANCE to create a new phrase: DANCE STUDIO, DANCE STEP, and DANCE CLUB.
Does this puzzle inspire you to DANCE? This was a fun theme set to put together. Also, I am amused that this puzzle and the last puzzle Olivia and I did both contain a reference to a CLUB SANDWICH. Perhaps we were hungry when we were brainstorming ideas! Thanks to Olivia for the collaboration, and thanks to Amanda for editing. I hope you enjoyed this puzzle.
One more thing today: I second Olivia's recommendation to check out the INDIE crossword venue AVCX. Coincidentally, it just so happens that today's AVCX offering is a Lil AVCX (midi) puzzle constructed by me. It's a breezy little 10x10 puzzle titled "You Can Say That Again." In true INDIE fashion, it breaks a few crossword rules... If you give it a go, I hope you enjoy it!