Constructor: Adam Wagner

Relative problem: regular (?)

THEME: “HERE’S THE KICKER…” (51A: Lead-in to a stunning twist … or a touch to 16-, 22-=, 32- and 45-Across) — themers are all “kickers” in a method or one other:

Theme solutions:

• FOOTBALL PLAYER (16A: Buffalo Bill, e.g.)
• ROCKETTE (22A: Radio City Music Hall performer)
• UNBORN BABY (32A: Bun within the oven, so to talk)
• KANGAROO (45A: Marsupial stylized within the Qantas emblem)

Word of the Day: Jason MRAZ (25A: Jason who sang “I’m Yours”) —

Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the discharge of his debut studio album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002), which spawned the only “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)“, that reached the highest 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His subsequent two studio albums, Mr. A-Z (2005), and We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008), peaked within the prime 5 on the Billboard 200; with the latter album spawning the Grammy Award profitable singles “Make It Mine“, and “Lucky” with Colbie Caillat. 

The album’s lead single “I’m Yours“, reached the highest ten on the Billboard Hot 100, whereas spending a then-record 76 weeks on the Hot 100, and was licensed Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[6] His fourth album, Love Is a Four Letter Word (2012), peaked at quantity two on the Billboard 200, changing into his highest-charting album thus far, and spawned the only “I Won’t Give Up“, which turned his second prime ten on the Hot 100. (wikipedia)

• • •

Short write-up immediately as a result of in some way I’m penning this at evening as a substitute of my typical 4:30am and I actually haven’t any enterprise being up this late however I could not sleep so … right here I’m. This felt lengthy / gradual, which may be very Very bizarre contemplating that it is undersized (14×15). Just could not get on the fitting wavelength. There have been names that I blanked on (OCKHAM) or forgot existed (MRAZ), after which a complete lot of awkward / dated fill (RUER, LEK, ECOCAR, and so forth.). I’ve by no means believed in ECOCARs, and I imagine in them even much less now that electrical vehicles are so frequent. I’d (a lot) sooner settle for E-CAR than ECOCAR. I’m trying on the grid and seeing AIS and I am unable to even think about what its clue was. [… checking…] Oh. Artificial Intelligenceseses? (47D: The Terminator and HAL 9000, for 2). Hmm. I believe there is a cause constructors have not tried to make that occur. It simply appears to be like / feels dangerous. It’s an OK factor (and a film title!) within the singular, however within the plural, woof, do not prefer it. Then there’s only a heap of ye olde stuff, your ATATs and NONOs and TSARs and what not. IN THE ZONE and UP IN ARMS give the grid some much-needed life, however the quick stuff is de facto far too bumpy. As for the theme … it does not fairly work for me. The revealer has potential, however in some way the execution feels uneven, haphazard. A FOOTBALL PLAYER may be a “kicker”—that could be a place that exists, true—however a ROCKETTE is certainly, at all times a “kicker.” I consider KANGAROOs extra as hoppers than kickers. Mules kick. I’m positive KANGAROOs do kick, however, I dunno, kicking’s probably not a paradigmatic Kangactivity in my thoughts. And positive, infants do kick within the womb occasionally, in order that’s fantastic, however the very phrase UNBORN BABY … , I believe possibly all of the disingenuously sentimental anti-abortion / forced-birth rhetoric across the “unborn” has simply SOURED me on this phrase. It’s a wonderfully fantastic phrase. It simply hit me unsuitable, for some cause. I actually couldn’t provide you with UNBORN BABY with out a bunch of crosses. The creepy being pregnant euphemism within the clue (“Bun within the oven”) was not serving to. I simply didn’t share this puzzle’s thought of enjoyable.