First Pixar movie with a Black protagonist / MON 9-12-22 / Sugarhill Gang tune with the repeated line Jump on it / Los Angeles venue named for star of 12 Angry Men / South American palm with black-purple berry

Puzzles

First Pixar movie with a Black protagonist / MON 9-12-22 / Sugarhill Gang tune with the repeated line Jump on it / Los Angeles venue named for star of 12 Angry Men / South American palm with black-purple berry

Team FunTrove

September 12, 2022

First Pixar movie with a Black protagonist / MON 9-12-22 / Sugarhill Gang tune with the repeated line Jump on it / Los Angeles venue named for star of 12 Angry Men / South American palm with black-purple berry

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Constructor: Michael Lieberman

Relative issue: easyish Monday, with a pair not-at-all-Monday clues/solutions

THEME: SHONDA RHIMES (54A: Creator of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” … or, when mentioned aloud, a touch to the begins of 20-, 30- and 45-Across) — every theme reply’s opening phrase “rhymes” with “Shonda”:

Theme solutions:

FONDA THEATRE (20A: Los Angeles venue named for the star of “12 Angry Men”)
“WANDAVISION” (30A: Disney+ collection within the Marvel Cinematic Universe)
HONDA ACCORD (45A: First automotive from a Japanese producer to be made within the U.S. (1982))

Word of the Day: “APACHE” (28D: Sugarhill Gang tune with the repeated line “Jump on it!”) —

[warning: cultural insensitivity aplenty]

• • •

Conceptually, that is fairly cute. A simple repurposing of a well-known individual’s title. The RHONDAs and VONDAs of the world in all probability really feel just a little neglected, however the fame issue on these people is not precisely Monday-level. Vonda Shepard is a singer and Vonda McIntyre was a scifi author of word, however you could not use them on a Monday, and as for RHONDAs, seems that title *feels* much more widespread than it truly is. I blame the Beach Boys’ “Help Me, RHONDA.” The solely well-known RH- RHONDA I can consider is RHONDA Fleming, an actress of yore (i.e. the ’40s and ’50s—my film wheelhouse, however in all probability not yours). She performed Jimmy Cagney’s faithless girlfriend within the 1949 crime basic “White Heat” (“I made it, ma! Top o’ the world!” [explosion!]). So anyway, you get the SHONDA rhymes that you just get, and what you get is okay, although it was just a little bizarre to get a TV collection creator because the revealer after which a TV collection she *did not* create as one of many themers. Also, what the hell is the FONDA THEATRE? And why is it spelled Britishly? Man, I hate when American theaters try this. Feels weirdly pretentious. Leave the -re stuff to the Brits (and Canadians and what not). Am I purported to know the FONDA THEATRE? I do know FORD’S THEATRE (-RE once more, what the hell, are all non-movie theaters spelled that approach!?). I’m certain the FONDA THEATRE exists, but it surely does not strike me as well-known. Not Monday well-known. And talking of not Monday well-known, what within the precise heck is occurring with the clue on “APACHE“!?!?! If you understand the Sugarhill Gang, you understand them for the ultra-famous early rap hit “Rapper’s Delight.” I’ve actually by no means heard of “APACHE,” which is okay, I have never heard of many issues, however I actually suppose this can be a unusual technique to method a Monday clue: to take an extraordinary tribal title and switch it right into a Saturday-level trivia query. Plus, you gotta surprise why you’d drive proper into the entire cultural appropriation mess (see video, above). Just a weird cluing transfer.

Outside the theme, the fill was first rate, perhaps even barely higher than the standard Monday fare. I loved seeing CHAUCER (my previous pal) and GUERNICA, and CINCO DE MAYO makes for a reasonably energetic lengthy Down there within the SE. ARCO ACAI ERRS did not have me too hopeful popping out of the NW, however the fill picked up after that. Not certain I’d put ARCO and ARCS in the identical grid (since they’re each associated to bows) (from L. arcus, “bow, curve”). Not surprisingly, I had issue solely when the cluing tried to get cute, which as we speak got here with the tie-in clues concerning the issues introduced residence deliberately/unintentionally from the seaside. SEASHELL was straightforward sufficient, however SAND was not. I assume you get SAND in your towel and numerous baggage and clothes and thus you “carry it residence” however that clue is a stretch, and the stretchiness provides vagueness and thus issue. I believed the reply was SUN- one thing. Seriously thought (for a second or so) that there was some form of rebus afoot, and the reply was SUN [BURN] … I imply, these are *undoubtedly* “unintentional,” whereas perhaps you *meant* to carry residence SAND from the seaside. As a memento. So SAND added disagreeable grit. But in any other case, this performed like a traditional straightforward Monday. Hope you discovered not less than a few of this puzzle gratifying. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]

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