LA Times Crossword Answers 15 Apr 13, Monday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Wynonna or Naomi of country music JUDD
The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna.

5. “Doctor Zhivago” heroine LARA
The heroine of Boris Pasternak’s epic novel “Doctor Zhivago” is Lara. The Lara character was inspired by Pasternak’s mistress Olga Ivinskaya.

9. Files opened with Adobe, for short PDFS
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

13. Licked cookie OREO
The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

15. La Scala showstopper ARIA
The La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater the name “Teatro alla Scala”.

20. Bigfoot cousin YETI
A yeti is a beast of legend, also called an abominable snowman. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

21. “__ Misérables” LES
The 2012 movie adaption of the musical “Les Misérables” has an ensemble cast, although the two actors getting the most acclaim seem to be Hugh Jackman (as Jean Valjean) and Anne Hathaway (as Fantine). There’s a lot of buzz about the way the soundtrack was recorded. In the past few decades it is common for actors to lip-sync musical numbers to voices that are pre-recorded. In “Les Misérables” the actors instead sang while on set with a piano accompaniment playing in their ears. The orchestral accompaniment was added in post-production.

25. Follow one’s new job, in Realtorese RELO
Relocate (relo.) is a real estate term.

27. Sci-fi vehicle: Abbr. UFO
In 1952, the USAF revived its studies of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in a program called Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book ran from 1952 until it was shut down in 1969 with the conclusion that there was no threat to national security and that there were no sightings that could not be explained within the bounds of modern scientific knowledge.

30. Attention from Dr. Mom TLC
Tender loving care (TLC).

32. Answers an invite, for short RSVPS
RSVP stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

43. Sea shocker EEL
Electrophorus electricus is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric “eel” isn’t an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body that is related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (that’s 500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

56. Pamplona runner TORO
Pamplona, Spain is famous for its San Fermin festival held in July every year, the highlight of which is the Running of the Bulls. Every year, 200-300 people are injured in the bull run, and 15 people have been killed since 1910. If you get to Pamplona two days before the Running of the Bulls, you can see the animal-rights protest event known as the Running of the Nudes. The protesters are as naked as the bulls …

59. Simon Says relative, and a hint to what happens after the starts of 16-, 22-, 36- and 50-Across FOLLOW THE LEADER
“Simon Says” is a kids’ game. The idea is for the players of the game to obey the “controller” who gives instructions. But the players should only obey when the controller uses the words, “Simon says …”. The game has very old roots, with a Latin version that uses the words “Cicero dicit fac hoc” (Cicero says do this).

64. Not right in the head LOCO
In Spanish, if one isn’t sane (sano) one might be described as crazy (loco).

65. “Auld Lang __” SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

66. Nevada gambling city RENO
The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the whole world at the time.

Down
2. Dickens villain Heep URIAH
Uriah Heep is a sniveling insincere character in the novel “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. The character is such a “yes man” that today, if we know someone who behaves the same way, then we might call that person a “Uriah Heep”.

5. Tina’s “30 Rock” role LIZ
“30 Rock” is a sitcom on NBC that was created by the show’s star Tina Fey. Fey is an ex-performer and writer from “Saturday Night Live” and uses her experiences on that show as a basis for the “30 Rock” storyline.

7. Poet Frost ROBERT
The wonderful poet Robert Frost was a native of San Francisco. Frost was well recognized for his work during his lifetime, and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

8. Franklin of soul ARETHA
I think Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one in their list of the greatest singers of all time.

14. Camera maker that merged with Konica MINOLTA
Konica was a Japanese manufacturer of photographic film and film cameras, as well as related photographic and photocopying equipment. The company was founded in 1873, and was in the photography business before Kodak. Konica merged with Minolta in 2003 to form Konica Minolta.

Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras and related products. Minolta was founded in 1928 to make cameras using imported German technology. One of the company’s most memorable products was the world’s first integrated autofocus 35mm SLR camera. Minolta merged with Konica in 2003, forming Konica Minolta.

18. Coke Zero competitor DIET RC
Even though Coca-Cola Zero is in the category of “diet soda”, the marketing folks at Coca-Cola don’t like its association with the word “diet”. The target market for the beverage is young, adult males, so it is described as “calorie-free” rather than “diet”, the assumption being that males associate “diet” with women. Not in this house …

RC Cola introduced its first diet beverage way back in 1958, a product called Diet Rite Cola (or “Diet RC”) that is still around today, although the formulation has been changed many times.

28. Gary Larson’s “The __ Side” FAR
“The Far Side” is a cartoon series drawn by Gary Larson. It ran from 1980 to 1995, and continues today in reruns in many papers. A lot of “The Far Side” cartoons feature animals, often in outrageous human-like situations. Larson was so popular with people working with animals, that in 1989 an newly discovered insect species was names Strigiphilus garylarsoni. How cool is that?

29. Pedro’s peeper OJO
“Ojo” is Spanish for “eye”.

34. “The Raven” poet POE
“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allen Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore”. As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore” …

35. NBC sketch show SNL
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)

37. Yemen neighbor OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

46. “Hell is other people” French dramatist SARTRE
“Huis Clos” means “behind closed doors” in French. It is the title of the Jean-Paul Sartre play that we in the English-speaking world would better recognize as “No Exit”. The play features four characters who are trapped in a room that they discover is actually located in Hell. One of the characters is Estelle Rigault, a society woman who married her husband for her money, and then has an affair that results in a child whom she murders. Heavy stuff! “No Exit” is the source for one of Sartre’s most famous quotations, “Hell is other people”, meaning that Hell isn’t found in torture or physical punishment, but in the torment inflicted by others.

50. Morning __: flower GLORY
Morning glory is the familiar name for many species of flowering plants.

51. DeGeneres’s sitcom ELLEN
Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997 DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian, in a scene with her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

52. Actress Lindsay LOHAN
I think that actress Lindsay Lohan’s big break was in the Disney remake of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. I’ve really only enjoyed one of Lohan’s films though, “Freaky Friday” from 2003 in which she stars alongside the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.

53. Praise KUDOS
Our word “kudos” is used to acclaim an exceptional achievement. “Kudos” is not a plural, despite a common misapprehension. “Kudos” is a singular noun derived from the Greek “kyddos” meaning “glory, fame”.

55. Young newts EFTS
Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

58. Greek Cupid EROS
Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.

60. Golfer Trevino LEE
Lee Trevino is an American golfer, of Mexican descent, and so has the nicknames “The Merry Mex” and “Supermex”. He is well known for his great sense of humor and for playing pranks on the golf course. For many years when he played he wore a Band-Aid on his arm, covering the tattoo with the name of his ex-wife.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Wynonna or Naomi of country music JUDD
5. “Doctor Zhivago” heroine LARA
9. Files opened with Adobe, for short PDFS
13. Licked cookie OREO
14. Underage person MINOR
15. La Scala showstopper ARIA
16. *Comforter-and-sheets set for a large mattress, say KINGSIZE BEDDING
19. Enter gingerly EASE IN
20. Bigfoot cousin YETI
21. “__ Misérables” LES
22. *Gaga way to be in love HEAD OVER HEELS
25. Follow one’s new job, in Realtorese RELO
26. “Cheerio!” TATA!
27. Sci-fi vehicle: Abbr. UFO
30. Attention from Dr. Mom TLC
32. Answers an invite, for short RSVPS
36. *Big tourist draw MAJOR ATTRACTION
41. Movie trailer, e.g. PROMO
42. Sun, in Spain SOL
43. Sea shocker EEL
44. Hieroglyphic snakes ASPS
47. Lovers’ spat, say TIFF
50. *Industry-spanning work stoppage GENERAL STRIKE
55. Right-angle piece ELL
56. Pamplona runner TORO
57. Professor’s security TENURE
59. Simon Says relative, and a hint to what happens after the starts of 16-, 22-, 36- and 50-Across FOLLOW THE LEADER
62. Shade provider TREE
63. In __: mad A RAGE
64. Not right in the head LOCO
65. “Auld Lang __” SYNE
66. Nevada gambling city RENO
67. Auto repair figs. ESTS

Down
1. Comic’s delivery JOKE
2. Dickens villain Heep URIAH
3. Like a thicket DENSE
4. Folded corner DOG EAR
5. Tina’s “30 Rock” role LIZ
6. “… for __, a tooth …” AN EYE
7. Poet Frost ROBERT
8. Franklin of soul ARETHA
9. Hippie’s digs PAD
10. Dentist’s tool DRILL
11. Traffic violation consequences FINES
12. Slumps SAGS
14. Camera maker that merged with Konica MINOLTA
17. Fries, for one SIDE
18. Coke Zero competitor DIET RC
23. Battery unit VOLT
24. Sunup point EAST
27. Baseball official UMP
28. Gary Larson’s “The __ Side” FAR
29. Pedro’s peeper OJO
31. Dol. parts CTS
33. Compete VIE
34. “The Raven” poet POE
35. NBC sketch show SNL
37. Yemen neighbor OMAN
38. Met, as a difficult challenge ROSE TO
39. Decays ROTS
40. Somewhat A LITTLE
45. Like political hawks PROWAR
46. “Hell is other people” French dramatist SARTRE
48. At no charge FREE
49. Big operatic ending FINALE
50. Morning __: flower GLORY
51. DeGeneres’s sitcom ELLEN
52. Actress Lindsay LOHAN
53. Praise KUDOS
54. Straight up ERECT
55. Young newts EFTS
58. Greek Cupid EROS
60. Golfer Trevino LEE
61. Self-importance EGO

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