LA Times Crossword Answers 23 Apr 13, Tuesday

CROSSWORD SETTER: John Verel & Jeff Chen
THEME: Chilly on Stage … each of the themed answers is a COLD PLAY, the name of a theatrical work on stage that features word associated with COLD:

17A. O’Neill drama set in Harry Hope’s saloon THE ICEMAN COMETH
28A. With 30-Across, drama based on ’70s presidential interviews FROST
30A. See 28-Across NIXON
40A. Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine THE LION IN WINTER

52A. With 54-Across, “Viva La Vida” rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30- and 40-Across each is? COLD
54A. See 52-Across PLAY

COMPLETION TIME: 06m 35s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Pink drink, briefly COSMO
Like so many famous cocktails, the actual origins of the cosmopolitan are disputed. It is a nice drink though. One of the standard recipes is 4 parts citrus vodka, 1.5 parts Cointreau, 1.5 parts lime juice and 3 parts cranberry juice.

9. Hutt crime lord of sci-fi JABBA
Jabba the Hutt is the big blob of an alien that appears in the “Star Wars” movie “The Return of the Jedi”. Jabba’s claim to fame is that he enslaved Princess Leia and kitted her out in that celebrated metal bikini.

17. O’Neill drama set in Harry Hope’s saloon THE ICEMAN COMETH
“The Iceman Cometh” is a play written by American playwright Eugene O’Neill and first performed in 1946 on Broadway. The play centers on some down-and-out men in a shabby saloon in Manhattan. The title is a reference to the “ice man”, the man who would have delivered ice to homes back in the time of the play. The reference is to a bawdy joke in which the “ice man” was having an affair with someone’s wife.

21. Many a Beethoven sonata ender RONDO
A rondo was often chosen by composers in the classical period for the last movement of a sonata (or symphony or concerto, for that matter). In rondo form there is a principal theme that alternates with a contrasting theme(s). So, the original theme anchors the whole piece in between secondary digressions.

22. Popeye’s __’ Pea SWEE
Originally Popeye used the nickname “swee’pea” to address his girlfriend Olive Oyl. Then along comes a baby, found on Popeye’s doorstep. Popeye adopts the little guy and raises him, calling him “Swee’Pea”.

25. Likable prez IKE
“I Like Ike” was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower to run for president in the 1952 presidential election.

27. More than feasts (on) ODS
Overdoses (ODs)

28. With 30-Across, drama based on ’70s presidential interviews FROST
30. See 28-Across NIXON
The British journalist David Frost is perhaps best known in the US for hosting the television show “Through the Keyhole” and for his celebrity interviews, most notably with former President Richard Nixon. That interview was adapted as a play and then a movie called “Frost/Nixon”. The movie was directed by Ron Howard. “Frost/Nixon” is a little slow, but it is a must see for political history addicts like me.

40. Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine THE LION IN WINTER
“The Lion in Winter” is a play by James Goldman that was first staged in 1966 on Broadway. The two lead characters in the piece are King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. The play was adapted into a very successful movie in 1968 starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn. There was also a 2003 television movie adaption that I’d like to see, starring Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close.

45. “Friendly skies” co. UAL
United Airlines used the tagline “Fly the Friendly Skies” in its marketing materials from 1965 to 1996. It was then replaced with “It’s time to fly”. United chose George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as the company’s theme music in 1976, and paid the Gershwin estate a fee of $500,000 for the privilege.

47. Comstock Lode find ORE
The first major discovery of silver ore in the United States was in 1857 in the Virginia Range in western Utah Territory (now Nevada). The find is said to be have been made by two brothers, Ethan Allen Grosh and Hosea Ballou Grosh. The Grosh brothers died before they could register their claim, and Henry T. P Comstock made the claim instead, on learning of the deaths.

48. Fred of “My Cousin Vinny” GWYNNE
Fred Gwynne was a character actor with a very distinctive baritone voice. Most famously perhaps, Gwynne played Herman on the sixties sitcom “The Munsters”.

“My Cousin Vinny” is a really fun film from 1992 starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. In 2008, the American Bar Association rated “My Cousin Vinny” as the #3 Greatest Legal Movie of all time, after “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “12 Angry Man”!

52. With 54-Across, “Viva La Vida” rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30- and 40-Across each is? COLD
54. See 52-Across PLAY
Coldplay is a rock band that was formed in London in 1996 by Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland. Chris Martin is married to the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

55. Pottery “pet” CHIA
Chia is a flowering plant in the mint family, and the Chia Pet is an invention of a San Francisco company. Chia Pets are terracotta figurines to which are applied moistened chia seeds. The seeds sprout and the seedlings become the “fur” of the Chia Pet.

60. Pastoral poem IDYL
An idyl is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

67. Quilting parties BEES
Back in 18th-century America, when neighbors would gather to work for the benefit of one of their group, such a meeting was called a “bee”. The name “bee” was an allusion to the social nature of the insect. In modern parlance, a further element of entertainment and pleasure has been introduced, for example in a “quilting bee”, or even a “spelling bee”.

68. Corrida cheer OLE
In Spain, bullfighting is known locally as “corrida de toros”, literally “race of bulls”.

69. Neuter, horsewise GELD
We can use the verb “to geld” to mean “to weaken, deprive of strength”. The term comes from the act of gelding an animal, castration of the male. “Geld” comes from the Old Norse word “gelda” meaning “castrate”.

Down
2. Irish actor Milo O’SHEA
Milo O’Shea was a great Irish character actor from Dublin who has appeared in everything from “Romeo and Juliet” to “The West Wing”. Sadly, O’Shea passed away earlier this month in New York City.

4. Golda of Israel MEIR
Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before the term came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

5. “The Lord of the Rings” baddie ORC
According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth(also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

7. Actor Connery SEAN
Sean Connery is of course most famous for playing the original James Bond in the successful series of movies. Back in his native Scotland, Connery is very active in politics and is a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party. He actively campaigns for Scottish independence from Britain and has stated that he believes Scotland will achieve that goal within his own lifetime.

9. “Jersey Girl” actress, to fans J.LO
J.Lo is the nickname of singer and actress Jennifer Lopez. “J.Lo” is also the title of her second studio album, released in 2001.

11. Emulated Mt. St. Helens? BLEW ONE’S TOP
Only two volcanoes in the Cascade Range in the northwest have erupted in the 20th century: Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Lassen in 1915. The last significant eruption of Mount Shasta, a third volcano in the Cascades, was about 200 years ago

12. With __ breath: expectantly BATED
“Bated breath” is breath that has lessened in intensity, “abated”.

19. Journalist Roberts COKIE
Cokie Roberts is a great journalist and author, best known for her work with National Public Radio.

24. Name, in Nîmes NOM
Nîmes is a lovely city in the south of France. One of the claims to fame of the city is the invention of denim fabric. The French phrase “de Nimes” (from Nimes) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (blue of Genoa) gives us our word “jeans”.

31. “The Good Earth” mother O-LAN
Pearl S. Buck’s novel “The Good Earth” won a Pulitzer in 1932, and helped Buck win the Nobel Prize for literature a few years later. The story tells of life in a Chinese village and follows the fortunes of Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan. Although “The Good Earth” has been around for decades, it hit the bestseller list again in 2004 when it was a pick for Oprah’s Book Club.

34. Tractor manufacturer DEERE
John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”.

43. Actor Snipes WESLEY
Wesley Snipes is a movie actor, and a martial artist. The role most associated with Snipes is the title character in the “Blade” series of films. Snipes was sent to federal prison in 2010 to serve a 3-year sentence for wilful failure to file tax returns, and was released earlier this month.

49. “March Madness” games, informally NCAAS
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

March Madness is the name given to (among others) the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship, held in spring each year.

53. “Whip It” band DEVO
Devo is a band from Akron, Ohio formed back in 1973. The band’s biggest hit is “Whip It” released in 1980.

55. Red wine choice, for short CAB
The Cabernet Sauvignon grape has been around since the 17th century. It is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc grapes.

62. Initials on L’Homme fragrance YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Pink drink, briefly COSMO
6. Arson aftermath ASH
9. Hutt crime lord of sci-fi JABBA
14. According to AS PER
15. Grazing area LEA
16. Light purple LILAC
17. O’Neill drama set in Harry Hope’s saloon THE ICEMAN COMETH
20. Tailor’s target TEAR
21. Many a Beethoven sonata ender RONDO
22. Popeye’s __’ Pea SWEE
23. Jabber on and on YAK
24. __ in November N AS
25. Likable prez IKE
27. More than feasts (on) ODS
28. With 30-Across, drama based on ’70s presidential interviews FROST
30. See 28-Across NIXON
32. Aspiring doc’s course PRE-MED
33. Walked alongside one’s master HEELED
35. On the Pacific ASEA
36. Fertilizable cells OVA
38. “Just __!”: “Be right there!” A SEC
40. Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine THE LION IN WINTER
45. “Friendly skies” co. UAL
46. Greatly feared DREADED
47. Comstock Lode find ORE
48. Fred of “My Cousin Vinny” GWYNNE
50. Oozed SEEPED
52. With 54-Across, “Viva La Vida” rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30- and 40-Across each is? COLD
54. See 52-Across PLAY
55. Pottery “pet” CHIA
58. Smooth transition SEGUE
60. Pastoral poem IDYL
64. Invisible vibes AURA
65. More than most EVERY
66. Wine tasting criterion NOSE
67. Quilting parties BEES
68. Corrida cheer OLE
69. Neuter, horsewise GELD

Down
1. Slyly spiteful CATTY
2. Irish actor Milo O’SHEA
3. Say what you will SPEAK FREELY
4. Golda of Israel MEIR
5. “The Lord of the Rings” baddie ORC
6. Answering the penultimate exam question, say ALMOST DONE
7. Actor Connery SEAN
8. How lovers walk HAND IN HAND
9. “Jersey Girl” actress, to fans J.LO
10. Goals AIMS
11. Emulated Mt. St. Helens? BLEW ONE’S TOP
12. With __ breath: expectantly BATED
13. Pains’ partner ACHES
18. Answering machine button ERASE
19. Journalist Roberts COKIE
24. Name, in Nîmes NOM
26. Program file suffix EXE
29. Not counterfeit REAL
31. “The Good Earth” mother O-LAN
32. “Nonsense!” PSHAW!
34. Tractor manufacturer DEERE
35. Give __: yank A TUG
37. By way of VIA
39. Believability on the street, slangily CRED
41. Driver’s license fig. ID NO
42. Threat words OR ELSE
43. Actor Snipes WESLEY
44. Thought IDEA
49. “March Madness” games, informally NCAAS
51. Sizing up EYING
53. “Whip It” band DEVO
54. Like the driven snow PURE
55. Red wine choice, for short CAB
56. Tint HUE
57. Wrath IRE
59. Salon goop GEL
61. Mommy deer DOE
62. Initials on L’Homme fragrance YSL
63. Took the reins LED


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