Constructor: David J. Kahn
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
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THEME:"For Variety's Sake"— An SNL-themed puzzle, where names of former stars are hidden in the theme answers, inside (mostly non-contiguous) circles. Grid also contains frequent guest hosts STEVE MARTIN and ALEC BALDWIN, as well as the famous introductory line, "LIVE FROM NEW YORK / IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT" (102A: With 120-Across, intro heard every week on 56-Across):
Theme answers:
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Tribute puzzle. When I saw David J. Kahn's name, I should've known. He's famous for these things. Whenever anyone famous dies, the joke among constructors (well, those I know) is always "and cue David Kahn tribute puzzle in 3, 2, 1..." I'm not even sure how many NYT tribute puzzles he's published, in reality, but reputation-wise, that is his thing. One of his things. He's also a veteran constructor who has had many puzzles in the NYT, at the ACPT, etc. I have a book of his baseball crosswords here on my shelf. His puzzles feel a little old-school, both theme-wise and fill-wise, but they're usually very well done. And even though I am on the record as being a non-fan of things "hidden" in randomly placed, non-consecutive circles, I thought that as tribute puzzles go, this was fine. The longer theme answers were at least odd / unusual, i.e. not dull. And you got the whole intro line in there, plus the two famous recurring co-hosts (whose names are the same length, serendipity!). There's a bunch of fill I don't really like, but DJK probably hand-filled this baby, and that's the price you pay. MILNER (37D: John ___, greaser in "American Graffiti")—the price you pay is MILNER. And SO FREE. And NEI. And especially REPARK. But honestly, the junky answers are few and far between. There's nothing earth-shattering or amazing here, but as commemorative puzzles go, this is just fine.
The one issue I have is the arbitrariness of the hidden names, i.e. scores of well-known people, out and out stars, have been part of the cast of "SNL," so how you arrive at this particular set of names, I don't know. It's a good sampling. But everyone who has ever watched "SNL" can name at least a dozen other names of cast members famous enough to warrant inclusion. True (very true), you can't include everyone, and there probably really is no way to create an internal rationale. Still, part of my brain goes, "What about Chase and Farley and Murray and Morris and Curtin and Belushi on and on?" But as I say, this is fine. And it's a *true* anniversary puzzle, running on the exact day, so hurray for that!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME:"For Variety's Sake"— An SNL-themed puzzle, where names of former stars are hidden in the theme answers, inside (mostly non-contiguous) circles. Grid also contains frequent guest hosts STEVE MARTIN and ALEC BALDWIN, as well as the famous introductory line, "LIVE FROM NEW YORK / IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT" (102A: With 120-Across, intro heard every week on 56-Across):
Theme answers:
- SAFELY (Tina FEY) (4D: One way to get home (2000-06))
- PORTABLE SHELTERS (Amy POEHLER) (23A: Tents and the like (2001-08))
- "MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY" (Eddie MURPHY) (37A: 1964 Charlie Chaplin book (1980-84))
- GRANDSTANDER (Gilda RADNER) (58A: Show-off (1975-80))
- HANDWARMER (Bill HADER) (68A: Muff, e.g. (2005-13))
- CARROT CAKE (Chris ROCK) (71A: Dessert often topped with cream cheese (1990-93))
- EASTER PARADE (David SPADE) (81A: Berlin standard (1990-96))
- WINING (Kristen WIIG) (108D: Dining partner? (2005-12)
Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), known as Giotto (Italian: [ˈdʒɔtto]), was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Renaissance. // Giotto's contemporary, the banker and chronicler Giovanni Villani, wrote that Giotto was "the most sovereign master of painting in his time, who drew all his figures and their postures according to nature. And he was given a salary by the Comune of Florence in virtue of his talent and excellence." // The late-16th century biographer Giorgio Vasari describes Giotto as making a decisive break with the prevalent Byzantine style and as initiating "the great art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of drawing accurately from life, which had been neglected for more than two hundred years." // Giotto's masterwork is the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, also known as the Arena Chapel, completed around 1305. This fresco cycle depicts the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ. It is regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Early Renaissance. That Giotto painted the Arena Chapel and that he was chosen by the Comune of Florence in 1334 to design the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral are among the few certainties of his biography. Almost every other aspect of it is subject to controversy: his birthdate, his birthplace, his appearance, his apprenticeship, the order in which he created his works, whether or not he painted the famous frescoes at Assisi, and his burial place. (wikipedia)
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The one issue I have is the arbitrariness of the hidden names, i.e. scores of well-known people, out and out stars, have been part of the cast of "SNL," so how you arrive at this particular set of names, I don't know. It's a good sampling. But everyone who has ever watched "SNL" can name at least a dozen other names of cast members famous enough to warrant inclusion. True (very true), you can't include everyone, and there probably really is no way to create an internal rationale. Still, part of my brain goes, "What about Chase and Farley and Murray and Morris and Curtin and Belushi on and on?" But as I say, this is fine. And it's a *true* anniversary puzzle, running on the exact day, so hurray for that!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]