Chess great Mikhail / WED 7-10-13 / Krabappel of toondom / Dedicator of New York's Strawberry Fields / Live at Acropolis musician / Exploding cigar sound

Constructor: Ed Sessa

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium


THEME: conversation with a doubter— (OK, my friends say it's NOT a conversation ... just different inflections ... somehow that makes me like it less)


Theme answers:

• 20A: "Really?!" ("THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT?!")
• 37A: "Really" ("EVERY WORD IS TRUE")
• 55A: "Really!" ("WELL I'LL BE DAMNED!")

Word of the Day: YANNI (38D: "Live at the Acropolis" musician) —

Yiannis Hryssomallis (Greek: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης, Giannis Chrysomallis; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni (/ˈjɑːni/ yah-nee), is a Greek pianist, keyboardist, composer, and music producer who has spent his adult life in the United States. [...] At least fourteen of Yanni's albums have peaked at #1 in Billboard's "Top New Age Album" category, and two albums (Dare to Dream and In My Time) received Grammy nominations. Through late 2011, Yanni had performed live in concert before more than two million people in more than 20 countries around the world, and has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 20 million copies. A longtime fundraiser for public television, Yanni's compositions have been used on commercial television programs, especially for sporting events such as the Tour de France, World Figure Skating Championships, U. S. Open Tennis Championships, U. S. Open Golf Championships, and Olympic Games. He has written film scores and the music for an award-winning British Airways television commercial. (wikipedia)

Apparently I don't really get this puzzle, or understand the inflection of the human voice. First, I see a clear sequence to these theme answers. Guy doesn't believe something is true, guy is told that that thing is in fact true, guy goes "Dang!" But two smart friends insist there is no sequence. Just different inflections to the same word. Also, I don't see how in the world you can clue that last "Really!" without a question mark. Even if you aren't really asking a question, you are asking a rhetorical question ... and if you're not, then I just can't hear how that "Really!" is supposed to sound. Same smart friends insist I am wrong on this count as well. Hardly seems like an issue I want to dig my heels in on. But my impressions remain the same—there is a "conversation" here, it is a bit stilted (esp. the middle answer), and that last theme clue really should, properly, have a "?" on it. Which I realized would ruin the whole conceit here. This is a long-winded way of saying the puzzle didn't do much for me. Seems slightly tin-eared, and very old-fashioned. Liked the long Downs a lot. Fill is roughly average.


Bullets:

• 16A: Krabappel of toondom (EDNA)— "toondom" = adding to the overall feeling of old-fashionedness. Consarn it.
• 23A: Chess great Mikhail (TAL) — SuperCrosswordese. I realize he is Somebody, chess-wise, but I never like seeing his name. 
• 35A: A dedicator of New York's Strawberry Fields (ONO) — Thought this had something to do with Darryl Strawberry (NY + Strawberry). Wrote in OTT. Swear to god, I did this.
• 38A: "Live at the Acropolis" musician (YANNI) — total gimme, for reasons I don't quite understand. I dated a woman once who had some YANNI CDs. We never slept together. I'm pretty sure those last two facts are related.
• 48D: Rocky a k a the Italian Stallion (BALBOA) — should've been a gimme, but my brain just kept going BAMBINO!! which didn't fit and is crazy-stupid-wrong.
• 57D: Exploding cigar sound (BLAM) — did I mention the old-fashionedness? When's the last time you saw a cigar explode? (A: The Depression)

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld