Constructor: Ross Trudeau
Relative difficulty: Medium (for me, easy for lots of others, apparently)
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THEME: TRIPLEX (38A: Three-screen cinema ... or a hint to 17-, 26-, 46- and 61-Across)— all themers have "XXX" in them
Theme answers:
This puzzle thinks it's way EDGIER than it is. Like, it's trying really Really hard to make you believe it's hip and now and clued in but as a puzzle, I found it clunky and dreary. Where to start? First, I still, at the moment of my writing this sentence, have no idea what the clue on the revealer means. What is "Three-screen cinema"? I have heard TRIPLE X used only (or almost only) in one context—and it's exactly the same context as XXX RATING (i.e. the context is porn). So, for me, the revealer and the first themer are essentially the same thing, which means the puzzle's already a bust.
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Then there's the X's, generally. Most of these themers pick up the X's super cheaply. I mean, XXXL SHIRT?!? SUPER BOWL XXX. So a "add all the X's" size on an arbitrary piece of clothing and an arbitrary Super Bowl? The only actually interesting themer here is BUBBA SPARXXX, whose name I know, but whom I have apparently stored in the same part of my brain that contains UNCLE KRACKER. It's actually probably not surprising that I have stored an '00s rapper named Bubba and an '00s singer named Kracker in the same part of my brain. Anyway, here's Uncle Kracker's "Follow Me," which I'm playing mostly because I don't know and don't want to take a chance on a song called "Ms. New Booty" right now:
The grid feels like it was made by someone with a giant wordlist who wants to use as much of "new" stuff as possible, quality be damned. Actually, that's not entirely fair. My only real problems were with CS MAJOR—I've been on U. campuses most of my life and while I'm sure it's a real abbr. it's not one I hear at all ("CS" = "computer science," in case you hadn't figured that out). It's got that insidery thing where if it's your major it's transparent, but to the outside world ... I mean, with specific context, I can infer it, but "CS" is no "PoliSci" or "CompLit" as far as recognizable major abbrs. go. Also, just the confusion of "tech" stuff with cultural currency gets Tiresome to me, and this one has CS MAJOR *and* THE X PRIZE, another thing I'd never heard of. When I looked it up, I cared less. Worse, the puzzle doesn't seem to know or care what it is. It just lifts its clue Straight Out Of The Wikipedia Entry (that's how you for sure know that an answer is on shaky ground).
Didn't like that, in addition to the Roman numeral in the Super Bowl answer, we get yet Another (random) Roman numeral at 62D: Nero's 91 (XCI). Austin PEAY is oof, not great as stand-alone fill (45A: Austin ___ (Tennessee university)). Thank goodness PLATH is ultra famous, because that cross could've been dicey. The only way I know PEAY is that Austin PEAY is (I think) a perennial, or semi-perennial, or at least occasional 16-seed in the annual NCAA March Madness college basketball tourney. Outside the answers I didn't know, the puzzle was Very easy, and this will please many people. And at least it's *trying* and not just lying there. But again, I just wish that constructors would care more about polish and elegance and less about gimmickry and superficial "new"-ness. Also, there's gotta be a better way to make your puzzle current than just shoving tech stuff in. So depressing. I liked seeing VENMO, though (11D: Mobile payment service owned by PayPal). Good to have fresh-ish five-letter answers with real currency (sorry, I think that's a pun. I *am* sorry)
P.S. You can take the UZI back, and Cosby too, tbh, though man I do miss the time when thinking about the HUXTABLES made me happy.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Medium (for me, easy for lots of others, apparently)
Theme answers:
- XXX RATING (17A: Raciest classification)
- BUBBA SPARXXX (26A: Hip-hop artist with the 2006 hit "Ms. New Booty")
- SUPER BOWL XXX (46A: Contest in which the Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17)
- XXXL SHIRT (61A: Article of clothing at the very end of the rack)
XPRIZE is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity. Their Board of Trustees include James Cameron, Larry Page, Arianna Huffington, and Ratan Tata among others.The XPRIZE mission is to bring about "radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity" through incentivized competition. It fosters high-profile competitions to motivate individuals, companies and organizations across all disciplines to develop innovative ideas and technologies that help solve the grand challenges that restrict humanity's progress.The Ansari X Prize relating to spacecraft development was awarded in 2004, intended to inspire research and development into technology for space exploration. (wikipedia)
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This puzzle thinks it's way EDGIER than it is. Like, it's trying really Really hard to make you believe it's hip and now and clued in but as a puzzle, I found it clunky and dreary. Where to start? First, I still, at the moment of my writing this sentence, have no idea what the clue on the revealer means. What is "Three-screen cinema"? I have heard TRIPLE X used only (or almost only) in one context—and it's exactly the same context as XXX RATING (i.e. the context is porn). So, for me, the revealer and the first themer are essentially the same thing, which means the puzzle's already a bust.
[UPDATE: some helpful Twitterers have informed me of some things regarding the TRIPLE X clue. the most important is probably that it's one word: TRIPLEX. Two syllables. TRI and PLEX. Wow. OK]
[So even people who have heard of this concept think the clue here is bad, OK, good to know. Anyways, end of UPDATE, back to original write-up]
Then there's the X's, generally. Most of these themers pick up the X's super cheaply. I mean, XXXL SHIRT?!? SUPER BOWL XXX. So a "add all the X's" size on an arbitrary piece of clothing and an arbitrary Super Bowl? The only actually interesting themer here is BUBBA SPARXXX, whose name I know, but whom I have apparently stored in the same part of my brain that contains UNCLE KRACKER. It's actually probably not surprising that I have stored an '00s rapper named Bubba and an '00s singer named Kracker in the same part of my brain. Anyway, here's Uncle Kracker's "Follow Me," which I'm playing mostly because I don't know and don't want to take a chance on a song called "Ms. New Booty" right now:
The grid feels like it was made by someone with a giant wordlist who wants to use as much of "new" stuff as possible, quality be damned. Actually, that's not entirely fair. My only real problems were with CS MAJOR—I've been on U. campuses most of my life and while I'm sure it's a real abbr. it's not one I hear at all ("CS" = "computer science," in case you hadn't figured that out). It's got that insidery thing where if it's your major it's transparent, but to the outside world ... I mean, with specific context, I can infer it, but "CS" is no "PoliSci" or "CompLit" as far as recognizable major abbrs. go. Also, just the confusion of "tech" stuff with cultural currency gets Tiresome to me, and this one has CS MAJOR *and* THE X PRIZE, another thing I'd never heard of. When I looked it up, I cared less. Worse, the puzzle doesn't seem to know or care what it is. It just lifts its clue Straight Out Of The Wikipedia Entry (that's how you for sure know that an answer is on shaky ground).
Didn't like that, in addition to the Roman numeral in the Super Bowl answer, we get yet Another (random) Roman numeral at 62D: Nero's 91 (XCI). Austin PEAY is oof, not great as stand-alone fill (45A: Austin ___ (Tennessee university)). Thank goodness PLATH is ultra famous, because that cross could've been dicey. The only way I know PEAY is that Austin PEAY is (I think) a perennial, or semi-perennial, or at least occasional 16-seed in the annual NCAA March Madness college basketball tourney. Outside the answers I didn't know, the puzzle was Very easy, and this will please many people. And at least it's *trying* and not just lying there. But again, I just wish that constructors would care more about polish and elegance and less about gimmickry and superficial "new"-ness. Also, there's gotta be a better way to make your puzzle current than just shoving tech stuff in. So depressing. I liked seeing VENMO, though (11D: Mobile payment service owned by PayPal). Good to have fresh-ish five-letter answers with real currency (sorry, I think that's a pun. I *am* sorry)
P.S. You can take the UZI back, and Cosby too, tbh, though man I do miss the time when thinking about the HUXTABLES made me happy.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]