1949 novel set in Wyoming Territory / SAT 6-20-20 / Sicilian town that lost bell to Fascists in literature / 1960 Miles Davis album inspired in part by flamenco music / Broadway character who sings God loves Nubia / Bird that lent its name to Toledo's Triple-A team / Danity girl group with self-titled 2006 #1 album

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (6:49)

THEME: none

Word of the Day: Danity KANE (34D: Danity ___, girl group with a self-titled 2006 #1 album) —

Danity Kane is an American girl group composed of members Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Shannon Bex. The group originally had five members, but Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett left the group in 2008, and Aundrea Fimbres left in 2014. Formed on the third iteration of MTV's Making the Band reality television series in 2005, they signed to Bad Boy Records by Diddy.

Danity Kane's self-titled debut studio album was released in 2006 and achieved success in the United States, shipping a million copies domestically, while spawning two singles with top 10 single "Show Stopper" and the ballad "Ride for You." Their second studio album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, was released in 2008, following the release of their second top 10 single "Damaged". The band became the first female group in Billboard history to debut their first two albums at the top of the charts. (wikipedia)

I was braced for a hard one, as that is what Stella's name means to me, but then the hardness didn't really come. I was slower than I should've been, probably, because I tend to slow down and move methodically through puzzles that are terrors. I could've turned on the gas here and didn't, is what I'm saying. And I still came in under 7 on a Saturday, which is to say I came in with a roughly normal *Friday* time. And I liked it. I like Friday puzzles. I like spending 6-8 minutes on a puzzle filled with  interesting longer answers and some thoughtfully tough clues. And so I liked this. The only part that made me even a little mad was the KANE / KAYE krossing—two proper names of not tremendous fame, crossing at a vowel ... that's dicey. But in the end (the very end, actually), the "A" was the only reasonable guess. Everything else about this grid seems very much in order. Oh, ADANO is icky crosswordese (8D: Sicilian town that lost a bell to Fascists, in literature), but that's such a minor thing, really, in the face of so much good. Love the central Across ("SKETCHES OF SPAIN"), though I initially forgot about its existence (despite *owning it*) (33A: 1960 Miles Davis album inspired in part by flamenco music). Having the -TCHES part in place, I really really wanted to make "BITCHES BREW" happen, but ... way too many squares. Also love ALL-NIGHTER and HAPPY PLACE, and METEORIC and "MANEATER"—make it fun, it's all I ask. Oh, and make it smooth. This was both.


I knew "Golden Girls" was set in Florida but couldn't decide TAMPA or MIAMI so I let the crosses tell me (1A: Setting for "The Golden Girls"). I know "SHANE" very well as a movie (Alan Ladd! And my girlfriend Jean Arthur!), but I was not aware it was a novel, so that was embarrassingish (18A: 1949 novel set in the Wyoming Territory). I literally cried "SHANE" earlier today, in the voice of my cat, as my wife left the house and my cat put his paws up on the screen door and looked longingly after her. Had EL NIÑO before LA NIÑA, but of course I did (19A: Pacific Ocean phenomenon). I forgot Uno had a SKIP card and do not think of my PECs as near my abs, so yeah, that whole western section was rough for me. Luckily, it was also small. PTRAP sounds like a kind of music, and I needed many crosses to get it (40A: Plumbing fitting with a bend). Is ADD-A-LINE hyphenated? (58A: Cellphone account offering). I would think an additional or extra line would be the "offering." Somehow having a verb phrase as an "offering" felt weird, unless the answer is not a noun but a phrase of offering, i.e. "Say, would you like to ADD A LINE." Yeah, OK. Still feels weird, but OK. Was baffled by the clue on DECORS (59A: Looks inside?) until I got every last letter from crosses. Then I wasn't baffled, but by then not being baffled didn't really do me any good. My baker makes a great TRES Leches cake, which I am definitely buying (again) tomorrow (53D: ___ leches). Sweet dreams for me. Good night.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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