Los Angeles suburb bordering Griffith Park / FRI 12-4-20 / 6-9 months / 1986 sci-fi film sequel / Trees symbolizing death in Celtic culture / Survivor at the end of Hamlet / Brand for determining if you're expecting

Constructor: Patti Varol and Doug Peterson

Relative difficulty: Easy or Easy-Medium, maybe (solved methodically, early in the morning, and still came in only a shade over 5)

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: Donald FAGEN (11D: Steely Dan singer Donald) —

Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician best known as the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s. He has also released four albums as a solo artist and in 2001 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 2017 death of Steely Dan's co-founder Walter Beckerleft Fagen as the only remaining original member. (wikipedia)

These two! I know and love them both, and know they are friends, but I don't think I've ever seen them on the same byline, which seems bizarre. They are both veteran puzzle-makers (and editors), and they both live in the L.A. area (hence, I assume, the little GLENDALE wink in this puzzle) (36D: Los Angeles suburb bordering Griffith Park). Anyway, they are delightful and this puzzle was delightful. Friday, best day, so happy. Patti and Doug are both roughly my age (uh ... grownup age) so I'm not too surprised that I was right on this puzzle's cultural wavelength, right from the beginning. Best of all, the proper names gave me almost no trouble—it is a little name-heavy, which is the only (admittedly mild) criticism I have. Maybe FAGEN crossing NEAL might've roughed some solvers up? I don't know how that box could be anything but an "N," but still, when you cross names like that, you gotta make sure the cross is at least inferrable. Me, I own three of Donald FAGEN's solo albums and one of my good friends (mystery writer and former student of mine, Libby Cudmore) is a Steely Dan superfan. She actually gave me one of my Donald FAGEN albums—his most recent one, Stolen Condos (2012). My sister loves Steely Dan and FAGEN's solo albums too. And they say Steely Dan is just for dudes. Shrug. So FAGEN's name, easy for me, and NEAL Stephenson, same, as I just read the gigantic and slightly harrowing Fall; or Dodge in Hell last summer. I also read Snow Crash back in grad school (aka the '90s). Hey, Stephenson wrote Snow Crash, and Donald FAGEN has a song on Kamakiriad (1993) called "Snowbound," so ... Snow Crash crossing "Snowbound." This pleases me.