NBC parent beginning in 2011 / THU 10-2-14 / Nickname for Fogell in Superbad / Parallel Lives writer / Gloucester haul

Constructor: David Woolf

Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging


THEME: E = MC … squared— Puzzle about Albert EINSTEIN (19A: 20th-century figure with a famous 56-Across represented literally six times in this puzzle) and his most famous EQUATION (56A: See 19-Across), which relates to his theory of RELATIVITY (26D: Subject explored by 19-Across), which probably has something to do with his having one the NOBEL PRIZE (9D: Recognition received by 19-Across) in Physics (1921).

Word of the Day: MR. SUN (33A: He's asked to "please shrine down on me," in song) —

Uh … this? 

This is very nicely done. I like that every "E" in the grid is involved in the equation/rebus. I like that every "E" in the grid is actually in a longer theme answer. And I like the way the "squared" part of the equation is represented visually by the fact that the E and the MC are inside a single "square." Also, for a pangram, the fill isn't terrible. It's not great, but I've seen grids tortured in pursuit of alphabetic completion, and this one's really no worse than your average NYT grid (which, true, hasn't meant much of late, despite recent laughable claims that fill standards have risen in recent years) (side note: always a classy move to throw the constructor under the bus). The main thing to focus on here is the theme, which is Thursday-worthy and expertly executed. One could quibble that the E/MC directions are not consistent (i.e. sometimes E is the Across letter, sometimes E is the Down), but you could counter that quibble by noting that the puzzle maintains consistency by having all the "E"s appear in the long themers, whatever direction they're headed. And counter-quibbler you would have the stronger argument.


Bullets:

• COMCAST (21A: NBC parent beginning in 2011) — Hit a late snag with this one, as I wrote in NOBEL PRIZE off just the -IZE, but forgot that all "E"s had to be "MC"s in the other direction. So I had the NBC parent as -OEAST. Having no idea what a 21D: Gloucester haul could be (thought SOD … it was COD), I made a confused face for a bit. Then sorted it out.
• MCLOVIN (31A: Nickname for Fogell in "Superbad") — you ever have one of those moments where you hit a clue and you Know you know that answer, you can picture the answer, you can feel the answer, but you just can't remember the answer, so you peevishly refuse to go on until your aging brain starts behaving again? No? Oh well. Nevermind. 
• PLUTARCH (44A: "Parallel Lives" writer)— I knew he wrote "Lives." I didn't know they were "Parallel." This clue makes him sound like a rom-com screenwriter.
• FILM CANON (5D: Most important movies)— probably the biggest stretch, answer-wise, in the grid. But it's got a wikipedia entry (of sorts), so maybe it *is* enough of a thing...

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld