LA Times Crossword 5 May 24, Sunday

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Constructed by: Katy Steinmetz & Rich Katz
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Name That Tune

Themed answers are all LINES from TUNES:

• 23A Power line? : WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
• 33A Life line? : I WILL SURVIVE
• 49A Party line? : LET’S GET IT STARTED
• 68A Opening line? : I’VE GOTTA BLANK SPACE, BABY
• 91A Time line? : YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE
• 107A Dividing line? : GO YOUR OWN WAY
• 119A Shore line? : UNDER THE BOARDWALK

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 16m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” novelist Jamie : FORD

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” is a 2009 historical novel by Jamie Ford. Central to the plot is the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

18 One throwing out the first pitch? : OBOE

When the members of a full orchestra tune their instruments, they almost always tune to an “A” played by an oboe. A wind ensemble usually tunes to a B-flat, as this is an “open” note on many instruments, one in which all valves are open on trumpet for example, or the slider on a trombone is in home position.

19 __ research: some dirt-digging : OPPO

In the world of politics, “oppo” is “opposition research”. The idea is to collect information on one’s opponent that can be used against him or her.

22 Hall of Fame slugger Mel : OTT

I wonder if Mel Ott had any idea that he would turn in crosswords so very often?

23 Power line? : WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

“We Are the Champions” is a wonderful rock anthem written by Freddie Mercury and recorded by Queen in 1977. According to some scientific researchers in 2011, “We Are the Champions” is the catchiest song in the history of pop music.

27 Two-time Best Female Golfer ESPY winner Ko : LYDIA

Lydia Ko is a professional golfer from New Zealand. In 2015, she reached number-one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, when she was only 17 years old. That made her the youngest player, male or female, to make the number-one ranking in professional golf.

33 Life line? : I WILL SURVIVE

Gloria Gaynor is a singer who had most success during the disco era, most notably with “I Will Survive” in 1979. Gaynor released “I Will Survive” as a B-side to “Substitute”, a cover version to a Righteous Brothers song. “Substitute” made it to #107 in the charts in December 1978. “I Will Survive” hit the #1 spot three months later.

39 Home of many Goyas and El Grecos : PRADO

The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter who was often called the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Two of Goya’s most famous works are “The Nude Maja” and “The Clothed Maja”.

El Greco (“the Greek”, in Spanish) was the nickname of the artist whose real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos. He was born in Crete in 1541, and moved to Venice to study art when he was in his early twenties. A few years later he moved to the city of Toledo in central Spain, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

40 “Fire” gemstone : OPAL

Fire opals are almost transparent, unlike other opals that are richly iridescent. Although almost transparent, fire opals usually have a warm yellow, orange or red color. The most famous fire opals are also called Mexican fire opals, and come from the state of Querétaro in north-central Mexico.

41 Unlikely duo? : ELS

There is a duo of letters L (els) in the word “unlikely”.

42 “The Boy and the Heron” genre : ANIME

“The Boy and the Heron” is a 2023 animated feature film from Japan, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The story follows a boy who loses his mother and moves to the countryside. There he enters a fantasy land where he meets a talking gray heron. The English-language version of the film has a voice cast that includes Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill and Florence Pugh.

46 The blue in blue cheese, e.g. : MOLD

It’s said that blue cheese was probably discovered accidentally, as molds tend to develop in the same conditions that are best for storing cheese. The blue mold in the cheese is introduced by adding Penicillium spores before the cheese is allowed to set. And yes, it’s the same mold that is used to produce penicillin, the antibiotic.

49 Party line? : LET’S GET IT STARTED

“Let’s Get It Started” is a 2004 song by the Black Eyed peas. It is a cleaned-up version of the group’s “Let’s Get Retarded”, which was a track in their 2003 album “Elephunk”. They also remixed the clean version as “Let’s Get Re-Started” for their 2009 album “The E.N.D.”

57 Ireland, to the Irish : EIRE

“Éire”, is the Irish word for “Ireland”. The related “Erin” is an anglicized version of “Éire” and actually corresponds to “Éirinn”, the dative case of “Éire”.

60 “The Matrix” hero : NEO

The 1999 movie sensation “The Matrix” was meant to be set in a nondescript urban environment. It was actually shot in Australia, as one of the co-producers of the film was the Australian company, Village Roadshow Pictures. You can pick up all sorts of clues about the location when watching the film, including a view of Sydney Harbour Bridge in a background shot. Also, traffic drives along on the left and there are signs for the “lift” instead of an “elevator”.

66 Data on dashboards : MILEAGES

Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hooves of the horses. Quite interesting …

68 Opening line? : I’VE GOTTA BLANK SPACE, BABY

“Blank Space” is a 2014 song co-written and recorded by Taylor Swift. The accompanying video won the 2015 MTV Best Pop Video Award and features Swift as a jealous woman who suspects that her boyfriend has been unfaithful.

75 Yoga asana that requires balance : TREE POSE

The tree pose in yoga is more correctly known as “vrikshasana”. It involves standing on one leg, with the other leg bent and the foot placed on the inner thigh of the straight leg. The hands are placed together and raised directly over the head.

76 MSNBC journalist Cabrera : ANA

Ana Cabrera is a journalist from Denver who joined CNN in 2013. She took over as anchor of CNN’s weekend show “CNN Newsroom” in 2017, and moved on to MSNBC in 2023.

82 High point of the “Odyssey”? : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

91 Time line? : YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE

“You Can’t Hurry Love” is a 1966 song released by the Supremes that made it to the number-one position in the “BIllboard” charts. The song made the charts again in 1983, when Phil Collins recorded a cover version. You might want to look for a version that the Supremes recorded in Italian under the title “L’amore verrà”, meaning “Love Will Come”.

99 Curse : HEX

“Hexen” is a German word meaning “to practice witchcraft”. The use of the word “hex” in English started with the Pennsylvania Dutch in the early 1800s.

105 Writer of pastoral poems : IDYLIST

An idyll (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word “idyl” comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short poem with a rustic theme.

107 Dividing line? : GO YOUR OWN WAY

The marvelous 1976 song “Go Your Own Way” was the first top-ten hit that Fleetwood Mac had in the US. It was composed and sung by lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, with the lyrics referring to his breakup with bandmate Stevie Nicks.

112 Totalitarianism, metaphorically : IRON RULE

Totalitarianism differs somewhat from authoritarian regimes, at least by definition. In the latter, the ruling entity is concerned mainly with political power, and so a degree of freedom exists for the populace. Totalitarian regimes not only enforce political control, but also control of the economy, education, as well social and private life.

113 Villain’s hangout : LAIR

The villain in a story is the person who opposes the hero. Back around 1300, a villain was a low-born rustic individual. The term “villain” ultimately comes from the Latin “villa” meaning “country house”.

119 Shore line? : UNDER THE BOARDWALK

“Under the Boardwalk” is a 1964 song recorded by the Drifters (and many others subsequently). The lyrics describe a man and a woman planning to meet for a private tryst under a boardwalk in a seaside town. The Rolling Stones released a successful version of the song just a few months after the Drifters.

126 Beauty spot? : ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

128 “Weekend Update” show, casually : SNL

“Weekend Update” is the longest-running of any recurring sketch on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). In fact, the segment made its debut on the very first show, back in 1975. The first “anchor” at the “Weekend Update” desk was Chevy Chase.

129 Restoration poet dubbed “Glorious John” : DRYDEN

John Dryden was a highly influential poet and playwright in the late 1600s. He came from good literary stock, and was a cousin once-removed of Jonathan Swift. Dryden was made England’s first Poet Laureate, in 1668.

131 __ pool : GENE

The set of all genes in a particular population is known as the “gene pool”, a term coined in Russian by geneticist Aleksandr Sergeevich Serebrovskii in the 1920s. In general, the larger the gene pool, the more diverse and robust the population.

Down

3 Consumer Reports tasks : ROAD TESTS

“Consumer Reports” is a monthly magazine that has been published by Consumers Union since 1936. Consumers Union was established as a non-profit organization with the mission to “test products, inform the public, and protect customers.”

4 “Merci” response : DE RIEN

“Rien” is the French word for “nothing”. “De rien” translates literally from the French as “of nothing”, and is used to mean “you’re welcome” or “don’t mention it”.

6 Goddess of love who had five children with the god of war : APHRODITE

As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male. The Roman equivalent of Aphrodite was Venus, and the equivalent of Eros was Cupid.

12 Pitch : SPIEL

A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.

13 Mets slugger Pete nicknamed “Polar Bear” : ALONSO

Pete Alonso is a professional first baseman who made his Major League debut in 2019 with the New York Mets. In that first season, Alonso set the record for most home runs by a rookie in a single season with 53, breaking the previous record set by Aaron Judge in 2017. Alonso’s nickname is “Polar Bear”.

15 Vietnamese tunic : AO DAI

The áo dài national garment in Vietnam that can be worn by both men and women. It is a long tunic, split at both sides, that is usually worn over silk trousers.

16 PC paste shortcut : CTRL+V

The Control (CTRL) key on a PC keyboard is used to modify the function of other keys. For example, pressing CTRL+C copies a selection to the clipboard, and CTRL+V pastes the contents of the clipboard to a location defined by the cursor. Control keys were introduced on teletypewriters to generate “control characters”, which are non-printing characters that instruct a computer to do something like print a page, ring a bell etc.

21 Place for a spiritual retreat : ASHRAM

“Ashram” is a term used in the Hindu tradition to describe a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

30 KOA option : RV LOT

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

32 Actress Russo : RENE

The talented actress Rene Russo is a native of Burbank, California. Russo went to high school (with actor/director Ron Howard), but dropped out in tenth grade. At seventeen, she was given the opportunity to train as a model and within a very short time appeared on the cover of “Vogue”. As her modeling jobs slowed down in her early thirties, Russo made a career change and studied theater and acting. Her breakout role was in the 1989 film “Major League.”

34 Mickey’s co-creator : WALT

Walt Disney’s iconic cartoon character Mickey Mouse, was introduced to the public in 1928 in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”. Mickey was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978, making him the first cartoon character to be so honored. Walt Disney had some nice words to say in Disneyland in 1954:

I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.

36 French wine valley : LOIRE

The Loire is the longest river in France. It is so long that it drains one-fifth of the nation’s land mass. The Loire rises in the southeast, in the Cevennes mountain range, then heads north then due west, emptying into the Bay of Biscay at the city of Nantes. The Loire Valley is home to some of France’s most famous wine production, and includes the wine regions of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Muscadet. It is also home to some of the nation’s most spectacular châteaux. There are over 300 castles along the river, built by French kings and their courtiers.

38 Egyptian queen, familiarly : CLEO

Cleopatra was the last pharaoh to rule Egypt. After she died, Egypt became a province in the Roman Empire.

39 Gas, across the pond : PETROL

“Petrol” is the chiefly British-English term used for gasoline. “Petrol” comes via French from the Latin “petroleum”, itself derived from “petra” meaning “rock” and “oleum” meaning “oil”.

43 Nintendo avatar : MII

Nintendo introduced customizable avatars for the company’s video game consoles starting in 1997. The first customizable avatars for the Wii system were introduced in 2006, and were given the inventive name “Miis”.

45 Snail mail need : STAMP

Snail mail is regular mail delivered by the postal service. The term “snail mail” arose as email gained in popularity, and is a reference to the difference in speed between email and paper mail.

48 Square peg in a social circle? : DWEEB

“Dweeb” is relatively recent American slang that came out of college life in the late sixties. Dweeb, squarepants, nerd; they’re all not-nice terms that mean the same thing, i.e. someone excessively studious and socially inept.

50 Durable twill fabric : SERGE

Serge is a type of twill fabric with diagonal ridges on both sides. The name “serge” comes from the Greek word for “silken”.

51 Ward with two Emmy Awards : SELA

Actress Sela Ward turns up in crosswords a lot. She played Teddy Reed in the TV show “Sisters” in the nineties, and was in “Once and Again” from 1999-2002. I don’t know either show, but I do know Ward from the medical drama “House” in which she played the hospital’s lawyer and Greg House’s ex-partner. That was a fun role, I thought. More recently, Ward played a lead role on “CSI: NY” and was a very welcome and much-needed addition to the cast. And, Ward played Dr. Richard Kimble’s murdered wife in the 1993 film version of “The Fugitive”.

52 Director Kazan : ELIA

Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. He was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when he was given the 1998 Academy Honorary Award citing his lifetime achievement in the industry. Kazan also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.

53 Big name in car batteries : DELCO

“Delco” is an acronym standing for Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company. Delco is often seen in the brand name “ACDelco”. The AC stands for Albert Champion, who was famous for the development of the spark plug.

67 Pop star Paula who was once a Lakers cheerleader : ABDUL

Paula Abdul is primarily a singer and dancer, and someone who endeared herself even more to the American public in recent years as a judge on “American Idol”. Abdul had a famous husband for a couple of years, as she was married to actor Emilio Estevez from 1992-94.

69 Noise made while playing with a Matchbox car : VROOM!

The Matchbox brand of toy cars were introduced in 1953, and how I loved them growing up. They were called Matchbox cars because they were packed in boxes that looked like regular matchboxes. The brand was English, but the name spread around the world. The brand was so popular that the term “matchbox car” came to mean any small, die-cast toy car, regardless of who made it.

70 “__ Meenie”: 2010 pop single : EENIE

“Eenie Meenie” is a 2010 dance-pop song co-written and recorded by Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston. Apparently, Canadian Bieber brings R7B vocals to the song, and American-Jamaican gives it a reggae vibe.

72 Quaint baes : BEAUS

“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

74 Verb that comes from a corruption of the ballet term “chassé” : SASHAY

A chassé is a step used in ballroom and other styles of dance. It has a gliding character and is a triple-step movement. The term “chassé” comes to popular dance from ballet.

80 Mogul Carl : ICAHN

Carl Icahn has many business interests, and is probably best known in recent years for his dealings with Yahoo! Icahn has a reputation as a corporate raider, a reputation that dates back to his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985. He made a lot of money out of that deal, before being ousted in 1993 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

81 Former TV drama about SoCal attorneys : LA LAW

“L.A. Law” ran on NBC from 1986 to 1994, and was one of the network’s most successful drama series. It took over from the equally successful “Hill Street Blues” in the Thursday night 10 p.m. slot until, after a six-year run, it was itself replaced by yet another respected drama, “E.R.” The opening credits showed that famous California license plate. The plate was on a Jaguar XJ for most of the series, but moved onto a Bentley towards the end of the run. For each series the registration sticker was updated, so no laws were being broken.

86 One of Nolan Ryan’s record seven : NO-HIT GAME

Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts than any other baseball pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.

87 Currier and __ : IVES

Currier and Ives was a printmaking concern in New York City run by Nathaniel Currier and his partner James Merritt Ives from 1834 to 1907. The firm specialized in making affordable, hand-colored black and white lithographs.

93 Log flume, e.g. : RIDE

A flume is a water-filled, man-made channel that sits above ground and is used for transportation. The water flows due to the flume’s downward slope. Most commonly, flumes are built to transport logs and lumber. Traditional log flumes were operated by flume herders, people stationed along the course of the flume to ensure that water and lumber moved freely. The more daring flume herders would ride along the flume in small boats, a practice that led to our contemporary log flume rides in theme parks.

96 Many a spring birth : TAURUS

Taurus is the birth sign for those born between April 21st and June 16th. “Taurus” is Latin for “bull”.

102 Machine shop alloy : SOLDER

Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.

104 Six-time NBA All-Star Lowry : KYLE

Kyle Lowry is a professional basketball player who was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft. Lowry was a member of the US national team that brought home the gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

106 __ van Beethoven : LUDWIG

Ludwig van Beethoven is my favorite composer from the Classical period. There are two excellent films that showcase his music and give fictionalized yet entertaining accounts of different aspects of his life: “Immortal Beloved” (1994) that speculates on the identity of one of Beethoven’s lovers, and “Copying Beethoven” (2006) that explores the events leading up to the triumphant premiere of his 9th Symphony.

108 Constellation with a belt : ORION

The very recognizable constellation of Orion is named for the Greek god Orion, the Hunter. If you take a look at the star in Orion’s “right shoulder”, the second brightest star in the constellation, you might notice that it is quite red in color. This is the famous star called Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, a huge star that is on its way out. Betelgeuse is expected to explode into a supernova within the next thousand years or so. You don’t want to miss that …

110 Like some unkempt gardens : WEEDY

The word “unkempt” means “disheveled, not well-combed”. It derives from the Old English word “cemban” meaning “to comb”. The opposite to the more common “unkempt” is … “kempt”.

111 Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

Aioli is a French sauce made from garlic, egg yolks, and olive oil. The word “aioli” comes from “alh”, the Provençal word for garlic, and “oli”, a Catalan word meaning “oil”.

117 Ione of “La Brea” : SKYE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

The TV show “La Brea” is a sci-fi series that premiered in 2021. It is set in present-day Los Angeles and follows a family who are separated when an earthquake opens a gigantic sinkhole that transports them through a portal to the Ice Age. The sinkhole is located at the La Brea Tar Pits, hence the show’s title.

120 __ velvet : RED

Today, red velvet cake is often colored using food dye. Traditional recipes call for brown sugar or non-Dutched cocoa to impart color. Basically, red velvet cake and devil’s food cake are the same thing, with the former using cocoa and the latter using chocolate.

121 Green Day drummer __ Cool : TRE

“Tré Cool” is the stage name of Frank Wright, the drummer for the punk rock band Green Day.

122 Channel for bargain hunters : HSN

The Home Shopping Network (HSN) was the first national shopping network, and was launched locally as the Home Shopping Club in Florida in 1982. Its first product was a can opener.