Constructor: Daniel Britt
Relative problem: Medium
THEME: IMDB (i.e. “I am D.B.”) (73A: One place to seek out 18-, 28-, 49- and 64-Throughout … or, parsed in a different way, how these folks may introduce themselves) — folks with the initials D.B. who’re additionally within the Web Film Database (IMDb)
Theme solutions:
- DELTA BURKE (18A: “Designing Girls” co-star of Eighties-’90s TV)
- DANNY BONADUCE (28A: Participant of the center son on TV’s “The Partridge Household”)
- DREW BARRYMORE (49A: “E.T.” actress)
- DAVID BOWIE (64A: Singer who starred in “Labyrinth” (1986) and “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976)
Phrase of the Day: DANNY BONADUCE (28A) —
Dante Daniel Bonaduce (; born August 13, 1959) is an American retired radio persona, actor, tv persona {and professional} wrestler. Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV author and producer Joseph Bonaduce (The Dick Van Dyke Present, That Woman, One Day at a Time and others).
Bonaduce turned well-known as a toddler actor of the Seventies on the TV sitcom The Partridge Household. He co-starred as Danny Partridge, the wisecracking, redheaded center son of the singing household band (headed by Shirley Jones) and he portrayed the fictional pop group’s bass guitar participant. Since then, Bonaduce has starred in a number of different TV collection, together with the VH1 actuality present Breaking Bonaduce in 2005, has accomplished radio exhibits in Los Angeles and Philadelphia and hosted a morning speak/music present at Seattle radio station KZOK-FM from 2011 to 2023.
• • •
“Oh … that makes it a lot worse.” That was my response when, ultimately, I seen that the constructor’s initials had been D.B. I want I may muster up a “that is lovely,” however when a theme is not actually working and you then uncover *why* the theme exists *in any respect*, and the reason being so self-indulgent … it simply provides a layer of … [exasperated SIGH]. See, the factor is that the “M” in IMDB stands for “Film,” and solely two of those DBs had any form of profession within the “motion pictures,” and even they’re much (a lot a lot a lot) higher recognized for different issues now (Barrymore for her TV present and way of life empire, Bowie (clearly) for music). Barrymore has the most effective declare to film stardom. She’s strong, no complaints. The remainder … complaints. In fact it is true that IMDB accommodates TV actors too, so DELTA BURKE and DANNY BONADUCE can be in there, however they’re each well-known for exactly one present, and neither of these exhibits has been on tv since 1993. Do folks beneath 40 even know who DELTA BURKE and DANNY BONADUCE are? Yeesh. If TV actors are legitimate, then anybody within the database is technically legitimate. The author DAN BROWN, he is in there. Soccer star DAVID BECKHAM is for positive in there. Soccer Corridor-of-Famer DICK BUTKUS was in Gremlins 2: A New Batch—the place is he?? My level is that the themer set is free and weak. Additionally, the largest precise film star on the earth proper now with the initials D.B. (DAVE BAUTISTA) is nowhere to be seen. A ragtag group of off-the-mark names, all so we may get a conceit puzzle and a extremely dated time period for “gents’s membership”? Not for me.
[NUDIE SUITS!]
Had actual bother getting began (uncommon for a Tuesday!) due to MASS, which feels very very mistaken for its clue (1A: Neighbor of Vt. and N.H.). You are utilizing two-letter state codes within the clue for a four-letter non-code that (in contrast to the examples within the clue) you generally say out loud, as its personal phrase. I figured that at 4 letters, the reply would perhaps be a Canadian province (?) and I wrote SASK. in there, at the same time as I used to be pondering “that is … farther west, is not it?”) (it’s) (VT and NH abut QUÉBEC). Worse was the heroine of the Tennessee Williams play that I’ve actually by no means heard of (2D: Heroine of Tennessee Williams’s “Summer time and Smoke”). Summer time and Smoke? What’s that? Look, it is Tuesday, and ALMA isn’t gonna be nice fill, irrespective of the way you clue it, so simply give me [___ mater] and depart it at that, OK? As soon as I acquired out of the NW, although, issues leveled off and general the puzzle performed fairly regular (i.e. easyish) for a Tuesday. In case you did not know the actor names, then I think about it performed just a little in a different way.
Bullets:
- 40A: Auto-___, setting for a lot of subscription providers (RENEW) — it is handy … till you wish to unsubscribe. Then it is tyrannical. I’ve needed to go to absurd lengths to cancel precise journal subscriptions earlier than. My good friend Shaun was getting Martha Stewart’s journal till it went digital-only, however as an alternative of stopping the subscription, the corporate switched her to a unique way of life magazine and she or he could not (simply) determine learn how to unsubscribe and so now she simply will get Midwest Residing or some such photo-heavy sponsored-content-type factor (OK, Midwest Residing was really kinda cool; that they had an entire factor on the U.P. (Higher Peninsula, MI) that made us (Nice Lakes followers) wish to go there instantly). I’ll spend a part of at this time making an attempt to unsubscribe from no less than one journal that has been auto-RENEWing. Want me luck!
- 60A: First primary cable present to win an Emmy for Excellent Drama Collection (MAD MEN) — I neglect how previous this present is now (it began 18 years in the past this week). “Primary cable” doesn’t embrace premium cable like HBO–in any other case the reply to this clue would’ve been The Sopranos (2004). MAD MEN received in ’08, ’09, ’10 and ’11.
- 8D: Capital metropolis on the Rideau River (OTTAWA) — I had no concept. I’m woefully under-Canadafied in my geographical schooling. I do know that rideau means “curtain” in French and that is all I find out about Rideau (which apparently means “a small ridge of mound of earth” in English).
- 56D: Competitor of Rao’s (RAGU) — I had by no means heard of RAO (apostrophe “s”) earlier than it appeared in a puzzle sooner or later and I mentioned “by no means heard of it” and the feedback exploded with “how may you not blah blah blah” after which yeah the subsequent time I went to the grocery retailer there was a wall of it and we now have it in our home now so generally your blind spots are literally proper in entrance of your face. Bizarre.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
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