And the Nominees Are...
by Pancho Harrison
edited by Mike Shenk
March 5, 2010

Full answers available on WSJ's crossword puzzle page.

Theme: Best Actress (mostly) nominees (trivia from BA commentary - mostly)
BURSTYN OUT {23A Ellen's sign-off? (1971, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1980, 2000)} – Ellen Burstyn (real-name Edna Rae Gillooly, and first appearing with screen name Ellen McRae), Best Actress winner for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974).
BERRY AT SEA {25A Halle in a state of confusion? (2001)} – Won with her first nomination for Monster's Ball.
DUNNE DEAL {48A Irene's business transaction? (1931, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1948)} - No wins; two nominations were consecutive (from 1936-1937).
MOORE INFO {58A Contents of Julianne's bio? (1997, 1999, 2002)} - Often, actresses have been nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for different films in the same year. ..... A total of eleven performers .... have duplicated that feat. Julianne Moore (Best Actress for Far From Heaven (2002) and Best Supporting Actress for The Hours (2002)).
BATES TRAP {87A Mouse catcher for Kathy? (1990, 1998, 2002)} - It also helps .... for showing acting diversity (Kathy Bates as the horror villainess in Misery (1990).
CRUZ LINES {98A What Penelope has to memorize? (2006, 2008)} - Spanish actress Penelope Cruz was nominated as Best Actress for her role as single mother Raimunda in Volver (2006) - she became the first Spanish woman to be nominated for a best actress Academy Award for a non-English speaking role.
DERN TOOTIN {123A Laura on her horn? (1991)}
THER ON ROOM {126A Charlize's bedchamber? (2003, 2005)} - The first acting Oscar winner from South Africa was Charlize Theron as Best Actress for Monster (2003). In the same year, Theron and Djimon Hounsou were the first African-born performers to be nominated for an Oscar. ...Theron won the Best Actress Oscar as a serial-killer prostitute.
BASSETT HOUND {34A Angela's dog? (1993)} - Gratuitous plug for Thursday Night Bassett Blogging & Sunday Night Puppy Blogging
WATTS COOKING {39A Dishes from Naomi's kitchen? (2003)}


WORD SIBLINGS: _ORE
My last square was the M of MORE {3D Added}/ERMA {1A Aretha's gospel singing sister}. Since my total lack of cool &/or musical knowledge prevented me from checking the cross, I ran thru the possibles for _ORE. I got 11: BORE, CORE, FORE, GORE, LORE, MORE, PORE, SORE, TORE, WORE, YORE. The Million Word Crossword Answer Book by Stanley Newman and Daniel Stark [2007 Collins 2008] added two more [p33]: DORE {French painter} [p1196] & VORE {Eater: Comb. form} [p1265 ].


It's a Small, Small Puzzle World: ERMA
Appeared again in the Sunday NYT [3/7/10] {57A Franklin who sang “Piece of my Heart.”}. Sister Aretha may get the press, but Erma gets the crossword puzzles.


Admissions of Defeat: 1
Phooey, phooey, phooey. I was so proud of myself for catching a mistake that would have ruined a perfect round. In pondering possible pithy comments, I would explain the mysterious PLe. I figured {65A Abba's group} was the Swedish congress, the Swedish music national academy, or whatever. Hmmm. Dunno who Abba is, but PLO works and CROAK makes more sense than CReAK as {54D Swamp sound}. Yippee. Although I got done early, I waited for the answers to be up before claiming my smashing victory. Darn. The San Francisco airport {51A N. Cal. Hub} is SFO not SFa and ADOPT works as well as ADaPT {36D Start using}.

Went down in a – for me – quick hour & ½ during a bout of insomnia Thursday night. Maybe I should get up in the middle of the night more often – despite the vowel confusion.


ACPT Countdown Clock: 378 days
I'm having trouble find a link or on-screen clock that is accepted and allows me to edit. So, for now the hand-cranked version. From Friday March 5, 2010, to March 18, 2011.

Likelihood of my attendance at the ACPT: 80% for the moment. Found a friend who said she'd go if I would. I'll settle down to a more realistic number soon but a compatriot is good for at least a 10% overall gain.

Katherine Walcott
Puzzle Fan