Monday

Lo! I have once again returned from seeing Wordplay. (I am almost certain that I will not see it tomorrow, however.) It was nice to see Patrick Creadon again—he came in after the movie for a Q&A. He reports that the movie's been doing well; I'll be checking for those box-office figures in the morning. Those of you in Chicago, tune into "Chicago Tonight" with Phil Ponce Monday evening to see Patrick. If you're in the Daily Herald area, check the paper during the next few days—a reporter spoke with Patrick this evening. And if you're in the Daily Southtown zone, look for something on Wordplay this Friday.

In the NYT forum, Tom Ratcliffe linked to this article in the British paper, The Independent. Best quote: "Devotees will know that the soul of a puzzle lies not in the answers but in the clues. On Monday these are straightforward. By Saturday they are monsters of opacity, ellipsis and multiple meaning." (O delicious opacity!)

I didn't pay any attention to the theme in Lynn Lempel's Sun crossword until after I finished it. Oh! That's cute. The steps to "Make the Cake" include (HALF)MEASURE, (DOWN)POUR, (OFF)BEAT, (CLAM)BAKE, and (ROBERT)FROST. Throw in fill like BEST WISHES and SHALOM and good clues, and you see why Lynn's generally my favorite Monday constructor.

I LIKED (9-Across) the NYT by Randy Sowell. With fill like CHUNNEL and GINGER ALE, it was a fizzy crossword. Did you know how many other movie titles fit the same "The Man Who..." pattern? A lot.

CS 3:32
NYS 3:26
NYT 2:51
LAT 2:40