Daily Beast, 11/20/09

"New Moon" - 11:45
I was smart this week. I guessed what Matt's theme would be before the puzzle was even published.


Of course, not being a 92D: [Like some mortgages] TEN YEAR old girl, I knew none of the Twilight Saga:New Moon answers specific to the movie. Which is too bad, because I believe the main demographic reading my posts are ten year old girls.

I did better with Matt's take on a new moon, which, as defined at 65A: [Where the moon is located in its new moon phase - - and a pattern that appears twice in this puzzle] BETWEEN THE EARTH AND SUN. So we get a SUN theme answer, then a MOON, then an EARTH. Each theme answer is a movie with SUN/MOON/EARTH in the title. Whew! Why do I never get to blog puzzles with themes like "each theme entry can follow the word CAT"? These are much cooler, though. By the way, if the moon is directly in line between the earth and sun at a new moon, a solar eclipse occurs. Don't look!!

Other theme answers:

23A: [2003 Diane Lane] - UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN
32A: [1982 Albert Finney/Diane Keaton drama] - SHOOT THE MOON
45A: [1991 Jim Jarmusch movie about cab drivers] - NIGHT ON EARTH

87A: [1946 Gregory Peck Western] - DUEL IN THE SUN
103A: [1999 Jim Carrey biopic] - MAN ON THE MOON (Jim Carrey is Canadian)
113A: [1988 Geena Davis comedy] - EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY. The Earth has moved to the front of the title here. The only one of these movies that I've seen.


Movie theme answers:

19A: ["New Moon" protagonist] - BELLA
75A: [ Lautner of "New Moon"] - TAYLOR
54A: ["Twilight" town] - FORKS
125A: ["Twilight" author Stephenie] - MEYER
52D: [Last name of 19-across] - SWAN

Other stuff:

57A: [Be a bootlicker] - KOWTOW - don't you want this to start with a "C"?
84A: [Part of DOS] - SYS - For the ten year olds: Disc Operating System.
118A: [Zener cards test it] - ESP. Successful proven tests remain at zero. But you knew I was going to say that.
6D: [Average guy] - SCHMOE. When did this start getting an "E"?
10D: ["You Can't Take It With You" co-author] - MOSS HART. Checking...George S. Kaufman is your other co-author.
12D: [One of Cosby's TV kids] - Lisa BONET, who played Denise.
16D: [Key used often by Mozart] - G MINOR. The key I use often is house.
32D: ["Oh my!"] - GOSH. Your grandmother's OMG.
36D: [Glocks and such] - GUNS. I'm Canadian, so I don't know guns.
46D: [Britney Spears' "Piece OF ME"] - Do ten year girls still like her?
63D: ["Two and a Half Men" actor] - Charlie SHEEN. Started watching this in reruns. I should hate it but it is too funny.
100D: [1970 AL MVP BOOG Powell] - If the entire puzzle was about 1970 baseball players I would finish faster than Dan Feyer.
111D: [Led Zeppelin classic "DYER Mak'er"] - Hit it!

Crossing of two random names:
124A: [Cervenka of punk rock] - EXENE. huh? How did this turn into a Brendan Emmett Quigley puzzle?
108D: [Dakota Fanning's sister] - ELLE.
EXENA/ELLA looked good to me. Buzz!! Wrong!! Lose bonus points!!

Next weekend is Thanksgiving for you guys down south. I had better start studying. Bye!