0410-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Apr 13, Wednesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Disgraced Armstrong : LANCE
Lance Armstrong is a former professional road racing cyclist. Famously, Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times in a row, an especially impressive feat as he is a testicular cancer survivor. However, in August 2012 Armstrong was stripped of his titles when he gave up his opposition to charges that he had used performance enhancing drugs.

11. Movie org. that created a top-100 list from which all of this puzzle’s quotes come : AFI
The American Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1967 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). One of the AFI’s more visible programs is the “100 Year Series”, including lists of Best Movies in several categories and a list of the Best Movie Quotes in 100 years of movie-making.

17. Memorable movie line spoken by … Jack Nicholson : HERE’S JOHNNY!
“Here’s Johnny!” is a famous line spoken by a crazed Jack Nicholson as he chops through a bathroom door in “The Shining”. The film is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I haven’t seen the whole movie because I can’t cope with Stephen King stories …

19. Boarding house?: Abbr. : STA
Get on board the train at the station (sta.).

20. Tito of Latin jazz : PUENTE
After serving in the navy in WWII for three years, the musician Tito Puente studied at Juilliard, where he got a great grounding in conducting, orchestration and theory. Puente parlayed this education into a career in Latin Jazz and Mambo. He was know as “El Rey” as well as “The King of Latin Music”.

21. Ulster, e.g. : COAT
If you’ve watched Victorian dramas you might have seen the original Ulster coat, which is very distinctive. It is a full length, heavy coat, with an attached cape made from the same material that hangs down as far as the waist. The cape was dropped in the 20th century, and now an Ulster a relatively simple, hard-wearing, double-breasted overcoat.

22. … Haley Joel Osment : I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
“I see dead people” is a chilling quote from the M. Night Shyamalan classic film “The Sixth Sense”.

“The Sixth Sense” is a fabulous film released in 1999, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I remember watching “The Sixth Sense” for the first time on an airplane. Shyamalan wasn’t well known for his famous surprise endings to films at that point. It was very gratifying to hear my fellow passengers join me in a big “gasp” at the appropriate point in the story …

Haley Joel Osment is excellent in “The Sixth Sense”, playing the young boy who saw “dead people”. Before Osment got that role, he had played Forrest Gump’s young son on screen (bet you didn’t know that!). Since then, he starred in “Pay It Forward” and “A.I”, both very entertaining films.

26. Hand-held organizer, briefly : PDA
A device like perhaps an iPhone, Droid, or Treo can be termed a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

31. Flawed, as mdse. : IRREG
When I think of merchandise that is labelled “irregular”, I think of something that isn’t a “regular” size. I wouldn’t use the term “flawed”, but maybe that’s just me …

34. Bern’s river : AAR
The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. A famous spot along the Aar is the Reichenbach Falls in the center of the country, actually a series of waterfalls near the city of Meiringen. These falls are renowned in the world of literature as it was here that Sherlock Holmes fell to his supposed doom with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”).

Bern (or Berne) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

37. … Renée Zellweger : YOU HAD ME AT “HELLO”
“You had me at ‘hello’” is an oft-quoted line spoken by the Renée Zellweger in a “loving” scene with Tom Cruise in the movie “Jerry Maguire”.

40. … Marlon Brando : STELLA! HEY, STELLA!
“Stella! Hey, Stella!” is a line cried out by Marlon Brando’s character as his wife Stella (played by Kim Hunter) leaves for the last time with her child, in the movie “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

Desire is the name of a neighborhood in New Orleans, a destination for a streetcar line. The name “Desire” appears on the front of streetcars bound for that neighborhood, hence the title, “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

41. Digital communication, for short? : ASL
It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.

43. Many Sylvester Stallone characters : HE-MEN
If ever there was a movie that defines a career breakthrough for an actor, it would have to be “Rocky” for Sylvester Stallone. Stallone was a struggling actor in 1975 when a Muhammad Ali fight inspired Stallone to write a screenplay for a boxing movie, which he did in just three days. His efforts to sell the script went well but for the fact that the interested studios wanted a big name for the lead role, and Stallone was determined to be the star himself. Stallone persevered and “Rocky” was eventually made with him playing title role of Rocky Balboa. The movie won three Oscars, and “Sly” Stallone had arrived …

44. Singer DiFranco : ANI
Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. DiFranco has also been labeled a “feminist icon”, and in 2006 won the “Woman of Courage Award” from National Organization of Women.

45. Capp and Kaline : ALS
The cartoonist Al Capp’s real name was Alfred Gerald Caplin. Capp’s most famous strip is “Li’l Abner”, but he also wrote “Abbie an’ Slats” and “Long Sam”.

Al Kaline is a former Major League Baseball player. Kaline played his whole career with the Detroit Tigers, and then became a sportscaster for the team when he retired. He now works as a front office official for Detroit. Given the years that Kaline has devoted to the same team, it’s perhaps not surprising that he has the nickname “Mr. Tiger”.

46. … Greta Garbo : I WANT TO BE ALONE
“I want to be alone” is a line uttered by Greta Garbo’s character in the marvelous movie “Grand Hotel”. The line is often quoted as a statement about Garbo’s attitude to life. She retired relatively early, at the age of 35, to live a very private life in which she shunned publicity.

56. Cheesy treats : NACHOS
The dish known as “nachos” were supposedly created by the maître d’ at a restaurant called the Victory Club in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The maître d’’s name was Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya.

57. Snap, Crackle or Pop : ELF
Snap, Crackle and Pop are three elves employed as the mascots for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. The trio first appeared in an ad campaign in 1933, although the phrase “snap, crackle and pop” had been used for the cereal for some time in radio ads. By the way, the elves are selling “Rice Bubbles” in Australia, and the elves have different names in other parts of the world (like “Cric!, Crac! and Croc! in Quebec).

58. … Debra Winger (heard but not seen) : E.T. PHONE HOME
In the great Steven Spielberg film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, the voice of E.T. was mainly the work of actress Pat Welsh, a chain smoker who had the raspy quality to her voice that was needed for the part. However, the sound effects team also used the voices of other people to come up with the final E.T. “package”. One of those voices was that of actress Debra Winger.

63. 2001 Will Smith biopic : ALI
“Ali” is a 2001 biographical movie about Muhammad Ali, with Will Smith in the title role. Among other things, the film is noted for its realistic fight scenes. The scenes were realistic because Smith was really being hit, as hard as his opponents could manage.

66. Kinsey topic : SEX
Alfred Kinsey sure did create a stir with his work and publications. He founded the Institute for Sex Research in 1947, and published the famous “Kinsey Reports” in 1948 and 1953. I enjoyed the 2004 biopic “Kinsey”, starring Irish actor, Liam Neeson in the title role.

Down
3. Hammerfest’s locale: Abbr. : NOR
Hammerfest is a town on the northern coast of Norway, and is one of the most northerly towns in the world.

4. Often-filled breakfast food : CREPE
“Crêpe” is the French word for “pancake”.

7. Maestro Zubin : MEHTA
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music, from Mumbai. Mehta studied music in Vienna, where he made his conducting debut in 1958. In 1961 he was named assistant director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating a fuss with the music director designate of the orchestra, Georg Solti. Solti resigned as a protest, and Mehta took his job. In 1978 Mehta took over as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, eventually becoming the longest holder of that position.

10. “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
PSY is the stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang. PSY became an international star when his 2102 music video “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube. That video had over 1 billion views on YouTube in about six months, making it the most viewed YouTube video clip of all time. I am not one of the one million …

11. There was always a point to what he wrote : AESOP
Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly Aesop was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. He was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. Aesop was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

18. President Bartlet of “The West Wing” : JED
In the excellent television show “The West Wing”, President Jed Bartlet is played by Martin Sheen.

“The West Wing”, when it was being written by Aaron Sorkin, was such a fabulous television event. It is remarkable how quickly it went downhill after Sorkin moved on. Sorkin is also famous for having written the play “A Few Good Men”, and the screenplay for one of my favorite movies: “Charlie Wilson’s War”.

21. Mustard, for one: Abbr. : COL
Colonel Mustard is one of the suspects in the board game “Clue”.

Clue is another board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), a lead pipe (lead piping in the US) and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

22. Mad magazine’s Usual Gang of ___ : IDIOTS
“Mad” is noted for having a long-standing list of creative personnel who contribute to the magazine’s content. If you read the magazine, you’ll see the list of contributors under the tongue-in-cheek heading “The Usual Gang of Idiots”.

23. Barber who composed “Adagio for Strings” : SAMUEL
Samuel Barber was one of the most respected composers of 20th-century classical music. Barber’s most famous work is probably “Adagio for Strings”, a piece that has been used a lot in television and movies, including a memorable scene in the movie “Platoon”.

24. Some laureates : POETS
A poet laureate is a poet who is officially pointed by some institution to compose works for special occasions. The US Poet Laureate is more correctly known as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

29. Calder Cup rink org. : AHL
The American Hockey League (AHL) is the so-called development circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL), the equivalent of the minors in professional baseball. The AHL’s playoff trophy is called the Calder Cup, which is named for Frank Calder who was the first president of the NHL.

30. What “America’s Got,” on NBC : TALENT
NBC’s show “America’s Got Talent” is part of a global franchise based in the UK. The original show is called “Britain’s Got Talent”, with the whole franchise being created by Simon Cowell.

31. Texter’s “As I see it …” : IMHO
In my humble opinion (IMHO).

33. Martha a k a the Big Mouth : RAYE
Martha Raye was a comic actress as well as a singer. Strangely enough, Raye was famous for the size of her mouth, something that she used to her own advantage. As her nickname was “The Big Mouth”, she made a little money appearing in commercials for the Polident denture cleaner in the eighties. Her line was, “So take it from the Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!”

34. Rocker Gregg who married Cher : ALLMAN
Greg Allman and Cher got married in 1975, and despite the divorce petition that they filed after nine days of marriage, they do have a son together. They separated in 1977, and their divorce came through in 1979.

35. Alternative form of a gene : ALLELE
A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

36. Dappled horses : ROANS
A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

38. Shipboard crane : DAVIT
A davit is a crane-like structure used to raise and lower things on and off a ship, perhaps a lifeboat. The crane was originally known as a “david”, and was so called as it was customary to apply given names to useful devices. Other examples would be: jack, jenny and jimmy.

39. Shoebox letters : EEE
EEE is the width of a shoe, a particularly wide shoe.

46. Gray matter output : IDEAS
Grey matter and white matter are the two component of the central nervous system. Grey matter is mainly made up of neurons, and white matter is largely made of axons, the projections of the neurons that form nerve fibers.

47. 2008 Pixar robot : WALL-E
“WALL-E” is a very cute, Pixar movie, released in 2008. The hero of the piece is a robot called WALL-E, who loves his “Hello Dolly”, and who falls in love with another robot called EVE.

49. Baked, so to speak : ON POT
“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.

50. Religion founded in Persia : BAHA’I
The Baha’i Faith is relatively new in the scheme of things, and was founded in Persia in the 1800s. One of the tenets of the religion is that messengers have come from God over time, including Abraham, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and most recently Bahá’u’lláh who founded the Baha’i Faith.

51. Where to learn anglais : ECOLE
French for school is “école”.

52. Philip of “Kung Fu” : AHN
The actor Philip Ahn is perhaps best known for playing Master Kahn, one of Caine’s teachers on the television show “kung Fu”. Ahn was the first Asian-American actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

53. Bygone theater chain : LOEWS
Loews Theatres was a chain of movie theaters founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew and Brantford Schwartz. The chain merged with AMC Theaters in 2006.

54. Milo of “The Verdict” : O’SHEA
Milo O’Shea was a great Irish character actor from Dublin who has appeared in everything from “Romeo and Juliet” to “The West Wing”. Sadly, O’Shea passed away just a few days ago in New York City.

59. Ascension Day, e.g.: Abbr. : THU
The Feast of the Ascension is a Christian holiday held every year, always on a Thursday. Ascension Day commemorates the Ascension of Jesus into heaven 40 days after his resurrection.

60. Avian pal of Eeyore : OWL
Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie the Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center.

61. Extinct flightless bird : MOA
Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Disgraced Armstrong : LANCE
6. Energize, informally : AMP UP
11. Movie org. that created a top-100 list from which all of this puzzle’s quotes come : AFI
14. Item in a squirrel’s hoard : ACORN
15. Duct outflow : TEARS
16. One may play something by this : EAR
17. Memorable movie line spoken by … Jack Nicholson : HERE’S JOHNNY!
19. Boarding house?: Abbr. : STA
20. Tito of Latin jazz : PUENTE
21. Ulster, e.g. : COAT
22. … Haley Joel Osment : I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
26. Hand-held organizer, briefly : PDA
27. Aromatherapist’s supply : OIL
28. Target : AIM AT
31. Flawed, as mdse. : IRREG
34. Bern’s river : AAR
37. … Renée Zellweger : YOU HAD ME AT “HELLO”
40. … Marlon Brando : STELLA! HEY, STELLA!
41. Digital communication, for short? : ASL
42. Conjure up : EVOKE
43. Many Sylvester Stallone characters : HE-MEN
44. Singer DiFranco : ANI
45. Capp and Kaline : ALS
46. … Greta Garbo : I WANT TO BE ALONE
55. Cuckoo : DAFT
56. Cheesy treats : NACHOS
57. Snap, Crackle or Pop : ELF
58. … Debra Winger (heard but not seen) : E.T. PHONE HOME
63. 2001 Will Smith biopic : ALI
64. Nautical hazard : SHOAL
65. Victors’ shout : WE WON!
66. Kinsey topic : SEX
67. Adorable one : CUTIE
68. Many a deli offering : SALAD

Down
1. “Well, ___-di-dah!” : LAH
2. Star pitcher : ACE
3. Hammerfest’s locale: Abbr. : NOR
4. Often-filled breakfast food : CREPE
5. Come next : ENSUE
6. Do penance : ATONE
7. Maestro Zubin : MEHTA
8. Like French doors : PANED
9. Mantel piece : URN
10. “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
11. There was always a point to what he wrote : AESOP
12. Like some attractions : FATAL
13. Steamed : IRATE
18. President Bartlet of “The West Wing” : JED
21. Mustard, for one: Abbr. : COL
22. Mad magazine’s Usual Gang of ___ : IDIOTS
23. Barber who composed “Adagio for Strings” : SAMUEL
24. Some laureates : POETS
25. Pizza slice, often : EIGHTH
26. ___ visit (drops in) : PAYS A
29. Calder Cup rink org. : AHL
30. What “America’s Got,” on NBC : TALENT
31. Texter’s “As I see it …” : IMHO
32. Stink : REEK
33. Martha a k a the Big Mouth : RAYE
34. Rocker Gregg who married Cher : ALLMAN
35. Alternative form of a gene : ALLELE
36. Dappled horses : ROANS
38. Shipboard crane : DAVIT
39. Shoebox letters : EEE
44. Tiny soldier : ANT
46. Gray matter output : IDEAS
47. 2008 Pixar robot : WALL-E
48. Tack on : AFFIX
49. Baked, so to speak : ON POT
50. Religion founded in Persia : BAHA’I
51. Where to learn anglais : ECOLE
52. Philip of “Kung Fu” : AHN
53. Bygone theater chain : LOEWS
54. Milo of “The Verdict” : O’SHEA
58. Key to the left of F1 : ESC
59. Ascension Day, e.g.: Abbr. : THU
60. Avian pal of Eeyore : OWL
61. Extinct flightless bird : MOA
62. The ___ [fittingly] : END

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