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GO BLUE
By Ed Sessa
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/13/19
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
03/13/19
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2019
ACROSS
1 Cascades peak
7 Cap’n’s aide
11 Classic British
sports cars
14 Character
builder?
15 __ Domini
16 Vein contents
17 Not yet proven
19 __ drop
20 After 18-Down,
actor/golfer
combo
22 Wrestling duo
25 Innocent
26 Charlottesville
sch.
27 Like a cool cat
30 Edible root
31 Depended (on)
35 Sunlit lobbies
37 After 34-Down,
crime writer/poet
combo
42 Worthy of a
standing O
43 Pay for one’s
crime
44 Suisse peak
47 Sisters, say
48 Spam holder
49 “American Horror
Story” actress
Paulson
51 Contents of a
teacher’s key
55 After 50-Down,
president/novelist
combo
59 TV buying
channel
60 Host of a Friars
Club event
64 One of a comic
trio
65 Invite feedback?
66 Nissan sedan
67 18-, 34- __
50-Down
68 Votes for
69 Oppressive ruler
DOWN
1 Minded the kids
2 “What the?!”
3 Pigged out, say
4 Little pig
5 Yankee manager
before Girardi
6 __ rock: Queen
genre
7 Attend to a
leaking boat
8 How some data
is stored
9 Sound made
using two fingers
10 “The Dark Knight
Trilogy” director
Christopher
11 Family nickname
12 Mourn
13 It’s not for
everyone
18 Generic guy
21 Canadian
brewery
22 Steak metaphor
seen on menus
23 State with
conviction
24 Charity event
27 Wears
28 “There’s more”
letters
29 Jab to keep them
dogies rollin’
32 Slacks measure
33 Prefix with car
34 Generic guy
36 “How was __
know?”
38 Maneuver
through moguls
39 Flier on a string
40 Mideast mogul
41 Strong desires
44 Bronchial
disorder
45 “The Far Side”
cartoonist Gary
46 Tended to topiary
50 Generic guy
51 Germane
52 Desert wanderer
53 Like many bad
jokes
54 Bridge positions
56 Bridge position
57 Vena __: major
blood line
58 Sacred symbols
on pyramid walls
61 Reward for
waiting
62 Confessional
music genre
63 Maze scurrier
With last week’s release of
the much anticipated trailer for
Season 8 of the HBO megahit
“Game of Thrones,” one thing
is clear: The end is near. After
eight seasons, almost 10 years,
and more than two decades of
waiting for George R.R. Martin
to pull his story together, the
Westerosi Saga will finally reach
it’s end. Or at least, it will reach
an end.
As anyone who has become
wrapped up in this tale of
zombies and dragons knows,
author George R.R. Martin is
nowhere close to completing his
“Song of Ice and Fire” novels
upon which the show is based.
The most recent book, “A Dance
With Dragons” was published
the same summer the HBO show
first premiered, back in 2011.
Since then, the showrunners
have adapted and then expanded
upon
Martin’s
work,
going
beyond the narrative established
in the novels and crafting their
own material beyond the source.
Many believe that the show has
dipped in quality since passing
the material in Martin’s original
books.
However, the truth is that
the show has simply shifted in
structure and in subject matter.
Where the early seasons and
novels focused on the intricate
political
intrigue
between
the various forces of Stark,
Lannister, Tyrell, Bolton and
other houses vying for control
of the Iron Throne, later seasons
have slowly pruned the narrative
excess, eventually bringing the
battle against the White Walkers
into sharp focus as the central
conflict of the series. What
began as “House of Cards” with
dragons has become “Lord of
the Rings” with nudity. Whether
or not that bothers you is up to
the individual viewer. Whether
or not that was always going to
be the case, and whether or not
Martin intended to make the
same kind of pivot in his novels,
is unclear.
Six episodes. A little more
or less than an hour each.
That’s all that the “Game of
Thrones” creators and writers
have to wrap up one of the most
sprawling fantasy epics of all
time. Despite the work done
in the past few years to prune
away the fat from the show’s
cast, dozens of characters still
exist whose storylines need
to be brought to something
resembling resolution. But what
kind of resolution can possibly
satisfy the legions of fans that
have spent in some cases their
entire lives speculating about
how this is all going to end?
Just ask the people behind the
“LOST” finale — it’s not easy to
end a mythology-heavy show. If
Daenerys or Jon Snow take the
crown and sit the Iron Throne,
will that feel earned or will
it feel cheap? If both die and
another takes the seat, will it
come off to audiences as a cop
out? Is there any way to still
shock an audience that expects
to be shocked at every turn?
Is it a little bit lame that the
ultimate “no good guys, no bad
guys” show is going to end with
an army of good guys against an
army of faceless CGI zombies? I
don’t know the answers. But, the
questions are real.
It
seems
inevitable
that
“Game of Thrones” Season 8
will disappoint. How could it
not? Nothing can ever live up to
the individual expectations and
desires that each viewer has in
their own head. Not everyone’s
favorite character will have
enough screen time, not everyone
will get a happy ending. Many
book readers have all but given
up on the show, and are just
watching now to see how it all
ends up. With such a contracted
season coming almost 18 months
after a sixth season that was
also shorter than usual, the days
of getting 10 straight weeks of
“Game of Thrones” seem as far
away as Ned Stark and Robert
Baratheon.
Many have referred to “Game
of Thrones” over the years as
“The Last Water Cooler Show.”
In the current age of diversified
content
and
splintered
viewership, it is becoming more
and more difficult for shows
to
garner
huge
followings
and break out of their niche.
“Thrones” is one of the only
shows that people still feel the
need to watch in the moment,
week to week, like a live sporting
event. It came of age during “the
golden age of TV” but it will
leave as “the last of its kind.”
Undoubtedly,
imitators
will
come and go (Amazon is already
planning the most expensive
series of all time with their “Lord
of the Rings” streaming show),
but it seems highly unlikely that
any show will shock the world as
constantly and as consistently as
“Game of Thrones” did. If it is the
journey that is important, and
not the destination, then “Game
of Thrones” has already done
more than enough to make its
mark on the history of television.
It’s one of those pieces of media,
like “Harry Potter” and “Star
Wars” before it, that ingrains
itself so fully in your memories
that you will never forget where
you were when certain scenes
hit you, nor will you forget
the people you were with. As
the next two months unfold,
the death toll mounts and the
nostalgic wave that comes with
all endings sets in, it’s worth it
to take a moment and remember
how far we’ve come. Just like the
Stark children, many of us have
grown up with this show. Winter
has at last come and will soon be
gone. From George R.R. Martin,
to the cast and crew of “Game of
Thrones,” to the powerful spirit
of imagination that has allowed
this show to enchant audiences
all over the world, may we all
continue to dream for spring.
IAN HARRIS
DAILY ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN
Can GoT’s end satisfy us?
Nearly
two
years
have
passed since I last listened to
Weezer. At my worst, I was
listening to “No Other One”
no less than dozen times a day.
I’d go weeks avoiding calls
from my mother, huddled
in the dark corner of my
dorm room under an Edward
Hopper “Nighthawks” print
pressing
play
on
“Why
Bother?” My friends
would ask where I
was. I’d tell them I
was too tired, too
busy. And then, with
great guilt but even
greater pleasure, I’d
resume “Say It Ain’t
So.”
Since
that
rock
bottom, I have had to
seriously recalibrate
myself. What are my
priorities? Does my
social
circle
have
my best interests in
mind? Who are my
role models? Each
day, each decision
I have approached
with
a
simple
question:
“Will
it
make me listen to Weezer
again?” I have tried my best to
live a life that, in aggregate,
answers this question with a
resounding no.
But because I am a selfless,
giving, loving, effervescent
person, I have decided, just
this once — I swear — to
relapse in the name of good
journalism, and review the
thirteenth album by the Los
Angeles based emo-pop-rock
band.
Weezer (“Black Album”) is
their fifth self-titled album,
in case you were forgetting
what
Rivers
Cuomo
calls
his band, and their second
album
of
2019,
following
Weezer
(“Teal
Album”),
which included covers of
Toto’s “Africa” and TLC’s
“No Scrubs.” In the less than
three months between the
“Teal Album” and the “Black
Album,” Weezer have yet
again found the darkness: on
the cover of the “Teal Album”
the band dressed in fun,
beachy attire. Here, they don
full latex BDSM bodysuits.
But the latex suits are bit
of a fake out. If you’re like
me and have also gotten into
hardcore BDSM and latex
over the last three months,
then you’ll be let down by the
dissonance. These songs are
not hardcore and abrasive, like
some of their best and earliest
material; instead, they lean
heavily on a pop mentality
that can be as annoying as
it is fun. Nearly every track
has the easily recognizable,
repetitive nature of a radio
pop song. “Can’t Knock the
Hustle,” “Zombie Bastards”
and “Living in L.A.” could
all feasibly rotate on an FM
station
and
you
probably
wouldn’t
blink
an
eye.
That’s not to say they’re not
fun
and
catchy.
“Zombie
Bastards,” for example, is
quite so. But none of the
three are so memorable, and
unfortunately, this applies
to the majority of the album.
Somehow Weezer has made
even BDSM unexciting.
For better or worse, what
once made Weezer so popular
(and
so
addicting)
was
their ability to make songs
about angst that sounded
like
angst.
When
they
complained about sex and
drugs and loneliness, they
did it with guitar riffs that
sounded just as disaffected
and jaded as Cuomo. When
Cuomo said he was “Tired
of Sex,” you believed him,
as embarrassing and angsty
a sentiment that might be.
Weezer was never afraid to
sound like the feelings you
weren’t supposed to have.
On Weezer (“Black Album”),
the band hasn’t ditched its
emotional core. The
loneliness
is
still
here (“But I feel so
lonely, feel so lonely
/ Uh, uh, yeah, I’m
living in L.A”), as is
the sex (“Like the
sex appeal of your
sick dance moves /
Ooh, wee, ooh, wee”)
and
drugs
(“Let’s
do hard drugs / Fix
our problems”). But
those feelings are
no longer tangible.
Whether
it’s
the
pop
background,
the
proximity
to
an album with an
“Africa”
by
Toto
cover, or just that
Cuomo
is
getting
old, these songs speak of
sadness but don’t feel like it.
Certainly,
pop
music
can
use
the
dissonance
between sound and lyrics
to
an
advantage.
When
done effectively, the song
resonates more deeply, not
less, like when Robyn sings
of
being
alone
over
the
uplifting beat of “Dancing
On My Own.” But on Weezer
(“Black Album”), the result
is the opposite. Both the
upbeat instrumentation and
the lyrics feels performative,
one trying to accomplish a
different task than the other.
If the “Black Album” leaves
a mark, its only to remind
me of the better, unhappier
moments
in
Weezer’s
discography, and the worse,
unhappier moments my own
musical progression. Here’s
hoping we all get well again.
Weezer’s latest goes dark
ALBUM REVIEW
MATTHEW GALLATIN
Daily Arts Writer
Weezer (‘Black
Album’)
Weezer
Universal Music Group
The week in pop culture has been dominated
by two profoundly disturbing stories: accounts
of child sexual abuse perpetrated by music icons
R. Kelly and Michael Jackson, whose alleged
misdeeds were ignored for far too long, no doubt
because it was much more convenient to enjoy
the genius of “Ignition (Remix)” and “Billie
Jean” at weddings and birthday parties than
it was to confront those other ugly, distressing
possibilities.
HBO’s “Leaving
Neverland” — the
Jackson
exposé
— and Lifetime’s
“Surviving
R.
Kelly” both speak
to the power of
the
televised
documentary
to
change minds and
fuel conversations.
But the ensuing
discourse
has
sometimes veered
into unproductive
and even malicious
territory. On the
tamer end are the
circular, oft-hashed debates about separating art
from the artist. At worst, though, the films have
been met with a deluge of unhinged apologia.
And amid the very fan-centric introspection, a
clearer sense of how we might treat victims and
deal with abusers in these situations still feels
lacking.
Enter Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, the
trusted TV hosts and best friends, who both
demonstrated a remarkable ability to take
stock of horribly sad, fraught circumstances
and treat them with nuance and care. Winfrey,
herself a survivor of child sexual abuse, hosted
an hour-long special following the “Leaving
Neverland” premiere in which she interviewed
the documentaries’ subjects, TK and TK, along
with a child trauma psychologist and other
victims-turned-advocates. A few days later
on CBS, King sat down with R. Kelly in his
first televised interview since the premiere of
“Surviving R. Kelly.” Both women brought a
deft, careful balance of compassion, composure
and journalistic rigor.
Oprah’s was done in her signature group
therapy style, weaving in personal reflections
and audience input. The audience, it should be
noted, was made up almost entirely of survivors,
all of whom had just watched the 4-hour “Leaving
Neverland.” Winfrey began the segment by
noting that she had devoted over 200 episodes of
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” to discussing sexual
abuse, and her familiarity with the material
shined through — her questions were informed
and incisive, sometimes belaboring points to
make the contours of the conversation clear
to viewers while remaining respectful of the
trauma victims she spoke with. All in all, it was
low-key,
subdued
affair.
King’s was the
more lurid of the
two — maybe you’ve
seen the myriad of
clips or the GIFs by
now. Surely, you’ve
seen the photo: R.
Kelly, on the verge
of
tears,
sprung
from his seat and
Gayle King, leaning
back
in
hers,
with an unmoved
expression
that
says, “It’s OK, I’ll
wait.” It couldn’t
have
been
easy
to interview someone who looked like he
could detonate at any moment, but she did it
spectacularly, with focus and poise. And she
navigated the interview with him and his
zealous apologists in a way that let her emerge
supremely level-headed by the segment’s end.
Neither spends much time on the question of
separating the art from the artist — that’s the
sort of thorny dilemma that doesn’t make for a
compact primetime special. But what Winfrey
and King both do well is to give their viewers
the tools to make those decisions for themselves.
And each host, in her own way, probes at the
problem of fandom itself. We might not find
ourselves grappling with “cancel culture” had
we not filled celebrities with our own nostalgic
attachments in the first place. What allowed
Michael Jackson to ingratiate himself with his
victims, Oprah explains, is the same thing that
has kept his legacy mostly intact until now: He
was Michael Jackson! He was God. She quotes
a Maureen Dowd column that stuck with her:
“How can you see clearly when you’re looking
into the sun?”
Oprah & Gayle on tragedy
TV NOTEBOOK
MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN
Daily Arts Writer
Surely, you’ve seen the photo:
R. Kelly, on the verge of tears,
sprung from his seat and Gayle
King, leaning back in hers
6A — Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Arts
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