Ancient Athenian sculptor / MON 5-24-10 / Skilled entertainer / Sci-fi hero in 25th century / Football alignment named for its shape

Constructor: Bob Johnson

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: CHEESE BURGER — circled squares spell out the various levels in a basic cheeseburger: BUN, TOMATO, PICKLE, CHEESE, BURGER, BUN


Word of the Day: JERKIN (47D: Sleeveless jacket) —

Jerkin' or Jerk is a Los Angeles dance movement. The Jerk movement started in 2008 in Los Angeles and spread across Southern California. Since 2009, jerkin' has gained fans along the West Coast and is gaining popularity on the East Coast. // The dance itself consists of moving your legs in and out called the "jerk", and doing other moves such as the "reject", "dip", and "pindrop". (wikipedia)

• • •

Well I don't think much of the theme type, as you know (scattered circles "spelling" out words, ugh), but it's timely (grilling season is upon us) and the fill seemed more interesting than the typical Monday fare. Nice. SASSY, even (20A: Impertinent). Felt very easy, but those big corners, my bad typing, and JERKIN kept me from a truly sizzling time ("sizzling" ... see, I'm trying to keep up the whole burger / grilling vibe ... because that's the kind of ARTISTE I am (39D: Skilled entertainer)). A shade over 3 puts me at a pretty normal Monday time. It's a lazy Sunday evening as I write this. I'm full of the risotto I cooked — thank you Cook's Illustrated — and a couple beers and a half bowl of blue- and strawberries (the other half bowl is sitting here, waiting for me). New Black Keys album is playing downstairs (fantastic). Lettuce and kale and potatoes are starting to come up in the garden. I love spring more and more and more with every year. This has nothing to do with the GRID (40D: Where to enter this puzzle's answers). It's just what's happening now. In my heart. And even RETINT can't bring bring me down (6D: Color again, as the hair) ("the" hair?!).



MYRON (18D: Ancient Athenian sculptor) was the "Word of the Day" less than three weeks ago, so you're welcome for that. He's by far the most obscure thing in this grid, and crosses were all very easy, so no problem. I will say, about the circles, that they are at least quite dense in TFORMATION and BUCKROGERS. And CRIME SCENE is a killer answer (28D: It might be marked off with police tape).

Theme answers:

• 5A: U.C.L.A. player (BRUIN)
  
• 17A: Football alignment named for its shaped (T FORMATION)
  
• 26A: Top choice (PICK OF THE LITTER)
  
• 45A: "Light" dessert? (CHERRIES JUBILEE) — cute clue
  
• 58A: Sci-fi hero in the 25th century (BUCK ROGERS)
  
• 64A: To the point, ironically (BLUNT)

Bullets:

• 33A: Good "Wheel of Fortune" purchase for STRING BIKINI (AN "I") — way to liven up the typical ["Wheel of Fortune" purchase] clue!
  
• 38A: Heckle and Jeckle of cartoons (MAGPIE) — damn these birds! I can never remember what they are. "They're black ... crows? ... daws? ... caws? ... what the hell?!" MAGPIE just sound smaller, cuter, and more colorful than H&J look to me.
  
• 62D: Puccini's "Nessun dorma," for one (ARIA) — not that you have to know the first thing about "Nessun dorma" to get this. Hundreds of ARIAs out there that could have taken this one's place. First time I ever heard the word ARIA was as the title of some indie film I saw and didn't understand in the '80s.

• 63A: Captain Hook's henchman (SMEE) — I have never read "Peter Pan." I have never (to my knowledge) seen "Peter Pan" (any version). I wouldn't know SMEE if he bit me. But his name is, of course, common currency in crossword grids.

[Random picture of constructors Patrick Blindauer and Rebecca Young that I pulled down off Facebook because I liked it so much]

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]