"Closing Credits" - November 13, 2020

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
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woozy
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#261

Post by woozy »

I'll just say.... I'm not all that surprised or upset I didn't get it...
Latest meta: Never forget... and never mind (A WSJ retaliation)
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FrankH
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#262

Post by FrankH »

The WSJ explanation didn't mention that 23A and 49A (which also occupy a symmetrical pair of locations in the grid) are hints also.
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yourpalsal
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#263

Post by yourpalsal »

I can’t believe I didn’t get this. I even guessed the answer based on the clue (I’m a screenwriter for goodness sake!), but didn’t bother to submit because I didn’t see the mechanism. Chased those repeating rabbit clues and theme answers, but knew it was the movie clues that mattered. It’s true I have too little time for puzzles these days, but I should’ve got this one. Arrrrrgh. Gonna be a lotta right answers, and heartfelt congrats to all.
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Streroto
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#264

Post by Streroto »

hcbirker wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:11 am I was totally convinced that "spiel" meant Spielberg I got lost in the grid. And looking for "formerly named" actors.
Right? A “closing credit” to add BERG to SPIEL who happens to be the director of Jurassic Park? I searched this one high and low. Would have made a good meta!
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mheberlingx100
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#265

Post by mheberlingx100 »

I first tried the last letters of names of all the actors in the grid before I went to the movies in the clues.

It took all my self-restraint when I posted I was on the beach to avoid phrases like “I finally solved it’ lest it be viewed as a spoiler.
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mheberlingx100
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#266

Post by mheberlingx100 »

I first tried the last letters of names of all the actors in the grid before I went to the movies in the clues.

It took all my self-restraint when I posted I was on the beach to avoid phrases like “I finally solved it’ lest it be viewed as a spoiler.
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pddigi
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#267

Post by pddigi »

Three clues used the word listing (23A, 49A, 46D - with the answers title, clues, and job); two of them make sense as pointers to the answer (title and clues). It just seems sloppy to have “Indeed listing” in with the other two when it bears no relation to the meta solution. I was thinking it might be one of those movie set jobs that sound funny and are only seen in the closing credits (key grip, best boy, gaffer - although I couldn’t think of a 3-word phrase that might fit).

I am not a fan of grid-optional mechanisms in general, so add in the above and I am not overjoyed.

PS: The WSJ support team didn’t address the non-appearing and disappearing grid issues yet, instead asking me to supply info about my subscription. I joined on the teaser rate over the summer and decided to stick with it, but I’m not sure what my log-in credentials are (stored in the phone but curiously not accessible in the password list). I’ll try to respond with the correct info today.
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BarbaraK
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#268

Post by BarbaraK »

I have one nit with this puzzle - the inconsistency in the presentation of the names. Five of the six actors have their last name in the grid, only one has her first name there. And since Geena and Davis are both five letters and since the grid placement doesn't matter for the solution, there's no reason she couldn't have been treated like the rest.
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MikeM000
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#269

Post by MikeM000 »

Being newer to this I have no idea what you all are going on about with "Pageant" all the time, but I'll cross streams with the MGWCC here and say they really vitamin-ed this one up.

FIN
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Bird Lives
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#270

Post by Bird Lives »

I had the same idea as Joe Ross (#254) but with a slight difference.
Here are the completed grid -- completed as much as necessary -- and the relevant clues.
wsj.jpg
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RDaleHall
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#271

Post by RDaleHall »

Fun puzzle - enjoyed going down a few paths until getting the right process down. I'll now always associate every Thelma and Louise reference with the letters A D E.
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Joe Ross
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#272

Post by Joe Ross »

pddigi wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:41 am PS: The WSJ support team didn’t address the non-appearing and disappearing grid issues yet, instead asking me to supply info about my subscription. I joined on the teaser rate over the summer and decided to stick with it, but I’m not sure what my log-in credentials are (stored in the phone but curiously not accessible in the password list). I’ll try to respond with the correct info today.
You should be able to reset your password, then you'll know it.

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Colin
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#273

Post by Colin »

I have an honorary masters degree in stating the darn obvious ... but I didn’t get this! But I do know the first letters of these films, the actors, the directors, the producers, the distribution companies, the makeup artists, the score writers, the unit leads, .....
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ky-mike
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#274

Post by ky-mike »

Since each actor was clued similarly with a specific movie name in parentheses in the clues, we knew (or should have known) that the movies mentioned in the clues were all important in solving the meta as there are many ways to clue "Asner", "Geena", etc. (Solving hint - Always be aware of how clues are written, especially when similar clue formats are used to clue multiple grid entries.) The meta connection could have been the role each played in the movie (I went down that rabbit hole, but it wasn't too deep) or something else relating the movies and/or the specific actors to each other.

I, like others, am not a big fan of metas which can be solved without even solving the grid or a portion of it, but I do understand that is a mechanism which is used (not often) that keeps us on our toes. And in this case, I am not certain that one could have definitely solved the meta without completing the grid and looking down a few rabbit holes before circling back and looking harder at the clues. At least that was my experience.
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cbarbee002
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#275

Post by cbarbee002 »

hcbirker wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:11 am I was totally convinced that "spiel" meant Spielberg I got lost in the grid. And looking for "formerly named" actors.
Like others, I was down this rabbit hole for quite a while before giving up on it - - the juxtaposition of Spiel and Niell was just too tempting.
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TPS
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#276

Post by TPS »

FEOBAK

That’s the answer the hints pointed me to - that’s what I had 10 minutes into solving and couldn’t turn into a three word answer. We can debate whether I should have looked longer but that is what the hints pointed me to: “The Ends or Close” of the “Title” within the “Clues”. Since that didn’t work and it seemed unlikely you could get to the meta without working the grid I did try somethings with the actors names after but obviously that went no better.

I took consolation that once I had the method I was able to help 30+ people get off Mike’s FEOBAK atoll.
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cbarbee002
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#277

Post by cbarbee002 »

Seems like lots of folks didn't like this one. Me? I tend to like them all (unless they are KAS 5), especially the few I get. :-)
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KscX
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#278

Post by KscX »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 7:14 am I have one nit with this puzzle - the inconsistency in the presentation of the names. Five of the six actors have their last name in the grid, only one has her first name there. And since Geena and Davis are both five letters and since the grid placement doesn't matter for the solution, there's no reason she couldn't have been treated like the rest.
BarbaraK - I noticed the same thing. In hindsight, it was another clue to leave the actors alone. Of course, I didn’t! I looked at the last letters of their first names, last names, character names, director names ... 36 hours in I looked at the ending letters of the TITLES. And now that I think about it, I had done that earlier too, but only the last word of each title. For real, a head-slapper.
Last edited by KscX on Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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CPJohnson
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#279

Post by CPJohnson »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 7:14 am I have one nit with this puzzle - the inconsistency in the presentation of the names. Five of the six actors have their last name in the grid, only one has her first name there. And since Geena and Davis are both five letters and since the grid placement doesn't matter for the solution, there's no reason she couldn't have been treated like the rest.
I took this anomaly to suggest that the actors' names weren't the correct rabbit hole.
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802puzzler
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#280

Post by 802puzzler »

I wouldn't say the grid was optional. TITLES, HOLLYWOOD ENDING and CLUES were signposts to lead you to the promised land (but I still failed to make the connection this week)! Nice job Mr. Shenk!
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