I harken back to the days of watching wholesome family shows like The Waltons.Q: Name a famous singer — first and last names. Each name has two syllables. Change the first vowel sound in the first name and the last vowel sound in the last name. In each case, phonetically, you'll name part of the human body. Who's the singer?
Edit: I was hinting at a similar puzzle from Feb 2, 2020.
A: BILLIE EILISH --> BELLY, EYELASH
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
At first, I thought this couldn't be Will's intended answer, but now I think it is. It's a familiar name.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen this name before...
ReplyDeleteYup...
DeleteRecently!
DeleteAnd if the puzzle had been "Change the first vowel sounds in both the first and the last names", then you'd have another singer we've seen recently! Similar sounding first name, but different last name.
DeleteTake the body parts in the order suggested by the name. Cross out any letters that occur more than once. No rearrangement needed: you get a word meaning an event.
ReplyDeleteIf you're correct, my answer is not.
DeleteIt seems there may be alternative answers. I wonder if Will will acknowledge them next Sunday?
DeleteSplainit, are you using the body parts, not the singer, to perform Rob's operation? I used the singer first time around.
DeleteMakes sense to me. Headed to one Dec. 31st.
DeleteThat result is also a word featured prominently in a current movie.
DeleteWorks for me.
DeleteTo help avoid confusion with Rob's clue:
Delete1. As WW noted, write down the body parts, one after the other.
2. When you cross out any letters that occur more than once, that does NOT mean that you leave the first occurrences behind! Any letters that occur more than once should have NO occurrences LEFT.
3. Read the remaining letters in order, but do NOT include any intervening spaces.
4. You'll be left with a word. If you look up this word in Wiktionary, under Etymology 1, you first find 4 meanings as a verb. (Meaning 4 is British, slang, and unsuitable for younger readers.)
You then find 3 meanings as a noun. Meaning 2 is indeed an event.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
DeleteI did see a dog walking this morning, who stopped to take a LEGGY PEE. But that's a spoonerism and totally unrelated.
ReplyDeleteAlso totally unrelated:
DeleteCaptain and Toenail
Love will keep us ingrown.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat's the answer to my spinoff!
DeleteI didn't mean you should remove your post. Just giving you credit!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteTMI?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIf one were to not take care of oneself, one body part could be lost and later found on the other.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the body parts, said together, are a thing. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteIt is a thing! I'm going to need a moment.
DeleteI doubt Will knew. If he did, I doubt he would have chosen this puzzle submission.
DeleteI'm right there with you Word Women. I need a money too.
DeleteMoment, not money. (Darn gorilla finger!)
DeleteI think I learn something new on this blog every week. Now that I know this is a thing, this could have been a much more interesting puzzle!
DeleteOften a clue isn’t TMI until someone comes behind it asking if it’s TMI.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIris Corona, I couldn't agree more. It drives me crazy how many tattle tales are on this blog. Leave it to Blaine to do the finger pointing!
DeleteThe singer has something in common with the artist in last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis singer's name feels like deja vu all over again.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna give a clue referring to what other Blainesvillagers said the last time this person's name was the answer to a puzzle, but of course that would be way tmi for those other Blainesvillagers. So, I'll just say that this person comes from a state one regular commenter lives in, but a town not very close to that commenter.
ReplyDeleteAt last I found the answer.
ReplyDeleteExcited with this puzzle. I'm batting 1000 for the year!
ReplyDeleteBears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
ReplyDeleteBillie Eilish is famously a huge fan of The Office, which is sampled on her song "My Strange Addiction."
DeleteTLI Colin Enos
ReplyDeleteRemove one letter from the singer's middle name to get, phonetically, two numbers.
ReplyDeleteSay the letter that you removed out loud and you’ll have (phonetically) something that’s associated with this middle name.
DeleteI think we have two different answers, Jan.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wasn't unhappy when Pat Robertson died.
Think outside the box, Ben.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy apologies for all the deleted comments. I decided that they were TMI. This is what happens when you’ve been snowed in by yourself for the past three days. Perhaps I’m bored?
DeleteBILLIE EILISH --> BELLY, EYELASH
DeleteI wrote that I wasn't unhappy when Pat Robertson died, because I am morally opposed to the 700 Club. And the opposite of the 700 Club is the 007 Club, of which BILLIE EILISH is a member, because she sang the theme song for the last Bond Movie.
Ben, I am very, very sorry to have to inform you that Pat Robertson has neglected to croak yet. (Hurry up, Pat; lots of us are waiting.)
DeleteTwo of the above comments helped me find the answer. You'd think Blaine would have removed them, but as of this writing they are still there.
ReplyDeleteBy definition: If it provides a lead to the answer.... 🤔
DeleteAnd Buck Bard gave TMI in that comment, too.
DeleteThe first part of the answer is often talked about this time of year, and the second part is often of doubtful authenticity.
ReplyDeleteI've ruled out Elvis the Pelvis, but I'm reminded of one of his movies.
ReplyDeleteAaron Jones surely came to play this week, acing 7 tough questions about 2021.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he was the first one called.
I think we have heard that a player is sometimes given a choice of puzzles, but with this one pretty much set, some folks would have wisely taken a pass.
A "still-in-bed" challenge for me this week.
Having been a reader and occasional poster here, I've seen a pattern of previous puzzle answers repeating in "new" puzzles. I suppose one could compile a list, if one is bored enough
ReplyDeleteWe need Blaine's end of year video wrap-up now more than ever. I always enjoy his puzzles, particularly since this week's offering doesn't offer much statistically.
ReplyDeleteOkay, after a short delay, the Annual Puzzle and Video for 2021 is up.
DeleteThanks, Blaine! Quite a fun ride with your family. Enjoy, everyone!
DeleteSingers with the first name are very common.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a lot of puzzles about singers named Billy/Billie. There was a puzzle about Billy Joel's Piano Man (pain, moan) on 1-20-2019, a Billie Eilish puzzle on 2-2-2020, the Billy Idol, Billy Joel puzzle on 9-12-2021, and now this Billie Eilish puzzle. Will Shortz must like singers named Billy/Billie. Maybe that is because his name is William.
DeleteOK the probable first name was ez. but after pouring of many singers and many celebs with the likely first name I gave up. got the paper buried under 6 inches of snow (rare here) I read the opinion section mostly for "Dobbins" cartoon and there was the answer. Never heard of this person. but then again the only name in the news for this weeks on-air portion that I recognized was "commander" the young gets the references while the old solve the puzzle
ReplyDeletethe answer was on an interior page of the Op-ed Section of the Seattle times, whose cartoonist is David Horsey. unimportant trivia there used to be a political cartoonist named Jim Dobbins and his sig was a horse head, which is doubtless more than you care to know
DeleteThis is a lovely puzzle
ReplyDeleteClever puzzle, I think. I am pretty certain my answer is the targeted one.
ReplyDeleteA clue is a giveaway on here. Will explain thursday.
ReplyDeleteGot the answer, didn't recognize any "Names in the News". Guess I don't keep up with them that much.
ReplyDeletepjbStillKnowsDr.AnthonyFauci,Though
Don't you think he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?
DeleteIt's not Willy Nelson.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I think.
DeleteNor is it Buddy Holly.
DeleteNor Peter Cetera, Woody Guthrie, or Rod Stewart.
DeletepjbDoesn'tKnowAnyJohnOrThomasThatWouldWorkEither
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDefinitely not Carly Simon.
DeleteBecause the Christmas Season does not really end until January 5 or 6, I am posting here one of the three Christmassy puzzles that I wrote for the present Puzzleria!
ReplyDeleteWe post our answers to Puzzleria! puzzles in our Comments section after Noon PST on Wednesday. Hinting is welome in the meantime:
“Let’s sing a long singalong song!”
Name a long singalong song. Take the final two words in this long song.
The combined letters in those two words are an anagram of a word for what a singer of the song becomes in the process of singing it.
What are the final two words in the song?
What does the singer become?
What is the song?
Lego(Mitchlike)NotesThatTenPuzzlesPennedByEcoarchitectAlsoAppearOnThePresentPuzzleria!
Cute, Lego! I have a witty comeback, but that's TMI.
DeleteThanks, Lancek. You may, and I will, post the answer in this general vicinity about four hours from now.
DeleteLego(AlsoKnownAs"SingAlongCassidy")
ANSWER TO THE SINGALONG PUZZLE (ABOVE):
DeleteName a long singalong song. Take the final two words in this long song. The combined letters in those two words are an anagram of a word for what a singer of the song becomes in the process of singing it.
What does the singer become?
What is the song?
Answer:
Repeater; "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
(The last two words in this song, "pear tree," are repeated 11 times by the singer.)
LegoWhoConcludesThatA"PearTree"MustBearRepeating
I'm thinking of a dominatrix with a bullwhip.
ReplyDeleteHere in Seattle we are all thinking of a white Christmas.
DeleteHey,
DeleteI thought you didn't celebrate Christmas!
I don't but I'm now trying to get all this snow out of my yard and street so I can go food shopping.
DeleteSeahawks had a tough time in the snow last night. They let the fourth quartet slip away.
DeleteIs that anything like the "third trio" or "fifth quintet"?
DeletepjbCanSeePlantsmith'sGoingThroughABadSpell
Good morning Mr.Berry. Top of the morning to ya.
DeleteJan the puzzle is our good friend Eco's first appetizer on Puzzeleria involving non-generic. names. I thought i had the answer -but could be mistaken.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteTV clue: Greg Brady.
ReplyDeleteNot Cher, then.
ReplyDeleteCher and Cher alike, but do not include that right wing asshole, Sonny. Even though he did become a tree hugger in the end.
DeleteSonny was So underated. It's a little Spriroesque.
DeleteIt is more than interesting to me that when I google for lists of famous singers none of them mention even a single opera singer, not even Maria Callas or Giuseppe Di Stefano. To me that says a lot about the stupidity of Americans. Not that more needs being said in this regard.
ReplyDeleteI guess if something sounds rather like an Agnew comment such as when people use the word Stupid repeatedly - you might then say it sounds a little Spiroesque. Spiroesque- i like it. But again there is only one Spiro Agnew and all others fade by comparison.
Delete"It is not easy being green." Kermit.
I am enjoying these Bagman Podcasts suggested by Mr. Jan whose name is featured this week on Puzzeleria -more than once.
"What's Opera, Doc?"
DeletepjbTryingNotToKillTheWabbit(ConversationInBritishSlang)!
(If Elmer Fudd were a Brit, of course...)
DeletepjbKnowsIt's"Rabbit",Not"Wabbit"(It'sAJoke!)
A Spiroesque is a ballet move, right?
DeleteAll these Spiro the Zero reminiscences have reminded me of two things: Nixon had the difficult task of choosing for a running mate someone from the Republican Party with less charisma than him, and at the press conference at which Nixon announced his running mate, immediately after he named Governor Agnew of Maryland, a member of press could be heard saying, “Who?”
Deletehttp://www.famoussingers.org/list-of-famous-singers
DeleteJAWS, thanks for this helpful list. A question: when did we start alphabetizing lists by first names, not last names?
DeleteOn the subject of candidates chosen for their lack of qualifications, when the Trump campaign announced its selection of Mike Pence as Vice-Presidential candidate, the sound system at the venue played "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
DeleteWho would have suspected then that Pence, advised by Dan Quayle, would refuse to nullify the 2020 Presidential election? Or that he would be VP, for that matter?
You say potatoe...
DeleteI did not create that list, nor did I do any alphabetizing. I merely searched for famous singers, and found a list in the top 10 results that included opera singers.
DeleteAs for when did we start alphabetizing by first name, it goes back to when the first lazy/sloppy programmer did it that way.
It says that "opera knowledge" is not SI unit for measuring stupidity.
ReplyDeleteSI- ? required information?
DeleteSystem Internationale, an international standards org.
DeleteBut not as authoritative as the State and Federal Department of Weights and Measures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEOjo0imqKE
DeleteThe Longhorns aren't the only toasted orange types or the only ones that whimper.
ReplyDeleteThe Orange Order, which still holds marches to celebrate the Battle of the Boyne and its victor, William of Orange aka "King Billy," used to commemorate him with the following toast: "Here's to the glorious, pious and immortal memory of the great and good King William III, Prince of Orange, who saved us from rogues and roguery, slaves and slavery, knaves and knavery, Popes and Popery, brass money and wooden shoes."
DeleteSince King Billy was Dutch, that led me to look up the Dutch word for eyelash: "wimper." None of this was likely to lead an innocent reader to the answer; hell, I doubt that someone who knew the answer would have any idea what I was talking about. But I don't want Blaine to exile me to Three Mile Island.
My major deal this time of year. Happy new year, gang
ReplyDeleteSDB,
ReplyDeleteA cold snap here with highs in the 30's, snow showers alternating with hail. With the coastal moisture it's hard to stay warm. However, the roads on the coast are clear. Eugene is in the valley and has significant snows with lower temps than we do.
Completely snowed in. Outside my house at this moment it is 16 degrees F.
DeleteDo you have enough food in the house?
DeleteClark,
DeleteProbably not, but North Korea is sending me a CARE package.
Why would North Korea care?
DeleteSo you noticed that too!
DeleteI'm very perceptive.
DeleteRight, most people would not have noticed.
DeleteI spent the winter of '68-'69 in Seattle and remember epic snowfalls in December and January.
DeleteAre they going to be surpassed this year?
I seem to remember the worst of that being in February.
DeleteI knew Richard Reuter.
Deleteof no import whatsoever, but I knew a guy named clark from Oregon who biked across the USA in 2003 on a tour I was on. but you're not him I assume .
Delete<<<<<<
ReplyDeleteName a famous person with 3 names. Change the vowel sound in the first and last names. The result will be a body part and an article of clothing.
ReplyDeleteAlternatively, take that same person above and change the vowel sound of the 1st name and the consonant sound of the other 2 names. The result will be three body parts.
DeleteIf you learned something new with the puzzle this week, you may have learned something old as well.
ReplyDeleteTake the letters in two words that often precede the 2nd body part, and rearrange them to name another body part and something you might get on your body.
ReplyDeleteHenceforth, my husband and I are going to call the famous singer by the body parts.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually having trouble pronouncing the singer's name the right way now.
DeleteWas it obvious to everybody else?
ReplyDeleteDuh.
Nice!
DeleteTake the first initials of the artist’s full name and rearrange them to get a style of music.
ReplyDeleteTake the name of a famous person, two words, change the vowels, phonetically you’ll have multiple garments,
ReplyDeleteWill Shortz - wool shirts
DeleteI like that.
Deletebob prince
ReplyDeleteprince erstwhile voice of the Pgh Pirates used the phrase "missed it by a gnat's eyelash"
DeleteThere is a connection to Long John Silver
ReplyDeleteBillie Eilish (belly eyelash) has “Pirate” as middle name - hence the connection to Long John Silver
DeleteWell she is no Mama Cass.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the singer ever smiles.
ReplyDeleteI saw them on SNL once and I can confirm that they do ;-)
DeletePS I've heard his/her sing and it's boring as hell, with no animation at all.
ReplyDeleteThe immortal Édith Piaf sang with her arms and hands straight down at her sides and without any body movement, but there was nothing boring about her performances.
DeleteI agree. Her voice was anything but boring. When she sang, she poured emotion into her voice.
DeleteI'm not super familiar with their work, but clearly a lot of people disagree with you. Or a lot of people are fans of boring as hell music. To each his own.
DeleteYogi Berra
ReplyDeleteHere’s an Eve of New Year’s Eve spinoff puzzle. Think of a well-known singer, two names, two syllables each. In the first syllable of the first name, change a consonant, and then from the second syllable of the second name remove the first letter and change a vowel sound, and the two syllables will phonetically name two body parts.
ReplyDeleteGiven the vagaries of English syllabication, especially with regard to proper names, this may be a more elegant and correct version of the above spinoff puzzle: Think of a well-known singer, two names, two syllables each. In the first syllable of the first name, change a consonant, and then in the second syllable of the second name change a vowel sound, and the two syllables will phonetically name two body parts.
ReplyDeleteBILLIE EILISH; BELLY, EYELASH
ReplyDelete"It is a thing! I'm going to need a moment." as in the MOMents needed to give birth after growing a baby "BELLY."
And really, BELLY EYELASH is a thing as jan noted!
"We need Blaine's end of year video wrap-up now more than ever. I always enjoy his puzzles, particularly since this week's offering doesn't offer much statistically." >>> statistically >>> Bell curve >>> MayBELLine Mascara >>> EYELASH.
"If you learned something new with the puzzle this week, you may have learned something old as well." >>> When Will used BILLIE EILISH in a puzzle on Groundhog Day 2020, the set-up for the puzzle included Ms. Michael LEARNED.
And "Groundhog Day 2020" is the reason jan's spinoff puzzle was actually a hint.
DeleteYes!
DeleteIf you do a search on this blog for Blaine's clue,The Waltons, Billie, Eilish appears for that day. I already had solved the puzzle when I read the clue.
DeleteCorrection: Billie Eilish...omit comma.
DeleteDeja vu all over again. Hence my Yogi Berra comment.
DeleteBilly Joel >>> belly jowl
ReplyDeleteI thought of that but not sure if really works.
DeleteWhy doesn't it work? The puzzle did not ask us to change the vowel. It asked us to change the vowel sound. Also, some "authorities" say W is sometimes used as a vowel. And the puzzle is a homophone. So, I say it works perfectly and I will defend my answer to the death, just not my death.
DeletePLEASE DO NOT REMOVE YOUR POST, THANKS
I consider Billy Joel's last name to lean more toward one syllable than two, and the puzzle specified two syllables.
DeleteI consider both Joel and jowl to be 2 syllables because I have to make 2 distinct and separate facial movements to pronounce either of them, but I believe syllable breaks are sometimes disputed. Also, several years ago WS presented us with a puzzle where the answer required 3 syllable breaks and he got that wrong.
DeleteSdb: WS might mention jowl. I really wanted to use it but then found Eilish.
DeleteI can see that. And I agree, syllables can be tricky. It's possible my one syllable take is a product of growing up in the south, where I was surrounded by people who could make even "boil" one syllable ;)
DeleteHowever I do tend to agree with Enya/Weird Al's post below that the jowl transformation is more an action on the first vowel sound than the second. I do like that answer, though. :)
My syllable test is to put my index finger under my chin and see how many times it is bumped.
DeleteAre you confessing to being bumpchin? LOL
DeleteWhat is the Christmas greeting in
DeleteABCDE
FGHIJ
KMNOP
QRSTU
VWXYZ?
And how many syllables does that have? 2? 3? 4?
I think 2
DeleteI'd say 1, but I'm too cowardly.
DeleteBillie Eilish; Billie --> belly; Eilish --> eyelash
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “At last I found the answer.” “Last” intended to evoke “lash.” “I” intended to evoke Eilish.”
BILLY EILISH -> BELLY, EYELASH
ReplyDelete> Turns out the body parts, said together, are a thing. Who knew?
"White hair growing on a person's stomach", apparently.
> Remove one letter from the singer's middle name to get, phonetically, two numbers.
π, 8. Who names their kid "Pirate"?
BILLIE EILISH → BELLY + EYELASH
ReplyDelete“We've seen this name before...” February 2, 2020.
BILLIE EILISH — belly, eyelash
ReplyDelete🥳 Happy New Year, everyone! 🥳
BILLIE EILISH --> BELLY,EYELASH. My hint was: "The first part of the answer is often talked about this time of year, and the second part is often of doubtful authenticity." Santa Claus's "little round belly" that shook "like a bowlful of jelly" is referred to in Clement Clarke Moore's classic Christmas poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," and eyelashes are often not authentic.
ReplyDeleteBILLIE EILISH —> BELLY, EYELASH
ReplyDeleteA name (and answer) familiar to those who play the NPR puzzle.
Happy New Year to one and all, and best wishes for a happy, healthy (especially!), and prosperous 2022.
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ReplyDeleteMy answer: Billie Eilish ==> belly, eyelash
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...And here's a post I made to Blaine's Puzzle Blog (a reply to "We've seen this name before..." and "Recently!"):
And if the puzzle had been "Change the first vowel sounds in both the first and the last names", then you'd have another singer we've seen recently! Similar sounding first name, but different last name.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The answer to THAT: Billy Joel ==> belly, jowl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd gotten the Billy (Billie) / Belly part. but got hung up on Bill Joel/Belly Jowl - although the syllable count was a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteThere was also a generational issue. Like me, Billy Joel, is in his 70's. Ms. Eilish wont be 21 for another year.
Billie Eilish->belly, eyelash
ReplyDeleteWe highlight a "capital collection" of conundrums on tonight's New Year's Eve Eve edition of Puzzleria! Our friend Bobby Jacobs has created a tricky trio of geographical stumpers involving four world capital cities and one U.S. capital. They appear in his always-fabulous "Puzzle Fun by Bobby Jacobs" feature. We ring in Puzzleria! tonight at Midnight PST, exactly 24 hours before we ring in 2022.
ReplyDeleteWe'll also chime in with:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week about a recipe that requires just a pinch of “f”,
* a puzzle that gives you clues to a four-digit number,
* a puzzle titled "Illinois State Nittany Lions?",
* a puzzle about really high and really low numbers on sports jerseys, and
* 13 (!) riff-offs of the NPR puzzle that are tougher than enduring a bellyache and fort-eye lashes!
Drop on by to say good-bye to 2021... and to say hello to plenty, plenty Fun... "Puzzle Fun!"
LegAuldLangSyne
I wrote: "I've ruled out Elvis the Pelvis, but I'm reminded of one of his movies." I was thinking of "Tickle Me" (doing butterfly kisses with your eyelashes).
ReplyDeleteBILLIE EILISH --> BELLY, EYELASH
ReplyDeleteI wrote that I wasn't unhappy when Pat Robertson died, because I am morally opposed to the 700 Club. And the opposite of the 700 Club is the 007 Club, of which BILLIE EILISH is a member, because she sang the theme song for the last Bond Movie.
I had mentioned that the singer had something in common with the artist from last week's puzzle. And that thing is a name that is much longer than usual. The singer's full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell.
ReplyDeleteI then kept my mouth shut when Jan posted his clue about changing the "middle" name, to get Pi and eight. It is actually the middle of the five names, but I couldn't draw attention to it until now. I feel that would have been TMI.
The other fun piece was the discussion of opera singers not being on the "popular" lists. I did a quick search, and found one with opera singers in the top ten results. Curiously, Billie Eilish's name does NOT appear on that list!
DeleteMy clues were referencing BASH as part of Rob’s clue (my reference was a word featured prominently in Don’t Look Up movie), and “bat an” eyelash which anagrams to ab and tan.
ReplyDeleteSnipper, what did you think of "Don't Look Up?"
DeleteI know I wasn't asked, but I thought it was fun, if silly. I did like Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill as a gender-bent Trump and Ivanka.
Deletejan, it was certainly an open question to all who don't look up. Or who do ;-).
DeleteMeryl's character leaving someone behind without a thought was DT/DTJ-esque. I watched it whilst recovering from an intense 48-hour chills, shakes, and fever reaction to the booster shot this week; I had to rewatch to be sure I saw what I saw.
The kids, who are over Omicron and now here, recommended the film, and my wife and I watched it over two nights. As a political satire, its exaggerations managed nevertheless to hone quite close to the truth (what exactly is satire when “reality” itself is already “satiric”?), and it made me uncomfortable, not because it wasn’t well-acted (Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, et al.) and well-plotted but because it recalled all too familiar circumstances of the recent past and, to some degree still, of the present. But if the pungent aroma of allegory suits you, inhale away. I was reminded of the last line in Pope’s The Dunciad: “And universal darkness buries all."
DeleteI enjoyed the movie and all the satire. It seems you have to be in the right mindset for it (and understand it’s references); this the mixed reviews from others. I thought the star actors were great.
Delete*thus
DeleteBillie Eilish- Bellie Eyelash
ReplyDelete"It's not easy being green" Kermit. Referring to her Neon Locks.
Meanwhile, we have had wildfires today in Colorado evacuating friends from Louisville, CO. December wildfires!
ReplyDeleteWW, One of my son's and his family evacuated their home in Lafayette last night and are at a motel in Fort Collins. My wife and I are hoping for the best.
DeleteC a p, glad they are okay. Two sets of friends lost homes in the Marshall fire. They are shooken up but evacuated safely with dogs and cats. Hoping our big snowstorm tonight helps.
DeleteSome quick-thinking homeowners in Superior/Louisville saved their homes by turning on their lawn sprinkler systems.
DeleteI offered 2 spin-offs that I thought were cute. Hopefully someone got a kick out of them!
ReplyDeleteName a famous person with 3 names. Change the vowel sound in the first and last names. The result will be a body part and an article of clothing.
TOMMY LEE JONES—>TUMMY LEE JEANS
Alternatively, take that same person above and change the vowel sound of the 1st name and the consonant sound of the other 2 names. The result will be three body parts.
TOMMY LEE JONES—>TUMMY KNEE BONES
Take the first initial of initials of the singer’s full name and rearrange them to get a style of music.
ReplyDeleteBillie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell (BEPBO)
Rearranged: BEBOP
Unknown and BezRochelle,
DeleteThree very solid riffs. Bravo!
LegoWhoNotesThat"Tummy"+"LeeJeans"IsEspeciallyNice
Fun puzzle this week. Rob, great clue! Hopefully the weather outside isn't too frightful for an NY Eve bash.
ReplyDeleteBillie Eilish/Bellie Eyelash.
BILLIE EILISH, BELLY, EYELASH
ReplyDeletepjbDidn'tEvenThinkOfBillyJoel/Jowl!OhWell,You'reOnlyHuman