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ESSAY 5|
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Da Mob Do you love Mob movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas? The experts on everything Philadelphia Mob—hard-nosed, fact-first (but funny) friends and collaborators, George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser—discuss what’s what with the Cosa Nostra and beyond.
contents
The Art of the Miniature XXIX
EXHIBITIONS
The Snow Goose Gallery Bethlehem, PA
The Glass Show Bethlehem House Gallery Bethlehem, PA
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The Baum School of Art’s 36th Annual Art Auction Allentown, PA
2021 Artsbridge Members Online Exhibition New Hope, PA
Various locations throughout Hunterdon County, NJ
PRESIDENT Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com
Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York
EDITORIAL Editor / trina@icondv.com
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The Father Kid90 Minari Zack Snyder’s Justice League
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PRODUCTION Dominic Reposa CONTRIBUTING WRITERS A. D. Amorosi Robert Beck Jack Byer
ETCETERA 18 |
GUIDE TO THE ARTS
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HARPER’S FINDINGS HARPER’S INDEX
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WASHINGTON POST SUNDAY CROSSWORD
Peter Croatto Geoff Gehman Mark Keresman George Miller Susan Van Dongen Keith Uhlich
ON THE COVER:
Rhodies and Roddies, by Jennifer Hansen Rolli, 10x8, oil on canvas. Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art, Buckingham, PA. silvermangallerybuckscountypa.com
Raina Filipiak / Advertising filipiakr@comcast.net
FILM ROUNDUP
Getting Down the Essence
The Hunterdon Art Tour (THAT)
215-862-9558 icondv.com facebook.com/icondv
The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts, and Lyrics
The Rose Code: A Novel
Jennifer Hansen Rolli: The Space Between
Philadelphia Mob chroniclar-expert George Anastasia taking notes.
Since 1992
Hour of the Witch
Gallery On Fourth, Easton, PA
Plein Air Painting Workshop with Joseph Gyurcsak Artists of Yardley, Yardley, PA
The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, nightlife and mad genius.
BOOKS
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman
Larry Dell-Possibilities of Form: Curious Creatures, Objects & Images
Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art Buckingham, PA
Spring Salon Exhibition New Hope Arts New Hope, PA
A THOUSAND WORDS
Chopper
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ICON
SINCE 1992, the arts have been integral to our mission—and to our lives in large and small measures. We too often don’t realize their importance. The arts, the economy, and ICON, as well as well as mom and pop businesses and Fortune 500 companies, are subject to the vicissitudes of life and fortune. We’re all together now in this time of historic insecurity. ICON has supported the arts since 1992, through good times and bad. We think of ourselves as their partners, their cheerleaders. We haven’t skipped an issue in nearly 30 years, so if you can’t find ICON one month, if we skip an issue here and there, be assured we’re just resting until the arts—and all of us—are healthy and confident again.
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Subscription: $40 (12 issues) PO Box 120 • New Hope 18938 215-862-9558 ICON is published twelve times per year. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. ICON welcomes letters to the editor, editorial ideas and submissions, but assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. ICON is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. ©2020 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.
a thousand words
STORY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
CHOPPER
THE SIREN WENT OFF at 6:15 in the morning as I was getting ready to take Jack out on a walk. The fire station is located in the town across the river from where I live, and the damp morning air gave a sorrowful timbre to its appeal for attention. It’s a sound purposely like no other, pleading then sighing five extended times, the last one slowly, slowly draining to silence. As we headed to the garage, I opened the scanner program on my phone to see if there were roads I should avoid. A typical alert includes a set of tones (which turn on the specific radios and pagers of the responders), followed by an announcement of the equipment needed, the address, and the nature of the emergency. It goes something like: beee-booo-beee Pumper 30, Ladder 24, 34 Swamp Road, Kingswood, for downed wires. Often, that’s as much as you get. If they’re still discovering what’s happening or considering whom they’re going to need, the listener can get more of a picture from subsequent alerts, but at a point, the conversation moves to a different channel to free up the primary one. It’s not a news report. It’s a call for help. This one was different. A tree had fallen on a tent at a state park just upriver. You could hear a difference in the dispatcher’s voice. So many of the alerts are repetitive: an 80-year-old woman with chest pain, a structure on fire; investigate an alarm. I never heard this one before, and I suspect few people listening had. More details came in. Two adults, three children. Nobody is sure who is in the tent or where they are. Hard to get to. It was a horrible thought. I live in the woods. The trees in these parts are very big. When one comes down, it sounds like a cannon. It shakes the ground. Jack and I went to the river and walked along the canal towpath on this side, about a mile below the campground. There was no indication on the scanner of what was happening at the campsite—who ini-
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exhibitions
Walter Emerson Baum, Lehigh Valley Scene, oil, 5” x 7”
The Glass Show Bethlehem House Gallery 459 Main St., Bethlehem, PA 610-419-6262 BethlehemHouseGallery.com April 16-June 12 Opening April 16, 6-9; masks Required. Wed.-Thurs. 11-7; Fri.-Sat. 12-9; Sun. 12-5 The Glass Show features glass art in various disciplines, including glass blowing, glass fusing, lampworking, glass printmaking, reverse glass painting, mosaic and stained glass.
The Baum School of Art’s 36th Annual Art Auction 510 W. Linden St., Allentown, PA 610-433-0032 Baumschool.org Online Bidding May 9, 12AM-May 15, 10PM Virtual Preview Night, May 6, 7pm In-Person Preview Night by appointment beginning April 12-May 15 Givergy.us/baumartauction36 The Baum School of Art’s 36th Annual Art Auction will be online this year from 12:00am Sunday, May 9, 2021–10:00pm Saturday, May 15, 2021. Browse and bid online from the comfort and safety of your own home on over 400 pieces of artwork. Follow us on social media and our website to see the artwork up for bid, as well as for details on how to participate. Visit givergy.us/baumartauction36/ and sign up as a bidder. Schedule in-person previews of the artwork from April 12–May 15, 2021 by emailing lauren@baumschool.org. Virtual Preview Night will be May 6, 2021 at 7pm on Facebook Live.
The artists included are Khalil Allaik, Mathew Carmen Calleri, Dennis Gardner, Keith Garubba, Dan Getz, Roy Gruver, Kim Hogan, Danny Polk, Lee Riley, Rhonda Snowaert, Brian Toseland, Ward Van Haute, Jeff Waterhouse and Margaret Zinser Hunt.
Bob Blanchard, Teal & Purple Lidded Pot, stoneware 6
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Bonnie MacAllister, Shuttering, embroidery on silk
2021 Artsbridge Members Online Exhibition Through June 30, 2021 Free online at artsbridgeonline.com From realistic to abstract, impressionist to contemporary, visitors to the online gallery will find a wide variety of work that celebrates the energy and inspiration of the Delaware River Valley. The online gallery features sculpture, ceramics and fabric art; watercolor, pastels, prints and drawings; photography and digital art; and acrylic and oil paintings. Carol Cruickshanks, artist and executive director of New Hope Arts juried the show, awarding works in five mediums in addition to the “Ty Hodanish Award for Oil Landscape.” Visitors to the online exhibition may choose, by May 1, their favorite artwork for “The Peoples Choice Award,” sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama. The First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown has generously sponsored this exhibition.
Susan Hollenbeck, Solitude, B&W photograph
exhibitions
Larry Dell, Family Portrait, n.d., Collage and pencil on paper, 18” x 22” (framed)
Morning Cometh
Larry Dell-Possibilities of Form: Curious Creatures, Objects & Images Gallery On Fourth 401 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 610-905-4627 GalleryOnFourth.org Through May 15, 2021 Wed. & Thurs. 12-7 Fri. & Sat. 12-9; Sun. 12-5 Gallery On Fourth is pleased to launch our 2021 exhibition season with a mid-career retrospective featuring Easton artist Larry Dell. This collection of 2- and 3-dimensional works celebrates Dell’s mastery of transforming common industrial materials—wood, plastic, PVC, chicken wire, steel, fabric and paint—into unique works of art infused with a potency that transcends mere illusion. Drawing inspiration from ritualistic, primitive and hybrid creatures, as well as memories real and imagined, Dell taps into the power of the collective unconscious, imbuing each work with an authenticity that goes beyond the obvious and ordinary. Dell finds the sublime in everyday materials. Face masks and social distancing requirements remain in effect. Viewing the exhibition by private appointment is available. Call the Gallery for more information.
Getting Down the Essence Late Spring Garden, 36” x 36”, oil on canvas
Jennifer Hansen Rolli: The Space Between Silverman Gallery 4920 York Rd., Rte. 202, Holicong, PA In Buckingham Green 215-794-4300 Silvermangallery.com April 10-May 9 Gallery Hours Wed.-Sun. 11-6 Beginning its 10th anniversary exhibition schedule, the Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art is proud to present Jennifer Hansen Rolli: The Space Between. “The Space Between” she explains, “lies in finding the unexpected beauty in poignant moments and surroundings of everyday life.” Jennifer will be on hand to welcome visitors on Saturday, April 10, from 5 to 8 and on Sunday, April 18, from noon to 4.
Plein Air Painting Workshop with Joseph Gyurcsak June 18, 19, 20, 9–4 REGISTER: aoyartcenter.org AOY Art Center, 949 Mirror Lake Rd, Yardley Bonus: Joe’s giving away a painting a day! Artist’s website: josephgyurcsak.com This popular, beginner to advanced, workshop’s main objective is to teach artists how to see and paint with confidence, to learn to create wonderfully energized paintings capturing the unique light and atmosphere the artist envisioned from the moment of inspiration. “When you’re moved so completely to get out and paint something that ignites your passion, this is what I call the “X Factor” ...something that so engulfs your emotions, it translates to paintings that go well beyond the technical aspects of mere renderings.”
Welcome Home
Larry Dell, Entropy 1, 2019, Metal, wire, plastic and hardware, 12” x 13” x 9”
Doing Pinks, 10” x 8”, oil on board.
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exhibitions
Art by Kathleen Thompson, RJ Calabrese, Terri Fraser, Florence Moonan
Celyne Brassard, Flea Market, oil/ lacquer
The Hunterdon Art Tour (THAT) Various locations throughout Hunterdon County, NJ TheHunterdonArtTour.com Saturday, May 1 & Sunday, May 2, 2021 The Hunterdon Art Tour (THAT) is a free countywide driving tour of artists’ studios. THAT cultivates awareness of and builds connections within Hunterdon County’s prolific creative community and increases recognition for the county as a vital home and destination for the arts. More than 60 artists will be participating at over 30 locations. The tour will showcase the work of painters, jewelers, sculptors, artists in ceramics, drawing, mixed media, photography, textiles and woodworking. Visit TheHunterdonArtTour.com for more details, maps and updates.
Art by Cara London, Mary Schwarzenberger, Catherine Suttle, Jason Farnsworth 8
The Art of the Miniature XXIX Aida Birritteri, February NYU
Spring Salon Exhibition New Hope Arts, 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope, PA 215-862-9606 Newhopearts.org April 3-May 9, 2021, Friday-Sunday, 12-5 In-Gallery and Online Exhibition New Hope Arts showcases the diversity, expertise and wide-ranging interests of its professional artist membership in the Members’ Spring Salon. This exciting and inclusive exhibition of contemporary art in the region includes open media two- and three- dimensional work.
Kathleen McSherry, Cold Call
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The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main Street Bethlehem, PA 610-974-9099 thesnowgoosegallery.com Collectors’ Preview: Sat., May 1, 1–5 Opening & Meet the Artists: Sun., May 2, 1–5 Welcome to our 29th invitational miniature show, featuring fine art by some of the world’s top artists. Even though the format for our opening will be different this year, we hope you’ll join us for our Collectors’ Preview and meet some of the exhibiting artists. Please note that we are following CDC guidelines. View the show now: thesnowgoosegallery.com. It’s been a long, trying year. We can all use some beauty.
Sue Adair, Puffin, mixed media
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books
The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts, and Lyrics by Jim Morrison; foreword by Tom Robbins Harper Design The definitive anthology of Jim Morrison's writings with rare photographs and numerous handwritten excerpts of unpublished and published poetry and lyrics from his 28 privately held notebooks. Created in collaboration with Jim Morrison’s estate and inspired by a posthumously discovered list entitled “Plan for Book,” The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is an almost 600-page anthology of the writings of the late poet and iconic Doors’ front man. This landmark publication is the definitive opus of Morrison’s creative output—and the book he intended to publish. Throughout, a compelling mix of 160 visual components accompanies the text: excerpts from his 28 privately held notebooks—all written in his own hand and published here for the first time—as well as an array of personal images and commentary on the work by Morrison himself. This oversized, beautifully produced collectible volume contains a wealth of new material—poetry, writings, lyrics, and audio transcripts of Morrison reading his work. Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York by Alexander Nemerov Penguin Press At the dawn of the 1950s, a promising and dedicated young painter named Helen Frankenthaler, fresh out of college, moved back home to New York City to make her name. By the decade's end, she had succeeded in establishing herself as an important American artist of the postwar period. In the years in between, she made some of the most daring, head-turning paintings of her day and also came into her own as a woman: traveling the world, falling in and out of love, and engaging in an ongoing artistic education. She also 10
experienced anew—and left her mark on—the city in which she had been raised in privilege as the daughter of a judge, even as she left the security of that world to pursue her artistic ambitions. Brought to vivid life by acclaimed art historian Alexander Nemerov, these defining moments—from her first awed encounter with Jackson Pollock's drip paintings to her first solo gallery show to her tumultuous breakup with eminent art critic Clement Greenberg—comprise a portrait as bold and distinctive as the painter herself. Frankenthaler was an artist whose talent was matched only by her unapologetic determination to distinguish herself in a man's world. The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson MIRA Twelve-year-old Norman Foreman and his best friend, Jax, are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a plan to take their act all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe. But when Jax dies, Norman decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the festival himself. The problem is, Norman’s not the funny one. Jax was. There’s also another, far more colossal objective on Norman’s new plan that his single mom wasn’t ready for: he wants to find the father he’s never known. Determined to put a smile back on his face, Sadie faces up to her own messy past, get Norman to the Fringe and help track down a man whose identity is a mystery, even to her. Julietta Henderson’s delightfully funny and tender debut takes us on a road trip with a mother and son who will live in the reader’s heart for a long time to come, and teaches us that—no matter the odds—we must always reach for the stars. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian Doubleday Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is 24 years old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a threetined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her
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life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary soon becomes herself the object of suspicion and rumor. When tainted objects are discovered buried in Mary's garden, when a boy she has treated with herbs dies, and when their servant girl runs screaming in fright from her home, Mary must fight to escape her marriage, and the gallows. A twisting, tightly plotted novel of historical suspense from one of our greatest storytellers, Hour of the Witch is a timely and terrifying story of socially sanctioned brutality and the original American witch hunt. The Rose Code: A Novel by Kate Quinn William Morrow Paperbacks 1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything— beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy—closer. n
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disruptors
A.D. AMOROSI
Da Mob
I
F YOU’RE GETTING READY to ask “Where, who, and what is the Mob in 2021?” don’t bother. Intrepid Philadelphia journalists George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser have the answer: Mob Talk Sitdown, their new show-and-tell subscription YouTube program at mobtalksitdown.com. Fact is, the two Philly-based news correspondents have long been the go-to authority on all Mob-related crime and history, past and present, locally and beyond: Anastasia, as an award-winning reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Schratwieser, as a similarly awarded on-air newsman for FOX 29. Together, with Mob-guy-turned-commentator (and now Kitchen Consigliere) Angelo Lutz, the threesome started talking about The Mob toward the end of FOX-29’s 10 p.m. newscasts, until ending the segment after new management took over. Mob crime, however, continues to pay and play, considering this city’s carjacking and rabid drug problem with little real news coverage to follow. And with that, so do Anastasia and Schratwieser on Mob Talk Sitdown, highlighted by new and archival footage, with two hard-nosed, fact-first (but funny) friends and collaborators discussing what’s what with the Cosa Nostra and beyond. Since this is for ICON’s “Disruptors” page, it’s appropriate that I speak with two take-no-prisoners newsmen. When it comes to Mob legend, past, present, and future, how do you think you’ve shaken the apple cart at your respective places of work? Dave Schratwieser: Looking at the years from 2000—the Joey Merlino trial when we started FOX’s Mob Talk segment with Angelo Lutz—one of my bosses loved our initial reporting, offered tremendous support, and kind of said, why don’t we continue this on a regular basis. George, Angelo, and I worked it out and did it for several years, even after the trial ended. It stopped for a minute until Kingsley 12
George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser tackle the Mob. Again. Smith, the news director, asked me one day, “Hey, do we pay George for this?” To which I said, “No. But, we should.” So we hooked up a meeting and began airing it again, regularly. I can tell you, as I keep track of these things, that Mob Talk carried the second half on the news show. Our numbers were always very good. Different bosses came and went, they ran the show, and they took it off. I respect that. It never hurt me, and I’m sure it never hurt
“THE THING WITH MERLINO TOO, THAT ERA, THE STANFA TAPES, YOU JUST COULDN’T MAKE THESE STORIES UP. THERE WERE SO MANY CRAZY THINGS GOING ON. THIS WAS A PERFECT STORM—A MICROCOSM OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH ORGANIZED CRIME IN AMERICA WAS HAPPENING HERE. BOOM. AWAY WE WENT.” George. The respect I get on the streets of Philadelphia surely comes from that show even now. You get a reputation for being a straightforward, straight-shooting, take-no-prisoners journalist. That’s how I always wanted to be looked at. George certainly fits that same mold, which is why we work so well together.
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George Anastasia: I was able to carve out a career doing just this at a time when The Inquirer was probably one of the best papers in the country. We had a lot of resources and a lot of people. People forget. When you talk about good journalism, it’s hard work and labor-intensive. There was a time at The Inquirer when you could tell an editor a story wasn’t there yet, and they’d give you more time to finish it right. Now they don’t have that luxury or time. To your point, one of the reasons I retired is because I wasn’t able to do the things I used to do. Instead, I was asked to do the same sort of work I had done 30 years previously due to a lack of resources. This is what I do and what I’m good at—if I can’t do it here, I won’t do it at all. So I retired. The Inquirer didn’t have the resources or the commitment to continue to make it happen—NOT a knock on them. Just the reality of the business. Things changed. So what you and Dave are doing now is filling a void. George Anastasia: Yeah. One that crosses the spectrums in the media, one where there isn’t time, money or resources to devote time to one type of story. Everyone is a general reporter. You have to be able to develop a story in-depth, with real expertise and perspective. There’s not a lot of that, now. Dave Schratwieser: That’s how you break stories, how you get exclusives. We were good at what we do. Still are. George is the godfather of Mafia reporting, organized crime reporting. I took a lot of lessons from George and have always appreciated having a mentor such as him in front of me. He does it right. Were you two friends or friendly rivals before you started collaborating? George Anastasia: I knew Dave from the time he worked in the Attorney General’s office in New Jersey. When Dave handled the AG’s PR,
he knew what reporters needed. When he got to TV, yeah, we were rivals in that we covered the same thing, but I always used to say this: I can do much of the same stuff that TV reporters do. There aren’t many TV people who could do what I do. Dave is one of them. He knows how to write, put a story together, do a follow-up, a take-out, a Sunday story. Dave Schratwieser: One of the challenges was always can you take a print story to TV. I’m not the best writer, but I can do it. George is an amazing storyteller. Hanging around George, competing with George on this topic is making me a better storyteller. And going back to the AG office, I had a boss who empowered me to do what I thought was right to get us positive publicity. The John Stanfa come-to-the-grand-jury moment was huge for our office in our ongoing battle against organized crime when he came there with his entourage, followed by a coterie of reporters and cameras. All due respect, they were killing people in the street, blowing people up. There was a carjacking problem—all of that needed to be dealt with. We’re seeing that now in Philly, 143 carjackings so far this year. 409 last year. And how many murders?
lo Lutz, an incredibly entertaining and informative figure and a defendant in that case—the only one out on bail—operating within legal boundaries. People looked forward to what he had to say. That’s not lost on George or me. George Anastasia: Angelo was not afraid of the camera.
We began with the two of you George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser starting Mob Talk during the Merlino racketeering trial. How did two rivals hook That trial had everything. up in the first place, and how did that trial deDave Schratwieser: Including Joey Merlino, fine what 21st century Mob reporting would be still the face of the Mob in Philly today, even going forward? though he disputes he’s involved. That’s what he George Anastasia: We had reached a point says? That’s what he says. People are attracted in Philadelphia, then, where he had become the to him like a magnet. It is amazing. Even when face of the Philly Mob, the John Gotti of he was on trial in New York he made the cover Passyunk Avenue. Both The Inquirer and Foxof the papers with crazy headlines. Always 29 realized they could benefit by putting us towearing a black leather jacket, always with his wife Debbie, always with the guys around him. gether on a regular basis. Merge forces. If I did a He’s a figure nationally. Mob Talk in the morning, it might tease someGeorge Anastasia: You’re hitting on this, so thing that would be in The Inquirer later that I want to address it: some people get caught up night. Same thing with The Inquirer and Fox. It in who they are and what they think they’re was synergy. The thing with Merlino too, that doing. We’re not performing brain surgery. era, the Stanfa tapes, you just couldn’t make What we are doing is enlightening, informing, these stories up. There were so many crazy and entertaining. That’s what it’s about. You things going on. This was a perfect storm—a miwant a good story, and these particular individcrocosm of what was going on with organized uals led us to that. This whole investigative recrime in America was happening here. Boom. porter thing? We’re storytellers. Away we went. Dave Schratwieser: George and I have Dave Schratwieser: We can’t leave out Ange-
stayed loyal to that. We like to dig. But, we love to entertain. Nothing’s more exciting than the dig, the thrill of the chase. So FOX decides not to run Mob Talk. Discuss making it into a YouTube series. Dave Schratwieser: After a trial that George and I were both covering, we went to get coffee together and began talking about the need to continue this niche. We didn’t want it to go away. It’s too good. So, on our own time, before or after work, we’d do them, put them up, and they’d get great numbers. I have a great cameraman, Bryan Zelai, my guy since 9/11. He’s the straw that stirs the drink. We have a lot of exclusive video, and undercover video because of his efforts. We saw an opportunity and a platform. I've been friendly with Mob guys in the past. Have you developed bonds with the cats that you cover regularly? Dave Schratwieser: I feel as if I have an arms-length relationship with these guys. I remember interrupting Ralph Natale on a jog around Cooper River Park. He was startled at first, then we sat down on the bleachers and talked for a while. He said, “If I’m ever in a war, I want to be in a foxhole with Joey Merlino.” To this day, I have a relationship with him. Same with Tommy Scavitti, a one-time Mob soldier who testified against Joey. Joey is always respectful to me. He asks about my sons. I ask about his daughters. He respects what George and I do. It is what it is. Animosity? I can think of guys who have had problems with what George and I do. If you’re in organized crime, killing, and robbing, I don’t like what you do. George Anastasia: Over the years, I’ve developed sources and friendships with these guys, which is a funny situation when they don’t realize that this is all based on the job I have to do. What has come from all this, the Merlino phenomena? The old-time guys like Scarfo would never even bother talking to you.
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KEITH UHLICH
The Father
film roundup
The Father (Dir. Florian Zeller). Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Olivia Williams. French playwright Florian Zeller directs this adaptation, which he co-authored with Christopher Hampton, of his acclaimed, award-winning stage drama. Anthony Hopkins plays Anthony, an elderly man whose dementia is in its volatile last stages. The film assumes his chilly and disorienting point-of-view, while sticking to a single location—the apartment that he thinks is his alone, but which frequently and imperceptibly morphs into places strange and unfamiliar. All the people in his life follow suit: His daughter Anne might be played by Olivia Colman one moment and Olivia Williams the next; to be frank, the shifting identities conceit, though effective, comes off like imitation Resnais or Buñuel. The performances more than make up for the handme-down elements, however. Hopkins is superb, tracing his character’s mental breakdown with a specificity and lack of sentiment that continually compels and surprises. [PG-13] HHH1/2 Kid90 (Dir. Soleil Moon Frye). Documentary. Punky! Former child actor Soleil Moon Frye packs a helluva lot into this 72-minute documentary in which she excavates and examines video diaries she filmed from her celebrity peak as TV’s Punky Brewster through her identity-searching college years at NYU. ‘80s and ‘90s pop-cultural obsessives may be struck by just how much Moon Frye was the Dorothy Parker of this kid performer cult. Her California home played host 14
to an Algonquin Round Table of Teen Beaters: Jonathan Brandis, Stephen Dorff, Brian Austin Green, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio. And while living in Manhattan in the mid-’90s, she immersed herself in the skater culture that gave rise to and stemmed out of Larry Clark’s controversial feature Kids. There’s more where that came from, including romantic roles for Charlie Sheen and House of Pain’s Danny Boy O’Connor, as well as pathos-infused asides involving a number of her friends’ often drug-addled suicides. On the surface, this doc is a semi-cheesy quest for retrospectively middle-aged self-love. But the troubling undercurrents, particularly the sense of a world soon to succumb to 24-7 tabloid obsession, resonantly remain. [N/R] HHH1/2 Minari (Dir. Lee Isaac Chung). Starring: Steven Yeun, Alan S. Kim, Youn Yuh-jung. Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung drew on his own childhood for this drama about a 1980s Korean family who move to Arkansas to start a farm. Most of the action is seen through the eyes of young David (Alan S. Kim), Chung’s onscreen surrogate. While dad Jacob (Steven Yeun, excellent, and now Academy Award-nominated) works the land, melancholic mom Monica (Yeri Han) fixes up the family’s rundown trailer and deals with the arrival of grandma Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung). The early scenes are best as they have a deeply lived-in aura. Whether comic (as with Soonja’s obsessive love of Mountain Dew) or dramatic (Jacob and Monica’s closed-bedroom-door fights), Chung
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captures his remembrances in motion. Eventually, dramatic contrivance takes over, particularly via some sub-Chekhovian foreshadowing involving accidental arson. What initially feels like a distinctive work of art becomes just another Sundance-feted indie movie. [PG-13] HHH Zack Snyder’s Justice League (Dir. Zack Snyder). Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot. Toxic Twitter fanboys, rejoice! The fabled alternate cut of 2017’s superheroic free-for-all that you hashtagged into existence has finally arrived. This Justice League is two hours longer (four hours and two minutes total) and brimming with director Zack Snyder’s not-uninteresting mix of brooding sincerity and slo-mo-inflected bombast. Plot—there’s a lot. Just know there are three alien Mother Boxes that, united, can bring about world’s end, and only Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and, eventually, the freshly resurrected Superman (Henry Cavill) can save the day. This is undoubtedly the better version of Justice League’s much maligned theatrical cut overseen by Joss Whedon, particularly in relation to Cyborg’s narrative arc, which proves to be the story’s emotional fulcrum. Snyder still can’t help but indulge his fondness for patience-testing sturm und drang, right up to a cliffhanger-crowded epilogue that sees the return of a certain psychotic clown played, hopefully for the last time, by the supremely awful Jared Leto. [R] HH1/2 n
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GUIDE TO THE ARTS 18
ART ARTSBRIDGE 2021 Members Online Exhibition, through June 30. The region’s finest art on view and for sale online. ArtsbridgeOnline.com THE BAUM SCHOOL OF ART The 36th Annual Art Auction will be online this year, May 9-15. Virtual Preview Night, May 6, 7pm. In-Person Preview, by Appointment April 12-May 15. 510 W. Linden St., Allentown. 610433-0032. Givergy.us/baumartauction36. BETHLEHEM HOUSE GALLERY The Glass Show, April 16-June 12. This exhibit features glass art in various disciplines. Opening reception April 16, 6-9PM, masks required. 459 Main St., Bethlehem. 610-419-6262. BethlehemHouseGallery.com GALLERY ON FOURTH Larry Dell-Possibilities of Form: Curious Creatures, Objects & Images, through May 15. Closing reception May 15, 1-8PM, reservations required. 401 Northampton St., Easton. 610-905-4627. Galleryonfourth.org NEW HOPE ARTS Spring Salon, in-gallery and online exhibition, April 3-May 9. More than 100 regional artists are featured. Reservations are recommended for gallery visits. 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope. 215862-9606. Newhopearts.org THE SILVERMAN GALLERY Jennifer Hansen Rolli, The Space Between, April 10-May 9. In Buckingham Green, Rte. 202, just north of PA 413, 4920 York Rd., Holicong, PA. 215-794-4300. Silvermangallery.com THE SNOW GOOSE GALLERY The Art of the Miniature XXlX, the 29th invitational exhibition of fine art miniatures from around the world. May 2-June 13. Collectors’ Preview May 1, 12-5. Opening May 2, 1-5. Visit the show online at thesnowgoosegallery.com. 470 Main St., Bethlehem. 610-974-9099. THAT The Hunterdon Art Tour (THAT), a self-guided tour of Hunterdon County, NJ, artists’ studios, May 1 & May 2. Masks and social distancing required at all locations. Hunterdon art teachers & students benefit auction at Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton. Visit TheHunterdonArtTour.com for more details, maps, updates, events, etc.
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THEATER DESALES U., ACT 1 PEFORMING ARTS Pirates! Theodore Thud and the Quest for Weird Beard, by Joshua Mikel. Embark on the adventure of a lifetime with our senior theatre majors. After falling into a sinkhole during a game of pirates, Theodore finds himself on a real high sea adventure. With the help of friends Mr. Bananas the Sock Monkey and Harriet the Ghost, he embarks on an epic journey to find the infamous Captain Weird Beard and foil the plan of Mr. Clunky Bones. With the power of friendship and a little newfound courage, Theodore learns what it really means to be a pirate and puts a stop to evil; all before going home for ice cream. April 17, 20 & 22. Online. Desales.edu/act1 WILLIAMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS The Civilians: Black Feminist Video Games in a play by Darrel Alejandro Holnes, directed by Victoria Collado. Part live performance,part interactive video game. Online April 27-30. Tickets, AtTheWilliams.org.
FILM DESALES U., ACT 1 PEFORMING ARTS DeSales University Film Festival, April 9, 8PM, streaming online. Desales.edu/act1
DANCE DESALES U., ACT 1 PEFORMING ARTS The Dance Ensemble Concert features choreography by renowned guest choreographers and our accomplished dance faculty. This annual highlight of our dance season will feature a beautiful blend of new and innovative choreographic premieres. Recorded on our main stage, the Dance Ensemble concert showcases the stunning versatility of our talented dance majors. April 10 & 11. Online. Desales.edu/act1 BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM Paul Taylor Dance Company, May 15. All Bach program - Brandenburgs, Op. 88 & Esplanade, Op. 61. All Festival performances will be confirmed in early April, and ticket information will be made available at that time. bach.org/bach-festival
MUSIC BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM Virtual 113th Bethlehem Bach Festival, May 14 & 15. 610-866-4382. Bach.org DESALES U., ACT 1 PEFORMING ARTS Songs for a New World, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. May 15 & 16. Online. Desales.edu/act1
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13 DA MOB
The ideas of omerta and the code of silence guided them. With Merlino and those guys, it’s a street corner thing. They want to get the last word. Talking to the media meant they could put their spin on things. It’s the 10th & Wolf “Hey-you’re-not-gonna-get-over-on-me-screwyou” guys. Here’s the real story. The upside? We provide them with a platform. The downside is that we may have over-glamorized these guys. People read that, and they think they’re watching The Sopranos. What is your impression of Sonny DiCrecchio, the one-time CEO of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, getting charged with stealing $7.8M from the organization? George Anastasia: [laughs] This started out as an organized crime investigation. They thought they were looking for wise guys. Once they couldn’t make a case against any of them,
Dave and George with photographer Bryan Zelai.
Joey Merlino. Image: Philadelphia Inquirer.
they started really investigating and seeing that millions of dollars were flying out the backdoor. The shoe has yet to drop there. He’s been arrested and charged. When he sees that cell door coming at him, is he going to try to cooperate and give somebody up? He wouldn’t wear a wire or do stings. People are mesmerized because they can’t imagine it’s possible for something with such big money to happen there. The board of the directors, however, only cared that the refrigerators worked and money was coming in. Sonny was just on his own, went off the reservation, and became a Robin Hood. It’s quintessential South Philly, but not a Mob story. Dave Schratwieser: Sonny did a lot of nice things for a lot of people. Shame of it is, he did it all with somebody else’s money. A $20,000 a month house at Stone Harbor? Both George and I have made good money in our time, but never $20,000 a month for shore-rental-good. He got so low as to run a scam on the gate, the parking, like an extra dollar per. All due respect, c’mon. 20
You’re ripping off your patrons. Look at the depth of the scam and the money he made. I would dare say that the Mob in South Philly hasn’t made nearly $8 million in the last ten years. George Anastasia: Going back though to something you said earlier, A.D.: if we go back to 1990, Sonny’s story is a Sunday strip in The Inquirer. A real yarn. To do Sonny’s story correctly, you get reporters out on the street and find people who knew him, who worked with him, who benefitted from him—do a take out. The Sunday strip. That’s what changed. As a reporter, you wanted that Sunday strip. I haven’t seen anybody do this story justice. I doubt anybody will. Dave Schratwieser: You said your story is called “Disruptors.” A.D., I can tell you, neither George nor I have ever minded rocking the boat. So, who are the new, most enterprising wiseguys in Philly worth looking at on Mob Talk Sitdown? Steve Mazzone? Domenic Grande? Who's at the top of the food chain when it comes to The Grand American Gangster Tapestry? Dave Schratwieser: Everyone was looking at Grande as the next age group to come in when Joey and his crowd stepped aside before November’s indictment. Some have compared Grande to Sal Testa. According to that same indictment, Steve Mazzone is the underboss in Philly; Mike Lancelotti is the acting street boss introduced by Merlino. He clearly has power, but he’s the quiet don. Now it’s all carjacking crews and ATM bombers. George Anastasia: Grande and Mazzone are definitely the next generation. The Feds are try-
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ing to short circuit that now. I’m sure there are guys we don’t even know yet who are looking to emerge. Joey is Joey, now down in Florida. Who is that leadership? Lancelotti? Borghese? Mazzone? Ligambe is the consigliere, the old head. The organization may now have the numbers that it used to, but they simply don’t play as big a part in the underworld as they used to. That’s true across America, so other groups fill the void, such as the Russians and Asians. There’s no one group, and there’s not even a face to any of it. No one is on top of anyone else; territorially, everyone sticks to their own. And that’s how it’s going to be for a while. n
Answer to this month’s puzzle
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5 CHOPPER
tially responded, what they found, what they know or don’t know. Someone on the radio mentioned that two medevac helicopters were on their way and the ground team needed to locate a landing zone. Jack and I walked behind what used to be Lathrop’s House. William Lathrop rode out a hurricane at the eastern end of Long Island in his sailboat back in 1938. His boat and his log survived intact, but he drowned. That was a different era, when communications, meteorology, and medical assistance were nothing like they are now. Another comment on the scanner: “We’ve located the children.” I checked the time, 35 minutes since the call—both an instant and an eternity. In Lathrop’s day, somebody would still be running for help. I heard the choppers in the distance, just as one of them got waved off. That’s not a good sign. They specified a place to land about a half-mile out Federal Twist Road. A television helicopter headed up the river, power on, hungry for video. It got pretty noisy. My stomach was tight. These weren’t sights and sounds from a flatscreen. This wasn’t happening in some distant state or foreign country. It was a terrible scene unfolding just beyond those trees, and people who live around me were trying to deal with it. I could hear it. I could feel the urgency of the rotor blades against my temples. That sound echoed between the hills on both sides of the river, holding station. It was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from. The pilot increased the throttle, and suddenly the chopper rose out of the trees, dropped its nose, and began a wide circle toward me. It made a loud pass overhead on course toward Philadelphia as Jack and I followed it with our heads. The scanner was quiet. There was mention of ground transport to Hunterdon Medical Center, but I didn’t know if it was connected to the emergency at the campground. Then it was back to everyday business. The television chopper moved in over the campsite for a last look to feed on what was left behind, then it, too, headed off in a hurry. Once the sound of the blades vanished over the hill, the story became invisible to all but those caring for the injured and perhaps those whose lives, in an instant, had changed forever. n
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harper’s FINDINGS Storybooks for Chinese children emphasize purpose, while American storybooks emphasize happiness. Monolingual children who hear multiple accents at home have a greater capacity for enjoying nonsense words. New pregnancies in Christian countries spike around Christmas. Republican presidential candidates have an 82 percent chance of winning neighborhoods with more pickup trucks than sedans; Democratic candidates have an 88 percent chance when the majority is reversed. African-American women with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia have higher odds of uterine fibroids, and African-American children are twice as likely as children of other races to be misdiagnosed as disruptive before they are diagnosed as autistic. Female nurses who work night shifts are three fifths more likely than other women to get breast cancer. Psychosis is nearly eight times as prevalent in Paris and southeast London as in parts of rural Spain. Plants respond to anesthetics. Callous emotionlessness manifests in teen boys but not girls. Male virgins can contract HPV. Honest and humble adolescents have less sex.
g The world’s oldest funerary fishhooks were found decorating the face of a woman buried on Alor Island 12,000 years ago. A new species of orangutan was found to have been created by the eruption of a volcano 75,000 years ago. Male woolly mammoths were twice as likely as females to fall into a trap and die. Meteorites are responsible for all the iron in artifacts from the Bronze Age. The world’s oldest winemaking site was found in Georgia. English wineglasses have grown sevenfold over the past 300 years. Vole couples get along better if both drink alcohol or neither drinks than if only the male drinks. Mutant female mice who mutilate the genitals of male mice stop doing so when given gene therapy. The Mouse Biology Program at the University of California, Davis, created mice with chronic bad breath. Entomologists created a three-eyed wingless mosquito. A study found that, for pigeons, procrastination is more rewarding than precrastination. Rats will work harder for the same amount of mashed potatoes when it is flattened rather than balled. Chimpanzees hesitate before eating food presented to them atop fake feces. Cats do miss you.
g Female Japanese macaques have been observed sexually mounting sika deer; the macaques also bite the deer, pull their antlers, and fight over them. Vets removed a six-pound tongue from a young Burmese moon bear who had been dragging it on the ground, a Vietnamese bile bear whose paws were amputated to make wine had learned to walk again, and the last dancing bears of Nepal were rescued. A gibbon couple who escaped from captivity had a wild baby. An Amur leopard cub whose mother had a history of cannibalizing her children was given to a golden retriever foster mother. The Indonesian Navy rescued 101 smuggled pangolins. The US Coast Guard rescued a sea turtle from floating cocaine bales. After blood came out of her blowhole, a Korean bottlenose dolphin died. The heaviest bony fish ever caught is a Mola alexandrini, not a Mola mola. A new snailfish was found living five miles underwater. Sharks can be monitored from their DNA drifting in seawater. One plastic bag can turn into 1.75 million shreds when eaten by marine organisms. Scientists discovered how the midshipman fish can hum for so long, and that the humming sound Earth makes comes from the bottom of the ocean. 22
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INDEX Percentage of Belgium’s army that is actively deployed domestically: 13 Pages of shredded files that the Stasi Records Agency in Germany has reconstructed by hand since 1990: 1,500,000 Hours last year for which Germans were paid to use power because supply outstripped demand: 331 Number of other European Union countries that experienced negative power prices last year: 7 Minutes each day by which Finnish fathers spend more time than Finnish mothers with their school-aged children: 8 Number of other developed nations in which fathers spend more time than mothers with school-aged children: 0 Percentage by which millennial US men are likelier than women to be willing to expatriate for better parental leave: 44 Amount offered by the Indian government to caste Hindus who marry Dalits: $3,925 Number of such marriages the government plans to incentivize each year: 500 Percentage of US news stories about poverty that feature black families: 59 Of US families living under the poverty line that are black: 23 Minimum number of companies and recruiters accused of using Facebook to keep older workers from seeing job ads: 125 Number of staff the Zimbabwean government guaranteed to Robert Mugabe as part of his retirement package: 25 Of new cars every five years: 3 Acres of land owned by John Malone, the largest private landowner in the US: 2,200,000 Factor by which that is larger than Rhode Island: 3.3 Estimated number of New York City apartments for which tenants can pay rent in a cryptocurrency: 400,000 Number of tenants who have actually done so: 41 Date on which the drink company Long Island Iced Tea Corp. changed its name to Long Blockchain Corp.: 12/21/2017 Percentage change in its share price that day: +183 Date on which Anheuser-Busch sent barley into space to explore the possibility of brewing on Mars: 12/15/2017 Chance that an American would be more likely to buy a beer if it were brewed there: 1 in 10 Portion of Maryland’s licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries that ran out of product within a week of opening: 5/7 Number of US states that plan to use fentanyl for executions: 2 Percentage by which Americans overestimate the number of US prisoners who are foreign-born: 27 Estimated number of accidental gun deaths attributable to a surge in firearm purchases after Sandy Hook: 60 Number of hand grenades seized by Ukrainian police from civilians in 2013: 120 2017: 2,200 Ratio of snake-removal to fire-alarm calls that Bangkok’s fire dept. responded to last year: 9:1 Portion of Cabinet departments whose permanent staff shrank over the first nine months of the Trump Administration: 4/5 Net change in permanent staff at the Department of Justice: −1,737 At the Department of Homeland Security: +1,190 Estimated number of Homeland Security employees stationed abroad: 2,000 Estimated percentage of Russians who don’t think they have enough information to have an opinion on Donald Trump: 46 Total amount donated by lobbyists registered as foreign agents during the 2016 election: $4,574,661 Percentage of this money donated to Democrats: 54 Estimated number of US private schools receiving public funding that teach a Christian curriculum: 5,071 That teach an Islamic curriculum: 70 That teach a curriculum inspired by L. Ron Hubbard: 5
SOURCES: 1 Consulate General of Belgium (NYC); 2 Stasi Records Agency (Berlin); 3 European Power Exchange (Paris); 4 European Commission (Brussels); 5,6 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Washington); 7 EY (Washington); 8,9 Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (New Delhi); 10,11 Travis Dixon, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign; 12 Communications Workers of America (Washington); 13,14 Zimbabwe Permanent Mission to the United Nations (NYC); 15 The Land Report (Dallas); 16 US Census Bureau (Suitland, Md.); 17,18 ManageGo LLC (Brooklyn, N.Y.); 19 US Securities and Exchange Commission; 20 Nasdaq (NYC); 21 Anheuser-Busch (NYC); 22 Rasmussen Reports (Asbury Park, N.J.); 23 Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (Linthicum); 24 Death Row Penalty Information Center (Washington); 25 Ipsos (London); 26 Phillip Levine, Wellesley College (Mass.); 27,28 International Centre for Policy Studies (Kiev, Ukraine); 29 Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department; 30–32 US Office of Personnel Management; 33 US Department of Homeland Security; 34 Gallup (Atlanta); 35,36 MapLight (Berkeley, Calif.); 37–40 HuffPost.
Screen Names by EVAN BIRNHOLZ SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 5
9 13 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
29 30 32 33 35 36 38 39 40 41 43 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 57 58 60 62 64 67 71 72
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80 82 83 85
___ vu Feature of Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of “One-Note Samba” Wildebeests Dominates, in slang Shakespeare’s “shortly” Sharpened, as a blade “The Politician” star Ben “This spells doom” GP-to-be’s exam Temple feature Cucumber ___ (Indian yogurt dip) Plastic bag alternative Zilch “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” actress Earl’s title Dairy Queen orders South Carolina’s state fruit Meal plans Soaks up the Sun, say? Related to an eye part NBA Hall of Famer Robinson Drifts gently With 93 Down, “Man oh man!” “Dear Martin” author Stone Kicked off Monster in the video game “Quake” “Roseanne” co-star Temple feature Prefix with classical Body shop sight “Hey, look at this!” Oozing mass “___ the Right One In” (2008 vampire film) Clear comprehension Love to bits and pieces “To repeat myself ...” Event planner’s concern National Yoga Month Apple device with Thunderbolt ports Acting as expected, and an alternate title for this puzzle Band that David Bowie called “the band of the future” in 1977 Considers anew Acquaintance of Goat, Pig and Zebra in “Pearls Before Swine” Fell dramatically “DO NOT ___” (street sign) Leaves suddenly The bird Stephen Jr.
86 93 96 97 98 101 103 105 106 109 111 112 118 120 121 124 125 126 127 128 129
(named after Stephen Colbert), e.g. Star of the 1990s TV series “Clueless” Charlie Parker’s style Contaminates Boats similar to cutters Wood work, e.g.? Penny’s value, compared to a dime Sequence of notes from a chord Olden times Sailor’s post ___ track (product of a musical feud) Rock climbing gym need “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” actor Brought up, as kids Don of “Crash” “Anchors ___!” Antelope one may see in the Zambezi Valley Discharged, as photons Patriotic Japanese cheer To a great extent Toppings on 30 Across, at times Places in boiling water DOWN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 28 31 34 36 37 39 40
Condemns vigorously Boost “Downton Abbey” actress Go before Eyewear for the Marvel superhero Blade Carbonated beverages Thesis intro? Sixth of a fluid ounce Greet like a politician would Pounded fastener Mention verbally Stuck around Stuck around longer than “A Little Bit of Heaven” actress Parisian landmark with bells named for saints Sites for idle mowers Site for fabric softener It’s slashed at a sale Participated in a dash YouTube clip preceders Vehicle often “split” Variety of salmon An arm or a leg Laid down all of one’s Uno cards first, say Elle’s courtroom dress color
42 44 46 47 48 49 50 53 56 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 68 69
70 73 74 75 78 81 83 84 87 88 89
in “Legally Blonde” Thickness measurer Pickleball court divider Trudeau of Canadian politics Roam (about) “Hey, look at this!” Item at a regatta Cosa ___ Wireless mouse batteries, maybe Modern pet name Having more funds Wood stove fallout “Exit full screen” key “This is real bad for me” Bills once in Italian ATMs It may spell doom Includes, as in Gmail List shortener Knievel who called himself “the last gladiator in the new Rome” Went by 34 Down or 91 Down Many madrassa students Train set component Google Earth predecessor Like one who’s lost control Linguistically sparing Diner menu letters Origin of “Delicious Dish” skits on NBC “I ___ explain!” Player’s words after deciding to split? Command given to sharpen a
90 91 92 93 94
95 98 99 100 102 104 107 108 109 110 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 122 123
grainy digital photograph, in TV crime drama tropes Proceeded effortlessly Western mode of travel? Cell game, e.g. See 40 Across She once tweeted: “We all have an incomplete understanding of reality. Let’s complete the puzzle together and have a clear understanding of what is happening.” “It’s possible” Suffer anguish (over) Frayed fabric feature Jacuzzi water tester Try to shred Apt surname for an environmentalist Average fella Nonbinary possessive pronoun Inflicted on Parts of a Greek map Emulate drill sergeants When the Allied forces invaded Normandy First-___ (top-notch) Catches, as a fugitive Whack Car tire holder Genre for the band AFI Break in continuity “The King Has Lost ___ Crown” (Abba song)
Solution to this month’s puzzle on page 20
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