1995 Coolio song featured in the film "Dangerous Minds" / THU 7-13-23 / Scarlett's first love in Gone With the Wind / Effecting fundamental changes to perceptions / Group of computers commandeered by a cyberattack / Pataky of the Fast & Furious franchise / Mayberry boy of classic TV

Constructor: Hanh Huynh

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: PARA- to "Pair of" — words that start with "PARA-" are clued straight but represented in the grid as a visual pun, where the latter part of the word is literally a "pair of" ... something. Each "pair" appears as side-by-side rebus squares:

Theme answers:

• "GANGSTA'S DIE DIE" (i.e. "Gangsta's Paradise") (16A: 1995 Coolio song featured in the film "Dangerous Minds")
• LOGICAL DOC DOC (i.e. "logical paradox") (23A: "This statement is false," for one)
• BULL BULL OF JESUS (i.e. Parables of Jesus) (46A: "The Good Samaritan" and "The Prodigal Son," for example)
• SHIFTING DIME DIME (i.e. "shifting paradigms") (57A: Effecting fundamental changes to perceptions)

Word of the Day: NISEI (5D: American-born Japanese) —

Nisei (二世, "second generation") is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called Issei). The Nisei are considered the second generation, and the grandchildren of the Japanese-born immigrants are called Sansei, or third generation. (Ichi, ni, san are Japanese for "one, two, three"; seeJapanese numerals.) (wikipedia)

• • •

In college, my friend Malcolm and his friend John invented a drinking game called WITNEY. I don't remember how you played, but I remember it as elaborate, and I remember it involved dice. The main way I remember it involved dice was that Malcolm actually had WITNEY merchandise made, specifically, bumper stickers. The bumper stickers read: "WITNEY: When You Say It, Play It" (a play on "When You Play It, Say It" stickers that would appear on promotional copies of music to remind DJs to tell the audience what they were playing). Now, when Malcolm ordered the bumper stickers, he told the printer what it should say, and then said that following the slogan, there should be "two dice"— that is, a picture of a pair of dice. But what came back from the printers didn't have a picture of dice. Instead, the bumper stickers read, "WITNEY: When You Say It, Play It — TWO DICE!" With "TWO DICE!" written out like that. Ridiculous. Nonsensical. Perfect. I had one on my car for 16 years. Anyway, I smiled hard when I got the first themer today, both because I thought the concept was great, and because it reminded me of being young and stupid. 

The first two themers are stronger than the last two. Something about the phrase "Parables of Jesus" feels clunky—the OF JESUS part specifically. I know they're parables, I knew the word would be "parables," but the phrase "[Parables] OF JESUS" ... yes, it's a thing, but it just didn't seem as tight as the first two themers. The "of Jesus" part feels slightly redundant. Also, I went looking for the "parables" at the end of the phrase, since that's where the pairs appeared up top. After getting the [Parables] one, I thought for sure the last themer would have its pair at the beginning of the answer too, to make it all even out. But no. Back to the end of the answer, making the [Parables] answer that much clunkier. I also don't love SHIFTING [Paradigms] because the phrase—the phrase that everyone knows, the phrase that would look great in any grid—is "paradigm shift." That is a thing. "SHIFTING [Paradigms]" feels like a thing that was granted "thing" status only after much special pleading by lawyers. And yet even the drop in themer quality from top to bottom couldn't significantly diminish my enjoyment of this puzzle. The theme is bold and silly and inventive. Tricky, but not overly so. Good clean fun!

I got the concept very early because I knew the Coolio song. Dead to rights, without question. And it wouldn't fit (obviously). And so I started doubting that I knew the Coolio song. "How are they gonna get 'paradise' in there? Is "Eden" involved somehow? What the hell...?" And then the puzzle just handed me the answer by making one of the "DIE" crosses an absolute gimme: I've watched Groundhog Day more times than I can count, so ANDIE MacDowell is a very familiar name (and face) (6D: Actress MacDowell). So she gave me the "DIE"—and revealed the theme concept to me. I thought "they can't keep up this 'paradise' thing for a whole puzzle, can they? Where are they gonna go? DIE DIE LOST? DIE DIE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS?" But no, they went on to other pairs, probably for the best. 

Hardest part wasn't really hard, just kind of sloggy, and it had everything to do with that stupid "[Parables] of JESUS" answer (sorry, Jesus). Well, it connected to that, anyway. I had -US at the end of that word and couldn't do anything with it, and I also couldn't bring the cavalry down out of the middle to help out because I was stuck on 36A: Like Canadian provinces vis-à-vis U.S. states. I had the -WER part but ??? ... LOWER (in temperature)? RAWER (... in temperature)? Normally I had musical key clues, and I probably still do, but today EMAJ ended up being the key (...!) to my setting the center straight (37D: Key of Rossini's "William Tell" Overture: Abbr.). Once I got RNA, I knew the key had to be MAJ, which meant that "J" was solid, which meant JESUS came to me (hallelujah). Also, the second letter in -WER had to be "A" or "E" and as soon as I entertained "E," I considered NEWER (???) but finally alit on FEWER. What a bizarre clue for FEWER. Especially bizarre since it gave me way more trouble than the tricky theme element. 

FANFESTS was a bit hard because I just think of nerdy gatherings as just "cons" now (36D: New York Comic Con and Treklanta, for two). FANFESTS is kind of a generic term, but it's a term alright, and I like it ... just couldn't get hold of it for a bit (partly because it runs right through the Canadian province and Jesus trouble spots, see above). IS OFF, the answer that comments on itself! Nice. But yeah, not great. I wanted DESKS before BUSES (41A: School lineup). Didn't know ELSA but did know RAINN so it all balances out somehow. In the end, difficulty level normal, enjoyment level high. Really wish there had been a plausible way to work SAUL SAUL into the grid, but it's pretty good as is. That's all. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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