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Here's my latest creation. Solve it, share it, love it, leave it ... do as you see fit: "Ides of April" (.pdf or .puz version available here). Enjoy!
(SOLUTION BELOW, after the Spoiler Kitty...)
Ides of April
"Endless Fun" — a Rex Parker puzzle released 4/1/11
Download .pdf or .puz file HERE (or below, using the scribd interface)
Solution below, following Spoiler Kitty...
Endless Fun
Just creating a separate post for my latest puzzle. You can discuss it in comments, and find the solution ... below (after the Spoiler Kitty).
[as always, click on "Print" below, or go here (to the forum at crosswordfiend.com) to get a .puz / AcrossLite version of the puzzle]
Inside Dope 
This puzzle was inspired by commenter "joeyshapiro," who, in commenting on last Sunday's puzzle "Inside Dope," wrote: "before starting the puzzle in earnest, was wondering if the theme answers would all have THC in them. Seemed a touch racey for NYT..." But not too racy for me. Most of the constructing time on this one was spent brain-storming theme answers. Considered trying for HEALTHCARE, since it's timely, but couldn't get symmetry to work, and ... frankly, I didn't want to think about the HEALTHCARE bill, for a host of reasons. So HEALTHCLASS, which is definitely a thing, but my least favorite of the theme answers (most favorite = DEPTHCHART, a never-been-used (that I know of) answer that has huge currency in the world of sports, football in particular). In addition to the theme, BOFF (as clued) and BIRTH CANAL are things you aren't likely to see in the NYT.
Two answers not in the cruciverb.com database: ED HELMS and CANDIED.
Crossing that I worried might get someone: BOTS x/w ROTH. I assume that "O" was inferrable. RUTH is the only other plausible name that might go there, and BUTS ... just isn't a likely answer for 46A.
Had PEÑA near the center at one point (where PONE is now), but decided I'd avoid the "Ñ" / "N" crossing — ditched it and ended up with better fill around. SNOOD instead of SNEAD, FORTE instead of SORTA, and thus FLASHER instead of SLASHER.
Happy to give MR. T as contemporary a clue as possible. Also liked the clue on JOHNS (thanks to Crossword Fiend for suggesting Haggard — original JOHNS were Spitzer, *Springer* and Swaggart).
Don't love: SSRS, SACS, ONEA, LOI, ARPS ... not thrilled with A B OR C, but it made that whole section better, and it's valid, so whatever. Liked getting ELVES in there for Christmas.
That's all. Hope I've got more in the tank in the new year.
~RP
Constructor: Paula Gamache
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" (10D: 1843 work in five "staves") — grid contains three additional answers related to the Dickens story
Word of the Day: AHMET Ertegun (7D: Ertegun who co-founded Atlantic Records) — 
Ahmet Ertegun (Turkish: Ahmet Ertegün; July 31 [O.S. July 18] 1923 – December 14, 2006) was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry. He also co-founded the New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League. // In the 1960s, Atlantic, often in partnerships with local labels like Stax Records in Memphis, helped to develop the growth of soul music, with artists such as Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Ahmet heard Led Zeppelin's demo and knew they would be a smash hit after hearing the first few songs. He quickly signed them. He also convinced Crosby, Stills and Nash to allow Neil Young to join them on one of their tours, thereby founding Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Ahmet helped introduce America to blue-eyed soul when he discovered the Rascals at a Westhampton nightclub in 1965 and signed them to Atlantic. They went on to chart 13 top 40 singles in four years and were elected to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
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Interesting puzzle, but what the hell is this grid supposed to depict? What shape is that? A ghost? The only ghost it resembles is one of the ghosts from Pac-Man (my sister's first response upon seeing the grid: "Space Invaders?"). A Christmas tree? That's one messed up,
lopsided Christmas tree. Neither wife nor I can figure it out. Like the way the theme answers intersect here, but feel like the rest of the grid is engaging in some serious Christmas overkill. Sneaking TINY TIM in was nice (24A: With 35-Down, brother of Master Peter), but JINGLERS (32D: Sleigh bells and such)? And then giving a Christmas-related clue to every possible answer? Dial it back. In addition to not getting the grid shape, I don't really love SOCIAL CLIMBER (12A: A-list wannabe) — great as a phrase, but weird for a non-theme answer to be longer than 3 of the 4 theme Acrosses in the grid. Wouldn't be so noticeable if it were directly under BOB CRATCHIT. I enjoyed this puzzle for its originality, shape-wise, and for its ambition. It was rough for me, in patches, but overall, mostly enjoyable.
Theme answers:
9A: One who worked in a "dismal little cell" (Bob Cratchit) — spelled it CRATCHET, which created huge problems in the already difficulty NE. AHMET!?!? RIBCUT (8D: Club steak, e.g.)? ENYA as an "artist????" (16D: "And Winter Came ..." artist). What's the opposite of TERRIF (11D: "Super!")?
KORDA. Coincidentally, my sister and her husband are playing tennis on the Wii Fit (Christmas gift for their boys) as we speak.It was 20 years ago today ... that a certain TV show had its full-length, prime-time debut. Patrick Blindauer and I offer the following puzzle as a tribute. Enjoy.
As usual, click on "Print" on the image below, or go here (to the crosswordfiend.com forum) to get a .puz / AcrossLite version of the puzzle. Thanks to Patrick Blindauer for doing this with me. It was a blast. If you get stumped, you can find the solution here.
Brief write-up of the puzzle after the kitten, below ...
20 Years of Detention
I first thought about writing a puzzle to commemorate the 20th anniversary of "The Simpsons" some time last year. But as with most things I think of, I did nothing about it. Time passed. Then I was having dinner in Queens with Patrick Blindauer and and a few other folks after Ryan and Brian's Crossword Tournament in August, and I mentioned the idea to Patrick. I mentioned some possible theme ideas, but none seemed terribly feasible. Too obvious, or too elaborate. To my surprise, shortly thereafter, Patrick emailed me with a giant list of Bart's chalkboard scrawlings, each one beginning "I will not..." and each one paired with another of equal length. At first I thought ... I don't know. I wasn't sure. But then the more I thought on it, the more I liked it. It would be like a giant quote puzzle, so crosses would have to be super fair, but the theme phrases themselves (unlike most quote puzzles) are actually funny (TEASE FATTY makes me laugh every time I look at it).
We had enough material to do a Sunday-sized puzzle, but I wanted it to come out on the anniversary itself (today, Dec. 17), so we pared it down to six (still a Hell of a lot to cram into a 15x15 grid, esp. with the Xs and Ks and Vs and what not, plus BART). 
I built a grid. Got it rolling, then realized that fill would be a little ugly in and around the XEROX region. So Patrick tweaked the grid slightly and that opened things right up. We could have gone with a few other things besides OSAMU at 25A, but there was NO way I was giving it up. He's about as big a figure as there is in (non-Western) comics, and is a household name in Japan, and he's not in the cruciverb.com database, so I was prepared to fight for him. In that section, INI is really painful, but I was happy enough to get out of that XEROX section with OSAMU, ARTICHOKES, and PECKISH in place (all of which I love). MOE (like ABE) was an accident. But once I saw I had both of those guys, I intentionally put LISA in the NW.
Without a doubt, the western seaboard of the puzzle, from OSAMU to the far SW, took the most time to construct. And reconstruct. And reconstruct. I wanted PECKISH, which limited what we could do coming down off the "K" into the SW. In the end, we had the option of KAREEM or KARENS, neither of which is exciting (tho' the former beats the latter), and both of which were going to leave us with more partial / abbrev. action than we wanted in the surrounding fill. 
Then on a lark I proposed KAREN O to Patrick. She's the lead singer of the YEAH YEAH YEAHs (see 34D to see why we could *not* cue her that way). She was in the (hipster music) news as we were writing the puzzle, since "Where The Wild Things Are" was about to be released into theaters. I knew she was really famous in the rock music world, but for a mainstream audience ... I wasn't sure. Ran it by Patrick, thinking for sure he'd say "no way," but he liked it. Thought it was fresh and valid. So we went with her, and the SW is way, way better for having her.
Once Patrick got the grid issues sorted out (the really hard work), I filled most of the grid. At the end, Patrick got in and suggested modifications up top and in the SW (specifically, he picked up that IDEE, which used to be in the SW, and IDEAL, up top, are etymologically related and should therefore not appear in same grid together — that's an eagle eye). I clued Acrosses and he clued Downs, and then went through like a good editor and polished / modified *all* the clues. His technical skillz and editorial skillz are pretty mad. Some last minute back-and-forth on exactly how to clue the theme answers, and there we were. Done.
We submitted it to Will, but he rejected it, believing the theme had only niche appeal. Also, he seemed not to get the humor in many of the theme answers (e.g. "Am I supposed to know who FATTY is?"). If he felt that way, I'm sure he won't be alone. He knows what he's doing. So we're releasing it directly to you, for you to adore, vilify, or shrug at, as you see fit. Thank you.
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]
Wrote this one on a lark, inspired by a single theme answer. Did it with more conservative theme answers (thinking I might submit it somewhere), then found out (perusing cruciverb.com's database) that the theme had been done already, as a Sunday-sized puzzle, many years ago. So I reverted to the theme answers I liked best, Rex-ified the clues like crazy, and here it is. A light amusement for you. Enjoy. [Click "Print" below, or get AcrossLite / .puz version at Amy Reynaldo's Crossword Forum, HERE]
If you get stumped, you can find the solution HERE.
And They Re Off
~RP
Here's a puzzle I wrote last week when I realized that a recent public announcement presented great opportunities for puzzle answer symmetry. It's too straightforward a tribute puzzle to be a good fit for newspapers, and the subject matter / names involved will cause radically different solving experiences among solvers. Still, I hope there's entertainment or challenge enough to go around. Should be solvable even if the subject matter is way out of your wheelhouse.
Get the puzzle in .puz (AcrossLite) format HERE (or just print it out below; click on "Print") ... completed grid can be viewed HERE.
Thanks, RP
Aces
Constructor: Oliver Hill
Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: TRAP (66A: Word that can follow the ends of 18-, 25-, 43- and 59-Across)
Word of the Day: E BONDS (46D: Old U.S. gov't investments) — Series E U.S. Savings Bonds were marketed by the United States government as war bonds from 1941 to 1980. 
When Americans refer to war bonds, they are usually referring to Series E bonds. Those issued from 1941 to November 1965 accrued interest for 40 years; those issued from December 1965 to June 1980, for 30 years. They were generally issued at 75 cents per dollar face value, maturing at par in a specified number of years that fluctuated with the rate of interest. Denominations available were $25, $50, $75, $100, $200, $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000. Series E bonds were issued only in registered, physical form and are not transferable. The guaranteed minimum investment yield for the bonds was 4 percent, compounded semiannually
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Pretty dull "word that can follow" puzzle redeemed somewhat by the unusual and funny-sounding BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY. And by ROD CAREW — a great full-name answer. I can see his 1978 baseball card (the one with the '77 stats) very clearly in my mind. That's the year I started collecting. There was a profile shot of him (he played for the Minnesota Twins then) and there was a little insignia indicating his 1977 MVP status (... hmm, internet research just now shows that that insignia marked his All-Star status, not his MVP status; MVP is so much more important, I figured that must have been what was being commemorated, but no). Anyway, that dude could hit. He and George Brett were probably the greatest hitters of my childhood. Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn came a little later.
Theme answers:
My guess is that everyone is familiar with those first two theme answers, but those last two might have provided some trouble. BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY alone kept this puzzle in the "Medium" difficulty range. I had to fight for both the front and back end of it, as I didn't see the "TRAP" answer til near the very end. SW corner in particular was tough for me to zoom through, as I tried and failed to drop 43-45-Down into the grid the first time around. UPMOST was not a word that came quickly to mind (45D: Like Brahmins in the cast system) — grid already had an "UP" at UPDATE (12D: Supply with more recent info). So BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY and its environs made a mildly interesting puzzle out of what would otherwise have been a bore. Good enough.
Happy Birthday, Christina Applegate!
A couple of months ago, around the time of Lee Denim Day (a large single-day cancer fundraiser in early October), I started kicking around puzzle ideas. Challenge — how to write a puzzle in support of breast cancer research and care that wasn't a. a downer, and b. too boob-specific (nothing wrong with boobs, they're great, that's the point — just didn't want to be too spot-on). So nothing was clicking for me until ... I lit on the name of Christina Applegate's own Foundation. And then things began falling into place. I had an idea, then hit up Twitter for some suggestions of names that helped me create theme answers, and before I knew it (one afternoon), I had a 17x17 puzzle on my hands (thanks, Twitterverse, btw).
So here's the deal — if you enjoy the puzzle (below), or if you hate it so much that it inspires you to throw rotten tomatoes at me ... if it moves you in any way, please consider making a donation to Ms. Applegate's Foundation. I'm deliberately not telling you its name because its name is in the puzzle (is the basis for the puzzle, actually). So if you want a leg up on the puzzle, click here to go to her Foundation's homepage. Otherwise, do the puzzle first, and then check out her page. Her Foundation is dedicated to helping pay for advanced screening techniques for at-risk women who couldn't otherwise afford it.
So here it is. Please print it out, forward it to friends/family/anyone you know who enjoys crosswords, etc. I hope it brightens an already bright, long holiday weekend.
Just click on "Print" on the puzzle image below, or go here (to Amy Reynaldo's crosswordfiend.com) to get a .puz (AcrossLite) version. To see my write-up of the puzzle and / or comment on it, go here.
Star Turns
Tuesday, 10/7/08
"Don't Blink"
Written by: Michael D. Sharp and Angela Olson Halsted
Edited by: Amy Reynaldo
A couple of weeks ago, a satirical article at politico.com caused a comical firestorm of non-controversy concerning whether the NYT Crossword Puzzle was sneakily supporting OBAMA by putting his name in the puzzle far more often than John McCain's. OBAMA was given many things by God, and one of those things was a name custom-made for crosswords. To be fair, God gave this same gift to ORRIN Hatch, but no one seemed to notice. However, in the spirit of evening things out politically in this current election season, we have constructed a puzzle in honor of a current Republican candidate for office. It is not meant to be pro- or anti- any party or anyone. We kept it as non-partisan as possible, and we honestly hope that people of all different political persuasions will enjoy it. So put your political rancor away for a few minutes and solve this. It's not the greatest crossword in the world, but it should be easy enough for most people to solve, and it should be at least mildly amusing. Have fun, and tell a friend.
Sincerely,
Rex Parker
The puzzle exists in two formats: an AcrossLite version available at crosswordfiend.com and a .pdf file hosted by Scribd, which should be visible below ... you can print it out simply by rolling your cursor over "More," which will show you a drop menu on which "Print" is an option.
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