Jim

Thank you for clarifying the theme! I was in the same boat as you - finished but puzzled over the starred answers and how they fit the theme. I feel so much better now!

This was fun to solve but I did so without catching on to themed clues!

This was a fun, challenging puzzle. I went through several famous on-screen dogs before I hit the one that let me figure out the solution to that section of the puzzle.

Thanks for the note on 6D! Like you I only got it through the crossings and had no idea what it meant. You saved me from having to do the research!

Enjoyed your column today as it mirrored my experience with today’s very enjoyable puzzle. ESTEE and ISSA were my gimmes, and then after a deep breath and a few lucky guesses the southeast space came together!