Category: BUSINESS

So Alexander Skarsgård was ready for costume drama after signing up to play an armored, helmeted cyborg security guard in the AppleTV+ sci-fi comedy “Murderbot” (first two episodes now streaming, then weekly on Fridays).

But Skarsgård, 48, wasn’t expecting the depths of (self-inflicted) preparation pain for scenes withouthis SecUnit character’s full-body armor suit. The Swedish actor had foolishly vowed to executive producers Paul and Chris Weitz that he’d go mannequin-smooth while playing the unsuited killing machine during moments of repose.

“I made the completely stupid choice to be completely hairless,” Skarsgård confesses to USA TODAY. “So I waxed my entire body. Like a Brazilian wax, but top to toe. I was screaming. And then I had to keep doing it for six months for a long shoot. That was a terrible idea.”

Constructor: Emily Biegas

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• CPR (10A: Lifesaving procedure taught to the beat of “Staying Alive”) As I have previously written, the Red Cross recommends doing CPR at a rate of 100 chest compressions per minute. This means that songs with 100-120 beats per minute are useful tools to help you maintain the correct rate if you need to perform CPR. This includes “Stayin’ Alive,” the 1977 song by the Bee Gees.
• DHABI (13A: Abu ___) Abu DHABI is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Walt Disney Company recently announced that its newest theme park will be located in Abu DHABI. Although there have not been a lot of details released about the plans for the Disneyland Abu DHABI resort, there have been indications that it will be a primarily indoor park.
• DOUBLE STEAL (17A: Baseball strategy involving two runners) This is a fun answer, and like yesterday’s grand SLAM, I was delighted that I knew the answer to this sports-related clue. I tried to find statistics about the success rate of DOUBLE STEAL attempts, but was unsuccessful. My guess is that successful DOUBLE STEALs are fairly uncommon.
• ENT (20A: Doc who may diagnose a deviated septum) An ENT, which stands for ear, nose, and throat, is a medical specialist also known as an otorhinolaryngologist. (One can understand why ENT is commonly used to refer to this specialty.) The septum is the nasal cartilage that separates the nasal cavity into two nostrils. A deviated septum is a condition in which the top of the cartilage departs from the centerline and leans to the left or right. It’s estimated that 70-80% of people have a deviated septum, so this is not an uncommon condition. A deviated septum may cause snoring, sleep apnea, mouth breathing, as well as other symptoms. Only severe cases of a deviated septum require treatment.
• DEER (24A: Skittish woodland creatures) and DEAR (65A: Homophone of 24-across) I like this DEAR DEER pair. It’s true that DEER are generally skittish, but I did chuckle at this clue. We live near a creek and have DEER in our neighborhood. Sometimes they seem to not be skittish enough, as they often refuse to move when I walk or bike by them (or when I find them in my backyard and try to get them to leave…).
• ILY (29A: Texter’s expression of affection) and ETA (31A: Texter’s “When will you be here?”) and NBD (43A: Texter’s “Don’t worry about it”) I enjoyed seeing this text conversation in the grid. In case you need assistance interpreting these abbreviations: ILY = I love you, ETA = estimated time of arrival, and NBD = no big deal.
• SETI (33A: Org. seeking life beyond Earth) SETI here stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence.” The SETI Institute is a nonprofit research organization founded in 1984 to search for and understand life beyond Earth. SETI’s headquarters are located in Mountain View, California. There are three primary SETI centers: The Carl Sagan Center (named in honor of the astronomer, who is a former trustee of the institute, the Center for Education, and the Center for Public Outreach.
• IPA (39A: Bell’s Two Hearted, e.g.) According to the Bell’s Brewery website, Two Hearted IPA is “named after fishing waters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.” If you’d like to learn how Bell’s Brewery “Started In a Soup Pot, Now We’re Here,” I recommend checking out the history section of their website.
• DEADPOOL (40A: Marvel character known for breaking the fourth wall) Breaking the fourth wall is a technique where a character talks directly to the audience. The character of DEADPOOL uses this technique quite a bit, addressing the audience with interjections of witty remarks, commentary about what’s happening, and highlighting his awareness that he’s a fictional character. Here’s a fun story I discovered while learning more about DEADPOOL. In 2004, several years before Ryan Reynolds first portrayed DEADPOOL in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the comic book Cable and DEADPOOL #2 featured a panel with DEADPOOL describing himself as “Ryan Renolds [sic] crossed with a shar-pei.”
• EZRA (68A: Better Than ___ (rock band)) Better Than EZRA is an alt rock band based in New Orleans. Their 1995 single, “Good,” reached the top of Billboard‘s Modern Rock Tracks chart. Better Than EZRA released their ninth studio album, Super Magick, in 2024.
• RATED E (7D: Like the video game Animal Crossing) Video games that are RATED E have content suitable for all ages; the E stands for “everyone.” Animal Crossing, released in 2001, is the first in a series of games in which players take up residence in a village populated by anthropomorphic animals. I first learned about Animal Crossing from the June 13, 2020 puzzle (during my first week of blogging about the USA Today crossword). Everything I know about Animal Crossing I’ve learned from crosswords.
• CABARET (10D: Musical with Sally Bowles and the Emcee) The 1966 musical CABARET (music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb) was based on a 1951 play, I Am a Camera, by Joe Druten. The play, in turn, was adapted from a semi-autobiographical 1939 novel, Goodbye to Berlin. CABARET is set in 1929-1930 Berlin, as the Nazis are ascending to power. The musical centers on a relationship between an American writer, Clifford Bradshaw, and a CABARET singer, Sally Bowles. Overseeing the musical’s action is the “Emcee,” the Master of Ceremonies at the seedy Kit Kat Club. A revival of CABARET is currently playing on Broadway. Since March 31, Eva Noblezada and Orville Peck have been playing the roles of Sally Bowles and the Emcee.

While cross-examining Ventura Fine, one of Combs’ lawyers, Anna Estevao, revealed he overdosed on painkillers in 2012. Estevao asked Ventura Fine if she recalled the overdose, and Ventura placed the incident around the same time that Whitney Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012.

Ventura Fine recalled they’d had a “freak off” that night and had gone to a sex club in San Bernardino, California. She said Combs later went to a party at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, but she went home.

Combs overdosed on painkillers, and she took him to the hospital, Ventura Fine told Estevao.

Ventura Fine revealed they had both tried to stop using drugs at times in their relationship, but rehab did not feel like an option for them. They consumed many substances for their “freak offs” and called each other “get-high” partners, she said.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to USA TODAY on May 15 that a 36-year-old man was arrested at a Manchester hotel just after 2 p.m. on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

While the department does not release names of possible suspects, they confirmed that “the arrest relates to an incident at a venue in Hanover Square (London)” from Feb. 19, 2023. “The investigation is being led by detectives from the Central West Area Basic Command Unit.”

“He has been taken into custody where he remains,” the statement added. USA TODAY reached out to Brown’s representatives for comment.

The Crown Prosecution Service, a government agency overseeing criminal prosecutions, confirmed Brown’s arrest in a May 15 press release. Brown’s first court appearance is scheduled for May 16 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.