Saturday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: November 3, 2018

My time: 12:21.

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Ryan McCarty made this Saturday themeless that has two grid-spanning Across entries and some interesting fill.  I didn't dislike it or love it.  That's not a DIG.  It's well-constructed and a nice solid Saturday.

I'm probably one of very few people who knew about Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's musical about a murderer, "The CAPEMAN."  I actually enjoyed the soundtrack.  I applaud his effort; I don't deride something as a prima facie failure just because the masses didn't flock to it.

"Apple _____" can be anything.  I was thinking, Apple Music?  But it's the fruit kind, not the trillion-dollar kind.  Apple CORER.

I've heard of the rapper DMX, but not his mega-selling third album ...And Then There Was X.

Megan RAPINOE is a US soccer player.  She is currently the captain of the Seattle Reign.  She is known for her cross to Abby Wambach during the 2011 World Cup game against Brazil.

Fiddler on the Roof Oscar nominee Chaim TOPOL appeared over a year ago, on October 19, 2017.

"First name of two Wimbledon winners in the 1980s and '90s" is MARTINA.  That's Navratilova, who won the women's singles a record nine times, and Hingis, who won the singles in 1997.

I was not expecting "political organization" to be APPARAT.  What are we, Soviets?

In musical scores, AMOROSO is a direction to play "in a loving manner."  Now how in the hell do you do that?

I only got "C.C. RIDER" because I'm familiar with the title as a "classic blues song."  I didn't identify it from the lyrics.

Never seen the show "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," and had no idea it's on the TBS network.  Very funny.

Clever clues: "Party leader" is EMCEE.  "Jaguar's coat, e.g." is CAR PAINT.  "Nick name" is DORA THE EXPLORER --- well done!  "Company that once had tremendous 'quarterly' profits?" is ATARI.  "Shepherds, in the Bible" is LEADETH.  "Ones not calling the shots?" is ANTI-VAXXERS.  "When to start on a course" is TEE TIME.

This puzzle didn't AMUSE ME, but it wasn't bad either.  Some good fill (STYGIAN), some not great (NON-HERO --- really?  C'MON).