Dan Naddor’s puzzling ‘Star Search’

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Rich Norris, editor of the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle, said one of his favorite puzzles by regular contributor Dan Naddor — who died Dec. 28 at 53 — was titled “Star Search.” Naddor had combined a crossword with a word search by asking for the titles of movies with Oscar-winning stars then hiding the winning actors’ names word-search style in the grid. It ran, appropriately enough, last year on the day of the Academy Awards ceremony.

“Despite the limitations that the word-search answers place on the constructor, the overall fill is remarkably smooth,” pronounced Diary of a Crossword Fiend.

‘Star Search’ makes a return appearance here. Print it out, pick up a pencil -- and let us know what you think.

-- Valerie J. Nelson