Puzzle by Karl Wallulis 9/17/09

ACROSS
1. Bus. Bigwigs
4. Israeli-Palestinian conflict site
8. They may be grade A
12. Before, poetically
13. Improved, as wine
14. Shark product?
15. Open grassland
16. Outdoes
17. Oral tradition
18. “The Starry Night” painter
20. Referee, slangily
21. ___ Homo, Nietzsche autobiography
22. City in southern Sudan
24. Comic book squeal
25. 31-Across’s old name
29. B&O and the like
30. Walter ___ (weapon in Goldeneye)
31. 25-Across’s current name
38. Consumed
39. Loire contents
40. Exxon rival
41. Went gaga over
43. Half of Spock’s signoff
46. “___ to win it”
47. Go over, as a bridge
48. Fedora or bowler
49. Cal rival
50. Diving position
51. MMORPG company
52. Join with
53. Banking hassles
54. Baddie Luthor

DOWN
1. “The ___ Underground and Nico” (1967 debut album)
2. Deliver a sermon
3. Ouija Board activity
4. León, por ejemplo
5. Eager
6. Light breeze
7. TV spots
8. One-named supermodel
9. Dweeb
10. Small attic
11. Does some spying
19. They may be shifted
20. Jack squat
23. “SportsCenter” airer
26. Gave it a go
27. ” ¿Cómo ___ usted?”
28. Leafy vegetables
31. Diazepam, commercially
32. In a jiffy
33. Speak abusively toward
34. Hipster precursor
35. Mega-popular daytime TV host
36. It lost to Spirited Away for Best Animated Film of 2002
37. Part of the brain responsible for awareness, thought and memory
42. Coup d’___
44. Licentious person
45. Units next to the decimal point
47. Sunscreen value