Subject of an annual March 14 celebration and of this puzzle, celebrated in both a literal and a numerical way in the first square of the starred answers, reading left to right

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Similar Crossword Questions:

Attendance check, and a hint to the puzzle theme in the first words of the starred answers
Informal chat, and based on the starts of the starred answers, this puzzle's title
Postseason gridiron game, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in starred answers
Word that can precede each set of circled letters, forming a literal hint for entering certain answers in this puzzle
1967 war film, and an apt description for this puzzle's starred answers
He won 26 Oscars, including an Academy Honorary Award (consisting of one full-sized and seven miniature statuettes) for the film depicted in this puzzle's starred answers
Swing both ways, and a literal hint to how four puzzle answers were created
Hint for understanding this puzzle's starred answers
Ones in charge of a case ... or a literal hint to the eight other longest answers in this puzzle
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The 2x2 black square near the middle of this puzzle's grid, e.g., which is part of eight answers
Annual cause of losing an hr.'s sleep hidden in this puzzle's 10 longest answers
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One of the four that end this puzzle's starred answers
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On 8/21/1911 the subject (the letters dropped from the starred answers) was ___
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The word, as suggested by the saying formed by the ends of this puzzle's four longest answers
Number of times this puzzle's theme word appears diagonally in the grid (to complete the puzzle, shade those words plus the Down answers that begin where they meet)