Archive for February 2011
Greg Rikaart
As an obsessive fan of “The Young and the Restless,” I like to analyze the characters of the show in terms of the zodiac signs of the actors who portray them. And that brings me to today’s birthday boy, Greg Rikaart.
A Pisces in real life, Rikaart plays a role that has “PISCES” written all over it. He’s vulnerable, prone to delusions, occasionally obsessive and perpetually confused — and I mean all of that in the nicest possible way. I adore Pisces natives and I have several Pisces friends. They keep me from being the most boring Capricorn I can be.
On the show, Rikaart’s character plays the foil to Christian LeBlanc’s character. LeBlanc is a Virgo in real life, and his character is so Virgo-like that these two fine actors always create sparks when they’re pitted against one another. It makes me ask myself if it’s just good casting, or if something in the stars brought these men together.
Chelsea Handler
The birthday girl for February 25th is Chelsea Handler.
I like Chelsea, and I watch her show occasionally when it isn’t competing with one of the dozens of reality shows I watch on a regular basis. Nevertheless, I’m curious to know why she always wears sleeveless tops? I like tank tops a lot, too. People at the gym probably know me as “the guy in the black tank.” I prefer to have my armpits uncovered because (A) I don’t have sweaty pits and (B) I’m chronically too hot, especially while I’m working out.
Maybe Chelsea likes a cool breeze under her arms, too. After looking at her natal chart (which does not provide a birth time), I can’t find an astrological reason to explain why she eschews sleeves. If her chart had a planet or two in Gemini, I’d attribute it to that, but that sign is empty. I just don’t know what to make of it!
Billy Zane
There aren’t a lot of men in Hollywood that I would describe as having a well-defined sense of style. Billy Zane, however, aptly fits that description. Today’s birthday boy isn’t afraid of mixing and matching disparate elements to create a look that is all his own. He’s got a little retro schtick going on, combined with obvious knowledge of what’s current and what suits his physique.
At their best, Pisces natives can dress like they’re inhabiting a different universe than the rest of us, but they can also get away with it. They can also define their signature style without looking as if they’ve been working with a stylist. That’s the vibe I get from Billy Zane, and frankly, I love it.
Majel Barrett Roddenberry
I don’t know what compels me to want to evaluate all the characters on “Star Trek” in terms of the zodiac signs of the actors who played them, but I do.
While I was looking through today’s celebrity birthdays, I noticed that Majel Barrett Roddenberry is a Pisces. I knew that the actress provided the voice of the computer on most “Star Trek” episodes, but I had no idea that she was also the woman who played Lwaxana Troi. If I was to attribute the qualities of Pisces to any of the alien races on the show, I’d make the Betazoids the Pisces natives of the “Star Trek” universe.
It’s funny that her daughter on the show, Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis) is an Aries in real life. If I had to assign the Klingons a sign, it would be Aries, not Pisces. Klingons couldn’t be any different than Betazoids!
Weird, huh? There’s more where that came from . . .
Drew Barrymore
While I’ve talked a little about a few Pisces women who exemplify the signature style of their sun sign, I haven’t really discussed what Pisces style is.
Pisces style is found in mixing discordant elements artfully to create a virtual non-style. Take the dress in the photo, for example. Alexander McQueen made a garment that was so spectacular on its own terms that it never really needed to fit into the idea of fashion. I constantly praise Jean-Paul Gaultier for creating similar one-offs: Garments that can stand alone in the wardrobe of a woman so fabulous that no one ever questions whether or not she’s following fashion or creating fashion.
In many respects, Pisces individuals embody the spirit of anti-fashion. Kurt Cobain, for instance, was a Pisces who bucked the trends so successfully that he ended up setting the trends. Today’s birthday girl, Drew Barrymore, has a similar role in contemporary fashion. She usually manages to make the best-dressed lists or the worst-dressed lists, with very few appearances in the also-rans.
Like the symbol of the two fish swimming in opposite directions, a Pisces native her best when she’s diverging from the norm. At her best, she dons her odd wardrobe choices with absolute conviction in her choices. Where an Aries individual, for instance, would make the same outfit look contrived, a Pisces woman can make it look like art.
Billy Baldwin
While I was looking through today’s celebrity birthdays, it dawned on me that both Billy Baldwin and Cindy Crawford have Pisces sun signs (Baldwin’s birthday is today; Crawford’s was yesterday).
I don’t discuss romance much because there are far too many factors to take into consideration when predicting the success or failure of a relationship. However, I will mention that two Pisces natives together might be one of the least-successful combinations of the 144 different sun-sign combos. They can bring out the worst in each other (take “Fair Game,” for example).
I have a pair of Pisces friends who have been together forever, and it surprises me that they’ve been able to put up with each other for so long. Perhaps the voices in their heads get along with each other. I never really thought of it that way . . .
Rihanna
Yesterday I discussed how right I am about Pisces after spending the previous thirty days or so blogging about how wrong I was about Aquarius when my book was published nearly a decade ago. To reiterate that point, here’s another lovely Pisces native (today’s birthday girl, Rihanna) rocking a fabulous look by the designer who epitomizes the Pisces look, Jean Paul Gaultier.
Enough said?
Beth Ditto
After a month of bitching and complaining about how modern astrologers have let Aquarius natives down by portraying them as quirky and eccentric, I’m ready to move onto a sign that is quirky and eccentric. The sun moved into Pisces last night! I’m excited about that because I needed something else to talk about.
Today’s birthday girl is Beth Ditto. Now contrast Ditto with all the Aquarius women I’ve been profiling for the last few weeks, and you’ll see how genuinely different these two signs can be.
In my book I claim that the styles of Jean Paul Gaultier suit the Pisces woman ideally. Ditto has actually walked on Gaultier’s runway. I also claim that the cinematic icon for Pisces is Liza Minnelli’s character Sally Bowles in “Cabaret.” Check out Ditto’s hair in the photo from her Wikipedia page. It’s close enough for me!
Everything about Ditto screams “PISCES!” Her sense of style also demonstrates the distinct difference between her own zodiac sign and the sign that precedes it. I couldn’t have asked the cosmos to provide me with a better example of signature Pisces style.
Full Moon Fever
While today’s full moon in Leo likely occured while you were still in bed, that doesn’t mean that the event will go by unnoticed. Egos will be big today. By late afternoon or early evening, however, both the moon and the sun will have slipped into different zodiac signs, likely dealing a humbling blow to those people who acted like jerks this morning. Sit back and enjoy it. There’s nothing more enjoyable than watching Karma in action.
It is a bad day for haircuts or any beauty treatments that aren’t tried and true. While some people will find that their creativity is peaking on a day like today, others will allow their egos to mess with their work. Avoid doing anything permanent until the sky sorts itself out.
Vanna White
If America had a queen, that queen would dress something like today’s birthday girl, Vanna White. You don’t get to spend decades on television in fancy gowns and cocktail dresses unless you’re giving the people what they want. She’s a perfect example of the accessible glamour that defines her sun sign.
