Paul Newman

The birthday boy for January 26 is Paul Newman.

Aquarians are supposed to be interested in the greater good.  No celebrities have proved that point quite like Paul Newman.  As the co-founder of Newman’s Own salad dressing, the company donated all post-tax proceeds from the company to charity.  To date, the amount raised exceeds $300 million.

I just clicked around the web for a moment to see if any other Hollywood celebrities come close to Newman’s generosity.  I couldn’t find any.  It didn’t surprise me, though.  I suspect that Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres will probably give away all their money at some point, so I guess I can see them following their fellow Aquarian’s example.  Unfortunately, I see a lot of other celebrities leaving legacies to their ungrateful, spoiled children.

C’est la vie!

Corazon Aquino

The birthday girl for January 25 is Corazon Aquino.

As the leader of the People’s Power Revolution in the Philippines, Aquino demonstrated what is probably the most virtuous quality of her sun sign: the ability to bring people together.  This sort of behavior comes naturally to Aquarius natives. They thrive on group dynamics and are generally at their best when functioning as part of a “greater good.”  In 1986, she was named “Time” magazine’s “Woman of the Year“ and she is widely regarded as an icon of democracy.

Aquino even dressed for the “greater good,” adopting the color yellow as her signature color to acknowledge the revolution that brought her to power, according to this passage from answers.com:

In August 1983 when Cory Aquino’s husband, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, was returning home from the United States to the Philippines, yellow ribbons were tied by the allies of Ninoy in Metro Manila as a sign that they still believed in him as their leader to oppose then President Ferdinand Marcos.  This sign was taken from the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree” where the guy requested the girl to tie a yellow ribbon in the oak tree to indicate that he was still welcome or loved by the girl.

I can’t think of another world leader who had a signature color except for a few dictators.  It fascinates me mostly because I don’t believe that most people would allow someone else to pick their signature color for them.  An Aquarian, on the other hand . . .

Mary Lou Retton

The birthday girl for January 24 is Mary Lou Retton.

Its so easy for an Aquarius to step into the role of “America’s Sweetheart.”  Like Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Degeneres or Oprah Winfrey, these women feed off of the public’s affection.  Mary Lou Retton was no different at the height of her career.  As a result, she never felt the need to break free from the public persona she had created.  Whether or not that was much different from the private Mary Lou Retton is moot.  With conservative Saturn as a ruling planet (in traditional astrology, anyway), it’s quite unlikely that an Aquarius individual would deviate from the behavior that has brought them the most success.

Doutzen Kroes

The birthday girl for January 23 is Doutzen Kroes.

I have some controversial opinions about the sign of Aquarius — many of which I developed after I wrote my book.  I believe that Aquarians are innately conventional and must constantly work at becoming distinct.  Being distinct, however, simply means being accepted for many Aquarius natives.  They need to be liked, and if they’re liked for being who they are, they rarely feel the need to do anything but be themselves.

For that reason, I believe that some of the most boring celebrties alive are Aquarians.  Take Jennifer Aniston, for example.  Zzzz . . .

Doutzen Kroes fits into the same category.  She’s probably the most conventionally beautiful supermodel in the world.  While many of modeling’s biggest earners shy away from being pigeonholed, Kroes has successfully embraced her persona as the prettiest girl in the world.  Why should she try to be anything else while the money is rolling in?

If I was her, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Michael Hutchence

The birthday boy for January 22 is Michael Hutchence.

As an astrologer, I have to resist the urge to paint everyone with the same brush even though that’s the point of sun-sign astrology: I’m trying to find similarities between people who share similar planetary placements.  Nevertheless, I can’t resist pointing out how many famous people with substance-abuse issues were born on January 22.  Just scroll through the list of birthdays on Wikipedia if you don’t believe me.

I really don’t even want to say any more about this.  It’s kind of creepy and terribly sad.

Jeff Koons

The birthday boy for January 21 is Jeff Koons.

I adore Jeff Koons, even though his work can be quite controversial.  Wikipedia notes “Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons.  Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance.  Others dismiss his work as kitsch: crass and based on cynical self-merchandising.  Koons has stated that there are no hidden meanings in his works, nor any critiques.”  I don’t see cynicism in his work, either.  I don’t believe that Aquarius natives are innately cynical in their youth.  As they age, however, cynicism does creep into almost everything they do.

Last year at this time I posted this diatribe about Aquarius that defines my beliefs about the most misundertood sign of the zodiac.  If Koons follows the typical career trajectory of most Aquarians, I believe that he will become more cynical in the future.  Fortunately, he’s got piles of money, and that will probably keep him from becoming a cranky, old Aquarius grouch in his golden years.

Good for him!

David Lynch

The birthday boy for January 20 is David Lynch.

“Mulholland Drive” is one of my favorite films.  I couldn’t get the movie off my mind after I saw it.  It kept going through my head like a dream that I was convinced had some sort of hidden meaning.  I’d go through it over and over again trying to figure it out, but instead of getting from Point A to Point B, I’d find myself back at Point A again.

I believe that was the point.  As a Capricorn, Lynch is naturally an adept timekeeper: he innately takes what he believes is the most efficient route to tell his story.  “Mulholland Drive” didn’t tell a story that could be related to its audience in a traditional sequence, but its director wasted no time in telling a story that has been told over and over again.  The idea that Hollywood is the city of broken dreams was all I needed to take away from the film, and for that reason I found it to be a remarkably satisfying filmgoing experience.

Janis Joplin

The birthday girl for January 19 is Janis Joplin.

I don’t believe that Janis Joplin’s sense of style was incidental.  In fact, I believe that it was self-consciously manufactured, like the style of Dolly Parton, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Patti Smith, etc.  When a Capricorn has the good fortune of making it big in show business, they often do it with a distinctly marketable persona which they continue to wear as long as it makes them money.

I believe it’s quite disingenuous for a Capricorn to claim that they are just “being themselves” when they dress in such a memorable manner.  When Janis Joplin wasn’t stoned out of her mind, she probably knew exactly what she was doing with her signature style.

Cary Grant

Today’s birthday boy is Cary Grant.

For the most part, I write fashion astrology for women.  Nevertheless, I have my own fashion idols.  At the top of the list is Cary Grant.  I’m honored that we’re in the same Capricorn club.

Do any of you have a fashion idol with whom you share your sun sign.  I’d love to know.  Leave me a note in the comments section.

Zooey Deschanel

The birthday girl for January 17 is Zooey Deschanel.

Just the other night, Zooey Deschanel created a little controversy by showing up at the Golden Globe Awards in custom-made Prada paired with a manicure that vogue.com’s André Leon Talley described as “straight from the mall.”

Now I think the world of André Leon, but — as the saying goes – people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.  The man has been a cast member of the most deliciously tacky television show in the history of the medium: “America’s Next Top Model.”  If anyone can take a joke, it should be him.

I don’t expect Capricorns to dress like clowns, but I do appreciate the incorporation of kitschy touches into their wardrobes.  Deschanel’s manicure was so inconspicuous that no one would have noticed it if she hadn’t pointed it out herself.  It was witty, self-deprecating and a perfect antidote to the overwrought, overprecise styling that we’ve grown accustomed to on the red carpet.

I remember putting on a charity fashion show based on my book and sending a “Capricorn” model down the runway in white pumps — the absolute opposite of stylishness, as far as many people are concerned.  Yet I qualified her look with commentary that included the line “Don’t try this at home.”  I don’t recommend kitschy touches for most signs, but if you’re in on the joke like a Capricorn should be, why shouldn’t you have a little fun with fashion?