Celeb Birthdays: April 4

Jeeze Louise, today's celebrity birthday roll call reads like a cast of After-school Special characters. Check out the many cautionary examples of why drugs and premarital sex are bad, mmmkay?

Pregutante Jamie Lynn Spears, whom I ironically called "the most mature and sophisticated member of her family by a country mile" two years ago, is 17. I'm thinking of doing a post on how she'll handle motherhood. Interest? Anyone? Anyone? See Jamie Lynn Spears' birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Singer Johnny Borrell of Razorlight, a.k.a. the British dude who dumped Kirsten Dunst before she went into rehab, is 28.

Sadly, the late Heath Ledger, whom I ironically called "all-around sickeningly-perfect-life-having" two years ago, did not go into rehab. He would have been 29 today ... namaste, dude. Read CelebAstroBlogy posts about Heath Ledger

Speaking of rehab, actress Natasha Lyonne is 29, although she looks about 40. No, actually, she looks a bit better lately; I hope she makes a comeback, because she really is talented. See Natasha Lyonne's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

X-Games medalist Dave Mirra is 34. I got nothin'.

Complete tool David Blaine is 35. See David Blaine's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Singer-actress Jill Scott is 36.

1997 called to remind me that bassist Magnus Sveningsson of the Cardigans is 36.

Actor Barry Pepper, who is an actor from Saving Private Ryan rather than a Willy Wonka character as you might guess from his name, is 38. See Barry Pepper's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike is 38.

Actress Nancy McKeon, a.k.a. butchy Jo on The Facts of Life, whom I ironically called "The Facts of Life's butchie Jo" two years ago, is 42. See Nancy McKeon's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Speaking once more of rehab, triumphantly comebacked (cameback? Comedback?) former train wreck Robert Downey, Jr., is 43. See Robert Downey, Jr.'s birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

The beyond fabulous Tobias Fünke, a.k.a. David Cross, is 44. Wait a minute, IMDB lists a 2009 Arrested Development movie as having been "announced." Is this just wishful thinking? Don't toy with me like this, Interwebs! See David Cross's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Actor Robbie Rist, a.k.a. the reviled Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, is 44, which should make everyone feel extremely old. Ironically, being an old-school child star, he has never been in rehab (as far as I know, not that I've really followed his "career" "trajectory").

Comedian Graham Norton is 45.

TV producer David E. Kelley is 52, and gets to sleep with Michelle Pfeiffer. See David E. Kelley's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Actress Mary-Margaret Humes, a.k.a. the mom on Dawson's Creek, is 54.

Actress Christine Lahti is 58. See Christine Lahti's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Actor Craig T. Nelson, a.k.a. Coach, is 64. See Craig T. Nelson's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Writer Kitty Kelley (no relation to David E., to my knowledge) is 66. See Kitty Kelley's birth chart (Astrotheme)

Actress Estelle Harris, a.k.a. George Costanza's mom, is 76.

Music mogul Clive Davis is 76. Wonder if Kelly Clarkson sent a card?

Writer Maya Angelou is 80. I don't believe she has ever been in rehab. See Maya Angelou's birth chart (Astrotheme)

Birth dates from IMDB.com and/or Wikipedia. Please email me any corrections, additions or—especially appreciated!—exact birth times.

Find more web pages about: Heath Ledger ~ Celeb Birthdays ~ Celebrity Birthdays ~ Birthdays ~ Astrology ~ Celebs ~ Celebrity ~ Celebrities

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Kurt Cobain: An Astrological Tribute

Legendary live-fast-die-young Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain would have been 41 tomorrow, February 20, had things turned out ... differently. (Lord, why couldn't you have taken Scott Stapp instead?! We all know he longs to be closer to Thee!!) Er, anyhoo, here's an analysis of Kurt's chart and the factors leading up to his untimely death. Not unlike Heath Ledger, he passed away while under the influence of his first Saturn return (as well as, ahem, a bunch of other stuff).

Read CelebAstroBlogy's analysis of Kurt Cobain's natal chart

Find more web pages about: Kurt Cobain ~ Astrology ~ Celebs ~ Celebrity ~ Celebrities

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Heath's Legacy: Matilda Ledger's Horoscope

What is to become of little Matilda Rose Ledger now that her father, Heath Ledger, is gone? The late Aussie actor's only child with Michelle Williams is just a little over two years old, but her dad's untimely death is bound to have an impact -- just look at the poignant pic at left to see how bonded Heath's little mini-me was with him. I took a look at Matilda's birth chart to see what it suggests about the person she will grow up to be.

Matilda Rose Ledger was born October 28, 2005, in her parents' then-home-base of Brooklyn, NY. Unfortunately, I could not find any coverage of her birth that gave a birth time, but as always, I'd love for anyone to share that information should they come across it.

See Matilda Rose Ledger's birth chart (Exclusive to CelebAstroBlogy, no birth time)

It is clear that Matilda does have a strong connection with her dad, given the square from Saturn (representing the father) to the Sun (core identity, sense of self). Heath's influence definitely plays a role in shaping who she is. And with Saturn's opposition to Neptune, Matilda may grow up with an idealized fantasy image of her late father, based on sentimental memory as well as the next-James-Dean portrayal of him in the media.

It also seems that Matilda will grow up to experience some extremely intense dynamics in her intimate relationships, perhaps prompted by the abandonment issues associated with the early loss of her father. With an extremely tight Venus-Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius, she feels a strong need for power and control in relationships but a parallel urge for freedom. With this aspect, I could see her going through some pull-close-then-push-away cycles with a partner.

But with her Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio, it seems that Matilda will have a real inner reserve to draw upon. A core of belief in herself will be, or already has been, instilled in her. By all accounts, her father doted on her, and her mother appears to be a devoted hands-on parent as well.

Perhaps the Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio, squaring Saturn, suggests the kind of optimism and transformation that is born of hardship (Saturn) and loss (Scorpio). This tragedy will surely be one of the defining experiences of her life, and there may be a certain somberness and intensity to her personality. But I believe Matilda will be equipped with the resilience to stay positive and live her life to the fullest.

Find more web pages about: Matilda Ledger ~ Heath Ledger ~ Astrology ~ Celebs ~ Celebrity ~ Celebrities

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Heath Ledger: RIP; OMG, WTF?!

The wave of happy birth news coming out of Hollywood has sadly given way to a wave of cut-down-in-their-prime death news. First we lost Brad Renfro, who tragically died too soon but -- and this is perhaps the most depressing part -- honestly surprised no one given his history. But now the news of Heath Ledger's demise comes as a total shock. What was going on with this talented young man at the time of his untimely demise?

Unfortunately, Heath's birth time is not a matter of record (if you have it, obviously, I would be most indebted for you to share), so interpretation is somewhat limited. But a few striking things jump out. See Heath Ledger's birth chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

First, Heath was experiencing his first Saturn return at the time of his death -- a milestone around which so many talented artists have flamed out, from Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin to Kurt Cobain. The reality-check planet had already passed over his natal Saturn once and had just retrograded over it at the time of his death.

The Saturn return can be a time of reckoning, although typically it should mean recognition and transition into adulthood. Perhaps for famous-at-an-early-age Heath, despite his anti-Hollywood attitude, "growing up" (in the Lindsay Lohan sense) came too fast, and he was not able to handle the actual transition into adulthood and maturity. Both natal and transiting-at-time-of-death Saturn are retrograde in Virgo, and one wonders if he had trouble with authority, responsibility, and self-criticism.

Also at the time of Heath's death, retrograde transiting Mars in Gemini, and Venus and Pluto in Sagittarius, were forming a mutable T-square with his natal Mercury-Mars conjunction in Pisces (the sign associated with addiction and self-destruction). Again there is a feeling of transition, with the transformation brought by Pluto and the spontaneous change of Mars in Gemini (especially in retrograde). There is a lot of instability and volatility in this aspect formation.

Transiting Pluto in the last gasp of Sagittarius (along with Venus a degree away at 28 Sag) is/was also inconjunct Heath's natal Jupiter in the final degree of Cancer, again suggesting transition, expansion, and transformation. With the final degree of a sign, there is a sense of urgency, sometimes forcing the issue or trying too hard, and it is possible some sort of dissatisfaction was boiling over inside of Heath. This is not to suggest that his death was intentional, just that whatever demons were within him might have been particularly restless lately.

Also worth noting: Chiron is in a sextile aspect to his Sun and trine his Pluto. This could suggest dealing with self-transformation (Pluto-Sun) through self-wounding. The transiting Mercury-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius squares his natal Uranus, which could suggest an unexpected reaction to a miscalculation about substances.

We may never know everything that was going on with Heath at the time of his death, but it's certain that his life was cut short too soon. Namaste to Heath, and sincere condolences and well wishes to daughter Matilda, baby-mama Michelle Williams, and his other loved ones.

PS. I'll try to update this with a graphic and links and whatnot, but I just wanted to get it out ASAP.

Find more web pages about: Heath Ledger ~ Astrology ~ Celebs ~ Celebrity ~ Celebrities

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Celeb Birthdays: April 4

Resalutations, dear readers! Thank God, Jupiter, Ganesha, et al., Katie Holmes did not unleash little L. Ronette on the world while I was bereft of Internet access. I shall now resume regularly scheduled updates. Also, henceforth please check out my new daily horoscope column at formemagazine.com!

The most mature and sophisticated member of her family by a country mile, Miss Jamie Lynn Spears, celebrates her 15th birthday today. See Jamie Lynn Spears's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Oscar nominee, new dad and all-around sickeningly-perfect-life-having Heath Ledger turns 27 today. Check out our astrological analysis of his Best Actor nod (including a link to his birth chart).

Natasha Lyonne is 27 and by all appearances well on her way to being a full-on train wreck. Which is really too bad, because she was a cool actress back in the day. That Mars-Mercury conjunction in Pisces trining Uranus in water signs might cause some erratic behavior driven by addiction. See Natasha Lyonne's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

No, of course David Blaine does not qualify as a legitimate celebrity, but I decided to note his 33rd birthday in order that you might behold his Sun-Venus conjunction in Aries trining Neptune and observe how in love with himself he is. See David Blaine's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Fabulous Philly R&B diva Jill Scott is 34.

The Facts of Life's butchie Jo, Nancy McKeon, turns 40. See Nancy McKeon's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

At 41, perhaps a mellowed Robert Downey Jr. has some sage words for young Natasha Lyonne. That Mars-Uranus conjunction in Virgo inconjuncting his Sun-Venus cannot have been easy to work through. See Robert Downey Jr.'s astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Words fail to express how hilarious David Cross is, and how it saddens me that Arrested Development is no more. But let us not think of it -- happy 42nd birthday! See David Cross's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Endearingly cheeky British comic Graham Norton is 43.

Upon reflection, I've really never been into any of the shows in 50-yar-old David E. Kelley's oeuvre. See David E. Kelley's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

Actress Christine Lahti has been in a million things at 56... just don't ask me to name them. See Christine Lahti's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)

There is certainly something iconic about Craig T. Nelson, who turns 62 today... just don't ask me to pinpoint it.

Birth dates from IMDB.com. Please email me any corrections, additions or -- especially appreciated! -- exact birth times.

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Oscar Predictions II: Best Actor

Time for Best Actor. To recap, I'm comparing the birth chart for each nominee with the chart cast for Oscar night (5:00 PM PST in L.A.).

Philip Seymour Hoffman
Born: 7/23/67, Fairport, NY; no birth time
Data source: IMDB
I think part of the reason PST's chart isn't even on Astrotheme is that he was born on a cusp day, and without a birth time, it's not even possible to tell what sign he is. How extremely irksome! Still, to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, we go to make Oscar predictions with the charts we have, not the charts we wish we had. So, I can safely say that Venus at 0° Aquarius is opposing Philip's Sun regardless of what sign it's in, while Saturn is retrograding back toward it. Chiron in Aquarius opposes his natal Jupiter in Leo, while transiting Jupiter stopped just short of a conjunction with his natal Neptune to turn retrograde. Uranus opposes his Venus, which could go either way. That Saturn retrograding toward his Sun suggests to me that the Academy may feel recognition is overdue for PST.

Terrence Howard
Born: 3/11/69, Chicago, IL; no birth time
See Terrence Howard's horoscope (Source: Astrotheme)
This was definitely an amazing year for Terrence Howard, but his chart for Oscar night does not show the kind of eye-poppingly wonderful aspects that would augur him pulling off an upset. Pluto could be on his Moon if he was born early in the A.M., before sunrise. But I'm not liking his odds.

Heath Ledger
Born: 4/3/1979, Perth Australia; no birth time
See Heath Ledger's horoscope (Source: Astrotheme)
It's funny that Heath Ledger's Venus is almost exactly opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman's, which pretty well describes the way they have been pitted against each other in a presumed two-man race for the trophy. Heath has a couple of major transits taking place that could really go either way. If you are wicked good at information retention, you'll recall that Philip Seymour's Venus is being opposed by Uranus, so you'll doubtless by now have concluded that Uranus is conjuncting Heath's Venus. (Yes, this will be on the test.) This could mean either unexpected good luck or a reversal of fortune for Heath. Furthermore, Saturn conjuncting his Jupiter (which, interestingly, is conjunct Philip Seymour's Sun) could put a damper on his hopes, or it could represent the recognition of the Academy. It's hard to say, but given the way things have been going in Heath's life, it would hardly be surprising for the luck to break in his favor. Something about the fact that he's having his exact Mercury return on Oscar night (when Mercury returns to its exact position at your birth), and both transiting and natal Mercury are retrograde in Pisces, makes me envision him giving an adorably nonsensical speech.

Joaquin Phoenix
Born: 10/31/74, San Juan, Puerto Rico; no birth time
See Joaquin Phoenix's horoscope (Source: Astrotheme)
As faithful readers know, I consider The Awful Truth's Ted Casablanca to be my gossip guru; the validity of his utterances about celebrities are on a par with what the planets tell me. So I can't help but think of Ted's portrayal of Joaquin as sullen and ungrateful about his fame when I see that Saturn in Leo/Chiron in Aquarius opposition forming a T-square (a T-shaped aspect between three planets) with his Scorpio Sun/Venus/Mars. My thought is that the Academy does not want to reward J.P.; they would like to teach him a lesson about the consequences of not playing the fame game. (Although, in fairness, with all those Scorpio planets, one can hardly blame him for being Broody McSullenton.) But Uranus is right on Joaquin's Jupiter, which could mean an unexpected change of luck either way, so he can't be totally counted out.

David Strathairn
Born: 1/26/1949, San Francisco, CA; no birth time
Data source: IMDB
David who, now? This guy is not even Hey! It's That Guy-level as an actor. I almost wouldn't even bother to do his chart, if not for what I prefer not to remember as the Shizuka Arakawa Incident. But in the name of due diligence, I have plugged in his data. It's actually not a bad set of aspects. The transiting Moon/Mars on Oscar night is trining his Sun, and Neptune is right on his natal Mars/Mercury in Aquarius. However, with transiting Chiron sitting right on his Sun, opposed by Saturn, he's also in the middle of learning some painful lessons about fame and recognition. All these aspects need to be seen in light of his current status; even more so than with Keira Knightley (see the Best Actress predictions), an Oscar nomination itself represents a huge raising of his profile and status.

Conclusion: So not fair that Philip Seymour Hoffman is an enigma wrapped in a riddle right on a cusp. His aspects do look good, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Heath Ledger's Venus being conjuncted by Uranus is more likely to yield good luck than is PST's Venus being opposed by Uranus. No matter which one bags the Oscar, with their Venuses opposite each other, plus Heath's Jupiter on Philip's Sun and Philip's Venus on Heath's Saturn, these two actors would have great chemistry together. I hereby predict that next year's Oscars will be completely swept by a movie in which Heath and Philip play gay lovers.

More Oscar predictions: Best Actress | The Oscar Night Astrological Chart | Best Picture

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