Soviet ‘Doomsday Machine’ a reality

If you missed the NPR feature this morning on the reality of the Soviet Union’s Doomsday Machine, you may wish to have a listen or a read.

See, now here’s a good example of how movies can make light of serious subjects and cause people to assume that they’re only jokes.

Nyet, Dr. Strangelove, your propaganda does not amuse.

Craig Ferguson wedding in Vermont!

!Update: ‘Wedding Day Astrology: Craig and Megan Ferguson’ may be found in the sidebar column of Pages to your left. Original post begins here:

Congratulations and Best Wishes go out to Craig and Megan Ferguson who married at her family’s farm in Vermont last week, blizzard, kilt, and all.

When I find the date of their snowy nuptials, my inner astrologer will want to publish here a Wedding Day Astrology article for the happy couple….kind of a wedding gift they don’t want and can’t return.

And I can tell you from watching The Late Late Show tonight that Mr. Ferguson is very very happy – you might say he’s on cloud ten!

So check back soon for I’ll be sleuthing for the Fergusons’ exact wedding date, and if any of the three readers of this blog find out, please leave a comment and clue me in, would you?

‘Wedding Day Astrology: Craig and Megan Ferguson’ gives details on a Libra Moon – great for a art dealer and my use of  Dec 21′s Sun Cap-Moon Libra is based on the only citing of their wedding date I”ve found (the article citing it is linked there) so I hope Craig can ever forgive me…we’re all just very pleased for his and Megan’s happiness…may it go on and on!

~:~

Here’s a link to what I think is the best photo of the happy pair – not from the wedding, but a good snap:

http://www.hollyscoop.com/celebrity-weddings/comedian-craig-ferguson-secretly-weds_18919.aspx

Ellen and Portia

Just a brief heads-up that a ‘Wedding Day Astrology’ Page is now published concerning last evening’s marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi…see sidebar column, if you wish.

Two asteroids I neglected to mention so I will add them here: Juno ‘the wife’ is conjunct Ellen’s natal Ascendant 14Sag+ now, and Hera ‘the legal or official wife’ is traveling in tandem with lady Venus 13Vir+ – so the two asteroids are in aspect as well as making obviously descriptive transits to Ellen’s natal chart as they legalized their union!

My best wishes for much happiness go out to the joyous couple!

~:~

Here’s the article on the wedding with smoochy photo from BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7567529.stm

Mama Your-a

Although, I’ve always enjoyed the thespianisms of Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Mr. Darcy Firth,  the following is my less than glowing pre-review written in defence of my tender eardrums which are admittedly hypersensitive but are capable of some discrimination left over from my musical childhood plus my life long habit of the rock’n'roll:

Having spent the last several days viewing and listening to clips from the new film, Mama Mia, I can honestly say that avoiding the pain of this movie will be my mission as long as there are those on TV and radio, in print or online review, telling me that this is a watchable celluloid spree, a veritable barrel of musical monkeys that I will absolutely love to swooning distraction.

From the glowing hype on TV, it seems my life will heretofore be timed by Prior M-M and Post M-M and glory be! An epiphany will be reached for the mere price of a movie ticket.

Yet I must say, NO and Non!! Fuggedabowdit.

I’ll pass on this High School Musically inspired frothiness of Broadway-to-Silver-Screen as my fond salute to bygone days of actually liking ABBA music…otherwise my decibel-addled restlessness will overtake me and I’ll run out of the theater like a madwoman, Snickers flying and with a decided chip on my shoulder on behalf of the lost-forever ten bucks I so carelessly tossed away.

And what makes matters worse – this movie ticket would be worth 2 gallons of gas, y’know. Or four bottles of refreshing Sobe Energy Drink (Citrus only please.)

‘Shake the Lizard,’ Sobe says, but my moneymaker? That’s an entirely different activity and I don’t shake it for just any actor-turned-singer being paid big bucks to warble my dwindling time away.

Is it legal to knowingly pummel Terpsichore to a mushy pulp like this? Okay, but is it morally just?

~:~ Disclosure: Whether it’s meant to be teen-targeted  or baby-boomer-targeted (please NO!) this movie pre-review is fraught with my totally unsolicited personal opinions. So you go ahead and shake whatever you want to the music you prefer, Dahlink. Then a refreshing Sobe will hit the spot, I promise.

X-FILES film debut July 25! I Want to Believe

And so do I – I want to believe that they haven’t waited too long to put out this movie extending the storyline of one of my all time favorite TV shows, The X-Files.

Imho, the show was at its best and most interesting when plots involved the “The Truth Is Out There” theme rather than crime solving, but maybe that’s just me. Once a fairly avid reader of science fiction, ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ is still one of my favorite books – and I definitely felt like such while watching the darkly lit X-Files trailers!

Anyway, ’I Want to Believe’ debuts on July 25 so get your ringtone of the show’s theme song, view trailers and IPOD or share them with friends by visiting the film’s website at:

http://www.xfiles.com/ 

It may be propaganda, but it’s entertaining. And yes – Scully is lookin’ good!

TV’s Craig Ferguson comedy clips link

A couple of routines by TV’s Craig Ferguson may be viewed uproariously here:

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/

From his invisible sidekick Davis to his I KNOW~W~W! cry of the true Aquarian (who Knows), you can’t do better for your funnybone after midnight than to watch Craig Ferguson’s cheeky monkeys and other guests…although I must say he’s neglecting to use animal sound effects of late. Yes, The Late Late Show has been honored by his imaginative company of cats, kittens, dogs, monkeys, gorillas, lemurs and other furry friends.

Last evening I celebrated Madagascar Day with Craig. Hope you didn’t miss it!

The comedy smorgasbord of TV’s Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show (one too many Lates for my schedule, but sometimes only Craig will do) is for those still in withdrawal from lack of Monthy Python.

After all, one can only watch A Fish Called Wanda so many times before it becomes like white noise–which sadly goes double for The Holy Grail and The Life of Brian, one of the most underrated films of the genre since Neptune was discovered in 1846 and photography began. Could Hollywood be far behind?

Well, no. It wasn’t.

Objects Are Closer Than They Appear (warning: this post will now vere into ultimate regions, so be wary unless you’re very sure of yourself):

You know it won’t do to forget to consider asap your ultimate and true condition before our Creator who cares where each of us spends eternity. Now THAT’s the sort of fearmongering that might actually do you, and the world, some good. And happily this well-meant heads-up is of the longlasting kind, not a flash in the proverbial pan being marketed to us 24/7.

Pan…glad you wondered about where the little dickens is at this very moment…hold on a few while I go check him out in my Solar Fire software…this post will be published and I’ll endeavor to return to update with details of Pan’s current flutey location. You know he’s one of the oldest archetypal figures in any culture. You could say his myth or tale is older than the hills and you’d probably be right!

One of the trickster figures in an astrology chart (aka horoscope; map; roadmap; hologram; mandala; birth chart), Pan emcompasses the concept of the trickster element or “artful dodger,” an archetype which is strong in my own chart with Mercury as ASC and MC ruler, planets in Capricorn (the sign associated closely with Pan since Cap is the Mer-Goat, the joining of Earth and Water, the oldest elements creating the Potter’s clay of Genesis. Natally my Capr Jupiter is linked with the Fixed Star, Sualocin, another of the tricksters! This Star also relates to the playful dolphin. Perhaps he’s a bit like the playful yet invisible sidekick, Davis, for Ferguson the conedian is quite the Mercurial change artist within his skit comedy, a veritable Prometheus, it seems.

Whew! this post wandered off the path with the astrology and Scriptural stuff….or did it?

~~:~~

Back Down to Earth Please But With a Twist of Neptunian Dreaminess:

Finally! I’ve decided on who will be the CelebChart Queen (a featured CelebChart written upon by this reluctant astrologer) but life gets busy in summery hot Georgia, so Ms _____ will have to wait until perhaps tomorrow…day of the Sun, first day of the week. Btw: here at WordPress something stunned me yesterday. I don’t know why I had not noticed before but the Calendar in my sidebar here on Jude’s Threshold has Moon-Day MONday as if it’s the first day of the week.

Puh! Moon starts week ahead of Sunday’s Sun? East over West?  Hmm…m..m.m….the poles are in process of shifting, ’tis true, but isn’t this a bit of an obvious morph of import for WordPress to pass on to an unsuspecting astrologer-artist who only blogs for the fun of it?

Is this crazy calendar switch a young person’s interweb (thanks, Craig!) thingy? Is it a new ‘look’ for WordPress, or have I in the past assumed too much about this blog’s format? Or…is someone attempting to master time?

All I’m sayin’ is that it’s curious, that’s all. Just plain Curious with a capital C. Which is redundant if you capitalize the C…oops I did it again…as Craig says, I don’t have time to be muckin’ about here…soooo….

What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig? (meow)

Have We Got Time For An Email?

Well, combining the two, we learned that I have an email question for TV’s Craig Ferguson but will post it here since he’d never get it anyway…

Hi Craig,

After watching your show, an endless loop of your theme song plays round and round my brain.

Can you suggest an effective headache remedy without aspirin?

Just Kidding (or am I?),

Jude

Athens, Ga

ps: that’s You singing, isn’t it? Thought so.

~:~

Update 3:45 pm edt: current location of Pan 5Gem13 direct, less than 3 degrees from MIDAS 8Gem06 direct…Gemini’s trickster qualities along with its often termed ‘duplicity’ is hosting both asteroids with hoarding MIDAS being money and gold, and Pan helping to infuse markets and financial systems with more fraudulent tricks than most people imagine. These two are not the whole story but they sure are livin’ large and kickin’ butt!

an astrologer has Celeb Chart crisis!

Yes, I’ve been trying to zero in on the identity of a new celebrity candidate for Natal Chart investigation here at Jude’s Threshold  but can’t seem to decide who shall be put squirming under Astrology’s microscope, or telescope, as the case may be.

There’s something about reading details of a celebrity’s Natal Chart and I don’t mind telling you that using horoscopes of famous people is a good way to study Astrology because larger-than-life persons and grand events may be large-scale enough that their start times are duly noted in private, and perhaps in public news sources, etc.

So if I plan to post on two celebrities, one lady, one gentleman, then who should it be?

My list of nominees includes: John Cusack, Alec Baldwin, Jon Stewart, Alex O’Loughlin, David Letterman…..Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Nora Jones, Jodie Foster…you see what I’m up against….how to decide?

Now this won’t work for me unless I have some interest in the King or Queen’s chart; still, If you have an idea for nominees please leave a message here with your original suggestion (or a name or two from my nominee list) for King Celeb Chart and Queen Celeb Chart–if only because it’s been a while since I posted on the Natal Charts of TV’s Craig Ferguson and chanteuse-in-denial Amy Winehouse.

I wish Craig could help Amy…I wish somebody could.

Dexter Morgan: found 10.3.73

If you’re familiar with TV’s Dexter, you know the date, Oct 3, 1973, when Harry the cop found little 3 year old Dexter in a room full of blood. Saving you the gory details, here’s the chart for that date with Sun 4 to 5 days past conjunction with powerful mobster, Pluto. I’m using 7:05:10 am because it gives this exact midpoint picture…

Sun-Pluto = ASC: a crisis of self-preservation; ruthless suppression of the environment for the attainment of one’s own aspirations; experiencing the ruthlessness and brutality of others.

If Dexter (and I do refer to the character, of course) was age 3 in 1973, a quick peek at Oct 3, 1970 showed me a good timer–Sun conj Uranus, which may relate to us some info concerning the character of Dexter Morgan. See what you think about a Sun-Uranus personality…

highly evolved self-awareness; likes to move freely within the environment and may be unmindful that others consider his uniqueness to be eccentric; willful yet shocked if anyone dares to curtail or restrain actions; if restrained, has courage to fight to regain freedom; permissive attitude could hinder success–others are impressed with brilliance and creativity, but perceive instability; maligned by some, admired by others; off-putting arrogance developed early in life along along with impatience with others; grew up quickly–a ‘short childhood’; free-wheeling and must have independence within the career to perform assigned tasks in own way  (main notes from, ‘Planets in Aspect’ by Rob Pelletier.)

To affect this Sun-Uranus conjunction, I’m using Oct 2, 1970, 3:35 pm edt, Miami, FL…and there’s a violently telling pile-up in 8th house of the macabre…

Mars-Pluto = Mercury: excessive nervous irritation; realizing plans fanatically; tenacious pursuit of plans.

As you know, Mars-Pluto IS zealous violence, while Mercury represents a young person…here in Scorpio, natural sign of the 8th house of the macabre.

In his “Natal” chart of Oct 2, 1970, 3:34 pm, Venus 19Sco46 is at the ‘accursed sign in the accursed degree’–19Scorpio.

Sun-Uranus 9Lib11 and Moon 4Scorpio–with mom as a druggie, Moon in Scorpio is descriptive–links to drugs and high finance. And Moon conj Jupiter indicates overindulgence with pleasurable things.

Rising is 2AQ12, conj 1973′s Jupiter 2AQ20, which is in fated degree and minute with North Node (of the Moon–mama) so I had to see when 1973′s Moon reached NN at 2Cap20…12:46 pm edt, with 22Sag17 rising and Pluto at Mc. And at Mc is a midpoint…

Moon-Neptune = Mc: emotional concerns from the early homelife come to consciousness–which is exactly what Dexter had happen thanks to his even-weirder brother, Brian, who masqueraded as ‘Rudy,’ foster-sister Deb’s boyfriend.

In the chart pictured here, Mars Rx is conj asteroid, Amor, in greedy, intolerant Taurus–apologies, Sun Taureans–you’re all wonderful!…but this is Mars, associated with chain saws, blood, and with violent males, and Taurus rules the throat.

Amor = intimacy, so somehow there’s a flavor of love gone wrong…horribly wrong, with a drug deal sadly complicating things. Dexter and his brother were collateral damage (and then some, if you’ve seen the show.)

And on Oct 1, 1973, Moon 5Sag 44 conjoined secretive, drug-infused Neptune 5Sag13–with both conj 3rd cusp at 7:08:30 am edt. In a real crime study, this could indicate Dexter’s mother meeting with someone of the drug culture (or simply getting high herself) and possibly could have bearing on the multi-murder which occurred a few days before the chart you see here–this chart is when Dex was found by Harry and rescued into a demi-normal family life, as it were.

Perhaps the Moon-Neptune hook-up of Oct 1 was closer to the time of the actual murders because the script says a starving Dexter was alone for a few days after his mother’s death. With Sun and Moon having links to the outer planets–Urnaus, Neptune, and Pluto, we see how circumstances can be out of personal control, and the Sun-Uranus conj indicates a separation (Uranus) from the ego, personality, vitality, and essence (Sun.) Does this conj time the actual murders? Moon (woman) = Neptune (death), as well.

Back to Oct 3, 1973…

Jupiter 2AQ20 is apex/focal planet in a Fixed T-square which indicates a very willful person with dogmatic opinions–bigoted and intolerant of other people’s belief systems. This is a habit-bound Jupiter with a one-track mind, and money may have been on it, being expansive Jupiter.

This astrology chart from Dexter’s “founding” may be taken as his Natal chart and the Sun-Pluto conj indicates ‘the extremist’ so perhaps serial killing, even if only of those who are guilty themselves, is extremist behavior, as you may agree.

As hunter or predator, Sun-Pluto conjunctions tend to fight to correct social injustices which may sum up in macabre fashion the complex character of quixotic Dexter Morgan. Or maybe not…

Here’s a link to Dexter’s Code which was given a heads-up in a comment below…check out the video interview with Michael C. Hall:

http://dexterscode.com/

Hannah Hollywood: Red Carpet ready for the stars!

As you see, Hannah Hollywood is ready for her close-up and just as squished into her designer gown as the other Red Carpet sashayers will be come this Sunday eve.

Picking up a copy of USA Today this afternoon, I found a list of the top grossing films of 2007. In order they are:

1. Spider-Man 3 ($336.5)

2. Shrek the Third ($322.7)

3. Transformers ($319.2)

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($309.4–at sequel’s end?)

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (292.0)

Now you know that the Oscars aren’t supposed to be awarded based on box office receipts and this year that’s no problemo whatsoever…most people haven’t seen most nominated films due to their dark themes and the fact that many people have less discretionary spending to eke out of their tattered budgets.

(Same with the grousing, poor-us music industry–wake up oh ye billionaire music moguls and smell the empty Starbucks cups–in the stores that are being closed as I type.)

So here’s the list of this year’s nominees for Best Film in case you’ve been studying, working, or something and have missed ”the nods” so far–your luck just ran out!

1. Juno (astrologically and mythologically, ‘the wife’ archetype–only film to gross over 100 mill so far–$125.5)

2. No Country for Old Men ($61.3)

3. Atonement ($47.9)

4. Michael Clayton ($47.8–we’re watching this one this evening so that should add a few pennies to their offshore accounts, poor old things; also rented Gone Baby Gone)

5. There Will Be Blood ($31.9–hate the title but understand that Daniel Day Lewis is excellent as usual–note to Paramount Vantage: money would trickle in faster with a less offensive title–doesn’t the real world have enough flowing? Not enough water, too much blood, imho)

So there ya go–be there or be not-there on Sunday evening, but why not? You deserve a break and Hannah will be lurking about the Red Carpet all squooshed into her…mystery-designer gown so keep your eye out for her!

Hannah Hollywood (formerly Hannah OF Hollywood but her agent suggested she streamline her name) is an image imported from one of my art blogs:

http://cosmicpersonadesigns.blogspot.com  Use by express permission of artist only.

Now–how about some Astrology of the Oscars (chart set for 8:00 pm pst, Hollywood, CA)?

Rising is the sign of beauty and balance, Libra 5:07, with Midheaven 5Can35, conj US natal Jupiter (Sibly) at the “Gamebirds feathering their nests” degree. Tres appropriate esp since they’ll be decked out in fine feathers with jewels on loan from fine designers, and Cancer is ruled by the Moon (publicity; the public.)

Asteroid JUNO is in 3rd house 23Sag05 with 3rd cusp 3Sag09, and Jupiter is in a promising and creative sextile with Uranus 17Pis55 (6th house)–an optimistic, hopeful aspect for this ‘lucky break’ combo of planets.

Chart-ruler, the lovely lady Venus 9AQ15 is in 5th house of pleasurable, creative pursuits and applying to conjunction with Mercury 10AQ12, planet of orators, speeches, and young persons.

Neptune, planet of film and screen is at 22AQ15 and conj asteroid Lilith, associated with movie star glamour. The artistic and intensely attractive Venus-Uranus midpoint is conj NN (link with the public) so we have:

Venus-Uranus = NN: intense feelings seek out same in others.

Venus-Uranus is also conj US n Moon (the public–Sibly chart): sudden excitement in fulfilment of one’s needs in love, sex, the arts; new ideas for a new future. The NN–North  Node of the Moon–being conj US n Moon shows the mass appeal and publicity of this event–and is involved in an AIR Grand Trine with Mars and NN.

An AIR Grand Trine has a natural inclination to conceptualize and create on an abtract level, doesn’t much appreciate one-to-one contacts, but it has lots of charisma on the one-to-many level–sounds perfect for Hollywood, doesn’t it?

Planet of desire, Mars 27Gem37 is still out-of-bounds and in 9th house of foreigners, so foreign men should be on display (by satellite, perhaps?), while the Moon is rising 22Lib52, conj a couple of lucky stars, Arcturus (‘a different approach’) and Spica (‘potential for brilliance’) so it will be a glowing night for shining in Hollywood!

Sexy Sappho is in 7th house, 13Ari00, squaring Jupiter 14Cap44 in 4th house, and the Mercury-Venus conj is focal point of the intensely sexual Uranus-Pluto midpoint, so we have a couple of pictures:

Uranus-Pluto = Mercury: forcing individuality into focus; new ideas, new plans for a new perspective.

Uranus-Pluto = Venus: creative activity; desire to bring the new into art; a conquest for love. (Watch your hearts, America, it’s only a crush!)

Chiron 17AQ12, also in 5th house, is triggering the Solar Eclipse of early February, at the “A Man Unmasked” degree as the tragi-comedy masks of ancient Greek theater update their significance in the filmy, illusive, and delusional Neptunian world of Hollywood, for Chiron adds a “Be Here NOW” experiential flavor to this one-time production, the Oscars.

So I hope you will Be Here Now on Sunday evening and that you enjoy rooting for your favorite films and actors (I liked Eastern Promises and Viggo’s gutsy perfomance) or perhaps you’ll use the Oscar presentations as an opportunity to catch up with what’s on display at a theater near you!

Now if some fabulous jewelry designer will just loan Hannah a diamond necklace…