By Mike Fleming Jr | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 10:44am PDT

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed the screenwriting team of Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah, whose breakout came off the spec 10 Things I Hate About You and whose other credits include Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth, The House Bunny and She’s The Man. They’ve established themselves as the go-to chicks for chick fare, and they are currently scripting The Expendabelles, the female spinoff of Millennium Films’ The Expendables franchise. They also scripted the romantic comedy The Panic Zone, which is out to cast. Smith has separately helmed two shorts sponsored by Glamour Magazine, both of which starred Anna Faris. She was also exec producer of Whip It! McCullah wrote and produced Crazy Kind Of Love, which opens May 31. Both are novelists. The scribes are leaving Paradigm as their longtime agent Lee Cohen becomes a consultant there. Jaret Entertainment’s Seth Jaret continues to manage them.

* This article first appeared in Deadline Hollywood and can be found here.

Content Engine

The recent acquisition of YouTube channel AwesomenessTV by Dreamworks and new paid YouTube channels by Sesame Workshop, UFC, and Magnolia Pictures prove the industry sees money on the digital front. The paid subscription model applied (so far) across 30 YouTube channels is just one way content providers can monetize content. SSN spoke with a group of online experts, comprised of filmmakers, producers and network execs, who’ve risen to the challenge of adapting content to the digital space and crafting profitable financial models.

(from left to right) Tarika Khan, Jeremy Azevdeo, Matthew Arnold, Freddie Wong, and Seth Jaret

At the recent “Monetizing Content for New Media Platforms” panel by USC Women of Cinematic Arts, Seth Jaret, CEO of creative media studio Content Engine, discussed the plethora of platforms: “The rise of all these platforms … makes it accessible to be a content creator and to engage an audience. So [while] the barriers to Hollywood have never been higher, communicating to an audience, having an audience… has never been more accessible. They are free, they are pervasive. It’s just the knowledge that’s missing.”

Learn as You Go and Take the Long View

With the advent of YouTube, content creators have a free and easy distribution platform. But YouTube can be overwhelming for filmmakers and TV producers looking to stand out from the pack. Mike Tringe, co-founder of the online web series school, CreatorUp, says those from traditional media must bear in mind: “It’s a long play, it’s a long game… I think the answer is… know who your audience is and target, create, test and experiment. I used to work with Kristen Jones in creative development at Vuguru. One favorite line she’d throw out there to writers and directors who were coming on to do projects was, ‘There’s no movie jail here.’ If you make a bad movie, you’re in movie jail for three to four years, and you never get another directing deal. But if you’re working online, you experiment, you test, you play, you mess up, you listen.”

Still, Seth Jaret, who also produces the web series, Hollywood Drive & Talk, says successfully distributing content online isn’t as easy as it looks. “Digital requires as much thought as attacking the craft of screenwriting,” he admits. “You can’t just be a director. You have to know how to edit, engage people that follow you on Twitter, upload a video to YouTube, how to add annotations, what that means, how to cross-promote with other YouTube videos and engage with your fans. There’s a medley of skill sets, [and] the only way to acquire them is in the doing. Practice is really the teacher.”

The Magic Word: Consistency

The good news is that, unlike the Hollywood model wherein studios reap the greatest profits from their copious revenue streams while talent and filmmakers find their options limited to contracts and brand deals, the future is wide-open online. As Tarika Khan, director of talent production at Maker Studios, which produces numerous YouTube channels, remarked during the USC panel: “The exciting thing … is that you can make money in all kinds of different ways from YouTube videos: the ads that run, pre-rolls, brand integration, getting paid to tweet, etc. I have some talent that, because their content is family-friendly … their brand deals are huge. But I have other guys that, because their stuff is more crass or X-Rated, they sell interesting merch [merchandise].”

In television, brands market their products in shows that share the same tone, and so, they can sell to a sizable target audience on a consistent basis. The same dynamic can be true in the digital arena too, so long as your content remains fresh and engaging. Jeremy Azevdeo, senior director of original programming at Machinima, which provides video entertainment for gamers, identifies what advertisers look for in prospective online brand integrations: “If you’re not uploading with regularity, people will forget you’re there. You have to constantly remind them that you’re making content … that’s at least in the same universe of style and tone. An advertiser … [is] looking for consistency because they’re basically placing a bet on you. So for advertising revenue, start building your audience with volume and consistency that’s targeted.”

Subscription Vs. Kickstarter

Sizing up digital content’s ever-evolving revenue possibilities, Freddie Wong, co-creator of the FreddieW YouTube Channel and Video Game High School in which a single episode garnered more than 10 million views, sees potential in two very different models. “I think the subscription model is a weird thing. On one hand, you hear sometimes, ‘If only everyone who downloaded Wolverine paid one dollar for this!’ That’s just not how it works, people don’t think this way. But people subscribe to stuff all the time. I’m on Spotify, Netflix, I’m on Hulu Plus. I think there’s a weird mix right now of what Kickstarter represents, which is a one-time per project funding, and a sustained, over-time subscription type of model.”

Wong eyes opportunity in the near future for channels with a small, yet highly targeted audience, “[If] We only have 10,000 users, or a very small number of users, but because they’re paying, we’re doing better than some company with a million users. For us, instead of concentrating on this view battle … we want to capture the audience … in a way that’s meaningful … that can sustain and support what we do as filmmakers. That’s the direction that we’re going.”

Content creators can produce cheap, branded commercial videos online, but for people who want to release episodes or films, the digital space presents funding challenges to narrative content. At the USC event, Matthew Arnold, founder of the new media network RocketJump and co-creator of Video Game High School, doesn’t mince words: “Content is king. There’s a lot of good content online, but very few of it is great because it’s very tough to make great content right now. It’s very expensive to make content in a way filmmakers want to make content. But people want to support, and that’s what Kickstarter has shown.”

As one of RocketJump’s principles is to be transparent, Arnold outlines Video Game High School’s funding of season two. “We made about $808,000 on Kickstarter,” he says. “About 10% will go to giving gifts back, and we got about $750,000 on our deal from Dodge. That’s our entire budget for VGHS, season two. Because we’re transparent on our affiliate page and say, ‘Hey, you guys need to fund us by buying stuff on Amazon through our site,’ people want to support you. You have to find ways for them to be supportive.”

Whether you work in film, television or online, there remains one constant: Consistently great content is the key to consistently great revenue. Taking that content and marketing it to a targeted audience over time will open revenue opportunities in film, television and beyond. YouTube is just one of the many digital distribution avenues that exist for filmmakers eager for new ways to reach audiences. Cheap equipment, free distribution and funding options have opened the gates for filmmakers into the digital arena. Digital is growing, and its future is ripe for imaginative new models to win over audiences, advertisers and revenues.

* This article was originally published in Studio System News and can be found here.

Content Engine

There was recent article in The New York Times about using data “to solve the equation of the hit film script.” While I’m in favor of any great idea that might improve the quality of a screenplay – or movies as a whole – I am conflicted about what this means for the future of Hollywood… and humankind.

Stats might reflect what formulas will work, but they have NOTHING to do with creativity, imagination, gut-instinct or love of film, which is the primary reason most of us were drawn to Hollywood in the first place.

We’re entering an era of data mining, algorithms, digital genomics. Computers are pre-selecting everything for us. Susan Blackmore, a memologist and scholar, has said that the pithy notions and bite-sized content we so eagerly share with each other on Facebook and Twitter are a form of computers using human beings as instruments for those ideas’ propagation. We have, in essence, become the devices by which memes pre-selected and influenced by machines are spread.

A popular meme

In similar fashion, the data-crunching, computer-optimized statistical system of script analysis outlined in the article is yet another blow to the “creative community” that was Hollywood. It demonstrates an effort to remove creativity—humanity!–from the equation. And it begs the question: What’s the point of fostering “ideas” at all when you can have a statistician tell you what formulas will work?

A formula is an equation that produces an expected result. 1 + 1 = 2. It guarantees combining specific quantities will yield a certain outcome. But isn’t Hollywood where “creative” accounting originated? Wasn’t this the land of 1 + 1 = 3? For anyone involved in the creative process of making movies, our collective aspiration is that the outcome is greater than the sum of the parts. The sky is the limit on any given project. That’s how the magic happens. That’s the alchemy.

Hollywood "Creative Accounting" exemplified

But all of that has been subjugated to one mighty aim: making money. Just like Wall Street. So that means removing the human element, instituting a system of statistical script analysis that’s the Hollywood equivalent of electronic trading.

Makes sense. If a computer can make the most informed choice, the most efficient bet, then why have a human element at all? Computers can pick the movies, fashion the scripts, control the production pipeline––everything is digital from beginning to end in terms of shooting, editing, visual effects, finishing and post now anyway. Then computers can distribute the movies to us, measure our viewership and report back to other computers the algorithms of our consumption. Ergo, humanity is out of the equation entirely. Success!

This posits a future in which machines will be occupied with computing each other while what’s left of humanity will go back to the campfire to tell each other cautionary tales about it.

Moviegoing in the good 'ole days

Presaging Hollywood’s trajectory, Griffin Mill muses aloud in The Player during a big wheel meeting where studio execs dispense with writers in favor of movies constructed from newspaper headlines: “I was just thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we could just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we’ve got something here.”

Griffin Mill: smooth, smug & well-tailored

Then again, The Player wouldn’t have passed muster in the algorithmic green-lighting process. It wouldn’t have been made. In the e-trading, optimized and formulaic future of Hollywood, the town won’t have any more Griffin Mills. It won’t have any more “Players.” The statisticians will have eliminated their necessity. And the “Players” will have been the instruments of their own extinction.

Wait --the algorithm said what?!

*This article was first published in The Hollywood Journal and in The Huffington Post.

Content Engine

Here’s the trailer for Crazy Kind of Love (retitled from Long Time Gone), which Seth Jaret executive produced.

Now available to stream on Netflix and other services. Adapted by Karen McCullah (Legally Blonde; The House Bunny). It’s a family dramedy featuring some fine acting talent: Graham Rogers (Revolution), Amanda Crew, Eva Longoria, Sam Trammel (True Blood), Anthony LaPaglia, Ali Milchalka, Virginia Madsen and more.

Here is the film’s description:

Depressed after getting dumped by her husband, a mother re-evaluates her life by way of observing her two sons as they come of age. When romance blossoms between one of her sons and the girl next door, she realizes the key to her happiness.

+++
Get Inspired. Be the Change. ContentEngine.tv

Content Engine

Part Five: Best Picture

Also read: Part One – The Oscar Ceremony & Seth MacFarlane

Also read: Part Two – Best Supporting Actor & Actress

Also read: Part Three – Best Actor & Actress

Also read: Part Four – Best Song & Director 

BEST PICTURE

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Academy, and ordinary pundits, fans and filmgoers out there who would just like to know—we are about to unveil this year’s ASTRO OSCARS winner for Best Picture of the Year.

This has not been an easy one to discern. The methodology I have used has not been the accumulation of various awards, personal popularity or arcane industry statistics, but rather the celestial planetary patterns that give us clues as to the actual energy at hand. To that end, let’s first review the chart of the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, February 24^th.

The Sun, in Pisces, is just setting on the 7^th House cusp of relationships, emphasizing the give-and-take, I-and-thou nature of the nominated pictures. Just beneath the horizon, but close to the Sun, is Neptune, whose energy speaks about creativity, compassion and spirituality, but also emotional confusion and trouble with boundaries. The key-like symbol for Chiron, associated with woundedness, sits close to the Sun on its other side. We can immediately see that there aren’t a lot of feel-good movies being depicted here. There’s a lot of pain in this chart.

The Moon is in late Leo, a lighter energy given to leadership and indeed showmanship. It sits on the chart’s opposite side, in the 12^th House, the place of secrets, loss, past karma, confinement, and dealings with the subconscious mind. The Moon’s light is dimmed in this position, even in the showy sign of Leo. Here, we can say it represents the audience, which may not get what it really wants. The ceremony also occurs just a few hours before the exact Full Moon. It’s a night of “anything can happen.”

With Mars (willpower/ego) and Mercury (intelligence/communications) also residing in the 7^th House, this is going to be either a very cooperative show or else somebody’s ego flies completely out of whack. Uranus, planet of shocks, sits in the 8^th House making an adaptation angle to the chart’s Ascendant at 4 degrees Virgo. This looks like at least one major upset or surprise. Pluto (obsessions) sits in a loose trine (flowing angle) to the Ascendant from the 5^th House of creativity. This is another indication of hidden power issues at work.

We must also pay attention to Jupiter (expansiveness/generosity/philosophy) sitting right near the Midheaven, the topmost angle in the chart and the point of reputation. This looks like an epic or expansive theme will win. Jupiter also rules long distance travel and also law, both of which figure in several of the nominated films. And Saturn, giver of earned rewards, sits in Scorpio in the 3^rd House of communications. Expect a long show once again, with our patience being tested but rewarded.

And now, to our question: What film fits this energy pattern best? The one that does will win Best Picture. We have several relationship movies, several with foreign travel, several with themes of rescue or of dealing with secrets, several which espouse philosophy and several with legal themes. How are we to discern the winner? Well, let’s go through the list and look at each film’s release date—which is, in a way, the “birthday” of the film’s run. Do we see a particular film and its date of release that fits comfortably with the energy pattern of the Oscars ceremony?

The earliest date is for the foreign film Amour, which was released in the U.S. on May 20^th. That was also the date of a big Solar Eclipse at zero degrees Gemini. Eclipses have a powerful effect, and this was a New Moon, a potent seed point, so it’s no surprise that a film released then was nominated for several Academy Awards. That’s also right at the top of the Oscars chart, but then there’s that hard square to Neptune (creativity), which blocks its path. It’s poignant and wonderful, but Amour will not win Best Picture.

Beasts of the Southern Wild was released on June 27^th, making it a Sun-sign Cancer. But other than its 8-year-old star, the hard angles to Uranus (surprises) and Pluto (power) in the Oscars chart give the film a tough journey to creative recognition. Despite all its magical realism, I’m afraid that this Beast won’t be in the hunt for Oscar.

The bloody Django Unchained was released on Christmas Day (Quentin Tarantino makes a joke of these things) and is therefore a Sun-sign Capricorn. It does fit the theme of personal confinement—it’s about slavery, after all—but other than a nice angle to the Sun in the Oscars chart, there is little energetic connection. This spaghetti Western will not dine at the trough on Oscar night.

The same goes for the tuneful Les Miserables, despite the star power of Hugh Jackman and the probable win for Anne Hathaway. While the suffering and ultimate redemption of the human heart does fit the Neptunian theme, other energies have dictated that it needs more than singing to win this year. Les Miz must be content to have stated its theme so fully.

Life of Pi is an extraordinary journey, literally and figuratively, befitting that horizon-seeking Jupiter at the top of the Oscars chart. It’s philosophical and takes place on the ocean, astrologically given both to Pisces and to the 12^th House. It was also released on November 21^st, when the Moon was crossing through Pisces. So Pi almost precisely fits a great deal of the energy in the Oscars chart. Is it enough to win? I wouldn’t be surprised if it does. But the late Scorpio release date sits in a hard angle to the Leo Moon on Oscar night, so as much as I adored the film, I think its chances are iffy.

Zero Dark Thirty almost hits a bullseye when it comes to corresponding to the Oscars chart, which is fitting because it depicts “the greatest manhunt in history.” Released on December 19^th, making it a Sagittarius, the film has not only got themes of “us vs. them” (Oscars Sun on the 7^th House cusp), it is a story about finding a hidden leader (Oscars Moon in Leo in the 12^th House). It involves foreign intrigue and long distance travel (prominent Jupiter in the Oscars chart), and a technology-aided raid that ends in blood (Uranus in the 8^th house). If you feel like gambling, here’s your bet. At least according to the astrology, this film’s got a real shot at winning.

But from here on in, it’s basically a crapshoot. Even Yours Truly, a professional astrologer for over 30 years, finds this year to be extraordinarily confusing. I probably should just punt the ball and say, “Well, somebody’s gonna win!” But as it’s my professional duty to pick the winner, we’ll do the best we can.

Argo was released on October 12^th, making it a Sun-sign Libra, the sign associated with diplomacy. The Oscars Sun is in the 7^th House, given in astrology to Libra. Ben Affleck’s Sun-sign is Leo, which is where the Moon resides on Oscar night. The film has been cleaning up virtually every award for which it’s been nominated. So it’s the smart pick to win Best Picture.

But the model we’ve been using, release dates and comparison to the Oscars chart, doesn’t do much for Argo. There’s Oscars’ Moon in the 12th House (behind-the-scenes activities), and Jupiter at the top can refer to foreign intrigue, but it’s more jovial than the general tone of nail-biting Argo. The massive grouping of planets in the Oscars chart’s 7^th House of relationships doesn’t quite fit, either.

Affleck was of course snubbed in the Best Director category, and you could take the view that all of these awards are a populist revolt against the snooty Academy. After all, almost no movies have won Best Picture without its director being nominated. So let’s look at Affleck’s chart and see what we can see.

Ben’s a Sun-sign Leo, and remember that the Moon is passing through late Leo on Oscar night, so he’s definitely pumped. His natal Moon’s in early Scorpio, and Neptune (dreams/film) is making a lovely flowing trine to it now. That’s a good sign. Affleck’s also gotten a lot of mileage out of that snub, which occurred in mid-January as Uranus (shocking events) made a hard square to his Venus/Ascendant conjunction (love/arts/self-image). With Pluto (power issues) sitting on the opposite 7^th House cusp, people took umbrage at the snub and boosted his reputation by throwing all kinds of awards at him.

Will he grab the Best Picture Oscar, too? It’s true that Mars (willpower/conflict) is within a degree of his Midheaven (point of reputation) on Oscar night, with retrograde Mercury right there, too. But Mercury retrograde is famous for its disappointments and both planets sit in an exact square to Saturn (hard knocks), located in the 12^th House of past karma. Saturn has also just turned retrograde in a hard square to Affleck’s natal Mercury in Leo. So, despite all the hype, it’s tough to see a win here.

George Clooney executive-produced Argo, and his chart is more positive:

With 11 degrees Pisces rising, Clooney is well-set-up by the cosmos right now. Saturn (accomplishments) sits in a sextile (opportunity angle) from 11 degrees Capricorn to that Pisces Ascendant, and Pluto (empowerment/transformation) is making an exact flowing trine to the Ascendant (self-image). This indeed looks like a win. Additionally, Uranus (liberation) sits in a opportunistic sextile to Jupiter (good fortune).

But on Oscar night, retrograde Mercury (difficult communications) and Mars (conflict) make a harsh square to Clooney’s Midheaven (point of reputation). Neptune (creativity/spirituality) also sits right on his South Node (point of karma), which could add some confusion to the mix. In short, Clooney’s chart shows a possible win, but we also see snafus. Affleck’s chart shows disappointment. So will Argo win? It’s not a cosmic certainty.

And now we come to the delightful Silver Linings Playbook, a bona fide hit about a tough subject—mental illness. This film perfectly fits the Oscars chart in several ways: first, that big stellium (grouping of planets) in the 7^th House of one-on-one relationships, which speaks to the vigorous, wounded and often angry exchanges between the lead actors…who end up a couple.

Then there’s the Oscars Moon in Leo (grand emotions) in the 12^th House of illness and hospitalization. And don’t forget the Sun-Neptune conjunction—Neptune rules medications. The only thing in the Oscars chart that doesn’t really fit is that prominent Jupiter (philosophy) at the Midheaven. But Jupiter also rules optimism, and Bradley Cooper’s character IS looking for a “silver lining.” Add to this rumors of a groundswell of support for the film and yes, it’s entirely possible for Silver Linings to win. There will be a lot of Neptunian tears on the stage and in the audience if it does.

For my money, though, the film that fits the Oscars chart best, even though it’s being discounted as having been bypassed in the voting, is Lincoln.

First of all, it’s an epic, which fits the Oscars chart’s Jupiter at the Midheaven. Jupiter is about morality, kindness and sometimes legalities—all of which play a part in the film. The Oscars’ Sun-Neptune conjunction is about compassion, made personal by it straddling the 7^th House cusp of relationships. Tommy Lee Jones’s character actually marries a slave.

The Oscars Moon in Leo speaks about leadership, and its placement in the 12^th House speaks to the issue of confinement/slavery. It’s also the place of martyrdom, and Lincoln was assassinated shortly after Congress passed the 13^th Amendment for which he fought. Additionally, 27-28 degrees Leo—where the Moon will be during the Oscars ceremony—corresponds to where the fixed star Regulus is located. Regulus is associated with royalty and leadership. And around 9 pm PST, when the Best Picture selection is announced, Saturn (sternness/authority) is beginning to rise in the 1^st House of self-image. Here is the chart for that moment:

Libra rising is associated with social justice issues, personal fairness and with equal partnerships. That fits Lincoln precisely. But with Libra also being associated with love and relationships (it’s ruled by Venus), this chart could easily fit Silver Linings Playbook. In fact, what with that very soft and sweet Moon-Venus opposition being virtually exact at this moment, as well as that stellium of 7^th House planets having progressed through the night into the 5^th House of love affairs…

I am going to forego my usual analysis and declare AN ASTROLOGICAL TIE between Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln. These movies best fit the chart for Best Picture at the 2013 Oscars. I think one of them will win. My head says Lincoln. My heart says it will be Silver Linings. If Silver Linings wins in an upset, just remember that you heard it here first. (At least I’ll be able to claim THAT!)

But since I have to declare ONE winner instead of two—I’m still thinkin’ Lincoln. Honest Abe is my man. We’ll find out Oscar night if he feels the same way about me. Good luck to us both! To paraphrase the movie: Sweat has been spilt to afford us this moment—now, now, NOW!

Content Engine

Part Four: Best Song & Best Director

Also read: Part One – The Oscar Ceremony & Seth MacFarlane

Also read: Part Two – Best Supporting Actor & Actress

Also read: Part Three – Best Actor & Actress

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

The only real question this year about the category of Best Song is whether or not Adele will win the Oscar for the James Bond theme “Skyfall” and thus add to her already-abundant personal awards collection. Let’s look at her chart to see what we can see:

We notice that Adele has Jupiter conjunct the Sun in Taurus (associated with the throat and therefore singing) in the 2^nd House of possessions. Well, she certainly possesses a rare voice! Jupiter (abundance) also accounts for her never having to worry about being too thin. The Moon in Sagittarius (ruled by that lucky Jupiter) in the 10^th House of reputation suggests her fame is no accident and will probably be long-lasting. Indeed, with Uranus (quick results) near Saturn (ruler of the past) on the cusp of the 11^th House of the general public, it looks like her fast rise is her karmic due from a recent past life. Her Aquarius Ascendant, with Mars nearby, accounts for her feisty individuality.

At the moment, Adele is actually under several tough astrological aspects. Saturn (hard knocks) is turning retrograde right on top of her natal Pluto (powers issues/transformation), which traditionally is a “no such luck” aspect. And it’s within 3 degrees of an exact opposition to that Jupiter-Sun conjunction, making the road bumpy. Transiting Pluto also sits precisely on her Neptune (dreams/ideals), and her focus has shifted recently to her child and to motherhood. Transiting Neptune has been making a hard square (90-degree angle) to Mercury (communications), another indication of not having it easy lately.

The better news is that the Moon’s North Node (life destiny point) is currently in an exact trine (flowing angle) to its natal position, indicating a fated luck-point. Neptune (music/personal glamour) is also making a sextile (opportunity angle) to Saturn (accomplishments), and on Oscar night the Moon in Leo crosses her chart’s horizon—where it makes a flowing trine to the Midheaven, the point of reputation.

I think she’ll win. Despite other difficulties of which we may know nothing, Adele will probably need to clear space to accommodate the golden statuette which seems—even with all her other successes—to be her rightful due.

BEST DIRECTOR 

This year’s contest for Best Director is of course under the cloud of controversy which accompanied the absence of Ben Affleck, but it is a very strong category nonetheless. For the astrologer, the major difficulty here is that, other than Steven Spielberg’s, none of the directors’ charts has a known birth time. But we can see enough by looking at the aspects to make an informed choice.

First, we’ll look at Benh Zeitlin, nominated for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

A Sun-sign Libra, with Venus also nearby, Zeitlin has a natural pull toward the beautiful, even though Saturn (restrictions) and Pluto (obsessions) overload the Sign of the Scales and draw his attention toward life’s difficulties. With his Moon in Virgo, he is a meticulous craftsman, and I’m sure we’ll hear much more from him in the future.

Zeitlin’s Jupiter (planet of blessings) sits in mid-Scorpio, not far from where Saturn is currently making its retrograde station. That’s not a good sign for rousing success. Neptune (ruler of film) is also in a hard square to Uranus (the unexpected), another tough transit. Pluto (power) recently crossed his South Node (karma point), meaning that the nomination is a bit of a fated reward for him: it’s the gateway to bigger things. But there is little else in his chart to show him at the podium clutching a golden man. So his fate will steer him toward the future, rather than gaining recognition now.

Next up, the chart of Michael Hanake, director of the poignant Amour.

With his Sun in Aries, and Uranus, planet of sudden change, crossing that chart point last year, Hanake has had a major revival of his career. The flowing trine to Pluto (empowerment) has also helped. Hanake’s Moon (emotional nature) and Jupiter (great good luck) sit together at 14 degrees Gemini—which is where Jupiter is currently heading. But it’s not quite there yet, and while an every-14-years Jupiter return, with Moon in the mix, seems like extraordinary happiness and a possible indication of a win, there’s not much else that’s positive going on that would seem to be a clincher.

Neptune in Pisces is sitting in a 30-degree angle to his Aries Sun, which could be creative opportunity, but it’s behind the Sun-sign, rather than in front. So, this nomination may be a closing out point for Hanake’s career, rather than an indication of future things. As such, it seems to lack the astrological potency to propel him to the podium.

Now we come to a true hot prospect, David O. Russell, whose Silver Linings Playbook has become an enormous popular hit.

Russell is a Sun-sign Leo, and remember that the Moon on Oscar night is in Leo and in fact crossing his Sun’s exact degree at the time of the ceremony—so right away we know that he’s feeling great that night. Leo in astrology rules the physical heart, and Silver Linings is ultimately a love story. Russell’s Moon is at 11 degrees Scorpio—which, unfortunately, is the exact degree where Mr. Saturn (ruler of practical hardships) is retrograding as we speak. Despite the buoyancy elsewhere, it’s hard to see this as a win.

Pluto (power issues) is in a nice sextile (60-degree angle) to the Moon, but this is a psychoanalytical transit rather than a gathering of great honors. Jupiter (who bestows honors) is actually in a flowing trine to Venus, ruler of the arts, but it’s beginning to move off…diminishing its effectiveness. David O. Russell deserves a lot of credit for putting such a wonderfully human movie on the screen, but it looks as though his honors lie there rather than at the podium on Oscar night.

Now we come to Ang Lee, director of the wondrous Life of Pi:

Well, you couldn’t ask for more intensity: right now Ang Lee is under his second Saturn Return, where Saturn (responsibilities) returns to its natal position, here being 10 degrees Scorpio. This only happens once every 29 years, and represents a culmination point where one either earns rewards for past efforts or feels the weight of too much personal responsibility. It is never an easy time, although it can certainly be a time of great accomplishment.

With his natal Mercury (communications) sitting nearby, and Pluto (deep transformation) making a sextile (opportunity angle) to both Mercury and Saturn, Ang Lee’s chart has the gravitas which accompanies great things.

That empowering Pluto also sits near the North Node, or life destiny point— meaning that Ang Lee does have the aspects for a possible win.

On Oscar night, Mercury (communications) and Mars (action) sit directly opposite his natal Moon in Virgo, which hints that he’s truly in the mix. By the time the announcement is made, the Moon has crossed his Pluto in Leo (personal strength) and is moving toward a sextile (“open door” angle) to his Sun in the last degree of Libra. Ang Lee, in short, could win.

But will he? He’s facing a legendary director who has not won an Oscar in over a decade, and may be considered due. Let’s look now at the well-known chart of Steven Spielberg:

Hallelujah, we have his exact time of birth, so we can peg these aspects exactly. Spielberg’s Sun is in late Sagittarius, which funnily enough completes the Fire- and Air-sign “full house” that the cosmos has designed in the Best Director category this year. As the Moon on Oscar night is moving through late Leo (another Fire sign, remember), his chart is smoothly activated. With the Moon in early Scorpio, he’s always had emotional depth, but had to grow into his creative expression of it.

There are a couple of aspects that may have a disruptive effect on his night. Mercury and Mars (communications and action) make a nice flowing trine to the Midheaven, point of recognition, but they also sit precisely opposite Uranus, giver of shocks. A hard square (90-degree angle) to his masterful Saturn-Pluto conjunction also could bode ill. Can we actually see a loss here to Ang Lee? It does look astrologically possible.

But Saturn (accomplishments) is currently in Spielberg’s 5^th House of creativity and sits in a precise, easeful trine to his Ascendant at 10 degrees Cancer. This is a pretty clear indication of personal recognition for one’s creative work. As Pluto (personal power) is sitting exactly on his 7^th House cusp of relations with others (and therefore right on the chart’s horizon of personal visibility)—as well as making a sextile (opportunity angle) to Saturn, lord of dignity—it’s hard not to see him being given a standing ovation for tackling a weighty subject in Lincoln and being rewarded for it with the splendid gravitas of an Academy Award.

I think Steven Spielberg will indeed reap the fruits of his long labors and receive his just due on Oscar night, and it will make for an uplifting personal and also patriotic moment!

NEXT: WE FEARLESSLY PREDICT THE BEST PICTURE WINNER!

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Part Three: Best Actress & Best Actor

Also read: Part One – The Oscar Ceremony & Seth MacFarlane

Also read: Part Two – Best Supporting Actor & Actress

BEST ACTRESS 

One of the most fascinating races this year pits the youngest-ever nominated actress against the oldest ever nominated, along with a battle royale between a snarky 20-something and an obsessive CIA agent, with a heartsick mother thrown in for good measure. Let’s look at their charts and see who’s golden.

The place of honor, as the first nominee born in the 21^st century, goes to Quvenzhané Wallis. We’ll just call her “Q.”

A quick glance at her chart (alas, with birth time unknown) reveals several things: first of all, she’ll be back. Saturn, planet of wisdom and maturity, currently sits in a harmonious trine to its own natal position, indicating that this is a growing-up experience for Q—literally and figuratively. With Pluto (mystery and power) opposite Saturn as well, there is a confrontation with the unknown at hand, and that’s what Beasts of the Southern Wild was all about.

Q has a lovely Jupiter-Sun-Venus stellium (i.e., three planets together) in the very smart sign of Virgo. Neptune, planet of imagination and spirituality, opposes her Sun and Venus from Pisces over the next couple of years. That’s about as creative as it gets. She also has Mars (energy) and Uranus (awakenings) right where Neptune is transiting, giving her a lot of personal motivation. Better learn to pronounce her name so you don’t sound foolish next time. (It’s kwa-ven-je-nay). Here’s a link to how she pronounces it herself.

Next, the chart of the lovely and talented (but very soggy in The Impossible) Naomi Watts:

Naomi actually has several excellent aspects happening right now that could net her some lovely accolades. Will she get the gold on Oscar night? Well, Libra, her Sun-sign, just loves aesthetics! We know that she throws herself deeply into her roles, what with natal Pluto (intensity) sitting on her Virgo Ascendant, and right now Uranus, (the new, fresh & exciting) is opposite her Sun and right near her North Node, or life destiny point. That signifies a time when NOTHING is impossible!

With Jupiter, lord of blessings, gleefully revving its engines in a fun-filled trine to her Sun, she could be in for a very joyous time indeed. Add to that spiritual Neptune in a beautiful trine to Venus (love/the arts) and you have an actress in the bloom of her career and very happy in her personal life also. It’s tempting to see Oscar gold in all of this. But these transits, while harmonious, may not be enough of a clincher to bring her an actual statuette. I think Naomi will be up at that podium eventually, but probably not this year.

Now all please rise out of respect for the perfect synchronicity: the oldest-ever nominee is up for an Oscar on her 85^th birthday—which also just so happens to be the exact date (February 24, 1927) of the first Academy Awards! Here is the birth chart of Emmanuelle Riva:

Any astrologer will tell you that your birthday every year (technically called the Solar Return) is a personal day of power. Unfortunately, we do not have an exact birth time for Ms. Riva, star of the poignant film Amour, so we cannot peg the energies more exactly. But we can see that she is certainly in her strength now, and actually has the aspects to win.

Her Sun-sign is Pisces, and Neptune, Pisces’ ruling planet, is associated with creativity and glamour; it’s in its home sign and closing in on Emmanuelle’s Sun. It also sits in an approaching trine (flowing angle) to her North Node (life destiny point). No matter what your age, that’s a great aspect for an actress to have. It points to creative recognition.

Emmanuelle has lived long enough to experience a rare opposition of Pluto (personal power/regeneration) to its own natal position. Under this transit life sometimes hands you everything you want just to see what you do with it—because you don’t have much time left. Transiting Jupiter (blessings) also directly opposes Saturn (accomplishments), which looks like a change in status. Uranus (surprises) in trine to Saturn is another sign of a possible win. I’d bet money on a possible upset here, if there weren’t two other actresses still to consider.

Jessica Chastain, a one-woman powerhouse in Zero Dark Thirty, comes next:

As you might expect from a redhead whose characters show such spunk, Jessica’s Sun-sign is Aries, sign of the warrior. (Associated color: red.) Uranus, the planet that says, “Say goodbye to the past—and NOW!” has been crossing back and forth over her Sun for the last year or so. Boom! Big shift in her life and image. It will sit still on her Mercury in a few months, making for even busier times in 2013. Uranus is also making a lovely approaching trine to Saturn (accomplishment). But right now, it seems, is a bit of a fallow period where Jessica has some wonderful aspects that are unfortunately opposed by some really tough ones.

First, Saturn is sitting still in Scorpio in an almost exact square (hard 90-degree angle) to its own natal position in Leo. Well, that’s pretty tough. Few win awards under that kind of aspect. That stationary Saturn is also squashing her Uranus (personal freedom issues). That’s equally tough. And Mr. Pluto (power issues) is making a close square to its own natal position, often a sign of power struggles and a need for regeneration. I am afraid that, despite all of Jessica Chastain’s work and her probably deserving the award, I do not see a statuette in her hand.

That leaves the equally spunky, trash-talking but charismatic young star of Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence, to take home the gold.

A Sun-sign Leo, we should never expect her to be anything less than at home in the spotlight, and the cosmic beams are plenty bright for her right now. Uranus in Aries (full speed ahead!) is making an exact sextile (60-degree opportunity angle) to her North Node (life destiny point) in Aquarius. That’s a winning aspect right there. But wait! There’s more.

Uranus also makes a flowing trine to the Midheaven, the point of career recognition. Jupiter, giver of all good things, has also, during Oscar voting, been in a precise trine to that destiny-oriented North Node in the 12^th House of past karma. The energy of blessing is virtually unhindered. And it looks to me like a reward that comes from effort in a previous life.

Pluto (power/transformation) is only a degree away from Neptune (dreams/creativity) in the 11^th House of one’s peers and the greater audience. That’s an empowering of her dream. Transiting Saturn (achievement) also sits still in a flowing sextile to that Pluto-Neptune conjunction. This adds the blessing of authority. And with the transiting North Node (the destiny point, remember) also at the precise midpoint between Saturn (achievement) and Mercury (communication), it is easy to see an excited young woman named Jennifer up at the podium, Oscar in hand.

The Moon travels through her Sun-sign, Leo, on Oscar night, as well—giving her even more personal oomph—so joyful dramatics are guaranteed from that stage. Enjoy the moment because Jennifer Lawrence certainly will!

BEST ACTOR

This is a category that is simply magnificent this year. These actors are an acclaimed lot, whose work reflects their laser-like focus. Let’s look first at the chart of Denzel Washington:

Denzel is a Capricorn, a sign known for no-nonsense behavior, and Denzel’s roles reflect what his chart says are his strengths: authority and intelligence, a kind of steely moralism. In Flight, he plays a courageous pilot with a problematic past, and right now we find that he needs that courage. Uranus, (sudden change) has been making a hard square to his Sun while approaching a friendly sextile to his visionary Aquarius Moon. That basically means that the energy had to go somewhere: he did so well in the role that the Academy could not ignore him, even though it may not know what to do with him now.

Jupiter (abundance) is waving its blessing wand in the form of a lovely trine to his Moon, but there aren’t a lot of other aspects going on that might give Denzel the gold. Could he surprise people? Well, Uranus (shocks) IS right on his chart’s horizon, on the 7^th House cusp, indicating a breakthrough or breakdown sort of energy, and Pluto at the bottom of his chart is another sign of empowerment; but I don’t see the golden clincher. This year we must be content to love and respect Denzel without hearing a victory speech.

Next, we’ll consider the case of Joaquin Phoenix, star of The Master.

It shouldn’t surprise us that Joaquin takes idiocyncratic roles and doesn’t care what we think about his quirkiness—he’s an Aquarius, after all. We don’t have his birth time, but even a noon chart like this tells us why he was nominated at this time: there’s a lot happening in early to mid-degrees of the various signs, where Joaquin has many of his planets. His life-cycle, in other words, is well-activated astrologically.

With Uranus (the unusual) exactly atop his Aries Moon right now and making a flowing sextile to his Aquarius Sun (ruled by Uranus), Joaquin is a true wild card in this race. Having just passed through the Pluto square Pluto aspect that indicates the need for personal regeneration—a theme in The Master—Joaquin seems to be on a vision quest for something that’s not quite there for him to take. There are not, at the moment, enough close hits in his chart to indicate a triumphant walk up to the podium on Oscar night. Saturn (hard knocks) squaring his Sun punctuates our thesis. This year, he will not be Oscar’s master.

Now consider, if you will, the fortunes of one Bradley Cooper, whose hangover turned into a dream come true by portraying a bipolar man trying to get a grip in Silver Linings Handbook: 

His chart shows that, like fellow Capricorn Denzel, Bradley is hugely ambitious and can do just about anything he puts his mind to. We wouldn’t have known it from his previous roles, but with Mercury and Venus also in Capricorn, and its ruler, Saturn, opposing his Sun, Bradley Cooper is one serious guy.

It’s his Moon in attractive Libra and party-hearty Mars in Sagittarius rising that have given him his previous rep. Neptune on the Ascendant gives him glamour and sexy charisma. But that’s all changing as Pluto (power) swings closer to his Sun and squares its own position in the 10^th House, the point of worldly status. He’s in a period of shifting stature, and he’s only going to rise.

But what about now? As Uranus (the Awakener) makes a flowing trine to Neptune and his Ascendant, Bradley is getting respect for playing a man who struggles with personal boundaries (Neptune). But the Jupiter and Saturn aspects you want to see for a win aren’t really there. Bradley Cooper may make a career out of playing tough guys who have a heart, but he’ll have to applaud for someone else this year.

Speaking of heart, anyone who steals bread, contemplates the sorry fate of man, and then spends two hours singing about it, as Hugh Jackman does in Les Miserables, deserves our attention:

A creative triple threat whose Sun-sign is Libra, sign of the artist, Jackman’s Scorpio Midheaven (one’s status in life, remember) is being well-triggered astrologically. Saturn (dignity/accomplishment) is stationing right there as the Oscar votes are counted, and no astrologer could look at that without saying that Jackman has a real shot at winning. With transiting Pluto (power) also making a flowing sextile (opportunity angle) to the Midheaven, Jackman’s stature is increased. Uranus (sudden change) about to cross the North Node (life destiny point) provides even more ammunition for those who think an Oscar upset is possible.

But will he actually win? Like Bradley Cooper, Jackman has a Sun-Saturn opposition, giving his backbone some steel, probably from dealing with adversity…and such types don’t give up easily. Jupiter, lord of blessings, does sit in a nice sextile to the North Node, the destiny point. If this were any other year, these are aspects that say he should be dusting his mantelpiece now, because a little golden man will be joining him.

But this is not any other year. This, both creatively and astrologically, is the year of Daniel Day-Lewis, whose portrayal, in Lincoln, of our 16^th president really does “belong to the ages.” His chart, though frustratingly without a birth time, is shown below:

Even with this vagueness we are able to discern a few major things that clarify matters for us considerably. First, Daniel’s chart has a Sun-Venus conjunction in Taurus, a Fixed Sign, indicating that his creative career will be long lasting. Second, his Moon in Pisces is all about the image, the creative process, and it sits in a lovely trine to Neptune, ruler of film. Day-Lewis lives to be creative.

Neptune, who astrologically represents the ocean of consciousness, is highly activated in his chart right now. Lincoln opened just as Neptune was transiting over Daniel’s Moon—representing one’s emotional life and (for an actor) one’s audience. Daniel disappeared (“pulled a Neptune”) into the role, and he is loved for it. It happens that Neptune is currently also in a flowing trine to its own natal position in Scorpio, another indication of the emotional depth conveyed in the film. And Neptune also makes a soft sextile (60-degree angle) to his Sun in Taurus, an indication of mass appeal.

These Neptune transits are almost the only major aspects that we can detect happening in his chart right now. But they are enough. Abraham Lincoln is usually thought of as quite Saturnian—pensive, somber, even melancholy—with the weight of the nation’s fate on his shoulders. But we feel his humanity in the film, and respond to it accordingly. This is due to an actor somehow absorbing his very essence. In astrological terms, this is deeply Neptunian.

Daniel Day-Lewis will earn his third Academy Award by bringing us into the oceanic depth of emotional connection with a great man.

NEXT UP: PREDICTIONS FOR BEST SONG AND BEST DIRECTOR

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Part Two: Best Supporting Actress & Actor

Every nominee has to be hot, astrologically speaking, to get to the point of an Oscar nomination. But as for actually winning, the question becomes: Who’s the HOTTEST come Oscar night?

Also read: Part One: The Oscar Ceremony & Seth MacFarlane

Sometimes it’s like choosing between an inside straight, a flush, or a full house: which nominee’s chart––and its energetic aspects––trumps the others? That is what we are here to discern. Maestro, the nominees, please!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

First up, here is the chart of Jacki Weaver, who played the snack-baking mother and wife in Silver Linings Playbook. Her birth time’s unknown, so we’ll use a noon chart:

Jacki was born a Gemini, and Mr. Good Luck himself, Jupiter, is transiting now close to her Sun, or sense of self—filling her with buoyancy and giving her the good fortune of a nomination. Uranus, planet of sudden changes, also makes a direct opposition to her natal Neptune, associated with film, and her role in Silver Linings was not that big, so the nomination was a bit surprising. But we also find Saturn, Mr. “Not-So-Fast, Bub,” sitting in a square (hard 90-degree angle) to Pluto, lord of power. That’s a “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” sort of energy—so I think we’re safe in saying that Ms. Weaver appreciates the opportunity but will not take home the gold.

Next, let’s look at another Gemini, Helen Hunt…PLEASE!

Her performance as a sex therapist in The Sessions certainly gives new meaning to the term “attractive older woman.” At age 49, Helen was completely naked, both physically and emotionally. That fits astrologically, because for the last year she has had Uranus, planet of youth and rebellion, crossing over her Moon and bringing her image as a woman into a more freedom-oriented state. But does she have the astrological signature of a winner?

With Jupiter (expansiveness) caressing her Venus (arts/pleasures) in early Gemini, but also sitting at cross purposes with Mars (willpower/aggression) in Virgo (pickiness), odds are that she is admired for her courage in taking on the role, but not rewarded for it. Saturn (hard luck) conjunct Neptune (creativity) confirms it. She—and we—must be contented with her bold choice and empathetic performance.

Next up, “The Flying Nun” who’s still flying high—Sally Field:

Sally’s sign is Scorpio, a sign of passion and willfulness, and her performance as Mary Todd Lincoln was powerful and direct. Portraying a slightly unhinged woman who suffered from depression, Sally currently finds her own chart under similar Uranian and Saturnian aspects. Uranus-Moon aspects are sometimes associated with mental illness, and in Sally’s chart they are currently conjunct. This can indicate brilliance, domestic chaos or emotional breakdown. If nothing else, this energy helped her understand Mary’s character.

Saturn in one’s Sun-sign often brings recognition after long effort, and the sobering Saturn square Saturn-Pluto aspect in her chart illustrates the seriousness of the role as well as the challenges of her current life, but this tough transit is not what you’d normally see in the chart of a winner. Sally, the planets and stars like you—they really, really like you—but this year the nomination is your reward.

And now, someone who could really pull an upset, according to the stars—Amy Adams.

Every nominee should wish for aspects like Amy has this year: transiting Saturn (rewards for long effort) in a harmonious trine to its own natal position and also in a trine to Jupiter, giver of blessings. That’s a winning combination. With a Moon-Pluto conjunction in Libra to go along with her radiant Sun-Mercury conjunction in Leo, Amy is a smarter and more emotionally intense individual than her previous roles have given her room to show. Her role as the manipulative wife in The Master showcases her chart’s strength.

Jupiter is also in a flowing trine to Amy’s natal Pluto, another indicator of empowerment or success. And transiting Uranus, that lightning bolt full of surprises, also trines Amy’s Venus, which rules the arts. Meryl Streep had a similar trine in her chart when she won last year. You could do worse than bet on Amy Adams to pull an upset, and I will not be surprised if she wins. You heard it here first.

You have to have an inside straight to beat an astrological hand like that. But however unlikely, someone does. Here is the chart of Anne Hathaway:

Named after William Shakespeare’s wife, Ms. Hathaway has an intense chart, with all the planets grouped together in basically four signs. This indicates a highly focused individual whose life is one of great passions. She just turned 30, and during the traditionally harsh Saturn Return at age 29, Anne played, in Les Miserables, a desperate young woman who turns to prostitution. Like Sally Field, Anne has a Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio, which is where Saturn (earned rewards) currently sits. Does that mean an Oscar this year?

Jupiter (blessings) is currently sitting in an opposition to Uranus (breakthroughs), a very lucky combination. Transiting Uranus is also very close to the Nadir, or bottom of the chart, and thus by polarity electrifies the Midheaven (career point) at the top. This looks like a career breakthrough. Neptune is also square Uranus, another indicator that change is afoot. But the aspect that looks like it will give Anne a golden statuette is the transiting North Node, or life destiny point, crossing over her extraordinarily lucky Venus-Jupiter-Sun conjunction. Time for the big speech! Looks like she’s earned it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

This is a strong category this year, with several upset possibilities being supported by the stars. First we’ll cast our glance upon the chart of Django Unchained actor Christoph Waltz:

Lack of a birth time restricts us from waltzing in and being even more precise, but we can see enough to determine that perhaps this is not Christoph’s year to win. While he does at the moment have a lovely Jupiter sextile Uranus aspect, which can give unexpected good fortune, as well as Uranus in a flowing trine to its own natal position, these are aspects which peaked in December when Uranus turned direct at 4 degrees Aries. The recognition which has flowed from that energy has carried through to a nomination—but that, I think, will be about as far as he goes this year.

Now here’s the chart of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who made a dark spectacle of himself in The Master. With an unknown birth time, this is a noon chart as well:

Hoffman, no stranger to authoritative roles with that Sun in Leo, finds himself between cycles this year. While the Vegas oddsmakers think it possible for him to win, I am afraid that the cosmos does not agree. Yes, Uranus is approaching his Saturn (recognized accomplishments), giving him a shot at an upset, and Jupiter is blessing his natal Venus, ruler of the arts…but Mr. Saturn is by transit also sitting in a hard square to buoyant Jupiter, giving his Oscar chances a bit of a cold shower. However, with that approaching Uranus transit, it looks like he could be back next year, being recognized for an unusual role.

Next up is Alan Arkin, whose unprintable catchphrase was one of the best things about Ben Affleck’s Argo.

Arkin, who has made a superb late career out of playing snarky old men, has one great astrological aspect going for him on Oscar night: Uranus (breakthroughs) sitting next to his natal Sun in Aries and also making a flowing trine to his Midheaven (point of recognition). It’s a revolutionary aspect and even the plot of Argo had to do with revolution. The Oscars’ Moon is in Leo, as is Arkin’s natal Moon—a good sign—and it rises above the chart’s horizon by the start of the ceremony. Still, it’s coming off an opposition to Saturn (restrictions) and I think that means that for Alan Arkin’s chances this year, it’s close but no cigar.

Two other actors have even better aspects. Here’s the chart of the favorite in the race, Tommy Lee Jones:

His wily Congressman in Lincoln was a thing of beauty, and Jupiter, ruler of the law, currently sits in Jones’s 1^st House of personality, bringing him an expansive period in his life. On Oscar night, that lucky planet also sits in Jones’s chart in an exact flowing trine to Neptune, ruler of film… in the 5^th House of creativity. That could well be victory. What’s more, transiting Venus (pleasure) is in an exact trine to his natal Jupiter, in the 6^th House of work. The transiting Moon in Leo makes a lovely sextile (60-degree opportunity angle) to Jones’s Jupiter on Oscar night as well. So far, so good.

But now we come to some less-than-auspicious aspects. Tommy Lee’s natal Moon is in Taurus, and the Oscars Moon makes a hard 90-degree square to it, usually not indicative of success. Transiting Jupiter also is making a quincunx—a 150-degree, “Sorry, there’s more work to be done” angle—to Jones’s natal Venus, ruler of the arts. So even though Uranus (sudden change) is making a nice flowing trine to Saturn (achievement), there are enough mixed aspects here to give us pause. Does he win? I think his odds, astrologically, are no better than 50-50.

Who does that leave as a potential upset victor? None other than the great (but not rewarded lately) Robert De Niro.

A Sun-sign Leo like Hoffman, De Niro’s status as an actor is unrivaled and he now gives us an OCD-prone father to bipolar Bradley Cooper in the delightful Silver Linings Playbook. Like Arkin, he also has a lucky Jupiter-Uranus connection occurring; but in a twist of astrological fate, De Niro is now experiencing two of them at the same time!

First is a conjunction by transiting Jupiter, lord of luck, to his chart’s surprise-prone Uranus—which screams “UPSET!” Transiting Uranus is also in a harmonious trine to De Niro’s Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Leo—which translates as empowerment. People win lotteries under aspects like these.

The Moon on Oscar night is also in late Leo, close to De Niro’s Sun. The astrological rule of thumb is that when the Moon is crossing through your Sun-sign—especially if you’ve got multiple planets there, as De Niro does—you’ve got a lot of extra pizzazz going for you! President Obama, also a Sun-sign Leo, won reelection under a Leo Moon. The Oscars Moon also well-aspects De Niro’s Saturn, rewarder of past efforts.

Just to add a smidgen of doubt to the mix, Saturn (Mr. “Forget About It!”) is currently in a hard square to De Niro’s Jupiter, a restrictive aspect that mitigates the possible lightning-strike victory. On Oscar night, Mercury (communications) is also retrograde, which could mean snafus. But it’s transiting only a few degrees away from De Niro’s Pisces Moon (for an actor, the Moon represents the audience), with Mars (action) also close by.

The last time De Niro won (for Raging Bull, in 1981), he was also under similarly auspicious astrological energies (Sun-Venus-Mars trine his Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, among other aspects). Tommy Lee Jones’s chart does not show similar aspects to his last victory—in 1994, for The Fugitive. We’ll never know, of course, but I do think the vote will be close.

Still, I’m going out on a limb and giving the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to Robert De Niro in an upset victory. This year, it looks like the planets are once more revolving around his star.

Just don’t touch his remote.

NEXT UP: BEST ACTRESS AND BEST ACTOR!

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That’s right, we don’t have to endlessly peruse statistics, corner Academy members, make our own guesses or even trust Harvey Weinstein’s considerable clout: no, the very patterns of the heavens will tell us the winners.

As proof, last year we were 7 for 7 in our predictions, including Meryl Streep’s surprise upset of Viola Davis for Best Actress, which occurred precisely as stated in these pages–standing ovation, teary speech and all. How did we know it was Meryl redux? Neptune trine her Sun, Uranus trine her Ascendant. That’s astro-speak for: “THE ASTROLOGY SAID SO!”

We all live within a matrix of greater energies, cyclical cosmic patterns which begin at the moment of birth and continue throughout our lives. Good fortune and honors tend to occur when patterns are harmonious, as they were in Meryl’s astrological chart in 2012. Despite Viola Davis’s status as the favorite in the race, her energetic aspects were not as favorable, and those things are clear to the professional astrologer. So relax and come along for the ride as we see once more what the stars above are saying!

First we’ll look at the chart for the ceremony itself, set for Sunday, February 24th in Hollywood, CA. The official start, according to the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is 5:30PM pm PST, which corresponds to the actual start of the telecast. This is the astrological chart for that moment:

We first notice that most of the planets are on the right, or western side of the chart, indicating that cooperative themes will be spotlighted. The solitary hero is out of luck this year. Indeed, the Sun, representing the ceremony’s sense of identity, is in the 7^th House, associated with partnerships. While this is the case every year, with the ceremony beginning just before sunset, this year the Sun has some planetary company in this sector. This says that relationship movies and conflictual “us vs. them” themes have a central place in this year’s show.

The ceremony used to be held in late March, but was moved up in order to shorten the seemingly interminable Oscar campaigns. With the shift to late February, the Oscars’ Sun-sign changed from Aries to Pisces—fire to water. The celebs may shiver more in their skimpy gowns, but the compensation is that the energy of the show seems more in alignment with old-time glamour and the “magic” of Hollywood.

Pisces, after all, is a sign associated with the imagination. Its ruling planet is Neptune, which in this year’s chart is transiting near the Sun (as it will be for the next three years or so) and is also in its own sign. Neptune is associated with creativity, spirituality, dreams and glamour. Fantasy films, or those with a lighter touch, do well under this aspect, as was evidenced last year with “The Artist” winning Best Picture under a frothy planetary alignment.

This year’s chart has that same (often very confusing but creative) Neptune-Sun aspect, but here it also straddles the 7^th House cusp—the point given in astrology to marriage and relationships, war and peace, and direct dealings with others. This seems to correlate with several movies nominated, such as Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Amour.

And the Moon, a few hours from being full, has just risen and inhabits the 12^th House, which in astrology is given to secrets, clandestine activities, caregiving, suffering, confinement and subconscious habit patterns. Let’s see—that describes, wholly or in part, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables and Django Unchained. And the Moon’s cruising through late Leo, a sign associated with leadership—also a theme this year. It’s no accident that, under these energies, serious dramas take the limelight now rather than lightweight fare. Expect one of them to win Best Picture.

This year’s ceremony takes place under a Mercury Retrograde, so glitches and misspoken speeches may be part of the milieu. Jupiter, planet of expansion and good fortune, sits prominently in the 10^th House of social status and reputation. Jupiter also rules ethics and the law, and several films concerned with legal issues were nominated this year…Lincoln, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Django, Les Miz…you get the picture.

Saturn, planet of hard work, frustrations and accomplishment through sustained effort, sits in the 3^rd House of communications. Make sure you have a pillow handy, because this says the ceremony will be as long as ever. Saturn also rules history, and several hard-hitting historical dramas made the cut. Mercury (communications) is also hanging out with Mars (god of war), in the 7^th House of partnerships. The word “gritty” comes to mind. Hearts-and-flowers films are a bit out of place this year.

Now let’s look at the birth chart of the host, Seth MacFarlane:

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Here’s an amazing example of intuition, training and lighting-fast speed all channeled through a martial art thousands of years old.

There is no limit to what human beings can accomplish when will, focus and determination intersect.

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