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When the
presentation of the 73rd annual Academy Awards takes place on Sunday evening,
March 25, the familiar face of seven-time host Billy Crystal will be missing
from the live telecast due to scheduling conflicts. In his place will
be none other than Steve Martin, whose selection to take on this most
challenging task seems an almost perfect choice. After all, Martin, like
Crystal, is not simply a comedian, but a talented and prolific writer
who has penned and starred in his own films. Additionally, Martin has
written an off-Broadway play, published a book of essays that appeared
on the New York Times Bestseller List and in October 2000
published his first novella, Shopgirl. In fact, it does
not seem that there is much in the entertainment business that Martin
can’t do.
The
Creative Workaholic
 Steve
Martin’s ability to be wildly creative as both a comic and a writer lies
first and foremost with his Sun, which represents self-expression, in
egocentric and entertaining Leo. This fixed fire sign, which is also the
sign on Martin’s Ascendant (outer personality), is the mark of the consummate
performer, due to its need to command the stage, as well as its generosity
to the audience.
Fire signs
(Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) thrive on endless activity, and Leo in particular
enjoys being the center of attention. But while Leos enjoy the flattery
and publicity of being in the spotlight, they often want it on their own
terms. As a fixed sign, Leo the lion needs creative (fire) control (fixed)
in its professional life. What better way for someone in the performing
arts to do this than to write scripts, screenplays or adaptations that
showcase their own natural talents? Many of Martin’s best-known acting
credits are in films like The Jerk, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,
The Man with Two Brains and Parenthood,
which he wrote or produced.
The
Power of Mercury in Virgo
Martin’s
mastery of words and his ability to create characters such as “Wild and
Crazy Guy” and “King Tut” in which detailed physical transformation accompanies
skits and songs, combines his Leo panache with communicative and witty
Mercury placed in analytical, meticulous and skillful Virgo. Having the
Sun and Mercury in their own signs strengthens both these planets (the
Sun is associated with Leo and Mercury with Virgo), and assures us that
Martin will not only captivate the crowd on Oscar night with an inventive
and hilarious monologue, but also that he will be ready to improvise at
a moment’s notice should the need arise. Mercury’s placement in this self-conscious
and often shy sign can also make him uncomfortable in intimate situations,
a clue to the “other side” of Steve Martin.
Dark
Side of the Moon, and Pluto Too
While Leos
tend to cultivate a distinct public image, they are often quite guarded
about their private lives. Though Martin has been a hit with the public
since his standup days in the 1970s, perhaps the one thing he is known
for more than anything else is not being known. Many performers’
lives—including all the affairs, divorces and stays at drug rehab clinics—are
an open book, yet interviews and biographies deal mostly with what Martin
does—his work—and there is little to let us in on private feelings,
or to inform us about important events or people that may have shaped
his life.
Martin’s
need to keep the private separate from the public is greatly enhanced
by the placement of the emotional and habitual Moon in passionate, secretive
Scorpio, a fixed sign that, like Leo, needs enormous control and privacy,
especially when it comes to one’s innermost feelings. What seals this
attitude even more is the fact that Scorpio’s ruler, Pluto, the zodiac’s
intense loner, is closely conjunct Martin’s Ascendant (his personality),
putting a firm but polite barrier between Martin and all but his closest
friends and relations.
Martin’s
Neptunian Evening
Since major
transits always reveal the mood of the moment, it is no surprise that
on March 25, transiting Neptune, planet of glamour, illusion and film,
will be at 8 degrees of Aquarius, and sitting right on Steve Martin’s
Descendant (the cusp of the Seventh House), which signifies partners and
public contact. While we can only speculate about whether Martin is involved
in a wildly romantic (Neptune) relationship (Descendant), we do know with
absolute certainty that on Oscar night, viewing audiences around the world
will not only be celebrating cinematic glory, but will also be embracing
Steve Martin’s wild, crazy and endearing public personality. If alluring
Neptune has its way, Martin will attract a new generation of fans who
missed his standup comedy and his Saturday Night Live impersonations,
and he will remind older fans that he is here to stay.
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