This past week, all in the same 24 hour period, we lost Senator Ted Kennedy, Ellie Greenwich, and Dominick Dunne. This sucker punch to the soul inspired today’s blog post.

It used to be that celebrity deaths seemed to come in threes. For some reason that rule was upended this year starting in June. The Grim Reaper seems to have gotten greedier than usual and snatched far more than his usual share. The last week of June he started really racking them up: Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Sky Sunlight Saxon on June 25. In July we lost Merce Cunningham, Gordon Waller, and Walter Cronkite, among others.

August 2 we lost Billy Lee Riley, August 5 Budd Schulberg, August 6 Willy DeVille and John Hughes (aged 58 and 59, respectively), Les Paul on August 13, Jim Dickinson on August 15, and this week’s trifecta, alongside quite a few more.

I was especially saddened by the loss of Ellie Greenwich (whom I had the privilege to meet and speak to on several occasions). Ellie was responsible for some of the greatest music of our age. She was a singer, songwriter, and record producer. Leader of the Pack, River Deep, Mountain High, Be My Baby, Da Doo Ron Ron, (Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry, Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Not Too Young To Get Married, Cherry Cherry, are only a few of the amazing songs she wrote or co-wrote with her writing partner Jeff Barry. She also co-wrote, along with Jeff Kent and Ellen Foley, the spectacular and extremely underappreciated Keep It Confidential which was recorded by Nona Hendryx and was a 1983 R&B hit.

Senator Ted Kennedy was ill for a long time and his death was not a shock per se, but it is certainly the end of an era. The last of the three golden brothers, and the only one to die a natural death. I certainly see the cold truth in Henry Rollins’ column on the Vanity Fair blog, but I also mourn the Kennedy family’s - and our country’s - great loss. Leaders like Ted Kennedy do not come along every day. We won’t see his like again.

And, finally, Dominick Dunne. He provided many an entertaining hour for me as I read his Vanity Fair coverage of the rich and famous getting away with murder, or trying to. His pieces were always the first thing I looked at when I got my monthly VF fix in the mail. No one wrote like him; no one touched nerves like he did. After the murder of his daughter, Dominique, he was a tireless advocate for the rights of murder victims. He provided a glimpse into high society’s rarefied circles for decades. He knew everyone. He wrote about many. I’ll miss him greatly.

For all three, and for the many we’ve lost this summer and this year, I offer Jane Siberry’s beautiful ode, “Calling All Angels.”

…and every day you gaze upon the sunset with such love and intensity
it’s almost…it’s almost as if you could only crack the code
then you’d finally understand what this all means

but if you could…do you think you would trade in all the pain and suffering?
ah, but then you’d miss the beauty of the light upon this earth
and the sweetness of the leaving

calling all angels
calling all angels
walk me through this one
don’t leave me alone

- Jane Siberry

March 21 - April 19 Aries
Ram on, Aries people. It’s Thanksgiving already, where does the time go?! I know you eschew sentimentality and prefer to jump into life sans frills. N’est-ce pas? I also know that you love weird and wacky historical facts. Corn for corn’s sake is good too. Point your mouse to culture vs content and take the Corny Thanksgiving Trivia test. Is Indian corn edible? Where did the word “turkey” come from? And the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America was originally intended to bring over what item to the New World? (hint: not people) A wonderful person named Bonnie does this blog and it is worth a long visit for the posts, photography, and haiku.

April 20 - May 20 Taurus
I’m breaking my rule of not repeating things here, because I took my own advice in this here column and went to see Amanda Palmer and the Danger Ensemble at Webster Hall. Ms. Palmer (a Taurus) and her merry gang provided one of the best live concerts I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen several (trust me on this). It was one of those rare occasions when you know that a year from now people will be saying, you were there at Webster Hall that night? with starry eyes. I’m going to write a whole blog post about Amanda so check back in the next week or so. There’s not enough room in this format to say everything that needs to be said. In the meantime go here. And here. And here. Watch everything. Listen to her new album. Read her blog. And she’s still on the road, so if you’re in Pittsburgh, Toronto, Ferndale MI, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Aspen, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, or LA – go. Just go.

May 21 - June 20 Gemini
Gemini is a curious mix of adaptability and superficiality. Sometimes you need to flex that good-deed muscle a little and get out of your comfort zone. Things are pretty dire right now in the USA – in the world, actually – and here’s a way you can put a smile on someone’s face easily. And rack up some good karma, which we all could use. Thanks to KarmaTube, here’s a story about a Starbucks drive-thru in Loveland, Colorado where people were amazed to get to the window and find out that their coffee was paid for by the person in front of them in line. Lindell Green, a beneficiary of this karma gesture, paid for the person behind him when this happened. So guess what? It’s not just Loveland, Colorado. It’s not just Starbucks. The CNN story documents another random act of kindness taking place at a supermarket elsewhere in the country. Apparently it’s spreading. Like a disease in a Stephen King novel. A disease called pay-it-forward.

June 21 - July 22 Cancer
Moonchildren and everyone else; as we gather around the Thanksgiving table with family and friends this year and express our gratitude for our blessings (try doing this every day by the way; it will change your life), let’s also mark next Monday, December 1st, on the calendar for World Aids Day. World Aids Day was created exactly ten years ago to raise awareness of the pandemic caused by HIV infection. The date is observed globally by governments, charities, and international organizations. This year you can search the World Aids Day website to find events anywhere in the world. You can find interesting and creative ways to get involved and raise awareness. You can learn about HIV and get the facts about this terrifying disease.

July 23 - August 22 Leo
It’s my feeling that the Leos among us would really dig Dominick Dunne in the unlikely event they don’t already follow his prose as he covers the trials and tribulations of the rich and famous. Mr. Dunne is an investigative journalist who writes for Vanity Fair Magazine. Without fail, his is the first article I go to when I get my copy in the mail. His birds’ eye view of the rarified celebrity lifestyle is always absolutely riveting. Read a collection of twenty five years of his adventures chronicling the greatest scandals of our time from O.J. Simpson to Claus Von Bülow to Imelda Marcos to the Menendez Brothers to Brooke Astor to Princess Diana and more. My advice: get a big dish of ice cream and settle down and read them all. Make sure all the lights are on. Before you settle in, though, go to this site and wish Mr. Dunne a speedy recovery from cancer.

August 23 - September 22 Virgo
Let us now celebrate the genius that is Elvis Costello, who is a Virgo by the way. There is certainly not enough room here to discuss all the varied strands of his fabulosity. But I want you to be sure and catch his new TV show which debuts Wednesday, December 3 on the Sundance Channel at 9pm. Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… invites viewers to enjoy an intimate conversation between Costello and his guests, sprinkled with musical performances. The debut show features Sir Elton John. Upcoming episodes have Declan McManus (his real name) chatting with Bill Clinton, Lou Reed, James Taylor, The Police, and more. I personally cannot think of anyone I’d rather sit down to tea with than Elvis Costello.

September 23 - October 22 Libra
My favorite all-time Libra is John Lennon. I was surprised and amused to read this week that the Pope has officially forgiven Lennon for his remark in March 1966 that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Apparently, the Vatican’s official newspaper has absolved J.L. 42 years after the statement was made to a teen magazine called Datebook as part of an interview while the Beatles did their last American tour. L’Osservatore Romano said, “After so many years it sounds merely like the boasting of an English working-class lad struggling to cope with unexpected success.” For those who don’t remember, Lennon’s off the cuff remarks that he’d observed that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus at that time caused a huge shitstorm that ended up with Beatle records and memorabilia being set on fire. Radio stations stopped playing Beatle records. It was huge. And terrifying. And it was a world far unlike our own today in every way you can imagine. Lennon was made to apologize in front of the world at a press conference because of the vast carnage that his remark caused. One has to think that he’s up there shaking his head in wonder that he has now been pardoned by the Catholic Church. Good on ya, Johnny.

October 23 - November 21 Scorpio
And then there’s ripxoid. Avast ye Scorpio hearties, this is a handsome blog that takes on subjects like Philip K. Dick, pocket-sized primates, Obama, film noir, et cetera. You gotta love a blog with these categories: Bullshit, Movies, Music, Photos, Politics, Video, Web, and Weird News. That’s all I care about! Thank you Jeff Kopp of Garage Punk fame for birthing this baby. Writes Jeff: Yep, this is it. The very first post on a very new blog. Ah yes, just what the world needs, right? More blogs! Yeah, well, so what? Everyone has something to say (even if it isn’t entirely original) and I think us ‘xoidians have just as much if not MORE wacked-out, cool, crazy, funny or just plain INTERESTING stuff to say as any other group of geeks, so let’s make this happen.

November 22 - December 21 Sagittarius
Methinks that the refined sensibilities of the Sagittarian would thoroughly enjoy my favorite Scorsese film of all time, The King of Comedy. Released in 1982, the film is about nerdy geeky Rupert Pupkin (played by Robert DeNiro in what I think is his best role ever) and his obsession with becoming a comedian. He lives in his mother’s basement and play acts scenarios where he is a talk show guest discussing his glorious career. He idolizes talk show host Jerry Langford, played spectacularly by Jerry Lewis. I can’t tell you any more, but one of the taglines was: Nobody knows Rupert Pupkin, but by 11:30 tonight, the whole world will know he’s . . . THE KING OF COMEDY.

December 22 - January 19 Capricorn
Ah Capricorn! Pull up a chair and let’s talk about independent bookstores, shall we? I know you love new books. This week I’ve chosen Pandemonium Booksellers & Café located in beautiful Wasilla, Alaska. According to their website, they are an energetic, comfortable, bookstore & gourmet beverage/dessert establishment. Open every day of the week, this bastion of the free press also provides online ordering. It’s great to know that Wasilla has an indie bookstore. You betcha!

January 20 - February 18 Aquarius
Every once in awhile don’t you suddenly crave hummus? I do and when that urge comes on I go to Jerusalem Restaurant located between 103rd St. and 104th St. on Broadway. The place is the size of a postage stamp. Seriously, my living room is larger and I have a New York apartment. They’re open late, and they have great falafel as well as shwarma, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, and more. I know that Aquarians have been known to hanker for middle eastern food on occasion. Well, hanker here.

February 19 - March 20 Pisces
Speaking of the Catholic Church…Pisceans everywhere need to know about the 33-foot tall stainless steel statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace in New Castle, Delaware. The 8,400 pound statue, sculpted by Charles C. Parks, was dedicated on May 25, 2007 at the Holy Spirit Church. According to their website, At Fatima Our Blessed Mother revealed that Our Lord intends the present world to be saved through devotion to her Immaculate Heart. We have built a statue to make this message known to countless numbers of people who otherwise would not know Her.  In her desire to save her children, she has asked us to Pray The Rosary. In our world of many realities, we have known the REALITY OF THE POWER OF PRAYER. All the prayers we have ever said are ours - a real wealth - treasures stored up for us in heaven.  The Rosaries Our Lady asks for are ours to give - a treasury of prayer for her to use. She needs these Prayers NOW to give to her children in need. Parks, the sculptor, also made another huge steel Mary in Santa Clara, California. The Delaware Mary holds out her arms to bless the travelers on the nearby Delaware Memorial Bridge. It is apparently possible to enter a door at the base of the statue and go up a ladder to view the inside of her immaculate heart.

March 21 - April 19 Aries
The waxing gibbous moon is nearly full and it’s driving ya crazy, O Aries. You’ve been Palinized. Get over it! The Sarah Palin Affair is merely a distraction from the real show. It’s designed to siphon energy away from McCain v. Obama. Let’s get on message, people! Time’s a-wasting! You want to obsess over a strong woman? May I present the Reverend Skye Denno, 29 year old Church of England deacon and lager-drinking Sex Pistols fan. Read her story here. She’s freaking awesome. She’s a married mum of two who loves to go to the pub and see live music. She told the Daily Mail, “I think I love working for the Church because every day is different. Also, other than working for God you are really your own boss and it is nice to have that freedom.” Hosanna!

April 20 - May 20 Taurus
Taurus, I want you to Netflix my favorite flick of all time, Diner. It’s about five twenty-something young guys who spend 90% of their time hanging out together at a favorite diner located in Baltimore. One of them gets engaged to be married and this starts a whole new storyline in which they all start examining their lives and realize that they’re pretty much side-stepping real life by living in this diner-shaped cocoon. The film, brilliantly written and directed by Barry Levinson, was made in 1982 and boasts a bevy of now very well known actors. It could never be made today; their fees would be astronomical. Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, Paul Reiser, Ellen Barkin, for instance. My favorite scene; Rourke and Bacon are driving home at dawn from an all-night diner hang session and they glimpse a beautiful woman riding a horse from a distance. She’s very high end, old money looking, and they’re both transfixed. After a few moments of silence, Bacon says, “Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something going on that we don’t know about?”

May 21 - June 20 Gemini
You’re optimistic, creative, expressive, and you love to soak up art and culture. Celebrate the finer things in life with the October issue (and 25th/95th anniversary issue) of Vanity Fair Magazine. The magazine was originally launched in 1913. It’s second incarnation came about in 1983. There is simply nothing like it. It’s the only magazine I read cover to cover. Articles I didn’t even know I would be interested in are fascinating. This month the huge double issue (Marilyn Monroe is on the cover) pays tribute to its past and looks to the future. I always start with Dominick Dunne and this month he talks about his quarter-century of covering the rich and famous with fascinating anecdotal nuggets. The cover story is about the recent discovery of Marilyn possessions that raise new questions about her life and death. There’s also a succulent excerpt from Annie Liebovitz’s upcoming book, where she shares the stories behind some of her most well known images.

June 21 - July 22 Cancer
The ruler of the fourth sign of the zodiac is the Moon, its symbol being the Crab, known for dual personalities. At once shy and retiring, you can also be vibrant and gregarious. I’m thinking both personalities would benefit greatly from going to see the Fab Faux’s big ol’ psychedelic extravaganza 10 year anniversary show at Radio City Music Hall Saturday September 20th. And you can see the Faux on Late Night with Conan O’Brien Friday September 12th (as in tonight). I know what you’re thinking; Beatles tribute band, I don’t think so. But au contraire, this is no tribute band. These fellas are note for note, devout students of the Fabs. The Fab Five hail from the bands on the Conan and the Letterman show, so they’re the cream (tangerine) of the crop. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one). A ginger sling with a pineapple heart. See you there ~

July 23 - August 22 Leo
My favorite Leo this week is Tim Gunn, making it work every week on Project Runway as the steward to a posse of designers with varied backgrounds and skill sets. This season is good, but I have to say previous seasons did hold my attention a little more. However, Tim never disappoints. This week on the show, the contestants did an astrologically-themed challenge which was rather entertaining, to say the least. They had to team up with their former rivals who had been booted off the show in order to do the challenge; and then they were partially judged by a group of designers who had been on past seasons. During a party scene, Heidi Klum was actually disrespected to her face by one of the more egocentric whippersnappers and I was all, oh no you didn’t! And for some reason Suede is still there…the annoying one who talks about himself in the third person and looks like a refugee from Urgh! A Music War.

August 23 - September 22 Virgo
I have two words for you Virgo fussbudgets: Navratan Korma. Meaning Nine-Gem Curry. So named because of the nine different vegetables, fruit, and nuts in the dish. Thanks to the Andyman, I stumbled upon this dish in an Indian restaurant last week. And it’s really superfine. Order it with some naan and all is right with the world. For a few minutes at least.

September 23 - October 22 Libra
Libra, it’s that time again! Hit the books! Since my back to school days are over I will live vicariously through the wealthy, stuck up characters on Gossip Girl as they make their way back to Gotham from their summers in the Hamptons. In case you’re not clued in to the groove, the show centers on best friends Blair and Serena and their satellites of love. The narrator, who is never seen and remains a woman of mystery, knows and sees all and sends photos and provocative text messages to all and sundry. It’s to die for. The dialogue is genius. Recent Blair-isms: It’s like Roman Holiday but I’m Gregory Peck and he’s Audrey Hepburn! – and - Notice how my voice didn’t go up at the end? Not a question. Almost as addictive: the Gossip Girl Insider website.

October 23 - November 21 Scorpio
Hey Scorpio, want to live forever? Consider Portuguese Rice Pudding, a traditional dessert in Portugal. The dish, which contains white rice, hot milk, egg yolks, and cinnamon, is what Maria de Jesus of Portugal ate for her 115th birthday this week. She is believed to be the oldest living person in Europe and the second oldest living person in the world (the first is an American, Edna Parker, born in 1893). De Jesus lives in the village of Corujo in central Portugal and has six children. Feliz cumpleaños!

November 22 - December 21 Sagittarius
Southside Johnny was born December 4, 1948 in Neptune, New Jersey and his voice is one of the 8th wonders of the world. One of my favorite writers, Sal Nunziato (who’s now launched his own blog: Burning Wood) describes the new Southside Johnny album Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits thus in the Huffington Post: {the} arrangements evoke the brilliance of such orchestrators as Oliver Nelson, Billy May, and Nelson Riddle . . . “Down Down Down” becomes a kick-ass jitterbug and “All The Time In The World” sends you speeding through the Riviera, looking for Blofeld. “Johnsburg, Illinois,” one of my fave Waits tunes, clocks in at less than 2 minutes on “Swordfishtrombones.” It’s a tad longer here, but after one listen, you are ready to kick a can down some boulevard in the rain, wondering just why she did you wrong. Every song will either put you in a Billy Wilder film or some saloon. All I had to do was read this review and ch-ching, iTunes, I’m resting in the arms of these songs right now.

December 22 - January 19 Capricorn
Capricorns love their pets! And if you don’t have a pet, there are plenty out there that need your love. Find a shelter and get a new furry friend. And in keeping with our ongoing election year theme, may I turn you on to the Presidential Pets Museum, located in Historic Williamsburg, Virginia. The Museum was founded in 1999 to preserve information, artifacts, and items related to the Presidential Pets. Over 500 items of interest are displayed for lovers of pets, Presidents and pet trivia. As it happens, nearly every President had a pet, both exotic and common, and one can learn about them all here. Currently the First Dog is Barney Bush, a Scottish Terrier. We’re all looking forward to Barney moving to a nice big ranch in Texas where he can have acres and acres to roam.

January 20 - February 18 Aquarius
Strange and unusual things fascinate you, Aquarians. Therefore I have no doubt that you’ll dig the Old Creepy Ad post on Weirdomatic.com (thanks Ilene). Sometimes it’s really scary what the human mind can conceive for advertising, writes Alexandra, the 23 year old author of this blog. A Gillette Safety Razor ad shows a baby wielding a razor and the tagline Begin Early / Shave Yourself. Say what???? Lysol (a concentrated Germ-Killer) for female hygiene! To relieve fatigue – get a LIFT with a Camel! Gadzooks, this stuff is really off the hook.

February 19 - March 20 Pisces
Those born under the sign of Pisces should consider treating yourself to something luxurious this weekend. You’re overworked and stressed out. I’ve got just the thing – Sabon. Check it: In the summer of 1974, in a small farming town in Israel, a young couple made soap in their back yard. Guided by an ancient aboriginal recipe they had stumbled upon during their travels, they meticulously blended various local herbs and flowers into their magical mixture of fragrant oils and lye…Today, with the same love and creativity that inspired the original bar of lavender soap, Sabon has somewhat expanded upon their soap line to include delightful and dreamy products for the body, the home and the soul. This spectacular collection of lotions and potions is now available in stores across Israel, Europe and America. Log on to their site, find a location near you, or order online. And breathe . . .