Star Struck Style

December 27 is Marlene Dietrich’s birthday.

I put a lot of thought into how the placement of natal planets can impact an individual’s predilections. For instance, I have a Capricorn sun and I am obsessed with Las Vegas. I’ve been there dozens of times, and every time I go I’m amazed that the city continues to be so amazing. It’s the most remarkable combination of everything terrible and everything fabulous about American culture, and I just can’t get enough of it.

That’s a Capricorn sentiment if I’ve ever heard one! Many of us goats are fascinated by the high and the low. For instance, I have a difficult time choosing what I like more: “Viva Las Vegas” Elvis at the peak of his career, or jumpsuit-clad Elvis beginning his 1969 Las Vegas residency. Curiously, Elvis was a Capricorn. I don’t believe that it is a coincidence that I get Capricorn vibes from the city that has become synonymous with the performer.

Until a moment ago, however, I had no idea that Marlene Dietrich had a show at the Sahara in the 1950s. Dietrich was a Capricorn’s Capricorn, with several planets in the sign. Knowing that she was one of the first performers to book a Las Vegas residency makes me wonder what she would think of Las Vegas if she were alive today.

I suppose that she would like it — there’s a lot to like about it. It’s still just a glitzy mirage in the middle of the desert that gives a grounded goat like me the chance to stick his head in the clouds for a few days every year. I’m going in fifty-four days. It’s all I can think about. I need a break from reality!

Before I go, I think I need to research the history of the city a little more to see if there’s a museum or some other place where I can learn a little more about Las Vegas. I remember being in the old Riviera hotel where the hallway to the showroom was lined with photos of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor lounging poolside at the resort. Maybe those pictures ended up somewhere else after they knocked down the hotel. It’s something I need to look into. I feel as if it’s my duty as a Capricorn to add a little depth and meaning to my semi-annual pilgrimage. It’s either that or a trip to Planet Hollywood to see Britney Spears.

On that note, they just don’t make stars like they used to. Right, Marlene Dietrich?