On
February 29, 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford announced that she was quitting
her fourteen-year stint as co-host of the popular morning talk show,
Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The show, which catapulted
Kathie Lee to fame and fortune, is the centerpiece of her successful
and varied career. Finding a replacement for the vivacious Kathie
Lee will be no small task, since she and co-host Regis
Philbin seem to be as natural a coupling as peas and
carrots.
Kathie
Lee, like Regis, is one of those celebrities that you either love
or hate. Her life and all of its elements have been the fodder of
the tabloid press, who seemed to delight in her difficulties. One
of the reasons she gave for retiring from the morning gabfest is
that she wanted to protect her children from the cruel and punishing
treatment of the press. But, her critics argue, it is she who talks
about them incessantly—often to the seeming annoyance of Regis and
Michael Gelman, Live’s producer—thereby making the Gifford children
fair game.
Is
the press mean and unfair to Kathie Lee, or are they just reflecting
our collective jealousy of this woman who seems to have it all—talent,
good looks, popularity, fame, money and a loving family? Maybe we
derive some secret, perverse pleasure out of hearing that our best-loved
celebrities are merely human after all. Perhaps, it is somehow comforting
for ordinary folk to know that the beautiful Kathie Lee had a husband
that could be tempted to cheat on her too or, that she, a champion
of children’s rights and welfare, profited unwittingly from the
sweatshop labors of little children in third world countries. And,
when she stands by her man and works out the problems in her marriage
or becomes a one-woman crusade for fair labor practices for all
the world’s children, we fall in love with her all over again.
Sun
in Leo: Shining Personality
Kathie
Lee, born on August 16, 1953, at 11:30 pm in Neuilly-Sur-Seine,
France, has her Sun in Leo. Leos radiate so much warmth that others
can’t help but want to bask in their presence, and Kathie Lee’s
sunny smile has become a favorite of morning TV fans. Those with
Sun in Leo enjoy the spotlight and are natural performers who crave
the love and acceptance of an adoring audience. A noted philanthropist,
Kathie Lee, along with her husband, sportscaster Frank Gifford (also
a Leo born on August 16), established Cody House and Cassidy’s Place,
which are facilities for HIV-positive and crack-addicted babies.
This kind of generosity and devotion to children is typical of Leos.
Just
as the Sun is the center of our solar system, Leos are often the
center of their personal universes. Those around them will look
to them for leadership and guidance. While it is clear that her
children are the center of her life, it is also evident that she
is the center of theirs. Symbolized by the lion, you can usually
spot a Leo by their beautiful manes, and Kathie Lee is no exception.
Her hair is often a topic of conversation during Live’s
host chat segments. And, Kathie Lee’s desire to protect her children
from the scrutiny of the press is not unlike that of a lioness protecting
her cubs. Like her royal counterpart in the jungle, Kathie Lee is
a fiercely proud woman who is devoted and loyal to her family.
Gemini
Rising: Jack of All Trades
Kathie
Lee’s ascendant is in the versatile sign of Gemini. Given this,
instead of being surprised that she is quitting a lucrative job,
you have to wonder what took her so long to leave the Live
show. Those with Gemini rising are naturally witty and talkative,
perfect for the talk show venue. Linked to Mercury, the planet of
communication, they seem to be able to converse brilliantly on any
topic. Just don’t take them too deep. It is not that they lack the
intelligence to delve into subjects, just the ability to stick to
it. They bore easily and so must be constantly stimulated with new
subjects or be in jobs that are endlessly varied. They are the sort
of individuals that can, or at least will try to, talk on the phone,
knit, watch TV and eat dinner all at once.
Kathie
Lee is an accomplished singer and songwriter with a number of albums
under her belt. After all, her first big show-business break was
as the featured singer on the Name That Tune quiz
show. You can add nightclub entertainer to her resume, and don’t
forget her lucrative and busy career as a commercial spokesperson
for Carnival Cruise Line, Ultra SlimFast and Revlon. She is a savvy
businesswoman with her own line of clothing for Wal-Mart. And, she
is the author of an autobiography and a children’s book, as well
as starring in her own fitness video. Together with son Cody, she
recently appeared in a made for TV movie for Disney. As if all this
wasn’t enough, this past year she conquered Broadway to surprising
critical acclaim by substituting for Carol Burnett in Stephen Sondheim’s
Putting It All Together. Kathie Lee has put her talents
all together to fashion herself into a one-woman entertainment conglomerate.
A
Connection to Pluto: Profound and Passionate
There
is an intensity about Kathie Lee that is easily explained by the
conjunction of Sun and Pluto in her chart, and the fact that she
has the Moon in Scorpio, the sign associated with Pluto. If you
go beyond the exterior fluff, you come to realize that she has a
wellspring of emotional depth and caring. She seems to possess a
burning desire to transform those feelings into her creative work
as a performer and into her charitable work to help the world’s
children. Transformation is the ultimate goal of the strong Plutonian
type—how can I use what I have to change myself, to change a situation,
to change the world? In Kathie Lee’s case, the world was witness
to this process in action in the way that she handled the revelation
that her clothing line for Wal-Mart was being produced by child
laborers.
A
New Beginning
The
desire for a career change may be associated with the eclipse patterns
of the last year or so, which activated the parts of Kathie Lee’s
chart that have to do with career and family. Striking a balance
is difficult for most women today, and Kathie Lee seems to be no
exception. She cited a need to spend more time with her family as
a key reason for leaving the Live show. With her husband
and children all getting older, there is no time like the present
to cherish every minute. And the grueling schedule that a live morning
talk show demands does not leave much time for other endeavors.
Her recent forays into Broadway and television acting must have
whet her appetite for more career challenges. Though her fans are
certain to miss seeing her on a daily basis, to be sure, they have
not seen the end of Kathie Lee Gifford. In all likelihood, it is
only the beginning.