"Inconsequential things that men don't really care to know....."

"....Become essential things that women find so apropos......" so goes the song by Neil Hefti and Bobby Troup from the movie Harlow.

Apropos of not very much:
#1
I noticed, in casting my eye down Wiki's list of births for this day, 13 December through the years, two names with a coincidental, inconsequential link, the kind I like best!

Born 13 December 1925: Dick Van Dyke
Born 13 December 1929: Christopher Plummer
A word linking those two actors: Nanny. A name? Julie Andrews, aka Mary Poppins and Maria Rainer (later von Trapp).

Small things...........!

#2

We're a day late and a dollar short (again) getting into TV series The 4400. It ran from 2004 to 2007. We've just watched DVDs of the first season, enjoyed it a lot.
When two actors I once blogged about as look-alikes showed up I was first confused, then surprised, when the two appeared in the same scene arguing with one another. In a post a couple of years ago, I'd exclaimed about their facial likeness, along with a third similar-looking actor. I'm adding a slightly edited version of that 2010 post below. Facial likeness of these actors still fascinates me - inconsequential things often do.

Facial features can be arranged on a human being in a limited number of ways, so it's surprising that we don't notice more look-alikes. Outside of family resemblances, which are to be expected, there aren't too many people with facial likenesses strong enough to confuse us. There are a few though - I came across an instance recently. In an episode of Boston Legal, we couldn't decide whether one of the characters was being played by an actor we knew from Eureka. "He's broader", I kept trying to convince myself...."the Eureka guy is slimmer built....but....erm...he could have put on weight for the part".

Colin Ferguson who plays the sheriff in Eureka, and Mark Valley of Boston Legal, Human Target - and Fringe were the two who originally had me confused. There's a third guy who could be added to this particular look-alike list: Joel Gretsch of The 4400.

From the top: Colin, Mark, Colin, Mark, and Joel.







Astrologically, appearance is said to relate mainly to the rising sign - though I would guess that Sun and Moon signs, or any sign heavily emphasised or strongly placed on an angle, could also influence looks. I've personally come to recognise a limited number of astrology-related facial/physical features in people I've met. Gemini:wiry or skinny, bony face; Capricorn/Aquarius/Saturn: a definite look with regular features (hard to describe in words); Cancer: round face, tending towards chubbiness; and of course the famous magnetic Scorpio eyes, and the lustrous Leo hair.

Without times of birth, without knowing rising signs and Moon placement for the three guys mentioned, it's not possible conduct a proper investigation into whether astrology has any bearing on their facial likeness.

Colin Ferguson - born 22 July 1972, Montreal, Canada.
Mark Valley - born 24 December 1964 Ogdensburg, NY.
Joel Gretsch - born 20 December 1963, St. Cloud MN.

I've compared 12 noon charts for the three and can find only one point of (almost) convergence between 28 Sag and 2 Capricorn: Colin Ferguson has Jupiter at 00 Capricorn, Mark Valley has Sun at 2 Capricorn and Joel Gretsch has Sun at 28 Sagittarius. If their rising signs were somewhere around that area it'd be amazing!

There's a non-astrological possibility for the likeness too, though I've no evidence to support it: Scottish ancestry. The look they share has a definite Scottish flavour.

And...acknowledging the song quoted at the top of this post, Julie London, wife of co-composer Bobby Troup, sings it here:

Facial Likeness

Facial features can be arranged on a human being in a limited number of ways, so it's surprising that we don't notice more look-alikes. Outside of family resemblances, which are to be expected, there aren't too many people with facial likenesses strong enough to confuse us. There are a few though - I came across an instance recently. We happened upon an episode of Boston Legal, when surfing TV channels. We couldn't decide whether one of the characters was being played by an actor we knew from Eureka. "He's broader", I kept trying to convince myself...."the Eureka guy is slimmer built....but....erm...he could have put on weight for the part".

Colin Ferguson who plays the sheriff in Eureka, and Mark Valley of Boston Legal and Human Target - and, I think, Fringe were the two who originally had me confused. As I was drafting this post about them and looking for photographs, I noticed another who could be added to this particular look-alike list: Joel Gretsch of The 4400

From the top: Colin, Mark, Colin, Mark, and Joel.







Astrologically, appearance is said to relate mainly to the rising sign - though I would guess that Sun and Moon signs, or any sign heavily emphasised or strongly placed on an angle, could also influence looks. I've personally come to recognise a limited number of astrology-related facial/physical features in people I've met. Gemini:wiry or skinny, bony face; Capricorn/Aquarius/Saturn: a definite look with regular features (hard to describe in words); Cancer: round face, tending towards chubbiness; and of course the famous magnetic Scorpio eyes, and the lustrous Leo hair.

Anyway, without times of birth, and therefore without knowing rising signs and Moon placement for the three guys mentioned, it's not possible conduct a proper investigation into whether astrology has any bearing on their facial likeness. Their birthdates are as follows:
Colin Ferguson - 22 July 1972, Montreal, Canada
Mark Valley - 24 December 1964 Ogdensburg, NY
Joel Gretsch - 20 December 1963, St. Cloud MN.

I've compared 12 noon charts for the three and can find only one point of (almost) convergence. This occurs in the few degrees at the end of Sagittarius and beginning of Capricorn, between 28 Sag and 2 Cap.: Colin Ferguson has Jupiter at 00 Capricorn, Mark Valley has Sun at 2 Capricorn and Joel Gretschen has Sun at 28 Sagittarius. If their rising signs were anywhere around that area it'd be amazing!

There's a non-astrological possibility for the likeness too, though I've no evidence to support it: Scottish ancestry. The look they share has a definite Scottish flavour.

"Eureka" - Colin Ferguson !

Colin Ferguson isn't exactly a household name yet, but I suspect it will be, soon. Anyone who watches the TV sci-fi series "Eureka" will recognise this actor who plays the part of the sheriff of Eureka, a very strange town where very strange things happen. He stumbled into the town quite by accident, and his character often seems to be the only "ordinary" person there. Solid and sensible, but with a wicked sense of humour and quick wit usually delivered with a straight face - a killer combination for many females, myself included.



I was kind of expecting his natal Sun to be Capricorn - that combination of characteristics is often found in Sun Capricorns, but no - he has Sun (just) in Cancer, the opposite sign. His natal Jupiter is at 00* Capricorn though. Of course, Jack Carter, the sheriff, could well have Sun in Capricorn, as an upholder of the law.

Colin Ferguson was born in Montreal, Canada, on 22 July 1972. I've had to use a 12noon chart as I can find no time of birth for him.



Paragraphs from a brief biography HERE tell us the following about the actor (with notes from me, in red).

Born in Montreal, Colin Ferguson grew up in Hong Kong, England, Connecticut and Toronto. He got into improv comedy to make money to put himself through McGill University, and he was a founding member of Detroit's Second City comedy club while still in school. (Mercury and Mars in Leo, Venus and Saturn in Gemini, in sextile, probably account for his love of acting and the stage, his desire to work hard to achieve his goals. His love of comedy may be indicated by the sextile between Uranus in Libra and Mercury/Mars in Leo - Uranus is often connected with comedy, I've noticed. That comedic thread is apparent in his Eureka character, Jack Carter, too.)

Ferguson worked in a variety of occupations before he made acting his full-time profession. He taught high school when he was only 19, planted 3,000 trees a day in the Canadian north and even worked as a mannequin in store windows. When he worked the assembly line at a factory for General Electric (parent company of NBC Universal), he never imagined that he would work for the company again as an actor.(Again - Venus only 5* from Saturn - willing to work hard for his goals, and these planets in Gemini would likely give him the versatility needed for the variety of jobs mentioned).

Ferguson's love of travel has taken him to exotic destinations in Turkey, Morocco, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba, Iceland, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and Singapore. He hopes to make future trips to India and Africa.(Moon, ruler of his Sun sign Cancer, is certain to be in Sagittarius, the travellers' sign, though degree uncertain due to lack of birth time, Neptune in Sagittarius too).

Colin Ferguson's natal Sun is only just in Cancer, in the last minutes of that sign -it's almost exactly sextile Pluto in Virgo, possibly endowing him with a powerful will, and determination to achieve his aims.