Director and actor Al Pacino poses for photographers as he arrives for the "Wilde Salome" red carpet at the 68th Venice Film Festival September 4, 2011.
The coming Year of the Dragon will bring actor Al Pacino good fortune, but Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin needs to watch out -- he may lose vast sums of money.
As Chinese communities around the globe prepared for Lunar New Year, which starts on Monday, a Taiwanese fortune teller predicted a mixed bag of luck for famous "dragon" people around the world.
"Putin was born in 1952 ... This year he has a negative Treasure Star, it means he could lose a lot of money," Chan Wei-chung said of the possible fortune of the Russian leader, who last month faced widespread protests over a disputed election.
"As a country's leader, it is possible that he will not get the money he should earn, or the money he earns in the end all needs to be spent out again," Chan added, using an ancient Chinese method that plots destiny from alignments of stars in 12 "palaces" at the time and date of birth.
For veteran actor Al Pacino, born in 1940, the year is brighter, particularly if he does good deeds.
"This card reads 'bright sunshine,' which means he could turn away trouble with good luck, because of his works of charity or the help he has done for others," Chan said, consulting a set of fortune-telling cards he designed himself.
"This is a very lucky sign, we are very happy for him."
Sandra Bullock, born in 1964, needs to watch out for manipulative people beside her, but may have a chance of conceiving, while Reese Witherspoon, born in 1976, may enjoy more work success despite suffering from stress.
Chan, whose advice is much sought after by Taiwan's glitterati, sees a magic year for British actor Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame, but only if he heeds his elders.
"This year he has helpful forces by his side ... unstoppable connections in the rise of fame. His money comes from elders this year, this includes any seniors, his agent or his company, who can all help him to earn more money," Chan said.
即将到来的龙年将带给演员阿尔•帕西诺好运，但俄罗斯总理弗拉基米尔•普京则需当心——他可能会损失一大笔钱。
眼下全球华人都在准备迎接周一到来的农历新年，一位台湾算命师预测说，对于世界各地的属龙名人来说，新的一年的运程将是有好有坏。
算命大师陈伟忠（音译）谈到俄罗斯领导人普京的运势时说：“普京是1952年出生的龙人……今年他的财星逆行，这意味着他会损失很多钱。”普京在上个月因选举争议而遭遇大规模的抗议。
陈大师补充说：“作为一个国家领导人，他可能将无法得到他本应挣到的钱，或者他挣到的钱最后又要再花出去。”陈大师用的是中国的一种古老的算命方法，根据出生时日12宫的星象来预测命运。
对于1940年出生的资深演员阿尔•帕西诺而言，这是比较光辉的一年，而且如果他多做善事运势就会特别好。
陈大师用自己设计的一套算命牌占卜之后说：“这张牌名称是‘明亮阳光’，这意味着他的好运将驱除烦恼，因为他做的善事或为别人提供的帮助会让他趋吉避凶。”
“这是一张非常幸运的牌，我们很为他感到高兴。”
1964年出生的桑德拉•布洛克则需当心身边的人利用她，不过她在这个本命年有怀孕机会，而1976年出生的瑞茜•威瑟斯彭可能事业上会更成功，尽管压力会比较大。
陈大师预测凭《哈利•波特》成名的英国演员鲁伯特•格林特将迎来不可思议的一年，不过必须多听取年长者的意见才行。陈大师的建议是台湾社会名流所争相求取的。
陈大师说：“今年鲁伯特身边将会有贵人……这和名气上升有不可分割的联系。他今年的财源来自年长者，包括资深人士、他的经纪人或他的公司，他们都可能帮他挣更多的钱。”
veteran: 经验丰富的，资深的
conceive: 怀孕
glitterati: （总称）社会名流；（文学界、社交界的）知名人士；富有魅力的知名人士