Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Florida Teen finds out Nintendo DS rocks...literally!


This story has some serious stones!

By Ben Silverman

Jodi Wykle knew her son would be thrilled when she gave him a new Nintendo DS for his birthday.

Instead, he was rocked.

According to WTSP-TV, the confused teen opened up his gift only to find bunch of stones and a rolled up Chinese newspaper in place of the popular handheld.


All I got was a rock.
Needless to say, mom was equally stunned.

"When he opened it, he was pulling the seal off, my sister-in-law carries a pocket knife and she opened it and that's when he pulled it out and it was Chinese newspaper and a bunch of rocks," she explained.

The troubling discovery prompted the Florida woman to contact the local Wal-Mart where she bought the curious box and complain, but reportedly workers there told her it wasn't their problem and that she should contact Nintendo instead. Of course, Nintendo told her roughly the same thing, leaving mother and son with a $138 box of rocks.

"They don't want to do nothing. They want me to keep the box of rocks. I'm not buying a box of rocks for $138," she said.

Amazingly enough, however, Wal-Mart soon caved after learning that the same box of rocks had been previously returned by another disgruntled customer. How exactly it made it back onto store shelves remains a mystery, but for her troubles, Wykle was given a full refund and a $20 gift card.

It's not the first time Wal-Mart has gotten into hot water for selling a questionable handheld. Earlier this month, a PSP system bought at a different Wal-Mart store in Florida was found to contain a memory stick filled with pornographic images.


Man...sometimes WalMart can be such A-Holes!
I hope that the kid could get his DS.

Via plugged in

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

What? Is Peter Jackson going to release another LOTR film. No! But if he could, it would look like this!
The Hunt for Gollum is an unauthorized 45-minute fan-film set in the Lord of the Rings universe, set to premiere at the Sci-Fi London film festival. It's the second film from indie director Chris Bouchard, whose previous effort was a low-budg zombie flick called "Human Residue," and he appears to have leveraged his success with that feature, recruiting an immensely talented group of effects wizards, sculptors and artists (it's impossible to say much about the acting and writing based on the trailers, but I hope they're on par!). The whole thing is being produced for £3000 ($8,000) -- but it looks like a million! The story was inspired by an appendix to Lord of the Rings, in which Tolkien explains "what Aragorn and Gollum got up to before the trilogy began."



Via Boing Boing

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Swine Flu Hysteria!


As in the last 5 days have been any indication, it looks that we are in the grips of an epidemic of biblical proportions. I'm talking about Swine Flu. The hysteria that the media has whipped up is making people nervous everywhere, especially in the States, Mexico and here in PR. Yet other countries are not nervous. Why? Because they can count! That's right! We are being bamboozled by the media so hard, that we forget that the math doesn't support the pandemic supposition.

Right now there are 1,000 cases of the disease in Mexico, 152 deaths (especially in very poor parts of the country, where medicine is only for the rich!)

Still...

There's 110 million people living in Mexico. 152 deaths against 110 million...

0.001 percent of the population of Mexico is infected.

It's a bad flu...but not a pandemic.

More people die in Mexico of bad water and drug killings daily than from the Pig Flu!

In the States...50 cases in 5 states. No deaths!

In a country that has 400 million people.

That's 0.0001% of the population!

You have a better probability that Somali Pirates will kidnap you that you will get the Flu!

I'm not saying that you don't take care. Wash your hands constantly. But don't panic!!!!

Don't buy into the hysteria!!!!! Use your head!!!!!

Monday, April 27, 2009

And the Box Office Champion this week is...


The prospect of a saucy smackdown between R&B singer Beyonce Knowles and teen-movie siren Ali Larter propelled the new "Fatal Attraction"-style thriller "Obsessed" to the top of the weekend box office in North America.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Obsessed" sold $28.5 million worth of tickets, earning about twice what industry pundits had forecast and easily exceeding its modest $20 million budget.
The Screen Gems picture ranks as the label's second-best opening after the $30 million start for 2005's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." Screen Gems is the lucrative low-budget division of Sony Corp's Columbia Pictures.
Knowles, the former Destiny's Child frontwoman who recently played blues icon Etta James in "Cadillac Records," stars as a woman who engages in a no-holds-barred fight to save her marriage when a pretty office temp (Larter) falls hard for her husband (Idris Elba).
"This is one of those movies where you want to watch Beyonce kick butt," said Rory Bruer, Columbia's president of worldwide distribution.
The studio said female moviegoers comprised 58 percent of the audience, while 49 percent of all viewers were aged under 25.
ADULT DRAMAS STRUGGLE
Last weekend's champion, the "Big"-style body-swap comedy "17 Again," slipped to No. 2 with $11.7 million. The movie, starring former "High School Musical" hunk Zac Efron, has earned $40 million after 10 days. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
The top-10 boasted three other new releases. "Fighting," starring Channing Tatum as a street-brawler, opened at No. 3 with a solid $11.4 million; "The Soloist," a drama starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., at No. 4 with a modest $9.7 million; and the documentary "Earth" at No. 5 with $8.6 million, the biggest opening for a nature film.
"Fighting" also played to a young crowd, with two-thirds of the audience aged under 25. But male moviegoers accounted for 58 percent. The film, which also stars Terrence Howard, was produced by Rogue Pictures, a unit of closely held Relativity Media, and distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.
Despite its acting pedigree, "The Soloist" encountered the same problem that has afflicted recent adult-based dramas such as "Duplicity" and "State of Play." "None of them seem to have played at the high end," said Don Harris, executive vice-president of distribution at Paramount Pictures, which released the film.
The fact-based story stars Downey as a Los Angeles Times columnist who befriends a homeless musician (Foxx). Critics mostly liked the movie, with the Los Angeles Times being a notable exception.
The $40 million film was produced by closely held DreamWorks SKG. Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc, originally planned to release it late last year in hopes of getting some awards recognition, but the studio pulled it at the last minute to concentrate on Oscar campaigns for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Revolutionary Road."
"Duplicity," which starred Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, ended up with about $40 million. "State of Play," starring Russell Crowe, fell five places to No. 7 with $6.9 million in its second weekend, taking its 10-day haul to $25.1 million. Both were released by Universal.
While the other new releases opened on Friday, as is tradition, "Earth" got a two-day head start to coincide with Earth Day. The documentary was produced by Walt Disney Co's nascent Disneynature Films. The company said the previous best comparable opening for a nature documentary was $7.2 million for 2005's "March of the Penguins."

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Two tourists lost in el Yunque Mountain, found safe and sound.


Usually, these stories happen a lot in our big rain forrest. Kenisha Campbell, 32 and Venetta Harris, 31 from Georgia got lost while hiking near the Mameyes and Cristal rivers at 8:00 pm. Friday night.
"In their enjoyment, they forgot that the park closed. When they got disoriented trying to get back, they got on their cell phones and called 911, but poor reception in the area made communications almost impossible. Luckily they were found at 11:30 am. yesterday" said police officer José Linares of the Fajardo district.

They were treated for insect bites and exposure, but released on site and returned to their hotel.

Cool...a happy ending and a great story to tell back home!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The real Wonder Bra!


This is one of those news that you can't believe. But they happen!

DETROIT (Reuters) - A 57-year-old Detroit woman avoided serious injury when the underwire on her bra deflected a bullet shot at her from next door, police said.

The woman, who lives on the West side of Detroit, saw a group of men breaking into a neighbor's house on Tuesday morning. When the men spotted her, one of them fired a shot at her, a police spokesman said.

The bullet struck the underwire on the woman's bra and that saved her from a more serious injury, police said.

"It did slow the bullet down," said Detroit police spokesman Phillip Cook. "She sustained injuries but they're not life threatening."

The woman, who was not identified, was treated at a nearby hospital. The suspects in the shooting drove away.


The new Supergirl Bra!
It will also help you to jump tall buildings in a single bound!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Woman gets Death sentence for bad Curry!


Weird!

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Supreme Court sentenced a woman to death on Tuesday for killing four and making more than 60 ill by poisoning a large pot of curry at a summer festival in 1998, a case widely covered in domestic media.

The incident shocked Japan, where crime rates are relatively low and mass killings extremely rare.

Public broadcaster NHK reported the Supreme Court upheld a lower court death sentence on Masumi Hayashi, 47, for the crime that took place in the western Japanese city of Wakayama.

The Supreme Court called the crime "cruel and despicable," NHK added.

Prosecutors charged Hayashi became enraged after being shunned by her neighbors and put arsenic in the curry when she was alone in the garage where it was being prepared, Japanese media said.

Hayashi has denied being involved in the deaths in recent interviews with several domestic media outlets.


Curry can be that bad!
Then again...isn't curry from India?

Monday, April 20, 2009

And the Box Office Champion this week is...


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "High School Musical" heartthrob Zac Efron graduated to the big leagues at the North American box office on Sunday as his new comedy crushed a weighty thriller starring Russell Crowe.
"17 Again," in which Efron plays a dispirited 37-year-old family man who gets to relive his glory days at high school, earned a better-than-expected $24.1 million, distributor Warner Bros. said.
Crowe's "State of Play" opened at No. 2 with $14.1 million, but managed to exceed the modest expectations of its distributor, Universal Pictures.
Last weekend's champion, "Hannah Montana: The Movie," fell to No. 4 with $12.7 million, taking the 10-day haul for Walt Disney Co's Miley Cyrus vehicle to $56.1 million.
Just ahead of it, the family cartoon "Monsters vs. Aliens" held steady at No. 3 with $12.9 million. After four weekends, the DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc production has earned $162.7 million, making it the biggest movie of the year so far.
Also new was "Crank: High Voltage," a sequel starring British actor Jason Statham. It opened at No. 6 with $6.5 million. Pundits had expected the thriller to do better than "State of Play."
While "17 Again" is the latest in a long line of body-switch comedies including such hits as "Big" and "Freaky Friday," its producers had their cake and ate it too by poking fun at the genre.
"I don't think we tried to play the earnest version," said producer Jennifer Gibgot, who originated the project after working with Efron in "Hairspray."
Critics were generally kind to the picture, which also stars "Friends" veteran Matthew Perry as the adult version of Efron, and Leslie Mann as his wife.
Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it had been hoping for an opening in the low $20 million range, and was heartened by preliminary data showing that the PG-13 movie was playing to a wider audience than the 9-to-12-year-old tweens who made Efron a star in the "High School Musical" franchise.
EFRON AS LEADING MAN
Gibgot said her goal was to show that Efron, 21, could be a leading man. She envisaged future roles for him in smart thrillers or the sort of movies that made Michael J. Fox a star, like the "Back to the Future" series.
"State of Play," on the other hand, was dogged by the same challenges that have befallen other adult-oriented thrillers, such as "Michael Clayton" and "Duplicity." Older audiences generally don't flock to the cinemas on opening weekends, and may wait for the DVD.
"Adult films don't rock the box office," said Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution at Universal, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.
But she said "State of Play" was off to a solid start, and she hoped it would hold up well over the next few weekends.
The $60 million movie, based on a BBC miniseries, stars Crowe as a grizzled reporter who investigates a political conspiracy. The cast is rounded out by fellow Oscar-winner Helen Mirren as his editor and Ben Affleck as a politician. Critics were effusive in their praise.
"Crank: High Voltage," which did not screen in advance for critics, was released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. A spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The first film, "Crank," opened to $10.5 million in 2006 and ended up with $28 million.
Overall sales rose for the fourth consecutive year, when compared to the year-ago weekend, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers. Year-to-date sales are up 17 percent at $2.9 billion, placing the industry on a firm footing ahead of the summer movie-going period. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" kicks off the lucrative season on May 1.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

If you get trapped by a python, bite it back!


These things still happens in Africa!

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan man bit a python who wrapped him in its coils and hauled him up a tree in a struggle that lasted hours, local media said Wednesday.

Farm manager Ben Nyaumbe was working at the weekend when the serpent, apparently hunting for livestock, struck in the Malindi area of Kenya's Indian Ocean coast.

"I stepped on a spongy thing on the ground and suddenly my leg was entangled with the body of a huge python," he told the Daily Nation newspaper.

When the snake coiled itself round his upper body, Nyaumbe resorted to desperate measures: "I had to bite it."

The python dragged him up a tree, but when it eased its grip, Nyaumbe said he was able to take a mobile phone out of his pocket and phone for help.

When his supervisor came with a policeman, Nyaumbe smothered the snake's head with his shirt, while the rescuers tied it with a rope and pulled.

"We both came down, landing with a thud," said Nyaumbe, who survived with damaged lips and bruising.

The snake escaped from the three sacks it was bundled into.


Thankfully, these things don't happen in PR. Or do they?

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Disturbing Strokes!

What do you get when you combine the opening visuals to the beloved TV show "Diff'rent Strokes" and change it's peppy music for something dark and sinister.

Something completely different indeed!



Make you own conclusions. I think it's creepy that an old white man picks up two young black kids in the hood!
Hmmm...

Thanks, Tara McGinley!

And on a personal note...Happy Birthday Venus!!!!
Love ya!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Halleluiah!!! A Lego miracle!!!


Easter just got a different twist now!

STOCKHOLM – Parishioners at a church in Sweden celebrated Easter on Sunday by unveiling a 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter-tall) statue of Jesus that they had built out of 30,000 Lego blocks.

It took the 40 volunteers about 18 months to put all the tiny plastic blocks together, and their creation shows a standing Jesus facing forward with his arms outstretched.

The Protestant church was filled to capacity with about 400 worshippers on Sunday when the statue went on display behind the altar, and some of the children in the congregation couldn't help but touch the white art work.

Church spokesman Per Wilder said the statue at the Onsta Gryta church in the central Swedish city of Vasteras is a copy of Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's "Christus" statue on display in Copenhagen.

He also said that even though the statue is all white on the outside, many of the donated Legos that the church received were of other colors and were placed inside.


How long till a Lego Star Wars/Jesus crossover!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

And the Box Office Champion this week is...


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – OMG! OMG!
Sixteen-year-old actress Miley Cyrus became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood on Sunday as her first nonconcert movie topped the North American box office, earning twice as much as Disney had forecast.
Walt Disney Co's "Hannah Montana: The Movie" sold $34 million worth of tickets at the three-day Easter weekend, as fans of the perky starlet rushed to see the first big-screen adaptation of her hit Disney Channel TV series.
Cyrus returned the favor, turning up with her father and co-star, Billy Ray Cyrus, at theaters in Utah and Tennessee and blogging about her wild weekend on Twitter.
"omgomg! my fans rock! the movie is doing great you guys! omg AND its all cause of you!!!! I LOVE U ALL! IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT YET CHECK IT!," she wrote, using the "omg" acronym as shorthand for "Oh, my God."
As in her TV show, Cyrus plays a regular schoolgirl by day and a pop star by night. But her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) decides she needs to get back to her small-town roots, so takes her on a surprise trip to her old Tennessee home where love and other complications ensue.
Going into the weekend, Disney had hoped "Hannah Montana" would perform in the same range as 2003's "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," a vehicle for Disney Channel star Hilary Duff. "Lizzie" opened to $17.3 million in 2003, and ended its domestic run with $42.7 million.

On Sunday, the studio denied that it had deliberately set a low target. "It caught us by surprise. No doubt about it," said Chuck Viane, the studio's president of domestic theatrical distribution. "Outside of Wow! what can you say?"
Exit polling showed that women made up 80 percent of moviegoers, and 60 percent of the audience was aged between two and 17, Viane said.
Cyrus' previous big-screen outing, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," opened with $31 million last year, ending up with $65 million to become the biggest concert movie of all time.
Disney will soon begin shooting another Cyrus movie, "The Last Song," Viane said.
Cyrus is now a bigger draw than Oscar-winners like Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster, who each had $13 million openings with their last movies, "Duplicity" and "Nim's Island," respectively.
Last weekend's champion "Fast & Furious" slipped to No. 2 with $28.8 million, taking the 10-day total for Universal Pictures' race-car thriller to $118.0 million. The studio is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc's "Monsters vs. Aliens" was down one at No. 3 with $22.6 million in its third weekend; its total rose to $141 million.
Also new was the dark comedy "Observe and Report," which opened at No. 4 with $11.1 million, falling short of the expectations of its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio had hoped for an opening in the $14 million to $15 million range.
The Japanese-inspired fantasy "Dragonball Evolution" opened at No. 7 with $4.7 million, also a little lower than the modest forecasts of its distributor 20th Century Fox. But the News Corp-owned studio said the film is doing better internationally with sales to date of $37 million.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

There's lice all over the building...KARATE CHOP!!!!


Alcohol and Russians don't mix. Consider this news story from Moscow...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian karate expert has been charged with beating to death a 61-year-old woman and her son, whom he accused of infecting his wife with lice, an investigator said Friday.

The drunk 26-year-old burst into a neighboring room in his hostel Tuesday and used karate moves to kill the pair, state investigator Eduard Abdullin said by telephone from Kazan, a city 700 km (430 miles) east of Moscow.

"He literally beat them to death with his hands and feet," Abdullin said. "The family were poor and drank a lot. He blamed them for infecting his wife and the entire corridor with lice."

The 58-year-old husband of the dead woman was also badly beaten, but survived.

The suspect, who studied karate for seven years, faces life in prison if convicted, Abdullin added.


Man...stupidity is running rampant!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

R.I.P. Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dave Arneson, 1947-2009


The world of Role Playing is in mourning once again:



For the second time in just over a year, the dice are silent in the gaming world. News has reached us that Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away last night at the age of 61.R.I.P. Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dave Arneson, 1947-2009, Apr 2009



Click to read the whole article.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

How has the Batman logo changed thru the years.

I have a confession to make. Yes I'm a geek and yes I dig Batman. So in the interest of maintaining my geek up, I have found this video that chronicles the changes that the Batman logo has gone thru since the 1940's.

Enjoy!

Brüno!

Yup! The creator of "Borat" has done it again! Sacha Baron Cohen will unleash his third comedic creation on an unsuspecting American public with "Brüno"

Here is the Red Band international trailer for the movie. This means this is NSFW! It contains crude humor, some nudity and racial jokes. But it's hilarious!!!!



It starts on July 10

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Who watches the Watchmen? Not Me! BANG!


Man! Is it me or there something wrong and weird going around?
Ponder on this...

Eugene (KMTR) – A man shot himself to death in a Eugene movie theater just after midnight Monday morning.

Police say about 10 patrons were in an auditorium at Regal Cinemas watching the movie “Watchmen.” About midway through the film some of the moviegoers told the manager they heard a “popping” noise like a gunshot. A 24-year-old man was found in the rear of the auditorium with a gunshot wound to the head.

Police say the man shot himself and was dead when they arrived.

The patron closest to the man was sitting two rows away.


Holy Crap! This guy must have really hated "Watchmen"! Or probably Rorschach got to him! Or Dr. Manhattan's junk!

Police finds skeleton of suicide victim...29 years after the fact!


This story is so incredible, that you have to read it!

BERLIN (Reuters) - The skeleton of a German retiree who tied himself to the top of a tree and shot himself to death nearly 30 years ago has been found by a hiker.

German police in the southern town of Landshut said on Monday the 69-year-old man disappeared in 1980 and had been classified as missing.

An 18-year-old hiker discovered a bone in the forest last week and brought it to police. They searched the area and spotted the skeleton hanging about 11 meters up, near the top of the spruce tree.

"After searching the area we found the skeleton up in the tree with the pistol hanging on a rope next to it," police spokesman Leonard Mayer said. Police were able to identify the man through DNA testing and an artificial hip.


This reminds me of a Zen question...If a man kills himself in the forrest by hanging, will you smell him?

Sunday, April 5, 2009

And the Box Office Champion this week is...


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Fast & Furious," the fourth film in Universal Pictures' hot-rodding franchise, raced to the top spot at the worldwide box office as movie fans with a need for speed snapped up an estimated $102.6 million worth of tickets, the studio said on Sunday.
In the United States and Canada, the picture earned $72.5 million during its first three days, smashing "Monsters vs. Aliens'" week-old record for the best opening of the year.
The film already has earned more than the previous installment, 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," which opened with $24 million and ended up making $62.5 million.
While Universal knew the sagging series was destined for a spectacular boost, its forecasts pointed to an opening in the $50 million range. The highly anticipated reunion of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker -- the stars of the 2001 original -- cost about $85 million to make, the studio said.
"We knew there was a great buzz from the get-go," said Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution at the General Electric Co-owned studio. "The marketing plan was spot-on about how exciting this rendition was."
Critics thought the film was a wreck, and Diesel and Walker have hardly lit up the box office in recent years. But forgiving audiences gave "Fast & Furious" the green light in post-screening surveys. Not surprisingly, it skewed toward male youngsters. Hispanics accounted for 46 percent of ticket-buyers, followed by whites with 28 percent.
Internationally, "Fast & Furious" earned $30.1 million from 31 markets, opening at No. 1 in most of them, Universal said. Highlights included Germany with $6.5 million, Mexico with $4 million and Spain with $3.6 million. In Thailand, 65 percent of all moviegoers saw the film, which earned $1.2 million.
The film adds 19 markets next weekend, including Britain, France and Russia.
Diesel, 41, and Walker, 35, resurrect their roles as old foes who team up to confront a common enemy. Along the way, there are car chases, convoy heists and burning gas tankers. They launched the franchise with "The Fast and the Furious," which brought in $40.1 million on its opening weekend. It finished with $144.5 million.
Diesel skipped the first sequel, 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious," which debuted with $50.5 million and finished with $127.1 million. "Tokyo Drift" featured a new cast, although Diesel set pulses racing with an uncredited cameo at the end.
Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, two other veterans from the first film, round out the cast. "Fast & Furious" was directed by Justin Lin, who also shot "Tokyo Drift."
"Monsters vs. Aliens" slipped to No. 2 with $33.5 million in its second round. It had held the record for best opening of the year, with a $59.3 million start. The total for DreamWorks Animation SKG's cartoon stands at $105.7 million.
At No. 3, "The Haunting in Connecticut" scared up $9.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $37.2 million.
The Nicolas Cage action movie "Knowing" followed with $8.1 million, for a three-week tally of $58.2 million. The Paul Rudd comedy "I Love You, Man" was No. 5 with $7.9 million, as its three-week score rose to $49.3 million.
The top 10 boasted two other new entries. The teen comedy "Adventureland" underwhelmed at No. 6 with $6 million, in line with low expectations. "Sunshine Cleaning" rose one to No. 10 with $1.9 million in its fourth week. The total for the crime-scene cleanup comedy rose to $4.8 million.
"The Haunting in Connecticut" was released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. "Knowing" was released by Summit Entertainment, which is privately held. "I Love You, Man" was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. "Adventureland" was released by Miramax Films, a unit of Walt Disney Co. "Sunshine Cleaning" was released by Overture Films, which is privately held.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Miguelángel Suarez 1939-2009


I just recived word that actor and friend Miguelángel Suarez, passed away today at Metropolitan Hospital from complications stemming by his condition from cancer of the esophagus. He was 69 years old.

Suarez and his sister were born into a middle class family and raised in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. His father worked at a local supermarket] and his mother was a housewife. Once, when Suarez was only a child, he went with his mother to see a play. This was his first experience with the theater. Suarez was so impressed, after the curtains rose and the actors did their show, that he knew that he wanted to become an actor.

Suarez went to school and received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. When Suarez and his sister returned from school, their mother would either read stories or prepare little plays which helped to develop their imagination.

The supermarket, where the elder Suarez worked at was located next to the radio station "Radio El Mundo". Manuel Méndez Ballester, a well known playwright, who worked as a writer for the radio station, would frequently visit the supermarket. Suarez's father, soon became friends with Ballester. One day, in 1947, Ballester told the elder Saurez that he was in need of an 8-year-old for the protagonist role in a play that he wrote, because the person he had in mind didn't pass the audition. When the elder Suarez realized that the "part" paid more than what he was making working in the supermarket, he took Suarez to the audition the next day and that was the beginning of Suarez's acting career.

In 1956, when Suarez was 17 years old, he enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the submarine division. He traveled the world and learned about different customs and cultures.

When Suarez was discharged from the Navy, he returned to Puerto Rico but found that the artistic class in the island was going through a crisis. Since he was unable to get an acting job, Suarez decided to try his luck elsewhere. He went to Argentina where he landed a role in the soap opera Amor Gitano (Gypsy Love). He later went to Venezuela where he became a renowned actor after participating in the soap operas Corazon de Diamante (Heart of Diamonds) and Laura Benson. In Puerto Rico he participated in many locally produced soap operas, among which was Vivir Para Ti (I live for You). In 1994 he was cast in Señora Tentacion (Mrs. Temptation) with Mexican movie star Lucía Méndez. This soap opera was a "hit" in the Caribbean, Central and South America and in Europe.

In 1971, Suarez was cast in the locally produced Woody Allen movie Bananas with Jacobo Morales. He then went to Hollywood and in 1981 landed a role in the movie Stir Crazy, directed by Sidney Poitier starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.

Among the other movies in which Suarez has participated in are: La Gran Fiesta (1985); Isabel la Negra (1990) with Míriam Colón and Raúl Juliá; Havana (1990) produced by Sidney Pollack and Under Suspicion (2000) with Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Nydia Caro.

In 2007, Suárez performed one of the main roles in Jacobo Morales' new film, Ángel.

His final movie role came in 2008, when he played opposite Benicio Del Toro in Steven Sodenberg's "Che".

Miguelángel was an estmeed coleague, a pro-independence proponent, and a great actor. He will be sorely missed by all. His actions will echo in eternity.

Farewell Miguelángel!