UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS.! ☆

Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and The Doc (Christopher Lloyd) in the Great trilogy "Back To The Future"
Still one of the favorites of many generations who enjoy the adventures of Marty going from the 50's to the Old West on board of the fantastic time machine  'The Delorian'

I have loved so many characters in TV and the movies that is hard to describe the reason for each, maybe is the originality, the funny side, how evil it was or simply a Great Performer,. So, since I like so many and some of them are from Latin America, I'm making a little compilation of most of them :

The whole cast of The Golden Girls
Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), Blanche Devereaux (Rue McLanahan), Rose Nylung (Betty White) and Dorothy Sborneak (Bea Arthur).  The unsuspected foursome that stole the show and the hearts of millions of people all over the world, the dignifying portrait of 4 senior women who live a life full of action, laughs and silly situations, all while nicely dressed and hair looking great.!

The cast of 'I Love Lucy"
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance), Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) and Fred Mertz (William Frawley). The fantastic comedic series showing a young couple who finds their best friends on their landlords, getting themselves in the most bizarre and hysterically funny messes.!

Jason in "Friday The 13th"
The series of terror and bloody crimes by a man back from death, the whole story starts in Crystal Lake and spreads all the way to New York City.

Freddy Krueger "Nightmare On Elm Street"
After the series day viewed going to bed or just falling sleep was never the same.

Katrina (Grace Jones) in " Vamp"
Not many worlds from Katrina, a vampire living in a strip club where men found erotism and death.

El Chavo Del 8 (Roberto Gomez BolaÑos) in "Chespirito"
For generations the orphan boy who lives in a barrel in 'La Vecindad'  has conquered the hearts of families all over the world, his trademark phrase is still repeated by millions of people 'Lo hice sin querer queriendo' ( I did it without wanting wanting.)

Madison (Daryl Hanna) the mermaid in "Splash"
The mermaid that came from the ocean to discover an unfriendly world and falls in love with the man one day rescued from drowning as a child, the story is highly enhanced by the masterful humor of John Candy.

Rizzo (Stockard Channing) in "Grease"
The classic bad girl of every school in the world, Rizzo was the bad sheep that finds pleasure on making the good girl suffer and finds herself on the other side of the game.

The whole cast of "Seinfeld"
George Constanza, Elaine Benes, Kramer and Jerry Seinfeld.
Maybe the most genius show ever in television, a show that found amusement in topics such as virginity, masturbation,  wearing a bra,. Or the show could be simply about Nothing.!

Chucky from "Childs Play" "Childs Play 2" "Bride Of Chucky" and "Seed Of Chucky"
The toy every kid wanted, the good guy doll was cuddly and warm until the day an evil spirit makes it into a cold killer.

Vita Boheme (Patrick Swayze) Noxema Jackson (Wensley Snipes) and Chichi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo)
in "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything,. Julie Newmar."
One of the most fun movies ever done about drag queens, the trio find themselves driving across country and Chichi learns in the process the 4 steps to become a true Drag Queen.

Clark Kent (Christopher Reeves) in "Superman"
In my opinion the best Superman ever, the man with the super powers and the love of Louis Lane. With the great participation of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando.

The original cast of "Charlie's Angels"
Kelly Garret (Jaclyn Smith) Jill Monroe (Farrah Fawcet) Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson)
The three young police officers hired by an incognito private eye, who takes advantage of their training and beauty to solve the most dangerous and complex cases. The threesome became iconic during the 70's. Every man had a crush on them and every woman wanted to look like one of them.

Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) in "Cleopatra"
In a complete extravaganza of scenarios and wardrobe, Elizabeth Taylor delivers yet another masterful performance on her role as the queen of Egypt. her stunning beauty was never showcased better than in this production.

Cat Woman (Michelle Pfaiffer) in "Batman Returns"
Besides Ms.Julie Newmar, there hasn't been better cat woman ever, michelle Pfaiffer gave comedy, beauty and talent to her role as cat woman and up until now we remember her role as the sexiest kitty on the roof.

Villain, Maria Paula Rivas Iturbe (Lucero) in "Lazos De Amor"
One of the very best soap operas ever made in Mexico 'Lazos De Amor' is the story of triplets, . Maria Fernanda, Maria Guadalupe and her,.Maria Paula, all three roles played by accomplished actress Lucero. in one of her best performances managing to have the viewers loving two sisters and hating every second of the villain, who is beautiful and totally wicked,. For Maria Paula nothing matters. But the love of uncle Eduardo. And she will get anyone out of her way.!

Maud (Bea Arthur) in "Maud"
The middle age woman with a husky voice and rather masculine presence became a pioneer is breaking tabus in television when in one episode discovers she's pregnant and being on her 50's makes the hard decision to have an abortion,. Bea Arthur won an Emmy Award for role as Maud.

Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) from "The Dukes Of Hazard"
Daisy became the sex symbol of country with her signature  short-shorts, several have tried to emulate her, but there has never been another Daisy Duke.!

Dan and Roseanne Conner ( Roseanne Barr and John Goodman) from "Roseanne"
The couple that totally broke the stereotype of the American Family, by showing how many other families work and live , surviving with three children to raise,. The couple also portraits unconditional love to each other, they have a Great sex life and even when they are broke all the time, they are happier than most wealthy families.

La Chilindrina (Maria Antonieta De las Nieves) en "Chespirito"
Since the early 70's La Chilindrina has been the little girl from the block, without much in her life, but her permanently unemployed father, she finds happiness and fun with the other kids in La Vecindad and manages to get in the most complicated troubles,. But also manages to distract landlord seÑor Barriga (Mr. Jellybelly) when he comes to collect the rent. La Chilindrina is the sweetest and most innocent child found in every neighborhood. 

Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopy Goldberg) in "Sister Act"  and "Sister Act 2, Back In The Habit"
Her name was actually Deloris Van Cartier an unsuccessful Vegas Show Girl who gets romantically involved with a dangerous Vegas gangster, after witnessing a crime she needs to run and find a place to hide,. And she found it.!

La Corcholata - in red- (Carmen Salinas) in "Bellas De Noche" and "Las Ficheras"
After the sequence of burlesque night life topic in Mexican cinema the 70's and 80's lost much of their glamour.  However  the public embraced the new style and with it came a character that everyone loved and identified with 'La Corcholata' was the typical alcoholic found in every neighborhood in the planet, funny, fast-smart talker and down on her luck.

Annie Wilkes (Cathy Bates) in "Misery"
One of the scariest movies by Stephen King, Misery portraits a woman who loses sense of reality thru the sequence of her favorite novel, one day destiny puts on her way the author of her fantasy world y he pays a costly price for the loyalty of this insane fan.

Hermana Carmela (Evita MuÑoz 'Chachita') in "Mundo De Juguete"
She's no the typical novice in a convent, besides loving to eat, she's a 2nd grade teacher who gets in all kind of trouble with her favorite student, a little 7 year old who's full of fantasies and recruits Carmela every time for her good intended messy adventures.

Tony Manero (John Travolta) in Saturday Night Fever.
The irreverent but also sweet hearted Italian guy, who's passion is dancing and hanging out with his buddies.

Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) in "Everybody Loves Raymond"
The loving mother and snoopy mother in law who uses every trick on the book to get her way with the whole Barone family, Marie can work the verve of the viewer and then win back their heart with her loving sweet side since everyone has a mom who may have a little of Marie Barone in her.

Catherine Sloper (Olivia De Havilland) in "The Heiress"
In my opinion the best movie and the best actress I have seen. A masterful performance by Olivia De Havilland who won the Academy Award as Best Actress in 1949 for her role of Catherine,. The sweet spinster daughter of a wealthy man who looks down at her considering her unattractive and non intelligent. 

Uncle Buck (John Candy) in " Uncle Buck "
He is the unsuccessful brother who never gets invited to visit, until one day he comes to babysit his brother's three children and the adventure starts in a fun combination  of broken rules, intimidation and loving care.

As time goes by we all pick our favorites, not the award winners or the shows with the most ratings,. But those who captivated you personally and you keep enjoying them for years to come, I love all this characters, the funny ones for the laughs, the evil ones for the thrill and the dramatic ones for the life lesson behind,. I'm sharing this marvelous personages with you today,. For Your Eyes Only.

I'M STILL MISS YOU,.✞

Pedro Infante Mexican Latin Legend.

Thru the years I have seen many of my very favorite performers leave this world and some of them are from before my time and I got to admire them after their departure as in the case of Mexican Icon Pedro Infante.

Actress Marina Dorantes, Wife of Pedro Infante contemplates him on his gasket.

But many others I did love to see on the big screen or on TV, I'm still watch them and enjoy their talent as well as listening to the marvelous music of extremely talented people as Karen Carpenter who's voice was like an angel fallen from heaven.

Resting place of Karen Carpenter.

I think that some of the most shocking loses were those that happened in a violent manner and way before their time, or at least seems like that,. in March 31 1995, I was getting ready for my 8 hours shift night job at the Soho Coffee House in Dupont Circle and I was watching the news when they announced that Selena , The queen of Texano Music had been shot, was very short after that first announcement that the shocking confirmation of her death was done.

Selena's open gasket was visited by thousands of mourning fans.

Fan learns of death of Selena in Corpus Christy TX.

Even after 16 years of her tragic demise, I'm still get teary when I see her videos and see tributes in magazines and Tv.

Grave of Lucille Ball.

Many of my vary favorites are gone, another I remember with sadness is Lucille Ball, maybe because besides loving her as Lucy Ricardo, she passed away just a few weeks after my mother, who died in March of 1989, I remember being on my way to a meeting when they announced Lucy's death on the radio and I felt so shock and deeply moved by it.

The day of Lennon's death was a dark day for music around the world.

I was in Junior High when the killing of John Lennon happened, I was very young, but loved his music, I always saw him as a very loving peaceful man who loved his wife dearly.

Every year fans gather at Strawberry Fields to pay tribute to John Lennon.

 In 1998 when Frank Sinatra died I was attending classes at the USDA and my teacher stopped the class to pay tribute to Sinatra, one thing I remember about him is that he had such a presence and as a child I used to think that he was the president of the USA.

Pennies lay on Frank Sinatra's grave plaque.

Frank Sinatra "The Chairman Of The Board" one of the Greatest in the art of entertainment.

I was only 11 years old when Maria Callas left this world, but the legacy she left behind was too big to be missed by my generation, I was only 16 when I first listened to one of her arias and became a huge fan of her wonderful performances and magnificent voice, Callas was for my the best soprano ever.

Maria Callas receiving a standing ovation at Lascalla in Milan.

I was in my senior year of high school when the news of the death of Andy Gibb broke in the school, many of us got together to remember Andy and for the rest of the year I carried his picture on the back of my notebook.

Andy Gibb resting place.

So many of the best are gone, we are still miss them, watch them on television and sometimes compare with the current entertainers, sometimes is useless to compare, they were pioneers on their own time and love for the art.

I carried this picture with me for long time after his death.

I miss my two Rocios very dearly, I grew up with the splendid voices of Rocio Durcal and Rocio Jurado the two greatest divas of Spain, their temper and sentiment when singing has never been emulated by any other, I'm still listen to their songs and voices almost every day, as I love music and need it to go on with my daily life.

Junior and daughter Rocio carry Rocio Durcal's ashes

Rocio Jurado gasket is transported to her final resting place.

Rocio Jurado, Grand Diva of Spain and magnificent singer.

Rocio Durcal, fans mourn her all around the world. 

The performer leaves, but the loyal fan who's life was brighten by their voices and masterful performances stays faithful to the memory of the ones they love and respect, for their talent and uniqueness I remember them today and share those memories with you,.For Your Eyes Only.

Queen Mary 2, Lady Of The Ocean.

Queen Mary leaving New York 

My very first voyage on the Queen Mary 2 was on June 2005, Bill and I sailed to South Hampton in London and the whole experience was so wonderful and unique, I had never taken a cruise before and must admit had my reserves due to all the negative stories always on the news about ships being quarantine or people missing on the middle of the trip and never found,. No that I'm a negative person.!
But the idea of being in the middle of the ocean thousand of miles away from land is pretty impressive and intimidating.

QM2 at night sailing away from NY.

The pre-arragements were quite unusual for me, I have travel a lot and to many countries, but never by sea.

Luxurious hallways decor with art everywhere.

we completed all kind of paper work and provided to Cunard, the company that owns the Ocean liner. And few days later got all the information needed for us to be ready during the days at sea,. it was amazing all the precise items to be packed to be able to attend the different daily activities, in order to comply with the QM2 etiquette.

Flowers in every room of the ship.

The Queen Mary 2 is not the typical cruise liner full of children and teenagers looking for a thrill and foolish adventure,. none of that happens on board of the QM2, she host very upscale dinners and entertainment for a more sophisticated crowd, I think most passengers are retired people or at least people in their 30's who appreciate luxury and the best customer service in a very glamorous Ocean Liner.

Empire Casino.

The day starts early every time, since we have to fly to New York from DC and from there be transported for the port either in Manhattan ( when sailing to London and Canada ) or Brooklyn ( when sailing to The Bahamas.) the personnel on port are well organized and try to make the process move fast and smooth, except for the first time when there was an irritating woman shouting to the passengers to get them organize, she's not there any more,. Thank God.!

QM2 Crew salutes passengers coming on board.

When going on board there is a line up of the crew greeting the guest, they all wear impeccable uniforms and have a warm smile as they welcome you on board and point you in the right direction to your deck and suite/cabin.

Hallways to suites/cabins.

there are 8 elevators and they have glass doors and beautiful interiors, the feel of the Royal British inheritance is present from the second you set a foot on the ship. The hallways on the cabin decks are lighted and floored with luxurious carpeting.

Suite/Cabins 

When entering our suite, there is a bottle of champagne and long stem glasses ready for us, minutes after being on board the luggage arrives without any type of hassle. There is time to unpack and cheer with champagne before to go upstairs to deck 7 for an emergency drill, for which we have to grab our lifesaver vest and participate in a safety orientation which last just a few minutes.

Overall look of The Grand Lobby.

Once on board of the magnificent Ocean Liner, you just allowed yourself t be pampered and spoiled for the rest of the voyage.

The Commodore Club.

The different bars on the QM2 are open to all types of taste on drinks. There are several bars:  The Chart Room, The Commodore Club (my favorite), The Champagne Bar, The Golden Lion Pub, The Queens Room ( where afternoon tea is served.), Terrace Pool and Bar, Pavilion Poll and Bar and The Boardwalk Caffe.

Outdoor pool on deck 11

We enjoyed a cocktail hour before dinner at The Commodore Club, where we have a strawberry daiquiri, a London Residence or a simply gin & tonic, at 5:30 we were waiting to get our canapes which are very popular in that bar and absolutely delicious.!

Edson on formal night at The Grand Lobby.

Evening are star of the day, everyone gets dressed up with their best galas for dinner, men wear tuxedos or dark suits and ladies make an entrance in evening gowns, everyone wears their best jewels and smiles. Dinner is served in 5 different restaurants, the first one and my favorite is The Britannia Restaurant, which is the biggest and more dramatic on it's architecture, with beautiful murals and colorful carpeting and flowers.

The magnificent Britannia Restaurant.

Other two restaurants are located on deck 9 where the guest of the Princess Grille and Queens Grille stay. This is the section for celebrities and a more wealthy crowd who love to sneak into The Britannia for dinner at least once and experience the greatness of this impressive dinning room.

Queens Grille Restaurant.

The two remaining options for dinner are The Todd English Restaurant on deck 9 and The Kings Court on deck 7. That's to put variety on the every day dinning extravaganza on the ship.

The Royal Court Theatre at show time.

After dinner my very favorite thing to do is to retire to The Royal Court Theatre. Where I have the indulgence of one after dinner drink, so while having a great glass of port or cognac I get entertained with a magnificent show of fantastic singers and dancers worth of the best stages in the world.

After watching a movie at the Illuminations Theatre.

As the show ends, I make my way thru the hallway of deck 2 to The Illuminations Theatre where I can watch a movie late at night or recline my seat to be amazed by the Planetarium show of lights and images.

Slot machines at Empire Casino.

But if in the mood for something more exciting you can always find your way to the Empire Casino where lady luck just maybe kind to you.!

Souvenir photo taken at dinner time.

Every evening before or after dinner, professional photographers would take your picture and have them display the next day at the Photo Shop where we decided which ones we like best to buy.

The Grand Lobby.

If just on the need to seat and relax, the Grand Lobby is a great place to do it, while surrounded by an impressive and luxurious salon, we can enjoy the live music of a piano or harp player.

Sailing away from Halifax, Canada

The very last evening of the voyage, the whole kitchen crew lines up at the staircase of The Britannia Restaurant. to take a bow for a magnificent job done, wearing their immaculate white uniform and flanked by their head chef.

The Queen Mary 2 arrives at New York City after completing another voyage.

 The Commodore of the Queen Mary 2 makes a salutation to the guest and we go to our suite to get ready for an early disembarkation, happy for the wonderful experience and determine to come back some time,. We have ben privileged to have sailed with Cunard on the Queen Mary 2 for the third time and hope to do it again,. My memories of a splendid adventure has been For Your Eyes Only.