Actually, the hazards living near an airport flight path .... Let me back up alittle, while I was playing golf yesterday a plane crashed landed in a neighborhood about a mile south of where Gamera-San and I live (We live just west of the Fullerton Municipal Airport). Fortunately, no one died in that one although in another air crash in south bay area, one of the Toyota exec died in his plane off of PV. Before that, I witnessed the aftermath of a car to police motorcycle crash on my way to the golf course in Brea. What a crazy day!
Here's the accompanying article ... the local airport has had a history of crashes ... hope and pray that the next one isn't on top of our place!
Plane crashes into two homes
One man in the aircraft is in critical condition afterward, but no one on the ground is injured. By AMY TAXIN, TERI SFORZA and KATHERINE NGUYEN The Orange County Register
BUENA PARK – A small plane that officials said radioed it had engine trouble crashed into two homes Sunday evening near the Fullerton Airport runway.
The craft's two male occupants were rushed to a hospital, one in critical condition, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Stephen Miller. No one on the ground was hurt.
The small Beechcraft clipped the roof of a house in the 6300 block of Indiana Avenue at about 5:10 p.m., tore through a backyard concrete wall and crashed into another home on Verdi Drive, officials said.
Both houses were empty at the time. Four homes nearby were temporarily evacuated as a precaution.
"The lucky thing is, there was no fire," Miller said.
Kelli Ambrozic, who lives next to the house first hit by the plane, was hanging Christmas lights when she heard a sputtering engine noise.
"I turned around and saw it coming in super low," said Ambrozic, holding her Pomeranian, Missy. "I could tell it was going to hit my neighbor's house. It hit the house hard." Dennis Johnson, 69, said he rushed into the back yard of the house on Verdi with other neighbors when he heard the crash. He said he was unable to open the passenger door of the plane.
Timothy Ambrozic, Kelli's husband, described the scene as one of the airplane's occupants was rescued.
"He was yelling and screaming to stop, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts. They just repeated, just a little more, pull him out just a little more," Timothy Ambrozic said.
Dozens of residents massed by the fire engines, as a helicopter droned overhead and shined light on the scene. Several streets were blocked off with yellow police tape and utility workers checked for problems. Children crowded around on bicycles.
The cream-colored plane was believed to be coming from Oregon, and the occupants were expected to fly to Redding later Sunday night, said Fullerton Airport Manager Rod Propst, who described four-to-six seat plane as "high end."
The pilot, whose name was not disclosed Sunday, had additional training to fly on instruments only, Propst said.
After he declared an emergency, the tower cleared him to land on runway six.
"They declared an emergency and they were a mile short of the runway, which is pretty close," Propst said at the crash site.
The plane is registered to St. Elmos Aviation Leasing LLC, based out of Bend, Ore.
The cause of the engine trouble was not known Sunday night. Miller said federal aviation investigators would arrive today.
More than a dozen planes have crashed or made emergency landings at or near the airport in recent years, including one plane that flew into a 760-foot radio tower in 2004, killing a husband and wife.
Neighbor Gary Jordan said he's renting the house he lives in with an option to buy, and is now feeling nervous about that.
He and his daughter Loretta had to evacuate five dogs, two cats and two lizards – to their car. Scott Lessard, 55, a project manager for a construction company, owns the four-bedroom house on Verdi where the plane landed. He now lives in Moreno Valley, and had been trying to rent the house since the last tenants moved out in September
"Anybody who wanted to move into the house is pretty lucky they didn't make that choice," he said.
Said his wife, Via, "It's a miracle because it dropped on an empty house."
Think I'm overdosing on the Mexican Soap Opera "Rebelde" and their real life singing group "RBD". I just got the Season One DVD of "Rebelde" (I've been recording the daily series off and on for the last two years), recorded RBD's appearances on Univision (three times these last two weeks ... on "Don Francisco Presenta", "Sabado Giganta", and "RBD in Concierto") in addition to the regular weekday episodes plus I got two more RBD CD's to add to my two other RBD CD's and music DVD. I watched most of the interviews, concerts, and various episodes thru out this Thanksgiving weekend.
RBD CD's
Rebelde DVD's
comic book version
If anything, my Spanish gotta get better! (I just bought a new Spanish-English dictionary). It's so frustrating watching this show and just guessing what the dialogue is all about. Atleast RBD is releasing their first English CD on December 26th.
Posted Thursday, November 30, 2006 :: infoZine Staff
By Isaac Garrido - For the six members of RBD, the Mexican pop superstars, getting cold and wet in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was one step toward achieving stardom here.
Washington, D.C. - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - infoZine - Warming up in a hotel room after the parade, the band members said the weather was nothing.
Maite Perroni, one of three women in the band, lay comfortably on a couch while her mate Alfonso "Poncho" Herrera talked about the "chill factor."
"As we were on the float, Maite touched me, and my gloves were very wet," Herrera said as he closed last week's Billboard magazine, which featured the band on its cover.
"Water was dripping from them," Perroni said as Christopher Uckermann, the youngest of the three male members of RBD, joined them.
"We felt very good, despite it was raining and it was very cold, people stayed. It is a new experience, and having sung there was something very cool," Uckermann said. "It was a great honor being there, and I hope they invite us the next year."
The band rode the Hershey float and performed in front of Macy's and the TV cameras. It was just one way to let the U.S. get to know them before their English-language debut album "Rebels" hits stores Dec. 19.
In addition to Perroni, Uckermann and Herrera RBD's six members are Anahí Puente, Dulce María Espinoza and Christian Chávez, all ages 20 to 24.
The band came from the hit Mexican soap opera "Rebelde." With the launch of the group's first album in January 2005, RBD became an immediate success in Latin America.
Since then, the band has released six more top-selling albums, including Portuguese-language versions and two live albums, boosting what Latin American media have called RBD-mania.
RBD, which has been compared to the success of Puerto Rico's Menudo in the 1980s, is now trying for a crossover to the Anglo market, starting with the just-released "Tu Amor," the band's first English-language single, which is also on "Rebels."
"It is something that satisfies you, but at the same time is a bigger commitment because you are getting into more people and you have the opportunity to be known in other countries, as it might be now with our English-language album," Perroni said.
The Spanglish-style ballad, written by Grammy award nominated songwriter Diane Warren, debuted nationally on "The Megan Mullaly Show." RBD is also the first Latin musical group to be featured in Wal-Mart's Soundcheck! online performances series.
But since RBD's career started, the band has faced criticism as a prefabricated sales tool.
That's because, following the success of the soap opera, which has also aired in Israel, Romania and Indonesia, marketing efforts have included an official magazine, a comic book, a clothing line, board games, school supplies and even candies.
RBD recently completed a South American tour, returning to Brazil. Alfonso called the concert before 120,000 people in the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro a "healing process."
While promoting the album "Rebelde" in Sao Paolo, on Feb. 4, three people died in a crowd of more than 15,000 who gathered in a shopping center where the group responded to an invitation to just show up.
The band claims it is the first Latino pop act to realize a sold-out tour all over the U.S. The tour earlier this year included shows at New York's Madison Square Garden, Miami's American Airlines Arena and the Los Angeles Coliseum. In L.A., 65,000 tickets sold out in 30 minutes.
Still, for RBD, crossover is a challenge.
"We don't know what is going to happen; it is a whole new market," Herrera said. "We have been working hard and a lot in Latin America, but getting into the United States and enter to a market that is completely new, we don't know."
Uckermann and Chávez said they are nervous about "Rebels." Chávez highlighted the U.S. market's need for new and fresh things and said it is a good moment to release the album, as many Latino artists are opening doors. He also pointed out that the production might take them to the Asian market.
The upcoming CD offers a Latino rhythm. "I believe the essence of the English-language album, although it is in English, has a lot of Latin influence," Herrera said.
"If they like music, they are going to identify, because we are young, maybe of different races with different traits, but we, somehow, live the same experiences, the same process of adolescence," Perroni said.
The band is set to perform at New York Z100's Jingle Ball 2006 radio concert Dec. 15 and will be part of ABC's New Year's Eve special, "Dick Clarks' New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007."
"We are not in a hurry," Chávez said about the prospect of filming a movie, which has been postponed due to their agenda for 2007. They will release the sitcom "RBD La Familia," promote "Rebels" in Italy and France and a publish book with pictures of the band.
covershot of new English CD: "Rebel" CD due December 19th or 26th
---------------------------------------------- RBD lives on ... a new "Friends" like Sitcom:
RBD: La Familia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RBD: La Familia is a Mexican sitcom made by Televisa about the lives of the Mexican group RBD. The sitcom tells the lives of every member of RBD. RBD and the producer Pedro Damian have stated that this sitcom is fictional and not really based on the real lives of RBD. The characters of the sitcom are not very similar to the soap opera Rebelde but are similar to the real person of RBD. Production is now at work and RBD: La Familia will air in January or February 2007 in Mexico.
Cast Anahi - Anny Alfonso Herrera - Poncho Dulce Maria - Dul Christopher Uckermann - Ucker Maite Perroni - Mai Christian Chavez - Chris ----------------------
Rebelde List of characters (contain PLOT SPOILERS)
Rebelde Girls
Mía Colucci Played by: Anahí Quintessential daddy's little girl. Many plotlines follow her love life, which mostly concerns her and Miguel's star-crossed love but also includes a relationship with a prefect. Her love with Miguel is impossible since he came to revenge his father death (he thinks Mia's dad Franco killed his father). She is the only daughter of Franco Colucci, a international fashion design tycoon. Being an only child, she was overprotected by her father. In Elite Way School, she is a popular figure; the one everyone wants to be friends of. She is beautiful, rich and snobbish(sometimes)... She lives in a crystal box that her father built for her. Friendship, her first love, and the truth behind the family secret (her mom is not really dead) will take her forever out of that crystal box.
Represents the typical "ditzy bimbo", as some of her quotes seem childish and immature at times her most commonly "It's so difficult to be me" (she is constantly tells people about the hardships of being herself). She has a strong sense of justice (often comparing herself to Sailor Moon). Has a comic rivalry with Sol de la Riva but always proves to be better (Sol even tried to be like her). Sol's obsession to be better than her makes her burn all of Mia's things and makes harsh comments after finding out that Miguel cheated on Mia. Sol has always tried to prove that Mia's life isn't "perfect" and for Mia to start realizing the hardships of life. Mia is deeply in love with Miguel, who she considers the love of her life, despite that both of them couldn't stand each other at the beginning of the series (even now, when Mia gets mad at Miguel, she calls him "a dog-riding 'charrito'"). Miguel thinks he cheated on Mia with Sabrina (which Mia calls "The Teen Witch") the daughter of a famous record dealer that helps RBD with their first album. When Mia finds out; she can't forgive Miguel for what he did. Mia tells Miguel she forgives what he did to her but that the "magic" of there relationship is over.
Many things happen though this separation including Miguel losing his memory. When Miguel gets out of a coma, he doesn't remember anyone other then Diego. When Mia is talking to him, he tells her he remembers who his girlfriend is and says her name is "Sabrina". After this, she becomes cold and harsh towards him. But at the end, Miguel recovers when Mia is, ironically, singing their love song. Miguel asks Mia to marry him (in the last chapter). Of course, she accepts. Mia often shows off her elite upbringing when she includes English, French and even Portuguese words in her vocabulary. For quite some time, Mia sported a star sticker on her forehead, which spawned a huge trend among young girls. Roberta and she have a strong rivalry but inside they care about each other. When Mia finds out what Miguel did to her; Roberta is also going though very hard times finding out her dad is Reverte. Both of them past through the hardships of falling in love and then what happens when that love one breaks your heart. Finally, both of them realized they have each other and comfort themselves. Mia will sometimes call Roberta "The Kelly Obsborne". Roberta well answers by saying "The Paris Hilton". Mia grew up without a mother and when she going though difficult times is when she needs one the most. But then she finds Alma (Roberta's mom), whom Mia has a strong friendship with but ironically hates Roberta (she calls her "tacky truck driver") they have a funny rivalry but end up as friends and even step-sisters. She is also an important member of RBD.
Roberta Pardo (Reverte) Played by: Dulce María The most rebellious student in Elite Way School, Roberta is the daughter of the famous singer Alma Rey (Ninel Conde) and her Art teacher, Martín Reverte. Roberta always finds a way to fix any problems—whether it be her own or with someone else…at any cost. She has a big attitude and a heart to match. She is beautiful and talented but does not see this herself since she is constantly comparing herself to Mía Colucci and her mother. Roberta resents her mother for always working when Roberta was growing up and for lying to her about her biological father. For 16 years, Roberta believed Pardo to be her father, but it was not until recently that she found out that her Art teacher, Martín Reverte, was her true father. Her best friends are her roommates, Lupita Fernandez and Jose Lujan. Her constant enemy is Diego Bustamante, whom she is secretly in love with. Because Leon Bustamante, Diego’s father, refuses to have his son mixed in with a girl like Roberta, he plans to expel her from the school unless Diego agreed to his father's terms: stay away from Roberta and her family. At the end of the series finale Roberta gets closer to Mía Colucci and they end up as stepsisters, since Alma Rey marries Franco Colucci [Mia's dad]. Roberta gains a better relationship with her parents and finally gets the family she has been wanting. She also gains a new love for her boyfriend, Diego, and he pledges his heart to her forever.
Guadalupe "Lupita" Fernández Played by: Maite Perroni Lupita is a very shy girl who is close friend of both Roberta and Mía. She tries to act rebelde but she really isn't. Constantly tries to do the 'right thing' though most of her friends are rebellious. She is considered as the most responsible girl in school, studious, and often caring about her companions. She tends to overreact when she is worried (which is pretty often, considering her insecure demeanor and how much she cares for her close ones). She once had a very solid relationship with Nico, which even prompted a love oath ceremony between the both of them, until Nico was sent over to Israel by his parents for a student exchange program. All contact between her and Nico were severed, much in part due to interference from Nico's mother (who is not very fond of Lupita because she is Catholic). During that period of time, she begins to fall for Santos, until the day Nico comes back, and an inner dilemma surges within. However, Nico has changed significantly, being a lot more jealous and possessive than before, effectively ending the sentimental ties between him and Lupita. She now has to deal with the constant grief given to her by her embittered sister Lola, while trying to hide the fact that Lola is not her biological sister, but was rather adopted. She is also a member of RBD.
Celina Ferrer Played by: Estefania Villarreal She is an overweight girl who has an eating disorder, and often wallows in self-pity because she never has a boyfriend. She is best friends with Vico and Mia. She even went as far as establishing a friendship with Sol de la Riva, despite her being Mia's sworn rival, up until the point where she realized that Sol attempted to steal away Celina's love interest, Max. Celina is often insecure, although noble at heart. Her mother is ashamed of her for being overweight. She recently claimed she wishes Celina had never been born. Recently Celina became pregnant and is going to have Max's baby who has accepted it and even will become responsible for the baby, because he loves him and Celina. Then Celina along with Vico and Lujan make the band Citrus.
Victoria "Vico" Paz Played by: Angelique Boyer Celina & Mía's friend, with a reputation for being easy. Recently became Giovanni's girlfriend and found love. Her relationship with Giovanni did not last due to a misunderstanding on her part. Vico comes from a family with a twisted background: her mother left her and her father at a young age, which triggered her father's alcoholism. As a result, Vico was at the blunt end of her father's physical abuse and psychological torment. While at school, she felt helpless and unloved, at one point attempted taking pills to take her mind off things, which was later confronted by Mía telling her not to turn suicidal and to count on her whenever she needed help with things. Thanks to Rocco and Professor Martin Reverte, they manage to put Vico's father in rehab, which puts Rocco under a new light in Vico's eyes (she couldn't stand Rocco's stalking ways before). And finally starts dating him. Due to her vast experience with men, she likes to play with their feelings.
Jóse Luján Landeros Played by: Zoraida Gómez Quintessential female athlete, raised in foster care. She is an orphan because her mom didn't want her even if she did have the money to support Jose Lujan. Her tuition is paid by a mysterious anonymous benefactor. Had a relationship with Teo. And even though, Teo and her split she still tries to help him and later becomes a friend of Teo's mom. She is Roberta and Lupita's best friend; she shares with Roberta an explosive attitude and overall rudeness. Has been under the harassment of prefect Gaston for quite a while, leading her to investigate on the reason why Gaston's grudge towards her. However, due to her meddling in Gaston's obscure past, she has triggered the rage of the prefect, who now desperately wants her out of the way. Lujan not only finds out that Gaston is her benefactor, but also more like her personal guardian since she was just a little girl. Jose Lujan comes to appreciate Gaston's efforts, and even justifies Gaston's harsh methods and constant abuse. However, their time together is cut short when Gaston dies after enduring a severe car crash. She is now hostile towards Roberta since she has both parents (Alma and Martin) in her life while Jose Luján does not have a parental figure.
Pilar Gandía Played by: Karla Cossío Daughter of the school principal, who is disliked by most of the other students for that reason. The students also dislike her because she is a "chismosa" ("tale-tale"). At the beginning of the story, she used to write – anonymously – a newspaper filled with gossip called Anónimos ("anonymous") about her peers. At the beginning, she is cold and ruthless (especially towards Mia and her friends), causing her to pair up with the equally malicious Sol de la Riva and Raquel Byron. However, due to her parents' divorce and her relationship with Tomas, she has come to her senses and begins to socialize a bit more. She perfectly fits in the 'scorned woman' category, as she has a habit to get herself even in a drastic way when men cheat on her. Also likes to use sentences in English more often than not.
Sol de la Riva Played by: María Fernanda Malo A top model wannabe. She hates Mia, and wants her to feel inferior to her at all costs. Cynical and deceptive, Sol wants things to go her way no matter what, and could be considered the only student in the Elite Way School whose intentions are not noble no matter what the situation is. She is willing to ruin people's lives without regard of their personal feelings, and does so via a multitude of convincing lies (although most of the times her plans tend to backfire). She could be considered a wolf in sheep's clothing. She legitimately hates Mia, whom she considers to always be pushing her down. Her father is against her dreams of being a top model. Went out with Diego at one time. She has an affinity for the heartagram, a trademarked symbol of Finnish love metal band HIM as shown in one scene when she is fighting Mia Colucci. She thinks she can do better than any girl can in her school. Is often called poly pocket because of her height. Her character thinks of herself as very skinny but she does not realize that model agencies do not think of her as model worthy.
Raquel Byron Played by: Fernanda de las Fuentes Roberta, Lupita, and Jose Lujan's new roommate who is stuck-up and proud of her English family (by her stepfather’s side). The girls make fun of her because she greatly extends her ties to English royalty and believes herself superior. She is very fashionable and caused Teo's break up with Jose Lujan. When Teo has a competition, she went and introduced him to the supposed "princess" of England. She initially befriends Sol de la Riva and Pilar but later (as many of the other students) finds out Sol's true intentions and apologizes to the respective people.
Lola Fernandez Played by: Viviana Ramos The younger sister of Lupita. All her life her parents pressured her to be like Lupita, which made her dislike her sister. Lola does not lose the opportunity to insult and scorn her sister at any given chance, and blames Lupita for most of her problems. She often uses her friend Bianca to do her dirty work. She had a short affair with Diego, which was brought down due to Lola's immaturity. Lola considers herself to be all alone in this world and that no one could ever love her. It has recently been revealed that Lola is an adopted child, and therefore, not biologically related to Lupita or her parents, which after having a long talk with Roberta gives Lola a new perspective on her life. And a new relationship with her sister
Bianca Played by: Allisson Lozano A shy girl that studies with Lola, she is her best friend, and always does whatever Lola says. But, lately has been changing and becoming more independent because she got tired of Lola pushing her around and mistreating her. She also has a crush on Rocco but she has no time for that.
Agustina Played By: Georgina Salgado Although we don't know much about her, we do know that she is obsessed with Giovanni and buys him expensive gifts to get him to like her (they also dated for some time), she is good friends with Lola and Bianca and like Bianca, and she lets Lola make all decisions for her. Her father is most likely to interfere with her relationship with Giovanni, which turns into a comical situation.
Rebelde Guys
Miguel Arango
Played by: Alfonso Herrera His mother and younger sister live in Monterrey, Nuevo León (Mexico) whom he can never afford to visit because he is on a scholarship (meaning his family is not very wealthy). He is very handsome. Also for this reason, he was harassed by a secret society of alumni known as "La Logia" a sort of gang or mob organized to eliminate the "becados" (students with scholarships). He is in Elite Way to get revenge for what the Colucci family did to his family. He thought that Mia's father (Franco) had killed his father but really, it was Franco's brother (Carlos). When Miguel finds out, he feels horrible and forgets his vengeful plans. Miguel develops a huge love interest for Mía Colucci (despite the fact that he found her to be extremely annoying at the beginning of the series) and they are an on-again, off-again relationship. They are still and always have been madly in love with each other. Miguel has a strong sense of pride and dignity that often gets in the way of common sense. He finds himself in huge trouble with Mia after allegedly cheating on her with Sabrina Guzman (RBD's manager, event planner and the daughter of their producer) who has an extreme obsession with him and taking him away from Mia. She pretends to be his friend and after a heavy drinking session she makes him believe that they slept together and that she is pregnant (although this presumably never happened, but is furthered due to Sabrina's intention of blinding Miguel to her side and the fact that Miguel was drunk when the "cheat" occurred). He now tries desperately to win Mia back. He later fell into a coma due to an accident when he was hit by Gaston (the school's Prefect). Miguel woke up from his coma and didn't seem to remember anybody but Diego. A few days later, he remembers his father thanks to Roberta, after a strong session of screams (on her behalf) and a long discussion, after he mistakenly says that Sabrina was the love of his life instead of Mia. Mia turns harsh and cold towards him after that, causing him to hate her. He later gets his memory back during an RBD concert, ironically, while Mia is singing a love song. She forgives him and they get back together.
Diego Bustamante
Played by: Christopher Uckermann Diego is the most popular, rich, and spoiled student in Elite Way School. He is used to getting his way. However, when it comes to his father, Diego is constantly shadowed by his older brothers, who are powerful entrepreneurs. He constantly tries to gain his father’s attention, but usually screws up and fails. He admires and depends on his chauvinistic and domineering father, whom in Diego’s eyes is a powerful god who knows his way around the business world. Thanks to Diego’s looks, he is known to be a "lady's man". His best friends are Giovanni and Tomas who follow him and tend to be more of his "groupies" than friends. He is a little egotistical and sometimes arrogant, but has a sensitive heart underneath. But his main problem is Roberta, his love interest. Roberta, who with her rebellious and stubborn attitude, throws him off his Trojan horse and puts him in his place. This sparks a curiosity in Diego but he hides it by pretending to hate her. They become enemies and call each other names like: (her towards him) “Hijo de Papi” (“Daddy's Boy”) and "Muñequito de Plastico" (Plastic Ken Doll); (his towards her) calls her “Freak” or “Tacky”. Both immediately get in a war, but later (because of a bet with Tomas) Diego tries and succeed at wooing and dating Roberta. They quickly fall in love but once Roberta finds out about the bet, the relationship is over. He became heartbroken and tried to win her back, however, after he thought his mother had abandoned him, Diego turned to anger and took it all out on Roberta, pushing her farther away, which resulted as them becoming enemies once again. For the entire show, both would fight, be alright around one another, be best friends, be on the borderline of getting back together(with constant attempts at kissing started on his behalf), and then go back to being enemies. In the end, Diego did his best to win her back—and this time for good. However, Roberta was too afraid to trust him again and even though they almost became best friends, she refused to let him in even more. In his attempts to win Roberta back, his father notices and threatens to kick Roberta out of E.W School unless he agreed to leave Roberta alone. Javier Alanis, Diego’s meddling stepbrother intrudes between Roberta and Diego, who also happens to have an interest in Roberta as well. Javier does the impossible to try to win Roberta's heart and get Diego off her mind. He goes so far as to tell Roberta that Diego is making another bet to see if she falls for it, when in reality Diego does truly love Roberta. It was because of this that Roberta became confused about Diego and refused to let him back into her heart. But she does care about him. Roberta helps him find his mother (whom was forced to leave Diego because of Bustamante), and escape his father so he can live the life he wants. Diego then realizes what lies deep in Roberta's heart and they get back together. This time for good.
Giovanni Mendez Played by: Christian Chávez Giovanni is a handsome, social, egotistic and very amusing person; He is the character who engages in the most comical situations, due to his crazy ideas for his own personal amusement. He knows how to make friends, his only problem is that he lets himself be taken by others and often doesn't know how to make his own decisions. He is very harsh at times. His best friends are Diego and Tomas.
He dyes his hair of many colors throughout the series (recently he has it purple), hides his low-class parentage and tries not to act like "new money". Coming from a rather poor family, Giovanni (originally named Juan) always shoots for a chance at easy money. Giovanni's parents became rich after his father won the lottery, but his personal administrator did fraud and stole all their properties, which forced them to return to their poor lives. Before winning the lottery, Giovanni's father and mother were owners of a butcher shop, which out of it held a living.
Giovanni is also a hopeless womanizer, unable to remain faithful to just one woman (which mostly explains why his relationship with Vico ended in failure). He gets into a relationship with Agustina, a rich girl who gives Giovanni expensive gifts at the drop of a dime, wooing Giovanni to her feet. Although he is good at heart, His friends consider him a sellout, which splits Giovanni between his devotion to one woman and his fixation for expensive gifts. But in spite of all that, he continues going to school, and he is doing good with his personal life, family, friends, girls, fun activities, and as a member of RBD.
He was also a member of the "Logia", until he betrays them to save Teo.
Téo Ruiz Palacios Played by: Eddy Vilard Quintessential nerd, who is given to panic attacks and often uses an inhaler. He has a hard time dealing with the truth that his brother died due to a drug addiction, and that his mother blames his death on Teo, claiming that she would rather have Teo die instead of his brother. Had a long relationship with Jose Lujan, who helped him, overcome his nerd phase. Had a brief stint with Raquel Byron, but was driven away by her uptight attitude.
Tomás Goycolea Played by: Jack Duarte Although he has good at heart, he is a party boy and does things without considering the consequences. His best friends are Diego and Giovanni. He comes from a very rich family who he doesn't have much contact with, for he rather spend his weekend at school than with his family who doesn't pay much attention to him. He first gets involved with Vico while she was still dating Diego, then develops a crush on Lupita, then gets involved with Anita & Sol. His friends were against his relationship with Sol, for it interfered with their plans to pair him up with Anita (the school's cafeteria girl, who is very smart and even earned a scholarship but needs to pay for the other half of her tuition hence her job at the school. (She has a deep love interest for Tomas.) After Tomas starts dating Sol, Anita refuses to do homework assignments for Diego and Giovanni since she is no longer friends with Tomas and has no other connection to them except for Tomas. Giovanni then makes her believe that Tomas is in love with her, she then accepts to do their work for them but they have to pay a price... to get out of paying, Giovanni and Diego try to split Tomas and Sol. Their plan is a success but after Anita moves, Tomas develops a deep relationship with Pilar.
Rocco Played by: Diego González A somewhat geeky and highly obnoxious student who passes his time by filming other students on his hand-held camera, which makes them mad. After tips by Santos, he tries to become less "fresa" (preppy) and imitates Santos. Rocco starts to make moves on Vico, stemming from Vico's reputation of being "easy", but later on, he falls for her for real. He tries his best to help out Vico in her troubled times, despite Vico's refusal and constant rejects. It seems his attempts pay off during a school trip to Puerto Vallarta, where Vico finally opens her heart to Rocco. Rocco also has great singing potential, as he sings a couple of songs throughout the series.
Santos Played by: Derrick James A gothic rocker who has a crush on Lupita. He knows that she likes him back. Lupita's sister Lola has a crush on him, so there's somewhat of a love triangle there. Santos is easy-going and relaxed for the most part. He always keeps his cool and never exasperates himself. He serves as a loyal advisor to his friend, Miguel. He sometimes acts as an intermediary between Lupita and Lola's constant arguments. He is willing to put everything on the line for his loved ones. He is also best friends with Miguel.
Nico Huber Played by: Rodrigo Nehme A Jewish teen who is pressured by his family to dump his Catholic girlfriend (Lupita) in favor of his childhood sweetheart. Introverted, he hates outdoor activities. Nico was sent on a student exchange program to Israel, and all contact with Lupita was nixed thanks to his mother's interference. He returns in an attempt to see Lupita again, but is surprised when he sees her in company of Santos. He loves Lupita, but Lupita doesn't like him anymore. Nico wants to win Lupita back, but she rejects him for Santos. Nico then goes back to Israel in a soul-searching trip.
Dante Played by: Marco Antonio Valdés He is best friends with Bianca and Lola. He hides a secret crush for Lola. But, then he tries to make his move on Lola only to find himself slapped and alone. Lola then feels sorry for him and they sort of kiss. Though after Pasqual catches them, Roberta bails them out. Poor Dante is then left as just a friend.
Leonardo Francisco Played by: Eleazar Gómez Tomas' cousin. He's from a small town, a wrestler, and from the get-go, Diego, does not like him. He has a crush on Lupita, but Lola thinks he likes her. He leaves later on after a few episodes to go to a school to play soccer.
Mauricio Played by: Ernesto Díaz He tried to compete with Tomas to get Sol to like him in the beginning of the second season. Is very proud of being rich and looks down on people who aren’t. But his story line fades as the second season continues and not much is known about him.
Marcelino Played by: Dylan Obed Is a little boy that Roberta brings to the school in the 1st season. She hides him out in the back of the school. Diego finds out and says that he'll tell the school but he uses Marcelino as a way to get Roberta Back. Pilar finds out about Marcelino and tells the school in her paper. Marcelino is later adopted by a woman who works for Roberta's mom (Alma Rey)
Roger Played by: Carlos Girón He is passionately in love with Roberta. He fakes an illness to gain her interest. But she finds out and nothing is heard from him.
Javier Played by: Miguel Angel Biaggio Diego's (evil) Stepbrother has a crush on Roberta and Jose Lujan. He hates Diego because Roberta loves him. Javier will do anything so Roberta can like him. Although neither Roberta nor Jose Lujan knows that, he likes them. In the end, he is taken out of Elite Way because of his father.
Joaquin Mascarro Played by: Michel Gurfinkiel Mia and Roberta's love interest in the beginning of the series. He was going out with them both at the same time. He also got Tomas into selling drugs and Joaquin left the school because he was caught. He also was in a romance with Pilar, and made love in her father's (the principal) office.
“Rebelde” Adults Franco Colucci Played by: Juan Ferrara He is a high-end fashion designer & Father of Mia. Miguel works for him, which made Franco grow affection for him and treat him like the son he never had. Franco is known as "Daddy" by most of the Elite Way School (since that is how Mia calls him all the time). Franco feels some remorse for overprotecting Mia and spoiling her in the process. Franco and Alma Rey often engage in heated discussions, since Franco despises the kind of ladies that Alma seems to represent (Alma often calls Franco "cement face" when she gets angry at him), but as is usual in these cases, they end up falling in love. Franco also shares a similar trait with Alma: he has not told her daughter Mia that her mother is still alive (Mia is under the impression that her mother died when she was very young), while Alma has kept the real identity of Roberta's father also under wraps.
Alma Rey Played by: Ninel Conde A famous model and singer who is very sexy and gets the attention of the students easily. That makes Roberta, her daughter, somewhat jealous, because her mother gets more attention than her. She is a single mother, even though she used the last name of one of her lovers to give her daughter Roberta a true family name. She overprotects her Roberta, although unlike Mia, Roberta is not very fond of her mom always getting cuddly around her and tends to shun her off. Alma has hidden the true identity of her real father all this time (which is Martin Reverte), and once Roberta discovers the truth, she gets terribly mad with Alma, and decides not to speak with her, which breaks Alma's heart. She is supported by her current love interest and fiancée, Franco Colucci, which brings her another dilemma, since Franco is Mia's father (who is very fond of Alma but jealous of the women who dates her father).In the final episode of the show, Franco and Alma get married, and decide to adopt Jose Lujan, Roberta's best friend.
Leon Bustamante Played by: Enrique Rocha Diego's father and a well-known politician. Very cold and is the villain in the story. Doesn't like Roberta for dating Diego. He thinks she's beneath him. A strict man, who always wants to win at all costs. He takes joy in torturing Diego and embarrasses him in any given chance. He owns half of Elite Way School. He always gets what he wants, at any cost. He even pays a prostitute to sleep with Diego so he could lose his virginity, which causes Diego to fall in love with her. The relationship did not last much after he found out why she met him. Diego then develops a hatred for his dad and then he cuts loose, leaving him cold and alone.
Director Pascual Gandia Played by: Felipe Nájera Power-hungry head of the school who often takes pleasure in the misfortune of the students. Has poor knowledge of English. Even though he tries to be an imposing authority figure, he comes out more as a dim-witted principal who is easily manipulated not only by his superiors but also by the same students he wants to control. Sometimes, his antics and raging outbursts come out as comical rather than menacing (especially his silly evil laugh). Also tends to act clumsy when in the presence of a gorgeous woman. He used to be in a relationship with Alma Rey. He's going through a divorce with his wife Galia, since she considers him to be 'weak' and 'easily manipulated' by Diego's father (the legal owner of the Elite Way School). Despite his clumsy attitude, he still loves his daughter Pilar very much and only wishes for her well-being.
Gastón Diestro Played by: Tony Dalton The new prefect, who is as unpleasant as Esteban. He has a huge crush on Mía, and they finally began a relationship to the disapproval of Mía's father. Mía went out with Gastón to get Miguel (her true love) jealous. His past could also be as obscure as Esteban's, as indicated by further investigations made by Jose Lujan, whom Gaston likes to downgrade and humiliate at any given chance. Jose Lujan stole his laptop, and finds information that leads her to believe that Gaston is her secret benefactor, but Gaston repeatedly denies it. After a while, Gaston gets annoyed by Jose Lujan's meddling with his past affairs, and decides to get her out of the way for once and for all. In reality, Gaston's father (Ricardo Sisniega) took care of Jose Lujan when she was a dirty street orphan because she had saved his life (although how she did so is still unknown). Gaston's father had always compared Jose Lujan's strength of will to Gaston's weak spirit, which fueled Gaston's anger. When his father died in prison, Gaston was forced to look after Jose Lujan and see to her tuition as per his father's last wish. Although Gaston tried to blame Jose Lujan for his miserable existence, he really did love Lujan like a sister, as he admitted to in his final breath. He died after being involved in a heavy car accident.
Mayra Fernandez Played by: Leticia Perdigon Aunt of Lupita and works in the cafeteria of the Elite Way School. Very involved with all the students and has a great sense of humor. Lupita's mother doesn't like this because she thinks Mayra is a bad example for Lupita. But Lupita loves her for being there when she most needed her
Enrique Madarriaga Played by: Patricio Borghetti Bohemian foreign professor who is always trying to solve everyone's problems. He is really loved by the students even though his record says he is a murderer. He fades from the storyline in the second season but then comes back near the end of the third season. Though during his first reprise episode. He and Professor Julia appear to have had a past. Some episodes later Julia gets herself a make over and is admired a little by the Professor. Though it appears that her tone has changed as well. We are left asking ourselves will they end up together. Who knows.
Director Font Played by: ... A fascist, extremely strict principal who ran the school while Pascual was getting his Masters degree in New York. Eventually, he was framed by Santos (Derrick James) and fired on the charge of child pornography, then he left the school. He was kicked out of the school because of his inappropriate pictures of Sol.
Esteban Played by: Aitor Iturrioz The prefect of the school. Very strict, keeps harassing Jóse Luján and Vico. Has a crush on Mía and Alma Rey. Could be an ex-convict serial killer. He also had something to do with the Logia, which is a mystery. At the end of the first series, he was finally expelled from the school and left the series (he was never heard from again).
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rebelde_characters"
Worked a regular day on Wednesday before Thanksgiving (at least traffic was light).
I finished roasting my 20lb Turkey Wednesday night (think this was my 10th solo or assisted bird). It took a little longer (probably 'cause I stuffed it).
In between checking on my roasting bird and making a non-thanksgiving related dinner; I was tranferring some video footage to DVD and catching up on some of my DVR'd episodes.
Thursday (Thanksgiving aka "Turkey Day") was sort of a crazy day :
I think I overcommitted again. Partially since I was up till 12am cooking and putting away my turkey, I overslept the next day. I showed up late at the church thing (appointment #1 / food prep for our host church's Thanksgiving outreach dinner). When I arrived about 1/2 an hour late, the kitchen was full of people! About a third of them were from my church, Epic. There was literally too many cooks in the kitchen and not enough work. I managed to help put out the cranberry sauce on some of the tables before taking off (a total 15 minutes of volunteer work). OH WELL ... I used my extra time to go gas up my car, pick up an Orange County Register (newspaper) and wash my dirty car at home. I made it to appointment #2 (Aunt & Uncle's) for lunch. It was good, I saw nearly all of my relatives including my bro and his family. I got to play catch with my 4 yr old nephew, Trevor. It was a good (sweaty) workout for me. We took a combined family photo (including my Aunt's side of the family the Chinese-Filipino half). It's always nice to see everyone!
From Montebello (San Gabriel Valley), I drove down to Huntington Beach (appointment #3) to see the my old church friends (my adopted "Ju" family, our inside joke since we have the same last names). Oh Boy, MORE FOOD (ugh)! At least I was pacing myself (remember I still have a 20lb bird in the fridge at home). It was really good to see my friends, because everyone is married (some with kids) and we all go to different churchs now.
By this time, it was actually feeling like winter time in LA ... brrrrr (and I was wearing tee shirt and shorts since this morning). I was starting to get hoarse from all my catching up with folks and the colder weather. Okay, just one more stop (appointment #4) ... heading back to North OC and finding out where Clarence and his roomies live (they were relatively close to my pad in Bpk). They were serving up DEEP FRIED TURKEY ... I sampled a piece, it was pretty tasty! Probably the best I had all day.
There were a whole lot of folks at Clarence's (mostly folks from Edwin's alumni - University of Illinois). I only knew Clarence, Edwin, Peter, Becky and Candace but everyone else seemed nice. The guys had this huge HD TV in their living room! Very impressive. I didn't know that Edwin and others were such big "Grey's Anatomy" Fans; we saw the special episode with extended ending with all the oooohs and aaaaaws (yup, the extra commentaries were flyings). I guess I can't call GA a chick flick anymore since there were so many fans that room happened to be guys! It was a good episode.
Well, after GA and after my helping of dessert I went home. I was WIPED ... it was such a long day! I drove about 88 miles in a wide circle. I caught the special RBD (the singing group from the Mexican Soap Opera, "Rebelde") concert that I recorded with my DVR. I was pretty much set on not being caught up with doing "Black Friday" this year until I saw the Walmart ad with the special RBD CD and Season One of "Rebelde" DVD being release on Friday! YUP! I was going to get up early on Friday.
Okay, Friday rolled around and I mis-set my alarm clock and didn't make it to Walmart at 5am but I did get there at 6:30am and you know what?! The parking lot wasn't that full at the local Walmart and alot of folks were already heading home or to other stores. It was weird seeing so many folks walking away from the store with TV sets and computer boxes in their arms (sort reminded me of the looting in LA years ago). Anyway, I got directed to enter thru the garden center since the management wanted to keep the front entrance free for folks leaving the store. After an intense 15 minutes of dodging crazed Walmart shoppers in the early morning hour I finally found what I was looking for ... my CD/DVD Rebelde special! Being a photo blog idiot, I whipped out my mini digital camera to shoot a snapshot of the display and promptly dropped my camera on the tiled floors sending the expensive rechargeable batteries flying all over the place! I finally found them under some pallet display. Ugh, need coffee!
Oh, Walmart is very clever ... I got sucked in because I wanted the "Rebelde" DVD; I ended up with a new portable DVD player ($49) , a DVD player case ($10) , and few more CD/DVD packages (for about $10 each)! Yup, Walmart got my holiday dollars!
I went straight home ... no more shopping for me. I still have to buy my plane tickets for home back to Mississippi during the Christmas break. Anyway, after checking out my new stuff and listening to my new CD's and watching some episodes of "Rebelde" Season 1 ... I had a quick breakfast and took a nap. Afterward I had to meet a friend at a local golf course for some twilight golfing.
The golf course (La Mirada GC) was very busy! We had to wait about an hour on so before we got assigned a tee time and position. After the intial confusion (all these Korean players kept trying to join us in the line up) but we ended up with two college guys (who were pretty inexperience too). Actually, they were pretty nice guys (compared to the jerk we got last time my friend and I golfed). It was a long slow day on the course. Eventhough, I come here for my weekly private lessons I've never played the course before. It's a loooong course! My driver tee shots were pretty bad for most the first 9 holes. I did managed to hit a nice long drive with my Taylor Made on the 10th. I put back into my golf bag, my hybrid #5 club after my Tucson trip last week and I actually hit really well with it. Anyway, it got really dark by 5:00 and all of my golfing partners retired except me. I hit one last tee shot from the 12th and spent the next 20 minutes looking for my nice neon color ball.
So here I am, having dinner and OD'ing "RBD" CD and videos.
Tomorrow, one of my coworker friends is having a photo sitting for the holidays. I have to grab some nice dress shirts for the shot (hopefully I won't blend into the RED scenery).
Hope everyone has a wonderful and Safe Thanksgiving (be THANKFUL FOR GOD's BLESSING in your LIFE)!
I'm brining my 20lb bird right now. Got a bunch of get togethers on T-day including a church outreach event.
Playing some twilight golf on Friday.
Also, for folks in LA ... my coworker who is also a professional photographer offer to shoot free holiday scene pixs; so if you want to save on sitting fees and have a decent Christmas card photos for your blog or cards let me know ... it's this Saturday between 11am to 2pm in Orange, CA. Email me at my gmail account if you're interested.
