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Playmates who didn't live to age 50

The news of the death of Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, seems to have sparked discussion about about the many Playmates who have made the headlines for their untimely deaths.

I suppose, the kind of lifestyle a Playmate leads, generally tends towards adventure and more risk.

However, until a commenter pointed it out, I'd not been aware that someone with "celebrity status" had died in the runway collision at Tenerife in 1977.

Here is the article, which talks about the grisly club of Playmates who didn't live to age 50. As Anna Nicole joins a macabre list, it also mentions "Eve Meyer, a 1955 Playmate, was one of more than 550 people killed when two airliners collided on takeoff at Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 1977. She was 46."

Eve Meyer (born December 13, 1928 in Griffin, Georgia, died March 27, 1977) was an American pin-up model, motion picture actor and, later, film producer. Much of her work was done in conjunction with exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer to whom she was married from April 2, 1952 until 1969.

Belén Esteban crowned Queen of Booing

Belén Esteban as a low budget Madonna

While it was probably a fact that, after all the controversy that led up to it, many watched the gala already predisposed to dislike it, I doubt even Rafael Amargo's (amargo means bitter) worst critics could have expected such an insulting, pathetic and ridiculous bungle. Or, to put it in the words of one viewer, "Rafael Amargo should be led out at dawn and shot! It was so bad it was funny." 

I sat through the 3 hr 40 min spectacle, transfixed, thinking it could never get any worse, but it did. That it kept getting worse was its only consistent feature.

News reports also called it a ridiculous spectacle and public opinion seems to be unanimous in this evaluation of the event, with even the mayor of Santa Cruz, Miguel Zerolo, who participated in a phone-in program on TV this morning said it was a "fracaso" (failure) and was more like an Operación Triunfo (Star Academy) gala than a Carnival Gala. One could say that he recognized the wisdom of saying that first, before he was publicly lynched over it. Just as Rafael Amargo himself must have concluded, having, reportedly, left the venue 45 minutes before the gala's end. The public booed and whistled and winning murga group, Los Diablos Locos (The Crazy Devils), refused to participate and walked off the stage during the live event - the public's favourite part of the show. 



Video: Los Diablos Locos walk off and the crowd goes wild.

Then the public booed Los Cariocas, who followed them, because they did participate. Unfairly, I think, as I did notice that they (or someone) had decided to bring the most "buxom" girls on first - obviously in pointed defiance of Amargo's "castings" to weed out "the fat ones and the ones who can't dance."

Whilst I won't criticize anyone's individual performance (I've been on stage enough times myself), what was clear was that there were too many acts; they were not of the "international calibre" we were told to expect - neither Rosa, nor Gloria Gaynor, nor an "international artist" materialized - most of them had nothing whatsoever to do with Carnaval either and, the whole show was disjointed with pregnant pauses or murdered in cold blood by the wrong style of music, wrong tempo, etc., at all the wrong times. No, I lied. I will criticize the performance of Belén Esteban, the show's all time low point. She didn't so much emulate Madona, as emulate a pole dancer in a sleazy club. She was embarrassing cavorting in a pink leotard and about as sexy as a wet fish.

They had five presenters, sorry six if you add Bibiana Fernández (Bibí Andersen), along with the unannounced Xavi Deltell (who could have done it better alone), yet, the candidates for the title of Carnaval Queen had to announce themselves, via videos. They say that the sound on those was so bad in the congress centre that it left people none the wiser, well, it wasn't much better on TV either.

At the end, the envelope with the winners was delayed, Bibí practically had to calm an imminent riot and the announcement of the winner - Elizabet Garcia representing El Dia - was so overshadowed as to look like an afterthought.



Video: The end of the fiasco as Bibi calls for calm.

If anyone did catch this awful spectacle on international TV channels, all I can hope is that they switched over quickly enough so that the images will not have left a lasting impression. This was not representative of Tenerife's Carnaval.

Abucheos en la gala de la Reina de Tenerife

Bitterness continues over Carnaval Gala

Whenever Tenerife gets into a bit of a controversy, it never does it by halves! And the plot thickens over the disastrous Gala for the Selection of the Carnaval Queen that took place in Santa Cruz on Wednesday night. Now, it seems that the town hall are asking (maybe begging might be more accurate) Spanish Television to edit out the negative aspects before showing it at national level.

This, actually, seems to me to be a pointless exercise in futility, since those very aspects are the ones that have already been picked out and commented on by national programs and, there are a plethora of clips at YouTube and elsewhere online, already doing the rounds of the planet, as people discuss them using words like embarrassing, pathetic or stupid, or the more direct, "pure shit." That's not forgetting that there are some 100 members of the national and international press and media in the Tenerife capital currently for the carnival, who will have seen it first hand and are bound to have reported on it already.

It's also a good job there were 18 candidates, otherwise, if they do edit the program down to just the positive and relevant parts, there wouldn't be much left.

Meanwhile, Rafael Amargo, who directed the fiasco, seems to be the only person who is "satisfied with the work done" and is already defending himself - in a note signed by his representation - saying that he "scrupulously fulfilled the conditions of his contract with the fiesta organizers". He would say that. The town hall are talking about finding the legal means to not only deduct an "important" amount from his outstanding fees, but also considering suing the dancer for damages.

Popular Party candidate for mayor in Santa Cruz says that the whole Carnaval fiasco over the last few days was just a manoeuvre to draw attention away from the problems the current mayor, Miguel Zerolo, has with the law.

For others, the real problem, it has been said - adding yet more gross insult to serious injury - is that we simpletons in Tenerife didn't appreciate the gala's content as we just wouldn't know art when we see it. So, I'll leave you with a little piece of that "art", as performed by "artist" Belén Esteban - who, for overseas viewers who are unaware, has only one previous claim to fame: that she slept with a bullfighter. What do you think, did we miss something in this "outstanding performance"? The original version I had of this performance - since deleted from the web - appeared to have been manipulated in that you could hear applause and laughter in the background. Watching live, all you heard was booing.

Belén Esteban crowned Queen of Booing

There are many articles online saying that the Carnaval in Tenerife in 2007 will always be remembered for controversy and, which "crown" Belén Esteban as the "Queen of Booing" at the hapless Gala for the Selection of the Carnaval Queen.

Poor girl, she says, "I feel bad, because they've never booed me before".

Well, there's always a first time for everything love! Being "crucified", seems to me, to invite it really, but ... It seems she's been pouting on TV about her ill fortune too. I'm so glad I've missed that, but Colin Davies in Galicia sums it up nicely:
"Needless to say, the goings-on down in Tenerife provided un-missable material for the endless TV gossip shows. The one I was unlucky enough to zap into offered us the inane musings of one of the performers who’d been received badly. Having seen the act in question, it was clear her ego was in inverse proportion to her talents so I was rather nonplussed by her celebrity status. Plus, she was rather ugly and clearly very reconstructed from her [blond] hair down. I later learned she was the ex-girlfriend of a bullfighter. And possessed of a big mouth. In Spain, this explains everything."
Oh and in the edited version of the Gala televised very late on Saturday night by TVE1, probably against the wishes of the Santa Cruz town hall who wanted the damaging parts cut, Esteban's crucifying performance was shown again.

This also made the list of Los 7 momentos más ridículos de Belén Esteban (The 7 Most Ridiculous Moments of Belén Esteban), where at number 5, it says, "Nobody will forget the boos and insults that Esteban suffered at the carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2007, when [s]he imitated Madonna on stage." You too may be wondering, afraid to look, at the four more ridiculous moments!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2007

Elizabet García Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2007

Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2007 was Elizabet García (21), with "Miss Dior", designed by Leo Martínez and representing newspaper El Día.

In 2007, the court was made up as follows:

  1. 1st Maid of Honour: Claritza González Pérez, with a costume entitled “Bella-Bellísima”, representing Centro Comercial Meridiano and designed by Saliarca Creativos.
  2. 2nd Maid of Honour: Ariana Álvarez Cáceres, with a costume entitled “Bun Bun para Bin Ban Bun”, representing Grupo AC Bingo Colombófilo and designed by Juan Carlos Armas.
  3. 3rd Maid of Honour: Jessica Gómez Panza, with a costume entitled “Masai-Mara”, representing Tubillete.com and designed by Carmas II.
  4. 4th Maid of Honour: Gilary Fariña Fariña, with a costume entitled “Entre espumas, la fantasía de tu voz” (Between foams, the fantasy of your voice), representing Centro Comercial Alcampo - La Laguna and designed by Juan Carlos Armas.
The theme of carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2007 was 'Fashion'. 

Carnaval in Tenerife in 2007 will, sadly, always be remembered for the controversy and, which "crowned" Belén Esteban as the "Queen of Booing" at the hapless Gala for the Selection of the Carnaval Queen. Known as "The Bitter Carnival", due to the negative prominence acquired by the director of the gala: Rafael Amargo (amargo means bitter), the gala itself that was nothing more than a parade of "reality" characters and "trash TV" with Belén Estéban performing a cheap imitation of Madonna. The occasional singer had nothing to do with the usual rhythm and music typical of carnival and almost no carnival groups could participate, which is traditional and kinda the whole point. Amargo had promised to make a great show with a performance by stars such as Jennifer López or Ricky Martín. He not only failed to acquire a star of such calibre, but afterwards dedicated himself to insulting the city in any medium of communication, accusing them of being inept and uneducated for not understanding his show. It was considered by many as the worst carnival gala in history in Tenerife.  

Six dead in cavern on Tenerife

Entrance to the gallery at Piedra de los Cochinos

Fifteen people were trapped underground in a shaft on the Spanish island of Tenerife and rescuers were having difficulty evacuating them. The shaft, known as the "Piedra de los Cochinos" (Pig's Stone) is in the locality of Los Silos, north Tenerife. Civil Guard mountain rescue teams were mobilized to the scene.

Rescuers, although awaiting the recuperation of the last body, have confirmed the death of six people, due to lack of oxygen and inhalation of volcanic gasses, who were trapped "by error" in the Piedra de los Cochinos shaft. The six, five men and one woman, were part of a group of 30, including scientists and members of a nature organization, who entered the gallery on Saturday.

Rescue teams were unable to reach the point where these persons were trapped, some 2,000 meters from the entrance to the gallery, although they had tried to get oxygen to them. During the night and early morning, Civil Guard rescued 23 of the 30, who had been trapped for close to 16 hours. Underwater teams with oxygen supplies reached those, 1,200 and 1,400 meters inside the gallery.

Six others, with breathing difficulties, were taken to hospital by helicopter. Three of those rescued, two women and a man, are in a serious condition.

Civil Guard, fire services, Red Cross and a helicopter from the Government Emergency Services have all been deployed in the rescue, which is in an area with already difficult access. At the gallery site, there is no mobile phone coverage, making it difficult for different rescue teams to remain in contact.

The two groups on the excursion, among whom are both Spanish and foreign scientists, from the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC) and the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), who were walking the route from Erjos - Cuevas Negras - Los Silos, in the Teno Rural Park on Saturday.

The brother of one of the party indicated that the walkers were accompanied by three guides, however the person who knew the area best had been unable to go on the trip. It had been explained to them by phone how to find the tunnel that connects the two gorges in which they were lost, but the walkers made a mistake and entered the Piedra de los Cochinos water gallery instead.

The alarm was raised at around 16:45 on Saturday, when one of the party managed to escape, after they had entered the gallery at around 14:00 and an hour later began to faint. When they regained consciousness, they began their attempts to get out.

The 1.9 m high and 1.8 meter wide Piedra de los Cochinos water gallery, which was opened around 200 years ago and closed in 1964, is within the Monte del Agua - one of the largest laurisilva (subtropical cloud forests) in the Canary Islands - between Erjos and Los Silos. Access to the area is via Las Portelas - where a rescue coordination centre has been set up - in the El Palmar valley.

This is not the first accident to have occurred in the area, where there are various footpaths and walkers mistake the galleries for tunnels.

Balance at the end of a sad day in Tenerife

After the last of the six bodies had been recovered from the Piedra de los Cochinos gallery Sunday afternoon, the rescue helicopter passed over the house for the last time to land at the Finca Los Pedregales complex in El Palmar, where emergency services had set up a temporary base.

The six dead have now been identified as being five Spanish nationals; four men and one woman and, one Italian male, all between the ages of just 22 and 36.

The town halls in Buenavista del Norte and Los Silos called emergency meetings Sunday and have declared three days of mourning in the district for the dead.

According to agency and TV reports, one of the six survivors who had needed to be taken to hospital by helicopter, has been discharged, however, another's situation had worsened. Two remain in a serious condition with symptoms of muscular destruction from having been in a fixed position for such a length of time, but are not in danger. The rescue helicopters, as well as fire engines, Civil Guard vehicles and ambulances had been buzzing thorough the valley for most of the almost 24 hours it took to complete the difficult rescue operation.

As Los Silos mayor, Santiago Martín, observed, this beautiful area deserves to be on the front pages of the world's media also for other [better] motives.

Understanding Carnaval: Murga

Murga Group Afilarmónica NiFú-NiFá

Yeah, you turn up in costume, you party ... what's to understand? However, there are all sorts of different components and participants in Carnaval and the Murga groups are one of them. You may see them - you'll know if you hear them - and wonder what it's about. I liked this description, which is kinda Murga 101:
"Murgas are a key part of Carnaval in Las Palmas and elsewhere in the Canary Islands. They’re choirs who sing along with a sort of kazoo band (the sound is an acquired taste) and their songs are a satirical commentary on the year’s news. They are not known for being politically correct, which is hardly a Carnaval tradition."

The longer version:

The murgas in the Canarian carnivals consist of a group of people who sing with lyrics that are generally critical of politics, but also of the problems of society in general. Frequently developed with humor and irony, the compositions are based on popular songs, whose lyrics are changed, with the murguero whistles (kazoo) carried by each of the members. The group is usually large (more than 20 people) and is accompanied only by percussion. They are one of the most popular elements of carnivals and contests are held where the most outstanding murgas in costumes, lyrics and interpretation are awarded.

The murga is the most popular element of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife carnival.

The Afilarmónica NiFú-NiFá (Tenerife) is the oldest of these groups, and is considered the grandfather of the Canarian murgas. Its creator, Enrique González Bethencourt, was awarded in 2001 by the King of Spain, after his intense dedication to developing the carnival even during the dictatorial regime of Francisco Franco. The murgas contests are one of the most popular acts of the Carnival. So much so, that the tickets for the adult murgas contest for the final usually sell out a few hours after going on sale, and on the day of the contest, people line up, even from the day before to be able to enjoy the best seats. 

Murga en Canarias

Tenerife Land of Eternal Christmas

Sunbathing SantaDesert Island ChristmasScuba Diving SantaTropical Santa
Santa's Having a Whale of a TimeSurfing SantaWaterski SantaCamel Rodeo Santa
With a wide range of products in each design, click the pics (above) to see the full selections.