Bluetooth remote freezing with PowerPoint on MacBook Pro while idling

Question

I am experiencing problems with bluetooth remote controls (3 different brands) freezing up when used with MS PowerPoint on a MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard (all updated). It is intermittent in nature and appears to be related to idling when giving presentations. It can freeze as quickly as within one minute to not freezing until 30-40 minutes later. This may not be a remote control issue as the arrow keys on the keyboard will not advance or backup the PowerPoint slides as well. However, when using my iMac computer without the remote, I have not observed the freezing (although, I may not have waited long enough since the nature is intermittent and variable in time).
When frozen, the mouse centered on the slide with a touchpad click awakes the computer to work properly (quick, but not ideal solution). However, when two screens are utilized (LCD projector or another monitor) via VGA connecion in "Presenter View," the touchpad click does NOT awake the computer, regardless of where the arrow is placed on screen. During this situation, the "presented slide" can be advanced by clicking the forward and backward arrows below this "subwindow" of "Presenter View," and even clicking on the image itself will advance it forward (but not backward). When this happens, the keyboard arrows do not work in advancing or backing up the slide sequence.
When in this frozen mode with a LCD or 2nd monitor, the only way I have found to get it working again, is to "Exit Show" and pulling down the "Slide Show" tab and selecting "Play from Current Slide." This takes me back to the slide where the computer froze and allows the bluetooth remote to start working again (obviously not an optimal solution, as the software should not disengage). Again, it appears if I keep changing to another slide within a few seconds to a few minutes, the PowerPoint does not freeze up. However, it is intermittent and variable as to the length of time before it freezes up.
NOTE: I have run these same PowerPoints, with the same remote controls, without any problem for hundreds of hours over the past 3 years. I have updated MS Office 2011, from 2008, last fall and have also run these same items without problems for about 40 hours. I have run Mac "Disk Utility" and just installed a MS Office "Update" released yesterday, which has not corrected the issue as well. Is this issue a MicroSoft problem?
Bless whoever who has an answer to this complex situation. Thank you!

Answer 1

I am having the same problem with a minister's MacBook Pro at my church.  It started about 2-3 weeks ago.  We at first thought it was a remote issue and found out that it is not.  He is running a vitually new MacBook Pro with Mountain Lion 10.8.2 OS.  He has Microsoft Office 2011.  He has only had the computer since December.  He runs powerpoint presentations all the time.  He never had a problem until about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  When he runs powerpoint in Presenter Veiw it would freeze up on him.  You can still move the cursor over to the arrows on the presenter view slide windo and phisically click the mouse on the arrows to move forward or backward but none of keys on the keyboard work at all.  It won't even let you escape.  You have to move the cursor over the "Exit Show" button and click there.  We thought that it might be just a presenter veiw issue so we tried running it in "Mirror Mode" and that seemed to work for a while but now we are having the same freezing problems. 
We have taken the laptop to the Genius Bar and talked to the guys there and they did not tell us anything that helped us.  They found this thread that you all started with our same problem.  It looks like all of us had it happen at the same time.  I find that very interesting.  My minister said that he had not run any updates so we don't think that was the issue.
I have tried uninstalling Office completely and reinstalling it with all the updates and that did not help.  I was thinking that I have a copy of Office 2008 here in the office and I was going to uninstall 2011 and install 2008 but one of you said you were having the same issue with 2008.  Maybe I can uninstall 2011 and reinstall it without doing any updates and see if that does anything.  We are very baffled and can't seem to get an answer about any of this from Mac or Microsoft.  All we get is one blaming the other.
Let us know if this is helpfull or if you have any luck.