MacBook Pro - Screensaver or Sleep Won't Start Using Timer

I've had this 17" MacBook Pro for about 6 weeks. I've been a Mac owner for 18 years so I know my way around these machines. As I've done for years, I set up the screensaver to come on in 3 minutes and the computer to go sleep in 15. It worked fine until a few days ago. Now it suddenly stopped activating either the screensaver or the sleep option. It stays on until I physically put the computer to sleep using the Apple drop-down menu.

I normally don't use a Hot Key for this but I just set it up for the screensaver to activate with the cursor in the upper right hand corner. That works but still no screensaver or sleep with the timer. This is a bit strange since I've always had my computers set up like this since MacOS 7.6!

Is this due to a glitch with Leopard on the MCP? My old 2004 iBook G4, running Tiger, gets its screensaver and sleep option via the timer. So does my 24" iMac using Leopard. I see from posts here that this is a problem which has been occurring to others since early 2007. Owners are losing their ability to put their MacBooks to sleep without using the Apple menu along with their Bluetooth. They've reset the PRAM and all manner of diagnostics, to no avail. Yet no one has posted a solution yet, either here on anywhere else on the internet (believe me, I looked!). Right now I still have my Bluetooth and I can use a Hot Key corner to put my MCP to sleep. But doesn't everyone think that this has gone on long enough? I'm calling Apple Tech Support tomorrow because I didn't pay this kind of money for my computer to break down little by little. When you drive a Ferrari, i ain't cool if your power windows don't work. Feel me?

Any ideas?