MacBook Pro Starts, then Black!

1.) I turn on my MBP, and everything seems fine. The start screen with Apple symbol and loading graphic appear.
2.) It seems to be taking longer than usual to load, but I don't suspect anything.
3.) The screen goes BLACK. No amount of typing, screen brightening, or holding of buttons changes this.

What could be the problem?!

I've done some research and tried this following techniques:
- Held SHIFT during startup for Safe Mode
- Held COM+ALT+P+R to reset the PRAM
- Waited until the screen goes black, "dimmed" completely and brightened once to see if I could see a very dark desktop
- Held the computer at different angles (sometimes, my laptops have gone black due to a certain degree the screen is held at, so I thought I'd try)

All result in the same thing: the computer is one, I can turn the volume up and down and the caps lock will turn off and on, but the screen is completely black. PLEASE HELP! Thanks

How old is the MBP and what version of OS X? Is the battery charged enough?

Bought the MBP in 11/2009

I believe it's Lion

Yes, the battery is almost full

Do you have an external monitor or TV that you can use to see if you can get a picture on it? You'll need an adapter and cable - MiniDisplayPort to DVI or VGA or even HDMI, depending on what kind of monitor or TV you're using.

I have hooked it up to my external monitor with a mini-DVI. No luck, the ext. power button just blinks as if it doesn't understand what I've hooked it up to.