Patte: Lynette, I believe we left off with the music for Josephine.

Lynette: Yes, Patte, I was talking about the lyricist and composer of our show, John Bettis and Steve Dorff.

Mr. Bettis, an Emmy Award winner, Academy Award and Grammy Award nominee, was also co-founder of The Carpenters. His songs have been recorded by Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, Harry Connick Jr., Dionne Warwick, Randy Travis, and so on.

Mr. Dorff has composed over 20 top ten pop hits and nine number-one film songs. He’s a five-time Emmy Award nominee and a three-time Grammy Award nominee. He wrote two number-one hits for the movie Heartland. You’ll recognize his television themes from Murder She Wrote, Murphy Brown, and Growing Pains. Some of the well known Dorff-Bettis collaborations include: Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time,” Madonna’s “Crazy for You,” Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” and Barbra Streisand’s “Higher Ground.”

Q: We have yet to talk about the director?

A: Surprisingly enough our director is also our choreographer, Joey McKneely. A two-time Tony Award nominee for choreography (Smokey Joe’s Cafe and The Life) Joey will be making his Broadway directorial debut with Josephine. He recently recreated the Jerome Robbins choreography for the Broadway smash hit revival of West Side Story, also directing international touring companies of West Side Story.

Q: It sounds like you have all the makings for a hit Broadway musical.

A: I would be remiss if I neglected to mention our incredible set designer, Robin Wagner, and his Tony Awards for The Producers, City of Angels, and On the Twentieth Century, plus nine other Tony Award nominations from a list of Broadway credits that encompass basically the best of the Broadway musicals.

Also our costume designer is Ann Hould-Ward, a Tony Award winner and the American Theater Wing’s Design Award winner for Beauty and the Beast. She has designed costumes for many Broadway winners; one of my favorites has always been Sunday in the Park with George.

Q: What are some of the movie/television shows we’ve seen you appear?

A: I’m appearing in The Middle, Southland, and Imagination Movers, but I have appeared in numerous movie and television roles such as: Desperate Housewives, Everyone Hates Chris, Medium, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Law and Order, ER, N.Y.P.D. Blue, City of Angels, The Shield, and Showtime at the Apollo. Where’s my résumé? Unfortunately I can’t remember everything!

Q: Oh Lynette, that’s too funny! I’m sure you have many skills.

A: I am fluent in German and Spanish as well as dialects such as British, West Indian, Southern, and New York. My voice is soprano/mezzo alto, so I can easily move into a multitude of roles. Currently I’m involved with The Company of Angels in a series called LA Views 5 which consists of eight 10-minute plays by Los Angeles playwrights. I appear in four of the plays, all taking place in 1992: the day before, the day of, and the day after the Rodney King verdict. Check The Company of Angels’ website for show times and ticket information. It’s wonderful — I love it!

Q: You’re always so happy, joyful, and positive! How do you manage day-to-day with such a full work-load and remain focused and grounded?

A: I rely dearly on my husband, Charles Richardson. He truly takes complete care of me, and we are so perfect for one another. We’ve known each other since age four. We grew up together in Niagara Falls. I’d be lost without him; we’re so much in love.

Q: You just put the lid on this interview! It is true … Love is all you need!

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

PATTE: First, let me thank you for attending our holiday house warming and delighting us with one of your songs from the upcoming Broadway musical about the life of legendary Parisian star, Josephine Baker.

Lynette: It was indeed my pleasure. I’m always so delighted when I have the chance to sing. I am truly blessed and it comes from within, from within my heart.

Q: Believe me it shows! I know you’ve been primarily concentrating on your film work, but what drew you back to the musical stage and Broadway?

A: Well Broadway is not new to me. I’ve appeared in many Broadway musicals such as Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, which garnered Tony Awards for director George C. Wolfe, as well as choreographer Savion Glover. Smokey Joe’s Café was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and Truly Blessed, where I was thrilled to play Mahalia Jackson. In national/international touring companies I was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a principal role as Effie in Dreamgirls at Chicago’s Candlelight Playhouse. What a glorious time that was, because we actually wore the entire lush and lavish Theoni V. Aldredge designed costumes.

More recently I have appeared in the highly acclaimed Oprah Winfrey production of The Color Purple, and in between I have appeared in a multitude of other on-and-off Broadway and regional shows.

Q: What attracted you to the role of Bricktop in the musical Josephine?

A: First of all she is a dynamic character to portray and a real person from history. She was a flame red-headed, cigar chomping friend and confidant to Josephine Baker and like Josephine she was also an African American expatriate. They basically arrived in Paris around the same time and were suddenly treated with respect and dignity – what’s not to love about that? While Josephine became an overnight sensation at the Folies Bergere, Bricktop ran the Chez Bricktop nightclub and they were both the rage of Paris – the talk of the town! Bricktop also sang and often entertained her celebrity clientele. Everyone went to see Josephine, and after her show, everyone, including Josephine, came to see “my place” because, you see, I am becoming Bricktop, and that’s what defines the actor and brings a show to life — making it real.

Q: Miss Baker led such a huge, illustrious life, enough to fill three lifetimes. How were the writers able to fit everything into a two-plus hour musical?

A: Our producer, Ken Waissman (Grease, Agnes of God, and Torch Song Trilogy), actually conceived the show from Stephen Papich’s biography written from his memories and experiences with his dear friend Josephine. Under the guidance of Mr. Waissman, writers Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton created “the book” which takes place between 1939 and 1945, based on actual events.

Lynette: Patte dear, I’m having a wonderful time with our interview and have so much more to tell, but they are about to call me to the set now. Please, may we pick this up where we left off for your readers?

Patte: Of course, Lynette. Everyone stay tuned for Part II of our interview with Lynette DuPree, and don’t forget to tune in to watch Miss DuPree in The Middle on ABC, Wednesday nights, at 8:00 p.m.

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

RN: Even when these young people communicate via Twitter or text on their phones, they use abbreviations which they understand and use to communicate. There have been a number of new words added in the dictionary in the last five years. If you asked someone from the older generation about these words, they would not even know what they mean. Kids learn anything when they are young — foreign languages, anything.

There is no such thing as being ignorant to this technology. The young people are growing up with it. But it is difficult for the older generation. Unless one keeps taking classes on these things, there is no way one can keep up. This is the young people’s world; it is a different world. We will not be around it in 20 years to see what happens. No one really knows and no one has a clue.

PB: It will have to continue.

RN: Yes, but we do not know the outcome. Are these children going to be more brilliant because they learned all this at a younger age? Or, have they been exposed to too much technology? They do not know how to play the basic games, like Monopoly or Checkers, which the older people did. Do you remember when we made our own telephones with string and two cans and we put paraffin on the wires?

PB: Yes, I do.

RN: We did all those fun things, and kids today do not even know what that is. Remember hopscotch? You drive around the neighborhoods today and you do not see kids playing out in their driveways like we did. They are inside playing on their computers. That is why most of our kids are now getting fat. We are having an obese society.

PB: So the downside is they are gaining weight because all they do is sit and play with the computer.

RN: And you wonder about their social skills. You see two kids walking down the street, on their cell phones. We communicated directly, face to face with people. We wrote nice letters.

PB: I do not think they write letters.

RN: It is a totally different world!

PB: Depending on how many kids you have.

RN: And all of this technology is expensive. And there will be a lot of kids left behind because their parents cannot afford all this technology. This is also a huge problem. We talk about losing our Middle Class. We talk about losing a whole group of people academically because of this huge gap.

I do not think we will know for 15 or 20 years. I may still be here, but I will be pretty old. But it is going to be so different. Think of the financial impact. Think of some of the people who will never be able to afford this. It is not their fault if they are never exposed to it.

PB: For awhile there was an international language — everyone spoke English.

RN: But think of the people who live in the United States and cannot speak English. But with these iPads, you can get books in any language you want.

PB: But what about the older people who need to know? How are they supposed to learn?

RN: Things that you learn on the iPad are not things you need to know. These things are just tools needed for research. I am talking about the young children who can learn the basic things, like their ABC’s, because it is all interactive. The iPads talk back to you, so it’s a two-way street.

I am going to run by my school and pick mine up and show it to you. I think you will enjoy the inter-activeness.

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

PB: Are you finding that there are more students who qualify for either type of scholarship, or is it about even?

RN: I think it’s about even. However in college, 50% are women and only 43% are men. More women are going to college than men. Women are also getting their Master’s. It’s 60% women and 40% men. Women are definitely getting more educated than men. We are going to be seeing more women at big companies as CEOs, because they are getting better educations.

PB: How does that compare with last year’s vs. 2010?

RN: You have to look at the last 10 years to really see the change. Last year [2011] was very close to 2010. Ten years ago, there were not as many women. I don’t know the exact specifics, but women are definitely catching up. There has only been about one-half percent in the last year that women had to drop out.

PB: Do you think more women are serious in their choice of courses?

RN: Yes, I do, and I think women are being more assertive in the classroom. More women are working. Society is used to women being at home and taking care of the children, but now these women have careers. They want to be able to take care of themselves. So many women end up as single moms and they have to support the whole family themselves. It’s sad but true. Women end up supporting a lot of families.

PB: Do any of them have husbands?

RN: Yes, but there are many cases of divorce. In many cases, it is the woman who ends up taking care of the children and a lot of the financial responsibilities. So I think that’s one of the reasons you see many women in school. They want to be independent and able to take care of themselves.

PB: How are the statistics about men and women living together without being married?

RN: Well, that’s a growing trend. That’s the newer generation. It’s a whole new world that we don’t really understand. They live together and they have children, but they are not married.

Education and New Technology

RN: What I think is going to be the most fascinating is how the world of technology has changed so dramatically, and the impact it will have on education. You take this new iPad. Children (2- or 3-years-old) can operate the iPad. One can get animated school games through the iPad. These are very basic pre-school things and they are interactive with the child. I have little grandchildren (just over 6 years and 2-1/2 years old) who can open books and games, and play “Finding Nemo.” They tell you if you’re not reading the correct words on the page. All this you can do on the iPad.

PB: What actually is an iPad?

RN: It’s a tablet made by Apple — the first one came about a year or two ago. It is incredible! They know their ABCs and can count to 20 or 25. All this interactive learning is an entirely different world.

PB: Do they use these in schools?

RN: One school on the East Coast is using iPads in their Kindergarten and First Grade classes. They’re doing a year of experimental program to see if the reading skills of the below average students can improve. We don’t yet know the outcome, but I think it’s going to be great. The only thing with students who are using this technology is that there is no such thing as the basic writing skills that we had to learn and were graded on. The students nowadays do not write — everything goes into their computer. It’s all keyboarding!

Part III to follow….

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

PB: Webster defines “education” as the process of education, teaching, or training; the learning or development that results from this process or training.

I wanted to discuss the current state of obtaining a college degree education in the current climate. I know that you are very knowledgeable about this and that’s why I asked for this interview.

I’ve been thinking lately how very important an education is. Giving someone the gift of an education through a scholarship would be a perfect gift.

RN: I think you’re perfectly right, Patte. Through education, these students are later able to get better jobs: 50% more with a college education than someone without a college degree. If you figure that out in the long term of someone’s life, it means a lot of money; and it makes a big difference in that they can then send their children to college.

PB: Well, what would be an accurate comparison, from this 2011 to 2010? When did the heart break and the head break start with this economy? Was it last year, or two years ago?

RN: I think the change actually started four years ago, when we had students that had parents who were actually losing their jobs. The students were already enrolled in the school and then their parents lost their jobs. I personally think that right now we’re not seeing as many parents lose their jobs, because the students whose parents already lost their jobs are simply not in college, because they can’t afford it. We had students who had to drop out because their parents lost their jobs.

It doesn’t seem that we have as many students drop out of school now because when they enter school, their parents have jobs and I don’t think there have been as many layoffs. These students are supported by their parents. 72% of our students are the first generation in their family to go to college, and most of the parents want to give their children what they never had and this makes a difference. They saved what they could for college, but then when they lost their jobs, they had to use the money they saved for college to support their families.

I think that right now we have a number of students who are not in school because they cannot be there due to lack of money.

Right now we have 91% of our students on scholarships; so we have more students who are saying that, if they can get scholarships, they can attend college.

PB: How do they qualify for a scholarship?

RN: In order to get a Cal Grant from the state, you have to have a l0.0 average and your parents have an income of less than $50,000 combined.

But to qualify for a Woodbury scholarship, you need to have a lot of potential and good grades (a minimum of a B average). Also, your parents have to file reports on all their income tax, so we only give money to students who truly need help. That is determined by the parents’ income, which is the determining factor.

PB: How does that prevent the parents from lying?

RN: Well, they can’t really lie, because the Federal tax returns and all that have to be given to the university. We need to see, in black and white, that the parents only make so much money and we need to have some documentation to prove that.

Part II to follow….

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

Reviewers have called it “Spielberg’s finest hour” and Time Magazine named it one of the top 10 best movies of 2011, calling it “boldly emotional, nakedly heartfelt, War Horse will leave only the stoniest of hearts untouched!”

Produced by Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, the $70 million dollar pic has an austere production team with a wonderfully written screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall, based on the acclaimed book War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. Adding to the movie is the beautiful cinematography from Janusz Kaminski, as well as an exquisitely beautiful musical score from John Williams, the “King of the Baton.”

Michael Morpurgo wrote his children’s novel War Horse in 1982 after striking up a friendship with neighboring World War I veterans in the Devon Village of Iddesleigh where he lived. The men remembered the Army coming to their village to purchase horses for the war effort. Horses were used as draught animals, pulling guns and ambulances, as well as cavalry services. After months of research, Morpurgo found that at least a million horses died on the British side as well as an overall estimate of 10 million horse deaths on all sides. The Great War had a devastatingly massive impact on not only the horses, but the many men who fought so bravely. In the United Kingdom alone, 62,000 horses returned and only 2% of the entire country’s population returned; 886,000 men died, one in only eight of those men who went to war.

Morpurgo was inspired to write his novel after observing a young boy talk fluently to a horse at a farm run by Mornago’s charity farms for city children. In watching this relationship between a young stammering boy and a horse, he found a way to tell the story — the horse and its relationships with people before and during the war, being the young boy from Devon, a British cavalry officer, a German soldier, and an elderly Frenchman and his granddaughter.

The most exciting part of the movie is that unlike the play where the horses are beautiful puppets and add greatly to the stage show, we get to see hundreds of beautiful real horses in the film.

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

Film Editor Michael Kahn, speaking of his work on the film: “We have some shots in War Horse that are fantastic! We shot it in Devon and you know it’s gorgeous down there, and the horses are beautiful and the farms are beautiful. There is spectacular scenery and every shot is gorgeous, then you eventually get to the war part of it and it’s really, really something.” Kahn had a special editing trailer on the set and he actually edited the movie during filming. Kahn and Spielberg cut the film digitally, rather than on film, which was a first for Spielberg.

Further editing took place in the UK at Twinckenham Film Studios after filming, before the production moved back to the U.S. in Nov. 2010. It was put together here in Hollywood and Khan stated, “It worked well. The English actors are extremely good and so were the beautifully trained horses. For an editor, there were a lot of match frame problems with the horses, but the shooting was so good I got everything I needed.”

The Music

Now it was time for John Williams to score the film and it was recorded in March/April 2011. Spielberg is quoted as saying, “I feel that John has made a special gift to me of this music, which was inspired not only by my film but also by many of the picturesque settings of the poet William Wadsworth, whose vivid descriptions of the British landscape inspire much of what you are going to hear.”

Visual effects for the movie were undertaken by Framestore, a London-based company. According to Spielberg, the only digital effects in the movie are three shots lasting three seconds, which were undertaken to ensure the safety of the horse involved. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of. Everything you see on screen really happened.”

“It’s a moving and powerful story you can taken children to see, but it is still very upsetting … people die and it is war,” co-producer Kathleen Kennedy stated.

Many of you who have already seen the movie War Horse have been moved and touched much in the same way as me and the many actors and contributors to the film. Michael Morpurgo, who wrote the book, said, “The movie feels like a Christmas present … one I desperately want to open but am not allowed to yet. If that sounds almost childlike, so does the quality of my anticipation. I know I’ve built up my hopes considerably. I want it to live on and on in people’s minds.” And it will!

Save the date, UK: Jan. 13 marks the premiere for our friends in the United Kingdom.

War Horse – a movie not to be missed!

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

Jeremy Irvine atop the steed in “War Horse.”

To quote Steven Speilberg, “When I’m on an ‘Indy’ movie, I’m watching Indiana Jones and not the horse he is riding. Now I am faced with the challenge of making a movie where I had to watch the horse, and at the same time compel the audience to watch it along with me. My attention had to be focused on what the horse was doing and understand its feelings. It was a whole new experience for me.”

The main character is Joey, the horse, and 14 different horses were used to portray him: two foals, four colts, and eight adults. There was a special make-up team to dye their coats and markings to ensure continuity. As many as 280 horses were used in a single scene. A farrier was on set at all times to replace horseshoes sucked off in the mud during filming. Equine artist Ali Bannister was responsible for the “hair and make-up” of the horses.

Working with horses on this scale was a new experience for Spielberg: “The horses were an extraordinary experience for me, because several members of my family ride. I was really amazed at how expressive horses are and how much they can show what they’re really feeling.” The pre-production period allowed only three months to train the horses before shooting began.

One scene in particular where the British cavalry charged the German machine gun lines, was intense for lead actor Jeremy Irvine (Albert Narracott), starring in his first film role. The scene included hundreds of extras and 130 horses. Irvine explained: “It’s the weapons of the old war, men on horses, meeting the absolute destructive tools of mass slaughter. There was this line of machine guns and there’s this wall of lead coming out of these guns. There were real explosions at my feet, bodies flying through the air, stuntmen getting shot at. It was terrifying: the smoke and smell and the taste of the guns firing. It’s not difficult to act scared in that situation. There’s no doubt this was deliberate, not only to have the film look great, but to have that effect on the actors. It was an eye-opening scene.”

Emily Watson who plays Albert’s mother (Rose Narracott) was quoted as saying, “The Michael Morpurgo book is Black Beauty Goes to War. So, if you’re English, two of the most emotive subjects you could touch on are Black Beauty and the First World War. The crew was constantly in tears, as there were war memorials and everybody had a story in their family … for English people everyone was touched by that war.”

On the set, Spielberg would arrive in the morning and say, “I couldn’t sleep last night. I was worrying about this shot!” Emily Watson praised his approach: “It was intimate, passionate, and about the acting. Every single priority that as an actor you would want to be there was there. It was great! He’s human and he’s still working in an impassioned way, like a 21-year-old, trying to make the best out of everything.”

Do not miss War Horse, and stay tuned for our post-production, “It’s a Wrap” installment.

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.

We decided to ask about one of our special pets, who had died recently from a heart attack. This writer talked to a well-known psychic, who is also a good friend; her name is Rev. Hilda Hill. So here goes a little trip to the Spirit World…. It will be a fast trip, but a good one … so hang on!

We entered Rev. Hill’s special room and began with a centering prayer by Rev. Hill: “All the great spirits, we ask your guidance and for your assistance. If it is your will that we may reach the other side, let it be; if not, let your will be done. We ask special consideration and blessings for any little souls that may have passed to the other side. Guide the little soul to a resting place, for we know that every living thing has a place on this side as well as on the other.” I then asked Rev. Hill some questions regarding animals in the Afterlife.

Q: Did Bonnie B. (my favorite Skye terrier) die of a heart attack?

A: Yes, but it seems that she ate something used to kill insects, and this poison caused her heart attack.

Q: Was it her time to go?

A: Yes, it was her time. Contrary to what a lot of people think, there is a heaven for animals, and eventually they are reunited with their owners. The other side is similar to this one; every living thing that existed on this side also exists on the other. All living things have energy and a soul: plants, flowers, birds, and all animals. It is a much nicer place and much different. For a period, we’re in darkness, until we get used to the light. Everything over there is beautiful … more bright and shiny.

So dear readers, take heart and know that you will meet your beloved pets again.

In answer to the Who, What, Where, and Why: Here is the report as given to this writer.

Around midnight, about 10 days ago, my son had dinner with us and he was just leaving through the front door, and as I stood watching him go, the phone rang. I came back in to answer the phone; there was a man on the other end who identified himself as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department and said there was an armed and dangerous person in our backyard. So, I went back out to the front of my house and asked my son to speak to the caller.

My husband overheard the conversation between our son and the “policeman” who said everybody needed to get in the car and leave. That sounded funny because our car was in the garage in the backyard. He said there was an armed and dangerous man in our backyard which seemed strange. My son’s car was in the driveway and someone could have seen his car there. I asked him to further identify himself. His response was, “You are not cooperating with the Police Department. The Police Department needs you to cooperate.” Then my son asked him for identification, and he said he was working “undercover on the street behind us” and could not tell my son his badge number or name. He said he knew this person had come through our backyard. When my son said, “We’re not leaving the house,” he insisted we go to our car, turn the alarm on so it makes a honking sound, and leave. None of this made much sense. My son used his cell phone to call 911.

In the meantime, I was talking to this person on the other phone, and he asked for our names, but I first asked if they could send a car and he transferred me to this other department – with a long wait in between each one. The message I got was, “At this moment we cannot respond. If someone has broken a window, call such and such number.” Anyway, we decided it was a ruse to get us out of the house, or maybe it was just a crank call. But it is a little hard at 11 o’clock at night to think clearly about it. We tried to call our community police station – but the number in the phonebook does not help anyone at all.

So, before my son went home, he took a flashlight, went through the property, and found no evidence. He then went home and although we were still nervous, we went to bed. In the morning we found everything normal. The next night, at 11:30 p.m., we got the same call again. This time we hung up very quickly.

It was the same voice, the kind you could trust, because he sounded as though he was a “policeman.” Anyway, the Community Police Department said they would contact the person patrolling the area and ask him to drive by our house and check things out. So far, we have not heard from him again and hope we never do. He did not sound like he was on drugs; he sounded very reasonable. He did not sound like a kid, but definitely a male voice.

So beware – this happened right in our neighborhood. It could happen to you!

If you care to comment about this column, please email me at pattebarham@hotmail.com.