Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 173

St. Petersburg boy Barney's new video co-star With Barney the Dinosaur, St. Petersburg fifth-grader Dylan Crowley stars as Alex in Barney's new video 77ie Land of Make Believe being filmed at Universal Studios in Orlando. Dylan was chosen for the part from among hundreds who auditioned. 4-; Wft Special to the Times said.

"I see him not moving and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, is he After he is done filming with Barney at Discovery Cove and Universal Studios, Dylan will set his sights on Hollywood. Cindy Os-brink, who runs a Los Angeles child talent agency, wants Dylan to audition for pilots and feature films. Osbrink said she sees him as a male version of Dakota Fanning, the 9-year-old actor from her agency who starred in Cat in the Hat, Uptown Girls and I Am Sam. "He just so reminded me of her just down-to-earth, real, speaks from his heart," Osbrink said. "I can't wait until he gets out here." Dylan's ascension as an actor started with an innocent comment from a friend of his mother in May 2003.

"She said: He's so cute. I think he should get in the business," Gloria Crowley recalled. On a whim, Dylan went to a talent agency in Tampa. He quickly landed modeling and acting work, starring in a Dick Clark-produced project, The Canbees, and winning a modeling competition. "I'm really devoted to it," he says, perched on the armrest of the couch in his parents' Old Northeast house.

When he's not on 'the road, Dylan goes to school, plays soccer for the Clearwater Chargers, reads J.R.R. Tolkien and watches movies. black-and-white names," Dylan admitted. Barney will never be confused with Bogart, but Dylan works from sunrise to sunset showing up on the set at 8 a.m. When he's not on stage, he doesn't get to rest much: A special teacher hired by the Barney staff conducts school there.

While Dylan is playing with Barney, life goes on for his friends at school. "When you're not there, they're not going to wait around for you to get back," said Dylan's father, Daniel, a professional jazz guitarist. "Like anything else, you get used to it." And, Dylan says, his close friends have gotten used to his new lifestyle. "They just try to spend a lot of time with me before I leave," he said. In the meantime, Dylan is making new friends on the Barney set.

He hit it off with Montana, the girl who plays the mermaid in The Land of Make Believe. For the last week, they have been chatting on the Internet for a few hours a day. "The people that were doing Barney with me could tell right off the bat that I liked her," he said. Dylan was smitten when he saw her headshot. "She looked like she was 16 when you looked at the picture," he said, "and she's just a month older than me." Aside from worries the purple dinosaur is going to fall on him, the acting life agrees with Dylan Crowley.

By JARED GOLDBERG-LEOPOLD Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG While his fifth-grade peers at St Paul's Catholic School went to math and social studies classes, Dylan Crowley has spent the past few weeks in Orlando filming a Barney movie. In The Land of Make Believe, he plays a New York street kid who accompanies the sugary-sweet purple dinosaur on a musical trip through their imaginations to bring a lost princess home. Dylan was one of four lead actors chosen from hundreds who auditioned for the multimillion-dollar production, which is slated for video release in spring 2005. "He was the guy that I always loved watching when I was young," said Dylan, who is 10.

"So it was really cool." Perhaps the most challenging part of the work, beyond the long hours, is making sure not to get too close to Barney, who often falls down in his 50-pound costume. "The thought of Barney falling is not a very happy thought," Dylan His dramatic selection is a little bit different from the average 10-year-old. Sure, he likes the Lord of the Rings films and the Lion King. "You can't miss it," he said of the Lion King. "It's a great one." He also gets acting cues from the classics.

He lists It's a Wonder ful Life as a favorite film but prefers the original black-and-white version. His favorite actor? "Hey, Dad, who's the guy in Casablanca?" Dylan said, as his father reminded him of Humphrey Bogart. "I'm really bad with those BRIEFLY tial employment. There will be a special emphasis on opportunities for people with disabilities. Free.

Call 538-7370, ext 364. Student musicians to perform at mall Ensemble Music Festival, a gathering of about sixty students playing piano, voice and other instruments, will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 21, Tyrone Square Mall, 6901 22nd Ave.

St Petersburg. Free. Call 867-1812. 893-7326 for hours. Drop off old eyeglasses and help someone in need Donate your used eyeglasses for people who cannot afford prescription glasses to one of the following locations: Bartlett Park Resource Center, 642 22nd Ave.

826-9774; Maximo Resource Center, 4815 34th St. 866-7177; San-derlin Resource Center, 2335 22nd Ave. 323-8896; Skyway Resource Center, 1065 62nd Ave. 864-3116; Sunrise Resource Center, 6393 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Street 525-1167; Tyrone Gardens Resource Center, 937 Tyrone Blvd. 343-8699. Job fair to feature Tampa Bay area employers There will be a job fair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 19 at Tyrone Square Mall, 6901 22nd Ave.

St. Petersburg. Many Tampa Bay area employers will on hand with information on job openings and poten Spaying, neutering free for pets of needy owners Five hundred spay and neuter surgeries will be provided free during the month of February to the pets of people with limited income. Pet owners must apply in person from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays at the SPCA, 9099 130th Ave.

Largo; or 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays at the St Petersburg Free Clinic, 863 Third Ave. N. Call 586-3591 or visit spcaofpinellas.org for information. Early African-American artifacts on exhibit In 1967, the Kingsley Plantation in northeast Florida was the site of the first North American excavation of an African-American community.

Artifacts from that excavation and others will be on display for the first time through March 15 at Lake Maggiore Education Center, Boyd Hill Nature Park, 1101 Country Club Way S. Park fees are $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 4 and older. Call mxe BE TIMES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2004 7.