{A bit of Hollywood in Pembroke Pines: Class for would-be actors offered at senior center} {} Acting class offered at senior center

Chris Guanche

Jul. 27, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- These scenes are familiar: people in a grocery express lane complain about a shopper with too many items, or passengers at an airport grumble over a delayed flight.

But neither is real -- at least not when performed by would-be actors at the Southwest Focal Point Senior Center in Pembroke Pines. George Bettinger, a New York City native and veteran of TV and radio production, teaches the classes every Tuesday. Most people wouldn't know Bettinger by name or appearance, but millions heard him as the voice of the red M&M candy in TV commercials.

In New York, Bettinger worked as an actor in commercials and later wrote and directed them.

"As time went on, I kind of liked the business, even though it's a really difficult business," he said. "You've got to make a living and pay your rent, even though you're starting out."

After nearly 30 years in the business, Bettinger said he wanted to teach an acting class to spread his knowledge of the industry to people who want to become actors. But Bettinger's class has a specific target in mind: seniors. The reason, he said, is that seniors are generally ignored, even though there's a need to cast them in commercials.

"There's millions of young people out there and they can take classes, but there's no one doing anything for these people," Bettinger said.

For $25, the six-week course covers just about everything relating to the entertainment business: preparing for an audition, getting an agent and attending a casting call. Students also work on improvisational skits and monologues. Bettinger said that for many of his students, most of who are retired, taking acting classes gives them a chance to do something they couldn't earlier in their lives.

"They may have always wanted to be an actor, but they had to raise a family, they had to make a living," he said.

The class attracts many repeat students, such as Andy Conde, 58. A retired Navy medical technologist, Conde met his wife at the senior center. For Conde, the classes are as much about learning a new profession as they are to let loose and have some fun.

"It's such a release because you can do things that you can't do in society," he said.

At a recent class, Conde portrayed both an angry shopper and an unsympathetic airline ticket counter agent. Both skits were improvisational, which Conde said he greatly enjoys.

"Memorizing a script scares the hell out of me," he said.

Some of Bettinger's students have prior acting experience, like Marshall Gage, 58, of Pembroke Pines. A retired Boynton Beach police chief, Gage is currently playing several parts in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance with the Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts. He's also appeared several times as an extra on Burn Notice, a USA cable show that shoots on location in Miami.

Gage said he was attracted to Bettinger's class as a way to improve his acting and improvisational skills. But he said it's also important to have fun and keep things in perspective.

"If you're going out there to be a star, it's going to be a hard road," Gage said.

Some of Bettinger's students are preparing to dive into their new profession. For Rita Watson, 72, of Pembroke Pines, that includes getting photos ready to send out to agents. A retired nurse, Watson said the course has been helpful in practicing monologues. She also enjoys improvised skits and played a grocery clerk dealing with cranky customers in a recent one.

"I've always been interested in acting, but I never had a chance to take a course," she said.

Whether they're students who have taken the class for two years or just one time, Bettinger said he wants his students to learn the ability to act and fulfill their desires.

"I hope they get the feeling that they've learned all about the business from someone who lived it," he said.

For more information on the class, call 954-432-3242.

This month, Social Security introduces a new Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov. Getting a personalized online estimate of your future retirement benefits is now easier than ever.

The estimator is a convenient, secure and quick financial planning tool that lets workers calculate how much they might expect to receive in Social Security benefits when they retire. The attractive new feature of this calculator is that it eliminates the need to manually key in years of earnings information..

Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. To get an estimate, you'll need to enter your first and last name, date of birth, Social Security number, mother's maiden name and place of birth.

If the information matches our records, then you can enter an expected retirement age and future wages. The estimator combines this information with the information that we have on record, including your yearly earnings, to provide a quick and reliable online benefit estimate.

To protect your privacy, only the final retirement estimates are given to you online. The estimator does not show your earnings record information on which the final benefit estimate was calculated. And it does not reveal any personal information, such as your address, earnings or other information, that could lead to identity theft.

The estimator also will let you create "what if" scenarios. You can, for example, change "stop work" dates or expected future earnings to create and compare different retirement options.

When you come to our site, take a few minutes to also become familiar with our many other online services, including applying online for Social Security retirement and disability benefits.

Q: When am I legally required to give my Social Security number?

A: Most places that ask for your Social Security number may not really require it, but some may refuse you a service if you don't give it. If asked for your number, you should ask why it's needed and how it will be used.

You also can ask what law requires you to give it and what the consequences are if you refuse. State agencies, for example, may be required by law to collect your number. For more detailed information, we recommend the publication Your Social Security Number and Card at www.

socialsecurity.gov/pubs/

10002.html. You also can call us at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778).

Also, be sure to keep your Social Security card in a safe place at home with your important papers -- not in your purse or wallet.

Ginny Jordan, public affairs specialist, can be reached at Social Security Administration, Shoppes of Wilton Manors, 2276 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0067-26951690