So please send your questions now, and join me in welcoming Michael Crawford to the stage. Good evening Mr. Crawford!

Q: Why did you choose to record an album of Disney music? Where did the idea come from?

Michael Crawford: I did a duet with Barbra Streisand about four years ago, "Music of the Night," and one of the co-producers was Jay Landers, who is now one of the heads of music at Disney, and he suggested that I make an album of Disney songs. I jumped at the chance. I jumped because they have such an amazing catalog of songs. And we ended up choosing only one from the early years, "Baby Mine" from "Dumbo," and the rest were from more contemporary pieces.

Q: Which song on your Disney album was originally your favorite? Did that change after you were done recording all 10 of the songs?

Michael Crawford: That's a good question. I have to think about that one. I think the Randy Newman song "When She Loved Me" was my favorite before I started, and by the time we finished, I think "The Lion King Medley" and the duet "If I Never Knew You" with Sherie René Scott, and "I Know The Truth" from "Aida."

Q: Which Disney film do you feel has the best overall collection of songs?

Michael Crawford: Oh my gosh. That I can remember, I think "The Lion King." But I'm sure thousands will disagree. I just couldn't say goodbye to one of those, hence the medley.

Q: What's your fondest childhood memory of Disney songs? For example, which is the first one you ever remember hearing?

Michael Crawford: That was, as in my first answer, "Baby Mine" from "Dumbo." So I was particularly flattered when Disney wanted to include it on the present [Dumbo] DVD package.

Q: What do you think makes a Disney song different from other musicals' songs?

Michael Crawford: I have no idea! They just always seem to have had this extraordinary record of great music through the years. I think they go to enormous trouble, far more than we'll ever know as the public, to find the right music for the animated films that we know and love. As any musical does, you throw things out and bring new things in, by that I mean new songs, and I'm sure sometimes they've even brought new writers in if they felt it necessary. But I don't know what the formula for it is.

Q: Was "Baby Mine" hard to sing as far as it is so emotional?

Michael Crawford: Yes. I found a couple of the songs hard to sing. As I hadn't seen the films, apart from "Dumbo." I wanted to put my own interpretation to the lyric that was in front of me, and I had, for instance, the image of my daughters when I was singing "You'll Be In My Heart" from "Tarzan." It was very special in that way as a parent.

Q: Who do you think was the best songwriter that worked on a Disney film?

Michael Crawford: I don't think I could possibly answer that. There have been so many great ones. I think the Sherman Brothers must be very, very high on the list.

Q: Did you get to choose the Disney songs you recorded?

Michael Crawford: Yes I did. And at the last minute, I was asked to add "I Know The Truth" from "Aida" if I wanted to, so we dropped "Beauty and the Beast" and did that instead. And I'm really very pleased because it was a much bigger challenge, and I wouldn't have sounded as good as Peabo Bryson anyway.

Q: What was it like to work with Disney, the love of many people?

Michael Crawford: It was a great privilege this time. However, the last time, which many of you may not know, I made a film for Disney called "Condorman," in which I spent most -- or a large part at least -- of the movie dressed in yellow tights, orange boots, and wings with a 30-foot wing span. A lasting memory was standing on a ledge halfway up the Eiffel Tower. The French are not that fond of the English at the best of times, and I haven't been allowed back in Paris for the last 15 years.

Q: Michael, since "Dance of the Vampires" will not open till next fall, will you be doing any concerts in the U.S. in the coming months? We miss you! Thanks for chatting!

Michael Crawford: As far as I know, the only one at the moment is in Washington D.C. on the 30th of November where I'll be performing just three songs from "Phantom" with Dale Kristien.

Q: Dear Mr. Michael Crawford, have you been in the Opera Ganier in Paris? Did you feel something special knowing you were in Phantom's House?

Michael Crawford: Yes, I did visit the Opera House before we started the production, and it was a very special feeling being inside the real thing.

Q: After having listened your wonderful voice in Disney's songs, have you thought to make a second part, with songs from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Beauty and Beast"...?

Michael Crawford: Yes, I have thought about it, but I'm not sure that I'll pursue it. It took a long, long time to come down to these songs, and I enjoyed it immensely, but I think we found the right songs for my voice. At least I hope we did.

Q: When will you begin working on "Dance of the Vampires" in the U.S.? I watched the movie on TV and really hope that Von Krolock's part will be greatly expanded. Have you had input regarding the script and casting?

Michael Crawford: The casting hasn't begun yet, I don't think. But I will be obviously interested in who will be playing the other parts. We don't have a finished schedule yet for a starting date, so I can't really help on that one.

Q: Hi Michael! I wanted to let you know that you are the favorite singer in our household -- kids and parents alike! I'm curious… out of all of the movies that you've done, which one did you enjoy the most?

Michael Crawford: I suppose "Hello Dolly" with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau, and being directed by the great Gene Kelly. He became such a close friend and lived long enough to see my opening night in "Phantom of the Opera" in Los Angeles.

Q: Michael, would you ever consider doing a voice in a Disney film?

Michael Crawford: Yes, I'd love to do that. I hope the occasion will arise and the opportunity will present itself for me.

Q: Hi Michael! Of the characters you've played, which do you find more interesting and fun to play and why: "good guys" or "bad guys"?

Michael Crawford: That's a hard one. I love playing comedy, but I think the main thing is that you hold an audience's attention, and if it's in a theatre, I always think of a theatre as a temple of dreams where you can take an audience to another place for two or three hours, and hopefully leave a lasting memory that will be special in their lives. So in that way, it doesn't matter whether you make them laugh or cry. Just to do it well is the main thing.

Q: What was the first record that you ever bought, and does your taste in music influence what you sing now?

Michael Crawford: The first record that I bought was the soundtrack from "Ben Hur." I know I'm laughing, because I can't say that it had a strong influence on my life, but I have always enjoyed movie soundtracks with large orchestras. A large symphony orchestra is a very special sound.

Q: Hi Michael, have you got to learn any "tricks" for your future role in "Dance of the Vampires"?

Michael Crawford: No. We haven't progressed that far yet. I'm still getting rewrites periodically sent to me, so the character is still developing.

Q: Michael, your voice seems to just keep getting better with age, like a fine wine! What kind of vocal calisthenics do you do to keep your voice in such fine form?

Michael Crawford: That's a very nice thing to say. I vocalize about two hours a day. Just as a dancer would work out to keep their body supple, so does a singer. Some people need less time than others. Apparently Pavarotti only vocalizes for ten minutes a day, and he's done pretty well on that, so maybe I'd have a better voice if I did less work. But I've found this particular album very difficult to sing because I use a softer voice than I did for "Phantom of the Opera," for instance. And it took a lot more control and used the soft tones of the voice even when I was singing quite loudly. Having read over that, I hope it makes sense to you.

Q: What musical/performing advice could you give a growing singer?

Michael Crawford: I think dedication has a lot to do with it, and there are many days I don't feel like singing for the time I have to, but of course it pays off when the night of the concert arrives, because it boosts your confidence in your ability, and just like a house, you build a good foundation for the voice.

Q: Hello Michael. Describe what makes Andrew Lloyd Webber such a wonderful musical composer in your opinion?

Michael Crawford: I really don't know how to answer that. He certainly produced and wrote what people wanted to hear at the time, and the response was, as we all know, quite astonishing. But I'm sure if he knew the secret, he would not tell us, but would bottle it and sell it to us all for a very large sum.

Q: Hello Michael. I enjoyed your new album and "Reflection" was one of my favorite songs. I feel I can relate to it. Do you think the song "Reflection," reflects your life as people do not really know who you are?

Michael Crawford: I don't really think so. I take on the lyric of a song for the moment and seek to understand what it means, but I can't say that I choose songs that are autobiographical. Otherwise after singing "I Know The Truth," I would have jumped off a bridge. It's quite a depressing song.

Q: Who is the one singer you wish you could perform with that you haven't already?

Michael Crawford: I really don't know. I did long to do a duet with Barbra Streisand, so that was a wish that came true, and I never dreamed I'd be as fortunate as to do a duet with Patti LaBelle, and I think they are certainly two of the most amazing divas in our industry, so I already feel very, very fortunate. Maybe Andrea Bocelli. I think he has the most beautiful voice.

Q: Hello Michael. Who are your favorite musicians that you like to listen to?

Michael Crawford: I like Dido, Craig David, Robbie Williams, a British singer called Gabrielle. They are a few of my favorites at the moment.

Q: Have you ever taken your children or grandchildren to Disney World and just got to enjoy the day?

Michael Crawford: Oh yes! I remember the first time I went to Disney World in Orlando, and, like most other people, my mouth opened wide as I walked through the gates, and I started to grin. The grin didn't leave my face until I left early that evening. I think it's a day that you never forget, especially coming from the U.K. where those sort of things are a long, long way away. Then very recently I went to Disneyland in California with my grandchildren, and I have this beautiful photo holding my granddaughter Rosie, and I'm holding her hand bending down. It's just a shot of our two backs, and we're walking towards Mickey Mouse. I don't know why, but it's just a beautiful photograph.

Q: What do you think about all those Phantom "Phans" who constantly compare every other actor playing the Phantom to you?

Michael Crawford: I actually haven't read anything like that, so I don't know how to comment on that. But everyone has their right to their own interpretation and will have their own supporters and fans, which is how it should be.

Q: Do you enjoy traveling or do you just do it to promote your CDs?

Michael Crawford: No, I love traveling. I've been very fortunate in being in a few shows that have had some degree of success, and during those times the discipline is so intense performing eight shows a week, it's a very rigid schedule, and when you finish at the end of 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 years, you just want to get on a train and go around the world. Just to be free. So even though I have to work hard when I'm touring, I still enjoy very, very much traveling across America, Canada when I was there, of course the U.K. and Australia and New Zealand.

Q: Will you be making any more videos for the album?

Michael Crawford: I don't think so. The "Dumbo" one was the only one that was thought of. This kind of music doesn't really have a large enough marketplace to make it viable for a record company to produce a video. So I was very fortunate to be, as I said before, included on the "Dumbo" DVD.

Q: Your album is wonderful. How long did it take to record it?

Michael Crawford: Overall about a year, the project took about a year. We recorded the orchestra in Dublin where I recorded an earlier album "On Eagles Wings." The singers are Canadian and friends of Robbie Buchanan, the record producer. He is also Canadian. And I recorded in what Robbie calls his studio, but I'm sure it's a converted garage, because I was surrounded by toilet tissue and hundreds of bottles of water. And that was in California. So we did a lot of traveling.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us.

Michael Crawford: I'm tired. LOL! Now I'm absolutely stumped. I can't think of anything. Sorry.

Q: Which two Disney characters would you compare yourself and your new songwriter, Jim Steinman, to?

Michael Crawford: Sleepy and Dopey. And I'm Dopey!

Q: What stage role would you have liked to play that you did not get a chance to?

Michael Crawford: I've actually never had those sort of dreams because they hardly ever come true, so it saves disappointment. Mind you, I did want to play Peter Pan when I was about 14. But it was always the tradition in London that a girl play the part, and I wasn't going to go that far.

Q: When did you start your vocal training?

Michael Crawford: I remember very clearly, in 1973 just before I started the musical "Billy" based on the story of Billy Liar. I had to learn to sing technically to last eight shows a week, and that's when I met my singing teacher Ian Adam, and I've had the same teacher ever since.

Q: It is difficult being an artist in today's world. How did you overcome the setbacks, rejections, and self doubts to find success?

Michael Crawford: I don't think that ever completely goes away for any of us if we're honest about it. Every time we offer a new performance, whether it be a recording or a new stage role, you're auditioning, and it's your audience who ultimately decides whether or not it's going to work. You're never going to please all the people all of the time. The main thing is that the majority will agree with your choices. There were many who criticized "Phantom" when we first opened because, understandably, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But it's now, according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, become the most successful musical in the world. So it must have been doing something right. I saw "The Producers" the other day, and what a thrilling afternoon I had. It was just wonderful. And everyone in it was wonderful. It was great to laugh again in the theatre.

Q: Hi Michael, What attracts you to a song enough for you to want to record it?

Michael Crawford: I suppose it's just instinct. It's chemistry. It's like our taste buds for certain food. Again I go back to chemistry. If I think I like it and if I think I can sing it, I stand a better chance of you enjoying it than I would if I'm singing something or presenting something against my will.

Q: What interpretation did you take for "I Know the Truth"?

Michael Crawford: Now we're back to the "jumping off the bridge" scenario. I don't really know that I had a picture in my head. It was just a man who is obviously distraught and saddened by his lack of strength to be able to deal with the relationship that he'd lost. And I thought that Tim Rice articulated it so beautifully with his lyric. And it married with Elton's music perfectly.

Q: Which Disney song was the most difficult to sing? Why?

Michael Crawford: I think "The Lion King Medley" without a doubt was the most difficult. It just had so many sorts of valleys and hills in it, so it was really difficult.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you have worked with?

Michael Crawford: I would think it has to be Gene Kelly. It has to be him. He taught me more than anybody else taught me, so any years ago when he directed "Dolly." He taught me about professionalism and dedication and the joy of performing. So without a doubt his lessons have stayed with me.

Q: Michael, I loved watching you perform "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" last night on the Larry King show. The video clips of the little children were great. Was that your idea?

Michael Crawford: No. That was CNN's idea. It was just something they thought would make it more colorful I suppose. They're going for a sort of "feel good" thing at the moment, which is nice since it's a good opportunity for people like myself who find it kind of hard to get this music out there, because we're not MTV, we're not VH1, and it's really hard to get it played and/or seen. So last night on Larry King was a really good opportunity for me. I appreciated it.

Q: Michael unfortunately we are just about out of time. Is there anything you would like to leave with us, your fans and admirers as we close?

Michael Crawford: Thank you for all the great questions, and I've enjoyed this immensely. And I hope we'll be able to do it again some time.