By Aurora Canaday

Derek Shipman is without a doubt the most hilariously entertaining member of the Seven (sorry Andrew). He possesses superb wit and a natural knack for flawless comedic timing. Without his humorous interludes during some of our shooting, I am certain that several members of Omni would have died of ennui. His skill for laugh-inducing antics is beautifully displayed in his portrayal of Mr. Chortles, the Thug, the Janitor, and, last, but far from least, His Majesty's Minister of Defense Seamus McFarley.

I would also like to point out that Derek is the only one of the Seven constantly on time to whatever we are doing. Granted, he has come late on rare occasions, but, even then, he was usually there before anyone else. Thank you Derek!

As far as faults go, my list for him is next to nonexistent. The only complaint I have is that sometimes he would come up with the most wonderful, creative, funny ideas during brainstorming sessions, but they were too time, money, or resource consuming to be feasible. He then left us tortured by his brilliant idea that we wanted to use but couldn't. Sigh. Perhaps, he should have stuck up for his ideas more, but that is in the past.

But all that aside, Jin Kato Mu wouldn't be half as funny with out him. His stupendous improvisations, dancing, mime, and just plain weird-face-making add countless gems of humor to our film. Derek is a truly stellar member of the Seven.