How is it already Decemeber? I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know I sure did! This time of year certainly keeps a person busy though. I’ve barely had time to eat turkey and put up the Christmas tree, let alone do a little blogging!

I’ve got some good news for those of you looking for gift ideas. OHSHC Volume 2 is now available for pre-order! This volume includes episodes 14 – 26, commentaries for episodes 18, 22, and 24, outtakes and a 2009 mini calendar. Pre-ordering is definitely a good idea. I know whenever I’m at a Best Buy, or somewhere I think should carry Ouran, it’s never on the shelf! This is great because it means people are buying it, but not so great if you’re the person looking for it! So go HERE to pre-order yours today!

Here are some pics I’ve been hanging onto for a while. This is DJ Mills from Kendall Park, NJ cosplaying Kyoya.


Jill Harris of Clarksville, TN sent this one:


This one is from Morgan Zamboni (cool name!) from Phoenix, AZ


And all the way from Ashford, Kent, England, Jess Carter sends this one!


I’ve got a few more questionnaires to share with you too. Today I’ll leave you with J Michael Tatum’s.

‘Til next time :-D,
- Caitlin

Name:
J. Michael Tatum

Character:
Kyoya Otori

B-day:
May 25th

Blood Type:
Not sure on this one…

Favorite subject (in school, or life):
Music, Literature, Theatre Arts

Fave foods:
Ice cream, stromboli, gyros and lobster bisque.

Hobbies:
Writing, music composition.

If you were a client of the Host Club, who would you choose as your host and why?

That’s a hard one. All the Host Club members have their appeal… I think the twins would be the most fun to hang out with, if only because watching them get under Tamaki’s skin strikes me as a great way to spend an afternoon.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being perfectly sane and 10 being completely nuts, just how crazy is Tamaki Suou?

An eight, definitely. If not for the leveling influence of the other Host Club members, he’d be a nine…

Have you ever dressed as a member of the opposite sex? Please elaborate!

[Sigh] Yes. My High School theatre department held a fundraiser every fall that required us all to dress in drag –a kind of “mock wedding” that never failed to pack the house. Believe me; the work that went into transforming yours truly into a passable woman was Herculean. You just try finding high heels in a men’s size 12!

Name an aspect of the show you love.

I could go with just about anything, really. Not a single element of the show falls short. If I had to choose, though, I’d have to say the music; the score for Ouran is wonderfully mercurial in a way that really accentuates the multifaceted nature of the show. That's no easy task! It’s the perfect anchor, in a way.

What do you like most about your character? Least?

I love Kyoya’s calm, almost sinister level-headedness; the suave, businesslike demeanor that says “you’re in excellent hands, provided you’ve got the cash.” I’d say it’s a shame he feels the need to keep so tight a lid on his softer side, except that as a character it gives him such an enticing subtlety… So, I don’t know that there’s anything about him I don’t like, actually…

Choose an episode or two that was memorable to work on, or that is your favorite. Describe why you like it, or name some memorable moments for you from it.

Episode eight: The bedroom scene between Kyoya and Haruhi was a culmination of everything I loved about playing him –so many subtle layers of his character emerge in that moment. Striking the delicate balance required in that scene to communicate the calculated menace, the reluctant empathy, the guilt and, ultimately, the proud loneliness that is Kyoya proved to be one of the most rewarding challenges in my career as an actor. The words “An interesting notion, in its own way…” still send chills down my spine. That of course, and Caitlin’s amazing performance in the same scene.

Pink hair or blue?
Both!

Chocolate, strawberry, or lime?
Chocolate!

Of all the Host Club’s cosplay moments in the 1st volume, which is your favorite?

Ep. 13- Alice in Wonderland. Kyoya in a goofy caterpillar outfit. What could be cooler?

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I took a much needed vacation last week, and also attended a convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’d never been to Canada before and now I can’t wait to go again! I had a fantastic time in the city, despite the cold weather. Here I am on my birthday at the Santa Claus Parade:



So a couple of weeks ago I sent out a questionnaire to various cast members of OHSHC. Here are some responses from Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn.

Name:
Vic Mignogna (VM)
Todd Haberkorn (TH)

Character:
VM-Tamaki Suou
TH- Hikaru Hitachiin

Birthday:
VM- August 27th
TH- August 16th

Blood Type:
VM- I have no idea!
TH- sassy

Favorite subject (in school, or life):
VM- theater
TH- anatomy...hehe...actually, science was fun until I ran
into mathematical operations involving things like
rate of chemical to physical changes or half-life
calculations.


Fave foods:
VM- Steamed Blue crab for the eastern shore!
TH- Secretly, everything that’s considered unhealthy by the FDA. But publicly, fruits, vegetables and chicken.

Hobbies:
VM- Film, sports, music, graphic design,
TH- Favorite legal hobbies- working out, film making, movies and petting puppies


If you were a client of the Host Club, who would you choose as your host and why?

VM- I would choose Haruhi… because she's adorable as a guy OR a girl!
TH- Haruhi… you know what I’m talkin’ bout…


On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being perfectly sane and 10 being completely nuts, just how crazy is Tamaki Suou?

VM- Tamaki is NOT insane! He's….. special :)
TH- eight to the second power.


Have you ever dressed as a member of the opposite sex? Please elaborate!

VM- Yes…. Yes I have. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaHZUlnyg-s&feature=related
TH- Yes, for a stage role. I shaved my legs (45 minutes a leg) for nothing because when I got into costume, I had pantyhose on anyway. The make-up took 2 hours to get into because we had professional drag queens work on us. You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced your natural eyebrows getting glued down with a glue stick.


Name an aspect of the show that you love.

VM- I think that the character design and relationship between the hosts is wonderful. Plus I want to climb to the top of that super cool clock tower!
TH- The story telling. If I were to see the script on a page, I’d have no idea how to present it in the imaginative way the creators laid it out. Very clever crafting.

What do you like most about your character? Least?

VM- I love Tamaki's combination of part wide eyed boy and part charming smoothie. He's romantic and nuts all at the same time.
TH- Hi mischievous ways. Least fave- the yaoi. Sorry everyone, but I’m not a huge fan of that.


Choose an episode or two that was memorable to work on, or that is your favorite. Describe why you like it, or name some memorable moments for you from it.

VM-I would have to say that the episode that explores the meeting and development of the friendship between Tamaki and Kyoya. It was so touching and funny as well.
TH- I'm a softy. I like the moments where Hikaru isn't
"performing" for anyone and is being himself, such as
the scene where Hikaru and Haruhi take shelter in the
church when its raining. I also like the flashbacks to
when Kaoru and Hikaru were small children.


Pink hair or blue?
VM- BLUE. Cobalt Blue.
TH- Blue. It reminds me of Slurpees.

Chocolate, strawberry, or lime?
VM- Chocolate (with strawberries on top)
TH- Chocolate will be my friend until I meet my maker.


Of all the Host Club's cosplay moments in the 1st volume, which is your favorite?

VM-The knight cosplay in episode 12 would be so fun!
TH- Haruhi in Wonderland.


I’ll have answers from other cast members next time. Now for fanart and cosplay!

Allison Johnson of Texarkana, TX sent this one:


Here’s Donna Coane of Commack, NY in her Haruhi cosplay:


Djon Iva Santos from Mobile, Alabama made these awesome mittens!


And Paul Bonnette of Philadelphia, PA made this great AMV:


Thanks for all of your submissions! If you’ve sent me something and haven’t seen it posted yet, just keep checking back. I get quite a lot of email and can only post so many goodies at a time ;-)

-Caitlin

I had a great time last weekend in Detroit, Michigan at my fourth Youmacon! I’ve been attending as a guest there since 2005, but this year was special because it was Halloween weekend. I decided there was no better occasion to join in the cosplay fun and be Haruhi for a day. Most people didn’t even recognize me and it was nice to just blend in with the crowd.

With my friend Kristy as Mori.


I was pretty popular with the ladies at the masquerade ball. I actually had a taste of what it must feel like to be a host. It was hard being the “guy” and leading the dancing, all the while engaging my partner in polite conversation.



I saw a few other OHSHC cosplayers over the weekend too. I bumped into “The Twins,” Laura Kavanaugh and Brionna Church from Coloma, Michigan, in the AMV room and again at the masquerade ball where they’d changed into the Hitachiin’s formal wear from episode 2- and found another Haruhi! (Didn’t get her name though).





And here’s Pearl Escobedo of East Chicago, Indiana as a giant Belzenef with a Nekozawa puppet! Clever!



Saturday morning I hosted an Ouran Pajama Party, and, can you believe it, I was so busy I forgot to take pictures! There was a great turnout though- about 80 people I’d guess. Everyone who came got a silk rose, and we ate candy and cake while watching the show. We had two hours and everyone voted on which episodes to watch, which ended up being 5,8,9,13, and the outtakes. In between episodes, we had raffle drawings for prizes: keychains, patches, bags and DVDs. A couple of people went home with Suzuka the complete series and volume 1 of Ouran.

Later in the day I was joined by Patrick Seitz, voice of Nekozawa, at an OHSHC panel hosted by Emma Brophy, Kristina Grimminck, and Gerrit and Jannalee Nieuwenhuis of Grandville, Michigan. They were definitely in the spirit of things in their Ouran Halloween cosplay from episode 21.

Mori, Honey, Tamaki and Renge.


Patrick and I signed a lot of Ouran DVDs over the weekend! Thanks for supporting the industry! I’m so glad to hear that the fans are liking the dub.

My inbox is overloaded with fanart, cosplay pics and AMVs, but this post is long enough so I’ll save them for next time. Until then...

-Caitlin