The past few years have had the CosFest on a Sunday evening. The shift to a Saturday evening timeslot drastically changed the competition. From under 10 entries last year, CosFest 2009 had 21 entries. The talent pool was huge this year, making the competition greater than anticipated. I entered the CosFest as Eva Friedel from Memories. Deb videotaped the cosplay show from the audience.

The cosplay show started with a 10:40AM judging for craftsmanship. Evil Bishounen ran the CosFest. He made sure everything was running smoothly and on time. Not once did I feel lost or confused as to what was going on. Check in time was at 4PM, but because concerts were running later, it was shifted to 4:30PM. I made my way through the crowd of J-rockers in my 18th century opera dress just in time to make check in.

Before the show, contestants were allowed to use the space for rehearsal. Though my entry was only a walk-on, I decided to give it a try to get a feel for the stage and the lighting. Fellow contestants gave me feedback. I thought this atmosphere was rather friendly, because even though we were competing for the cash prize, it was a stress free enviroment.

The show started on time at 6:30PM. Wayne Kaa (Anime Cosplay Paradise) was our host for the evening. While the show was going on stage, we were just hanging out backstage exchanging war stories when it comes to costume making. I had a chance to talk to almost every group and I found people to be very approachable. No diva complexes here!

Then it came to my entry. I had Sarah Brightman's "It's a Beautiful Day" as my walk on music. Afterall, the song does sample the aria from Madame Butterfly, which Eva Friedel sings throughout Memories. While I did not win anything, it was great being onstage again. In the end, I was able to be part of a cosplay show and I made new friends in the process.

The halftime entertainment was brought to us by Mikarin who sang a cover of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up." After that, we were listening to the bubbly pop tunes of USA Musume. The judges deliberated and presented the winners of the competition. After the show, I gave a high five to everyone who participated in the cosplay show. It takes a huge talent pool to keep the audience entertained. We all did a great job, regardless who won or lost.

The PMX CosFest entries can be watched on the PMX Youtube Playlist. Filming credits go to Deb.

Eva Friedel also got a lot of love from the Old People on a Boat event that was going on. Several senior citizens took pictures of my opera gown. Finally, I was able to arrange a few point and click pictures of my Eva Friedel costume.

It was about 8PM when CosFest finally let out. Stan, Jared, Deb, and I decided to grab dinner at the Carl's Jr. next door.

We also ran into the Evil Council of Doom group from CosFest.

The rest of the night was filled with the usual night time shenanigans. We ran into Maguma clad in a towel on the elevator back to our hotel room. You know things get wild when Chun Li hooks up with a she-male schoolgirl and Stan literally gets hit on by a thing with large udders.

Stan and Jared went to a few room parties, while Deb and I decided to hit the karaoke room. For those of you who disdain anime conventions for having no nightlife, PMX counters that fallacy as it continues to be the best party con in the Los Angeles area.

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