NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau
A podcast about acting, filmmaking, and the improv scene in New Orleans.
NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau
Bridget Rose: Miss OoLaLa
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Ever wondered how a small-town girl from Lafayette, Louisiana, becomes a celebrated figure in the cosplay universe? Meet Brigette Rose, professionally known as Miss OoLaLa, as she takes us through her transformation from an anime enthusiast into a top level cosplay artist and radio personality. Brigette shares her evolution from crafting basic outfits to mastering the art of sewing intricate costumes, while also reminiscing about the vibrant cosplay communities in Texas and Louisiana.
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U . & check out our website: nolafilmscene.com
Hi, I'm Bridget Rose, aka Miss Ooh La La in the cosplay scene. I'm a cosplayer, radio host and audio editor and I am ecstatic to be on NOLA Film Scene.
Speaker 2:We are back and, ladies and gentlemen, I am so pleased to welcome Miss Ooh La La, my friend Bridget Rose, cosplayer extraordinaire to the podcast.
Speaker 1:Hi, friend, I don't know about all that, but thank you for the introduction.
Speaker 3:Yeah, welcome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you don't know about the extraordinaire, but the friend part's still good, right.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely, the extraordinaire part makes me feel I don't know like I should be famous or something. But thank you.
Speaker 2:You're definitely famous in the cosplay circles.
Speaker 1:I'm just your neighborhood friendly cosplayer. I don't know how Harley Quinn'd there, but that's not a problem.
Speaker 2:It bubbles up in all of us. And that leads me to the question because you're so into that when did you start cosplay? What inspired you to get into that lifestyle?
Speaker 1:Okay, so originally, before I had ever been to a convention in my life, I didn't even know anime cons existed, like I had no idea, comic-con's, nothing, because Lafayette, louisiana, didn't have anything like that. I didn't really have any friends that were in bigger cities, you know, just small town Lafayette girl. So in 2004, I mean, I hadn't timeline this I was working at GameStop in the Acadiana Mall and there were these guys that came in Some of them are recognized as customers. I didn't know them very well and they approached me at the counter and were like, hey, we think you would make a great live action anime girl. And I was like, wow, I love anime, of course, yes, tell me more. And they're like have you ever been to an anime convention? I'm like, no, what's that? And they gave me the rundown of what it was and I was like, yes, I'll do what.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't say that, I was like yeah, I'm totally interested and they're like, yeah, so our idea is to start a convention in Lafayette, louisiana. There's plenty of them in bigger cities and we really want to grow it and we want to have a live action anime girl. We'd ideally like to have two as our cosplay mascots, our representatives, the face of the convention, because, as John Roos put it so eloquently, the draw is not going to be two dudes with beards or not beards or whatever.
Speaker 1:I'm insulted I know right, and I was like I like you guys and they're like, yeah, but you know, our target demo are people who are looking at these characters and you look like that. We don't look like that, so I'm like I gotcha.
Speaker 1:So they had this idea of doing space pilots and it was going to be sci-fi themed. Mecha, in particular, was sort of their theme MechaCon. So for that first year, actually before the first MechaCon I started passing out flyers. I wore this cute little spandex suit. At the time I thought it was great, but like now that I've learned how to sew and do more, I almost wish I could revisit those years and make something truly spectacular, Although in later years they had some beautiful costumes commissioned for the mascots.
Speaker 1:And as I grew with the characters, so did the costumes. And as I grew with the characters, so did the costumes. And eventually I wanted to start making my own not my own characters, but making characters from shows that weren't the original mascot character, and I wanted to start competing. So I worked with them for years and years and years and kind of grew my own cosplay brand off, of that sort of just by all the people I met, and I started learning about new events and a lot of New Orleans stuff, a lot of Texas. Texas was at the time booming they still are, but booming with conventions and wow, yeah, 2004.
Speaker 1:That puts an age marker on there that I don't want to comment on, but yeah, that's how it all started was working at GameStop in the mall and having people go. You look like an anime character. Look at this idea.
Speaker 3:I heard Harley Quinn when you did that a minute ago. By the way it came through.
Speaker 1:Oh, it did. Oh, I'm just your neighborhood friendly. Yeah, I like combined like Spider-Man and Harley Quinn. Actually, I do have a cosplay of Spider Quinn that I did like a long time ago at Wizard World.
Speaker 2:Back in the day. Moment of silence for Wizard World. Back in the day.
Speaker 1:Moment of silence for Wizard World. Oh, I know, I love Wizard World. I love when I first found out about Wizard World, I was like, oh wow, like Wizards of the Coast, it's like no, it's Wizard.
Speaker 2:World From the magazine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, stop trying to associate it.
Speaker 2:From the magazine before your time Right.
Speaker 1:So yeah, like you know, oh, before my oh, I don't know, I feel like my time is, but yeah, maybe, maybe, so.
Speaker 2:It was the 90s, mostly by the year 2000,. It was coming down. You know, magazines were on the way out.
Speaker 1:I was here in the 90s Like a teenager.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you were just a baby. You're just such a tiny little infant. I know, yeah, I am a 90s kid.
Speaker 1:I am a 90s kid, oh yeah, I got to see all of the 90s, Right, but that was before you know anime conventions and things like that. There was no streaming and it was a lot harder to get into it. You had to either, you know, be rich and buy stuff at Suncoast like DVDs, or have a friend that already owned anime titles, or you watched Toonami after school Wow yeah, so this one kind of got me into. It was Dragon Ball Z.
Speaker 1:I know that sounds like such a basic answer, but back then that was what there was. It was Sailor Moon and I wasn't really like super girly, although I appreciate the outfits and stuff like it's beautiful. But Dragon Ball Z is actually what kind of got me in there. And then of course it was like Yu Yu Hakusho, which was a huge one for me. I love that. Got into Bleach, oh, cowboy Bebop, like Cowboy Bebop. Then I always loved comics too, so it was like the best of both worlds was you have these events full of all this stuff. You know I grew up watching Batman cartoon, like huge fan of that original batman animation, and then, of course, the x-men, you know waking up in the morning.
Speaker 1:You know I wanted to be mystique, so yes, yes oh yeah, like that's where it all began, so to speak very cool.
Speaker 3:How many conventions do you go to a year?
Speaker 1:it varies, so I would say before 2021, like two or three, two a year, but now it's somewhere north of oh, I don't know. I try to do one a month.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Obviously, I would have to be like super loaded to afford to go to every con just on my own accord. Most of the cons that I go to I'll call them work-a-cons are work-cations, so I hear my cat in the background.
Speaker 2:I'm so sorry, that's okay. We love all the guests. We can get Her name is Sabine.
Speaker 1:She's fantastic, but she probably knocked down everything when she came in here. I try to do one a month. I work for a voice actress, leah Clark, who voices characters such as Hiniko Toga from my Hero Academia, blair from Soul Eater, mavis from Fairy Tail and a whole bunch of other characters. So I work for her. I help work for tables. So a lot of times I'll do one a month, and they're mostly her conventions, but I do also do guesting, which I'll present panels. I'll judge cosplay contests. In fact, earlier, earlier this year in January, I was a guest for Fan Expo New Orleans and I was part of that one. I will be going this year to that one.
Speaker 3:We are too 12 a year.
Speaker 1:That's a lot, maybe 13. I don't know, it depends.
Speaker 3:I think Brian's jealous.
Speaker 2:Oh, don't be jealous, my time will come. I will be like our buddy Creek Wilson People will start paying me for photo ops one day Absolutely.
Speaker 1:You know that's the thing People have this misconception of like, oh, wow, you go to all these cons, you're like this, I'm like no, I'm working at table and it's not always for pleasure and not everybody's going to come pouring it. Like you know, it's a labor of love, but it is nice to be recognized for doing something that you really enjoy and so it feels like fun, even though you're also being paid to be there too. Then that helps fund the competitions, like, for instance, fan Expo, the upcoming one in NOLA. I won't be guesting there because I already did that the previous one, so I'll be competing, and my friend, lady Luna Loveless and I like to do duo characters. I will be entering something.
Speaker 1:I don't want to spoil it, but we like to do those competitions as well, and we just made it into master level recently. Actually, everybody's like, oh, you've been on master. No, actually I've been competing on intermediate level for years and I just got my first best intermediate, which in the cosplay world means oh, now you compete on master level. So now you're up against these crazy costumes that kind of terrify me. They're full of lights and like stilts.
Speaker 1:sometimes I'm like can I compete with that?
Speaker 2:It's. It's hardcore when you get to master level.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is. Can you break that down for us? Sure, absolutely. Tell us how difficult the different levels are and what they entail. Yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Not that the rest isn't oh and what they entail.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's interesting. Okay, not that the rest isn't. Oh well, I know, I know what you mean. Yeah, because a lot of times people are like on what? There's levels, you know you think, oh, it's just a costume contest, right? Yes, and no, there's craftsmanship, like craftsmanship cup style, where it is very much about the craft you have to have made, either 100%, 90%, 75%, depending on your skill levels. A lot of times on craftsmanship cosplay contests you'll have a beginner level, which is called novice or beginner, and you've got your second tier, which is people who have already won best beginner or maybe won a bunch of awards in beginner already and they feel they're ready to move up. Then you enter what's called intermediate or journeyman that's the nickname for that class, I guess and that's once you've won, like I said, a few awards in beginner or your skill level is higher than that of a beginner. It's kind of at your discretion.
Speaker 1:Once you get to master level, it's not good to just say I think I'm a master, because then you're up against the best of the best of the best. It's a lot harder. So it's best to earn your way into master. That way you're not selling yourself short. It's not really so much like oh, you're not good enough, it's more like, do you really want to compete on that level right now, when you haven't earned the? You know feels good to win an award and to know that you're ready. So once you've gotten best intermediate, they kind of say, okay, look, unless you're entering a competition that's way bigger than the one you won, that best intermediate at, it is courtesy, to move up to master level to let other intermediates get those intermediate awards.
Speaker 1:And once you're on master level, it gets pretty crazy from there. So, and that's once you've won, like I said, a best intermediate award, or have lots of judges awards and maybe a best intermediate or something. And for me I want to say I have like 10 judges awards which are a lower level award, one best intermediate and two best groups. So essentially, me not competing on master until now makes a lot of sense, even though some people like but you judge all the time Judging, even if you are intermediate level, you know what master level looks like at that point.
Speaker 1:So, and then there's also what's called exhibition or non-craftsmanship, and that's like you don't go before the judges early in the morning to show all your stitches off. You know like these are for people who don't make their cosplays, and they can at least go up and present it, and not every cosplay contest has a category for people who don't create, which in my opinion. Those people deserve a chance in the spotlight too. So I always like whenever I see a contest has craftsmanship cup and then runway or whatever they choose to call their non-craftsmanship ones, and then of course there's skits, which are all performance based, and those are judged very differently.
Speaker 1:The costume if you make it yourself, that is, of course, bonus points for your skit, but ultimately those are judged based on performance. So lots of different levels and different things you can do in contests. I hope that was a good explanation.
Speaker 3:That was great. That was great, thank you. I'm formulating a couple of questions. I watch Big Bang Theory, you know, sometimes when I need something in the background to do other things, and there's one episode in particular where they're talking about wearing costumes and one of them says gentlemen to the sewing machines and they all go run off to make their costumes. Tell me the difference of where you have to make your own. Do you have to be making your own to move up to the highest level?
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. That's another part where the rules are really important. So anytime anyone would like to enter a contest, it's important to read the rules, because I've been to contests that are smaller conventions and they're like oh, we only have beginner and advanced, so there'll be like two categories, if they know they're not going to get a ton of signups. But it'll say in the rules like you have to have handmade 30 percent for beginner, for example. So that's like OK, okay, if you made some of your cosplay but not half of it, you can still enter. On beginner. Intermediate is going to be 50 usually, or more depending, sometimes less. It really depends on the con if it's as big as fan expo. So they are very craftsmanship driven. If you don't know, they host the grand prix, not the new orleans one but the dallas one, and also mega con, which is basically Fan Expo, orlando SuperCon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, MegaCon, Technically it is a Fan Expo and it's under their umbrella, but they do hold the Grand Prix, which is a summit style. I've competed, for instance, in the World Cosplay Summit way before I was ready, so I didn't plan anything. The Fan Expos are going to be the ones where it's going to be the larger percentage of something you built. But if you go to something a little smaller than that like, well, cypher con has a pretty prestigious contest as well, even though they are smaller than the fan expos. Trying to think of something small, you know, it really just depends on the size of the con. But it'll say in the rules and once you get to master, though, if you didn't make least 90, like, they don't expect you to cobble your own shoes, but if you can cobble shoes, that is going to impress the judges.
Speaker 1:I actually do a whole panel about how to impress the judges in prejudging, and that's one of the things where we had this girl.
Speaker 1:She forged a crown out of metal and I don't mean she 3D printed it, because we had a Princess Peach and a Princess Rosalina and they had these beautiful 3D printed crowns and these beautifully sewn dresses and they were so amazing and we thought they were going to be the best in show. And then the last person walks in and it's this queen of hearts that, like, she literally can forge metal and forge it well, and she cast a crown from silver or nickel or something and like hand-bezzled gemstones and I was like all right, so you're just as good as these people, except you forged metal. So you know, no one expects you to cobble shoes or forge metal, but if you can, that can be what tips the scale in your favor. We've had entries where we got two characters with these beautiful wings you know two different characters even and one has wings that articulate and move and the other one's stagnant and we're like all right. Well, you know, like sometimes it does come down to those little fine details.
Speaker 3:Right. It seems like it levels the playing field too to keep somebody that's wealthy from going out and spending thousands of dollars on a you know, a stormtrooper outfit or an Iron man suit.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Where you have to make your own. I don't know. It seems like it keeps. It would keep it more level.
Speaker 1:It does and it's great. That's why I love when they have categories for people who aren't crafters If they want to commission something beautiful and enter it. You know there should be a place for that, because that's sort of the presentation of the character. You enter it, you know there should be a place for that, because that's sort of the presentation of the character. You know, how well do you embody that character on stage? And that comes into performance and your ability to wear something on stage and present it. And so you know you're judged against people who have also done the same thing, where they've purchased something and they've put a lot into how it fits or how they walk with it or what they do on stage.
Speaker 1:And that is very much a big part of cosplay to me too, because not everything I wear is something I made. I do have a lot of those cheap, quick Amazon cosplays that I love that look phenomenal and people oh, how did you make that? I'm like, oh, I didn't. But then that's also why I love wearing stuff I made is because then I get to rattle off and talk someone's ear off until they're sick of me and tell them about what glue I used to join my EVA foam to you know, and then by that time they're like okay, thanks.
Speaker 2:Thanks, I just wanted a picture.
Speaker 1:I just wanted it and I was just like, but you asked me a question. Yeah, I know, I get excited.
Speaker 2:I wanted to jump in here. We're kind of talking about cosplay competitions and you being a featured cosplayer at the cons and that's fantastic. But I don't want people to be put off by all this yeah go jargon. So like when I go, I don't really get into a full stormtrooper costume. I might have a helmet. My thing is for photo ops and I plus the photo, like I brought ring props to meet the hobbits from lord of the rings oh yeah the ring pop.
Speaker 2:Well, it's small. You may have oh, I'm sorry got something out of the bag. No, no, because that It'll also lead us into we're going to drop this episode right before the next Fan Expo, new Orleans, january 2025. Bridget will be there, I will be there, and basically all this is getting me to. I found my people, I found my tribe in Enola Comic-Con Because I can talk to regular New Orleans people and make a Saints joke, make a New Orleans joke, and they laugh, but they don't always get the comic book references.
Speaker 2:And then there's comic book people who you meet who don't understand Enola, so you kind of have to work and explain, but when I walked into Comic-Con and I said something and people started falling out, I was like I'm home, these are my people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, people started falling out and I was like I'm home, these are my people. Yeah, tribe is a very accurate word.
Speaker 2:So if you've ever thought about this, it doesn't have to be New Orleans, of course you love Spider-Man. You don't even have to dress up. I urge people to go check it out at least once, maybe twice, and it's a lot of fun. You'll find things to do. I love taking pictures and selfies. Bridget can say that because I'm bugging her every day because she wears a different costume every day.
Speaker 3:And we do silly poses.
Speaker 2:You're going to have fun at these things, yeah.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, I'll be there too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'll be there on stage.
Speaker 3:Brian and I got invited to be on a panel. Another podcaster has a panel on Friday, so that's the first. That's a first for me, so we're going to be on a panel. Yeah, talking about movies.
Speaker 1:Awesome, kicking off the con the right way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's our first con.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go with that. I'm totally going to check out the panel. Like I'm excited for you guys. Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 3:All right, thank you.
Speaker 2:And last year I got my first press pass, but I didn't show up early. If you see my videos. I like throwing voices with the voice actors.
Speaker 1:Oh, awesome. I'm a huge horror fan too, by the way. I don't know if you're into Terrifier, but I'm still like. This happened, like you know, now, like this summer, I made the cosplay from Terrifier 2 of Sienna Shaw. She's the final girl and she's got this armor, so she's like a cosplayer in the movie, like she's making her cosplay. I need to make that.
Speaker 1:And I got invited to a horror convention, which never happens for me, it's always anime or comic cons, because horror cosplay is a little bit different, because a lot of times it's clothes and it's a lot of blood, but it's not, you know like, oh, you built this thing because there's not as many opportunities for that. So I made this cosplay and when I put it on my, my Instagram, david Howard Thornton, aka Art the Clown, shared it, and so did Lauren Lavera, the actress who plays the character that I made the costume of, and I'm still like, and I want to meet them so badly. I found out they're going to be at a horror convention in Texas coming up, so I will meet that one and I want to meet them so bad very cool.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's cool that is exciting meeting all the people that inspire us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I have a couple of questions. You mentioned audio editing. I don't want to completely leave the cosplay stuff behind. We'll circle back to it. I wanted to ask about your radio work. How did you get into that and what's that like, and is it challenging to balance that with the cosplay and conventions?
Speaker 1:That's a fun question. I like that. Yeah, I always hesitate to even talk about radio because, like, people that are in radio like that are only like that's their focus. You know, like they just think it's like the whole world and I'm like that's cool, but like, don't be one of those like DJs, you know like, don't be that guy or girl or whatever. So I was like, yeah, do radio, but if no one's interested I don't go. So I'm on this format and I've worked in this format. Gosh, I started radio in. It was in the early after 2010. It was after college. I went oh my God, I changed my concentration in college so much. I was a visual arts major, which I should tell you.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. I went from so animation but then, like rigging the polyons to the skeletons, I was bad at that because math, and from there I went print media and photography and didn't see any job opportunities with that and my advisor was like you should try media. At the time that's what it was called and it's basically audio, video editing and lighting and basically not really like radio, but working well with TV and other broadcasts. So I had a background in that I was great with audio and video editing. It's just part of what I do now too, aside from the radio station. Around 2012-ish they had a model search and it was for a gun shop like a no, a shooting range, just Barney's Gun Range, and I was. I was like, oh, they want kind of like alt models. Okay, I can do that, because I'm not like you know. I don't know I'm not sure what to call that, but I'm working a little alti. Like I'm not good at being like a princess necessarily, unless it's a cosplay princess. I was like, okay, yeah, I can model guns. I like guns. I've been to a gun range before. It's fine. I didn't get picked as like the top three that they chose, but I gave the best interview. They loved my interview so much. It was the radio station that was hosting it. They were partnered with that gun range.
Speaker 1:The morning show guy was like you gave a great interview. Have you ever done broadcast? I was like no, but I mean maybe I mean I could. He's like I have a show in mind for you. It's that I have another, this intern that we're about to hire. We're going to do a show. It's kind of raunchy, are you okay with raunchy? And I'm like yeah, I don't care. It's like, yeah, it's called Two Hot Chicks on a Saturday night and it's going to be at night on Saturdays and so we're going to talk about sex, except in a way that's like you can get by with the FCC rules. So we're going to have creative language. I was like I can do that, because I guess he saw that I played with language a lot in our interviews that we had with the models. So he was like I think you'd be great.
Speaker 1:I did that for a while. I was Miss Ooh La La. That was where the name he said choose a radio name Can't be Bridget, because it's a raunchy show. I don't want to do that to you. So I chose Miss Ooh, the character Ooh La La from Space Channel 5 on the Dreamcast. It's super obscure, no one will know, and I spelled it differently so it would be unique. But ultimately I stole her name because she was a forgotten Sega character.
Speaker 1:We did things like the super freaky shot of the night. We would pretend to mix shots or drinks in the studio and give the recipes out. We talked about relationship advice but it was usually like oh, relationship advice. Anyway, from there I ended up on middays. For a while I was the morning show co-host, board op. I excelled with audio and then I became production assistant and they were like wow, you make great commercials. I started getting really creative with that. I submitted to the Addies, which is submit a commercial and you might win something kind of thing, kind of like a LAB award, like a broadcaster award type thing. I didn't win. But from there I just worked at different radio stations. I was a brand manager for a few different stations, mostly in rock format. I guess it goes without saying that format for two hot chicks on a Saturday night was active rock, like rock and metal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, I did pop for a while but like when you don't know the difference between Britney Spears and like Christina Aguilera, people start to notice. So I was like please put me back where we have Mudvayne or something. I need Pantera, Like we got to fix this. So I ended up working in rock again, which currently I'm on Planet Radio 6.7 in Lafayette and I also do freelance commercials. Like I do voiceover, I do production. Even when it's not my voice, I'll produce commercials for companies.
Speaker 1:I do podcast editing, audio podcast editing and like hosted on like Buzzsprout and Schedule and do the little you know, stuff like that I love mix. One of these days I'd like to be an audio engineer mix at maybe Crunchyroll, hey Crunchy, if you're listening. No, I'm just kidding, hey Crunchyroll, hey Crunchy, if you're listening. No, just kidding. Hey Crunchy, hey Crunchy. Come over here. I just love the world of audio and being a host. I'm afternoons For the most part. My career in radio has taken me through afternoons. Most people don't understand is when you have an on-air shift nowadays and like it's not the 90s anymore, so nobody's really live, Like sometimes they're live, they say they're live, they're live, but a lot of stuff has gone remote. The radio industry has turned into a bunch of people like me who have, yeah, like a Rodecaster Pro 2 and an XLR mic. I've got Shure. I love Shure. They are bae. I broadcast from home. I do my afternoon show from home, actually Kind of cool, I don't have to go anywhere for that.
Speaker 3:That was going to be the next question I had. Did that go remote?
Speaker 1:Yes, I kind of thought maybe it did. I'd heard some people do that. That's cool In larger markets like Dallas and New York. I mean, there's a lot of much bigger markets where they do have live hosts and then sometimes they'll do like radiothons where they will go live that day and they'll be live the whole time. I used to do simulated live where I would record some of it. I'd be live for an hour. It takes from requests. Back when I worked at KSMB in Lafayette it was the pop station I was talking about we had this all live. It was just like one continuous mix of music by a DJ and we would just pop in and out and you'd have to just watch the time and know how much time you had to talk and know how much time you had to talk. And I'd take callers on the air and early air them back over the air. She can't put them live Like that's dangerous. People say some crazy stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and it kind of works out with cosplay in a way. We host a lot of things. A lot of times they'll put us on stage to announce bands and things like that, and it's really helped with, I find, my stage presence. When you have to announce at Festival International in front of a son of people, when you get up on stage for cosplay, it just seems like whatever at that point, because you've been through the scary part and then also without my cosplay, cosplay for me is sort of like wearing a mask.
Speaker 3:Like when.
Speaker 1:I have to be Bridget Rose on the stage and be me and do it. It feels weird, but it's almost like the persona takes over.
Speaker 3:Like.
Speaker 1:Miss Ooh La La is the character of her own. When I host cosplay things, bridget Rose is even a character. Bridget is the character. Like I'm always kind of a character.
Speaker 1:Once I got into radio I realized how cosplay could help me become a character on the air. So it do kind of work out. I've even hosted things in cosplay for the radio station because people were like, oh, you should cosplay for that. Like when you're in a smaller market, people get to know you and they know what you do outside of it. Like they'll know what stations I was on before and they'll be like oh, if it isn't Miss Radio Lafayette over here, and I'm like, nope, I'm on planet now A lot of times, it brings something special to it.
Speaker 1:They had a band who did a Halloween show that Planet Radio hosted and the band and I were talking and I was like do you want me to help host the costume contest? I use quote fingers because it's not a cosplay contest where you're making things but maybe people will you know. And I was like, hey, I can promote it through my cosplay socials because I have a lot of local people that might go oh, there's costume things happening and maybe it'll pull some people and of course the band was like, yes, now like, oh, we've seen all your cosplays, oh, can you wear the Terrifier one? And I was like, absolutely, it does enhance. It helps me stand out, I guess from the other broadcasters you know the other DJs that don't do it I feel like female broadcasters, especially in rock, are just not as common.
Speaker 1:In fact, I was a production director for a long time, which is the person that makes all the commercials for the cluster. I felt like there were no females. Hardly that did that either. So it's an interesting combination, but it has helped me to both stand out and get comfortable with being Bridget in front of people, cause I'm actually kind of shy, like outside of personas.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm totally shy, can you tell?
Speaker 1:I can relate Cause I am big, I am out there, I'm talking to everybody and I'll shut down and not be able to control it yeah yeah, even our social batteries drain yeah, after a while notice I'll be like I need to hide, yeah, or like if I have to leave, like a party, or like if I want to leave a party early. So that's part of my like social, like I've run out and I don't want to hug everyone on the way out because at this, point I've I've reached my max social battery limit and it's it is depleted, so I have to go recharge and then come back.
Speaker 2:Totally. I have a compunction to shake hands and say goodbye to everybody which has gotten me in trouble with my wife when she was ready to go a few times Like okay.
Speaker 1:Hour later I'm still saying goodbye like oh crap, I didn't realize that's a cajun. Goodbye man, yeah, yeah. And for me, since I'm not cajun, that's a yak. Goodbye a yak, yeah. Y-a-t like that's a new orleans thing.
Speaker 3:Like people that are real loud, they're yats hey where?
Speaker 1:yeah, oh, and that's new orleans, where yeah okay y-a-t where yet yet, oh, where, yet, where yet where you mama name yeah, how's your? Mama how they doing people say oh, cajuns in new orleans. I'm like I mean no but if you're not from here. You just think that's where cajun right you know, like remy laboe, they're like oh, cajun, I'm like. Well, that's the south of Nola, accent specifically.
Speaker 2:And they're like what?
Speaker 1:That's Cajun. I'm like no, no, no, south of Lafayette is Cajun. That's like Vermilion Parish, you know Parish, yeah, gotta have that rice, and well, I try my best. The yatch, yatch, you're a yatch Bullshatter, nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 2:We all love the Cajun, we love the Bayou. Oh yeah, I just had some gator last night. It was Chinese gator, can you believe? Ooh.
Speaker 3:Ooh bah.
Speaker 2:This much gator, that much jalapeno. Who go, who know?
Speaker 1:Oh, y'all, don't even put all that seasoning in there. Yeah, we eat spicy food here. It's like you go to New Orleans. I'm like, oh yeah, that's right, I'm going to give me some of that Tony's in there. I can't, I can't do that. I am.
Speaker 2:I do know somebody. His friends said oh, you're going back to New Orleans, Can you pick me up some of that tunica cherry?
Speaker 1:And he goes Tony Sachery's Tony Sachery. That's how badly they mispronounced it Tunica Cherry. Yeah, and it's funny like in New Orleans, like there's even different pronunciations for things too. But like Tunica Cherry, I don't think I've ever where was your friend from? I'm curious now.
Speaker 2:It's a friend of a friend and I think they were a little bit up north.
Speaker 1:Up north. Oh no, let's bit up north up north oh no, let's say midwest, I'm dying I'm dying.
Speaker 1:It took me a second to realize what you were saying and once it hit me, oh my god, yeah oh man it's like I'm sorry it's like whenever, like we would get like like a teacher, like growing up you get a teacher from like somewhere totally different, and they come down here and they're like where's justin cy? Bodiacs. And I was like huh, yeah, okay, oh, tibeto, okay yeah. Or like trahan trahan, oh traha, okay. Well, y'all might say, I think y'all say do y'all say trahan Trahan?
Speaker 2:or Trahan. Trahan sounds more familiar, but I don't think I've known many Trahans.
Speaker 1:We are A-H-A-N. Here is Trahan.
Speaker 2:It's definitely not that for me, but also I'm not pure New Orleans.
Speaker 1:Gotcha I'm suburbs.
Speaker 2:My dad was uptown when he was growing up and my mother was from Maine.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So I'm all kind of mixed.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, my parents are from here for all, from saint landry parish, like this area cajun-ish cajun enough cajun. Yeah, like, and country too like, from the, the deep country, the bayou specifically. My dad grew up on the bayou. So, yeah, get all that good bayou speak. And yeah, and our gumbo does not have okra, sir, I'm just letting you know, don't put that don't put tomatoes in my gumbo I'm with you on tomatoes, but I like the okra.
Speaker 2:I don't like okra by itself.
Speaker 1:I don't I got you oh yeah, oh yeah and uh, I never put that other stuff in it. I forget. No, just just just raw.
Speaker 2:Just have it raw, not really you don't mix your seafood and your meats in your gumbo do you?
Speaker 1:No, no, if it is chicken and sausage, it's chicken and sausage. If it's seafood, then it's crab and shrimp. I don't know what else people might put in there, but that's the two, I don't even think they put crawfish in it. No, no, we don't do. No, that's not.
Speaker 2:Crawfish is for others, that's for etouffee and the last gumbo question yeah, where does the potato salad go?
Speaker 1:Where does the potato? Oh ooh? So yeah, you get some potato salad and you spoon it.
Speaker 2:Now you don't just throw it in the gumbo, because that's weird.
Speaker 1:You take it in the spoon and it's cold now.
Speaker 2:And then you dip it in. Good, that's how you're supposed to do it. Yeah, there's a debate, folks, if you're listening, not from around here. Like we say gumbo, tomatoes or not, I don't even know who puts the tomato in, so I don't know where the divide is. But there's a new thing of scoop a potato salad and you leave it in the gumbo, and to me it's on the side. I'm with you.
Speaker 1:You want to flavor it a little bit, but it'll dissolve kind of a after thing, yeah I like, when you get that kind of cold with the hot around it, kind of like getting an iced coffee, you know how it's got that oh, cold but hot sensation, like the same principle I think. I mean, I at least that's how we do it here.
Speaker 2:I could be wrong somebody might be like no, you're away. There's nothing wrong with that. Your grandma didn't make it I don't want it.
Speaker 1:My mom didn't do it like that. No, I don't want it like that.
Speaker 3:Oh, and dirty rice. I don't forget about the dirty rice. I've got some relatives that are from over over that way that were cajun, cajun, cajun, and they would do the whole spread dirty rice and yeah I thought you were against it.
Speaker 3:I'm for it, so I didn't know which way you were going my mom would walk through the kitchen and she knew there were some things that I just wouldn't do if I knew what was in it and she'd say, ok, that pot, that pot, that pot is OK, stay away from that one, because they would. They would put everything in it.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, yeah, I wish I had that kind of warning. Sometimes, girl, I'll be like, I guess. I don't know. I think a real yam, like what people call yams, isn't even yams. But that, like I thought it was orange, I thought it was carrots and I still don't like sweet potatoes. It was traumatized.
Speaker 2:I was going to hit us with one. Have you seen? They put the seasoning on the outside.
Speaker 1:Well, you're not going to eat the shell, you're not? I guess you're supposed to lick it off or something, it's like lick a crawfish.
Speaker 2:I don't know what they mean, what they want to do with it?
Speaker 3:Who's doing that?
Speaker 2:I saw it for a fancy restaurant in New York like they were on the social media that explains it. There are people who dust their crawfish.
Speaker 1:Okay, but no, you got to boil it in the seasonings, in the crab boil.
Speaker 3:Crab boil yeah.
Speaker 1:Zatarain's makes a great one, so liquid just pour it in there.
Speaker 3:Pour it right in.
Speaker 1:The big bags of it too, like Zatarain's.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, I totally agree.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, we don't just dust unflavored crawfish with flavorings.
Speaker 3:All right, all right, so circle back To cosplay, to cosplay Fan Expo New Orleans, january 10th, 11th and 12th. Yeah, yeah, but do you know where your booth, your table, is going to be?
Speaker 1:Actually I will not have a booth this time. So Fan Expo, they're very good about not doing repeat cosplay guests and it kind of doesn't really serve the convention if you think about it so like they had these five guests in 2024. 2025, the convention, if you think about it so like they had these five guests in 2024, 2025, they're gonna have five different guests. Not only does it keep it fair for competitors so you're not getting judged by the same person over and over or same group of people but also you know you're not bringing in new viewers. Well, you will from other people, but your cosplayers aren't. You're not changing your reach, I guess I should say.
Speaker 1:As far as people who like, for instance, this year, my good friend Astro Lens, that's with like three Zs, they are a cosplay guest this year. They had guested two years ago, so like you can do non-consegative years. So I'm not guesting this time, but that gives me an opportunity to compete. So I will not have a table, but I will probably be showing up at Astro Lens' table quite a bit because that's my friend and I'm so proud of them. They actually run a lot of things behind the scenes at other conventions, like running cosplay contests and organizing the awards and guests and stuff. I love that they still take time out for an opportunity to shine as a cosplayer, not just an organizer. So shout out Astro Lens. If you're looking at the cosplay tables, go pay them a visit. Check out their prints.
Speaker 2:And Kettlebriar Workshop and.
Speaker 1:Kettlebriar. I love Jon. Oh my God, that's right, because, like he just guested at EATCon I saw him there. I was so excited he's like I can't tell anybody, but I'm going to be getting you know. It's like I knew beforehand shows and like master awards, and it's going to be really exciting. I will be bugging him at his table too. So, yeah, astro Lens, kettlebriar's Workshop.
Speaker 1:I don't remember the other cosplay guests there, but I feel like there's some people that I'm not familiar with. So I'm pretty excited to get in front of them for the judging process, because I love a combination of people that I know and respect in the community judging my outfits, my cosplays that I've put together, and vice versa. For example, whenever Kettlebriar John had won that was Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette I was one of the judges for that and then so now I'm entering one that he'll be judging as well. It's kind of this fun like circle of life thing where, just like I respect you and I am glad that you're judging, because I know that you know what to look for, because that's what I live for it's an honor to be judged by those that you respect and that you admire their work. And the mayor of Halloween town.
Speaker 2:I was going to bring it up.
Speaker 1:I was going to say you've seen that right, everyone's seen that. I want to say it was shared by um Chris Sarandon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he saw him at two geek cons ago and last fan Expo Danny Trejo's people. Danny's at his table and the people come running up to John and say you need to stop. Somebody wants to take a picture. Danny Trejo came over and oh man, I love it To describe it to people I made before Christmas the mayor of Halloweentown with the two faces.
Speaker 3:It's not a costume.
Speaker 2:It's almost like John's inside of a float it. It's almost like Jon's inside of a float.
Speaker 1:It's a structure Like it's a giant prop is what it is. It's impressive.
Speaker 2:It's awesome.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:In the Star Wars world, the bad guys, the Sith, are Darth something. So Jon had a Darth and I can't remember the name, but he's walking around with his red lightsaber and he had a case and it was baby Grogu in Corviknight, corviknight, ow Carbonite, oh Carbonite, like it was, because the baby's like oh, that's the best, why did? You carbonite the baby he escaped after the con, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:But yeah, true, true yeah. John's got that good, mind he does he does, speaking of, like one of the really cool things about guesting and like John and Lynn and all, they're going to have access to that green room and you will run into the most exciting people Danny Trejo, for example, in the green room. I think it was at Fan Expo. It was one of the guesting ones where I had green room access and you go in there and it's not just cosplay, it's all the guests can go.
Speaker 1:Actually, I have a rapport with Jason Mewes at this point because I always end up in the green room with him. Yeah, at New York Comic Con actually I kept running into him in the bathroom and he was like we're on the same bathroom schedule. You know, we talked about his little like motorized suitcase that he had and the Danny Trejo. It was like we were both going for the same thing in the green room for food and I was like no, no you. And he's like no, no you. And I'm like but you're.
Speaker 3:Danny Trejo and he's like it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Ladies, first I was like okay, okay, fine, but I felt like so awkward. I was like don't perceive me, oh God.
Speaker 2:TJ would have to have his hand clamped around my mouth like don't give out the podcast card, Don't.
Speaker 1:Don't do it. I'm going to tell everybody. It's like don't be weird, Don't be weird.
Speaker 2:I'll be weird, I'll be weird.
Speaker 1:Right, it gets easier the more that I do because, working with Leah Clark circling back to that, she's a voice actor. She always has access to the green room, so a lot of times me and her assistant haven't been in that part of it as long and we're like oh my God, do you see it? Don't look, don't look.
Speaker 3:It's Elizabeth.
Speaker 1:Olsen, you know, and stuff like that. I just have to. Yeah, she was in the same room as me and I, just with myself, same thing with Matt Berry from what we Do in the Shadows. I was like, don't look too hard, sometimes they come up to you. John Boyega Finn from Star Wars was like, oh my God, can I get a picture with you? And I was like, absolutely, I was excited because I thought he knew the character. I was Himiko Toga from my Hero, which, if you don't know, she's got buns, like blonde buns, but they're spiky, and she's got fangs in and she does wear a schoolgirl outfit under her accessories yeah when he saw me, I didn't have all the accessories, it was just a schoolgirl outfit and you know, and he's like.
Speaker 1:I got a picture with sailor moon and I was like, yeah, it's your dicks. He's like your sailor moon's awesome. And I was like thank you. And I was like, oh well, it's fine, I don't I'm sailor moon or it's john boyega, that's fine, he'd call me whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he wants to call me. I mean, like you can have one, if I can have one and I can post it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did. Mine came out blurry, so I don't know. I think I posted it in my story, but yeah, I was like oh man, I was like, can I have one too? Sometimes it's exciting when they get excited.
Speaker 2:Very cool. I believe we we're out of time, okay, I don't want to go.
Speaker 1:I know I can talk people's ear off Like I'm a motor mouth. I'm undiagnosed ADHD. I only know that because I have friends that work in mental health and they're like you need to get me. They're like this is what you is. They're on ADHD and I take this test and I'm like oh, it says I am, let me take it again.
Speaker 2:They're like stop, just stop, just just admit it.
Speaker 1:I think I'm in the same boat. Yeah, it's fine, it's a, it's a choice, a life choice. It's a new term for an artist. You just you gotta be flighty. I'm just artistic, that's right inclined. Artistically inclined, it means I have time blindness.
Speaker 2:So that's why I was late well, I wasn't gonna bring that up, but we're all good, we understand. Yeah, no, do you have any socials that?
Speaker 3:you want to share absolutely why I was late? Well, I wasn't going to bring that up.
Speaker 2:but we're all good, we understand. Do you have any socials?
Speaker 1:that you want to share? Absolutely Okay. So I'm on Instagram for the most part. That's my favorite. You can find me at missoolala. That's M-I-S-S period, o-o-l-a-l-a. You can pretty much type that in on Facebook and it'll pop up. Um, I think it's Miss Ooh La La Cosplay, with some spaces in the ooh and la la's, because Facebook I don't know it made me do it that way. I forget why I have a TikTok and I'll use it.
Speaker 1:I think that's all my socials. Yeah, pretty much Instagram is is my fave, though, so that's my fave too, because it's pictures it's so easy and there's not group pages and fan pages and event pages. Just give me a page. Yeah, Simple, please. So yeah.
Speaker 2:Very cool. Thank you for joining us, thank you, miss Ulala, for joining us, and we'll see everyone this weekend at Fan Expo, new Orleans. Come find us, y'all.
Speaker 3:Come find us.
