Greetings potential Stars! Ever dream of being a real life one?  ALA’s Next Top Star ™ returns for another year. Once again, we’re on a search for the best and the brightest! From dancing to singing, comedy, voice acting – anything and everything in between – we want you!! The winner will be the opening act of the Masquerade and will win some amazing prizes!  There will even be special half time performances by some very special guests!

Deadline is December 15th (or when 25 entries are reached)

Your Judges this year are:

SpacePizza Cosplay

Ally Vega – Choreographer

& Winner of the ALA’s Next Top Star, 2019- Cavie Anvel!

ALA’s Next Top Star! ™ Sign Ups will be available online this year.  As a friendly reminder- spots are limited, and submissions will close on December 1st.

*Copies of the rules and entry forms will be available online and onsite.

**Check in will take place at the Next Star Office, located in Keller Peak, 1st floor of the Ontario Doubletree Hotel

Thursday, January 9th: 12:00pm-8:00pm

Friday, January 10th:      10:00am-1:00pm

*Please note that all contestants must check in.  Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the competition.  Contestants will sign up for their audition slot (5 minutes) when they check in!

As we anticipate a high number of contestants, make sure you sign up early!!!

Closed auditions will take place on Friday, January 10th, in the Top Star office (Keller Peak)  by appointment only, from 3:00pm-5:00pm  If you have any extenuating circumstances that would prevent you from arriving onsite on Friday, please make sure to email topstar@animelosangeles.org

Only the top 15 acts will make it through to the main performance.

ALA’s Next Top Star ™ will take place on Saturday, January 11th, From 12:00pm-2:00pm, In the Main Programming Room (Empire Ballroom 3, Ontario Doubletree)

Contestant check in will be at 10:00am, Saturday, January 11th, backstage

– The Winning performer(s) will check in with the masquerade department head in Main Events (Ballroom B/C, Ontario Convention Center) for tech rehearsal following the conclusion of the event, so make sure that you don’t run off right away!

1st and 2nd runner ups will receive some awesome prizes, front row seats to the masquerade, and an honorable mention during the masquerade introduction!

ALA’s Next Top Star ™

Disclaimer: If you violate any of these rules, you will be disqualified and dropped from the competition.

The Rules:

1. All contestants must be members of Anime Los Angeles 16.
2. All entries must turn in their paperwork, music, and documentation to the ALA’s Next Top Star Department by Friday, January 10th, 1:00pm
3. Groups may have up to 8 members, including both presenters and ninjas. Larger groups may be allowed on a case-by-case basis at the Department Head’s discretion, but this number has been chosen to reduce crowding backstage.
4. Skits and presentations focused on cosplay are prohibited – this is a talent show, not a masquerade.
5. The following acts are permitted:
   • Musical acts (solo, duets, group acts, Idol groups, instrumentalists) *Bands are encouraged to sign up for Battle of the Bands instead!
   • Dance acts (solo and group acts)
   • Voice Over
   • Comedy Acts
   • Stunt/Martial arts (solo, groups/teams)
   • Variety- (this can be anything from juggling to acrobatics)
6. All contestants are required to check in so they can reserve their audition slot.  Check in will be on Thursday, January 19th from 12:00pm-8:00pm and Friday, January 10th, 10:00am-1:00pm, in the Top Star Office (Keller Peak, 1st floor of the Ontario Doubletree)
7. Closed Auditions will be held on Friday, January 10th, from 3:00pm-5:00pm, in Keller Peak (Top Star Office). As audition slots are only 5 minutes, you must be on time, ready to go, or you may be dropped from the competition.
8. All entries are granted 60 seconds for the auditions.  At this time, you will be expected to give the judges a preview of what you will be performing for the competition.
9. The audition round is no tech, so plan accordingly.
10. Audition results will be posted outside of the Top Star office by 6pm, Friday, January 10th, so make sure you check them out before Saturday.  Contestants will also be notified (via email, phone call or text)
11. Entries will be allowed up to 4 minutes on stage for the main competition.
12. The standard PG rule applies for both costume and content, as this is a family-friendly competition. No costume is “no costume.” The director reserves the right to screen entries for content, and inappropriate material will be grounds for rejection or disqualification.
13. Each presenter may only appear on stage in a single entry. One body, one presentation.
14. No live animals are allowed on stage or in the backstage area with an exception for:
    • service animals.
15. No materials or effects that will leave a mess on stage are allowed (this includes glitter, confetti, streamers, silly string, etc)
16. No pyrotechnics or any other sorts of open flame are allowed.
17. Check in is required for the top 15 contestants. Check in will take place at 10:00am, Saturday, January 11th, backstage (Main Programming Room, Empire Ballroom 3). Contestants not present at check in will be dropped from the competition.
18. For audio tracks, we accept CDs and audio files (audio files are preferred). If you are providing an audio file, please include the name of your contact person and entry name in the filename. This works best if the file is provided via a USB storage device (thumb drive). For CDs, the “5-copy” rule is a good guideline. Terrible things can happen to discs; make a master and 4 copies. Pack them in separate bags. We’ve seen too many people lose their only copy of their audio. We are not able to play or rip music off portable MP3 players, such as iPods. All music must be turned in Friday by 1pm, when registration closes.
19. If you’re going to have large props or plan to pre-set or leave things on stage, you should bring your own ninjas to get them on and off stage. We will have a limited number of ninjas available to pick up things that are accidentally dropped, as well as to assist contestants up and down the stage stairs.
20. There will be no access to power on stage. Extension cords all over the stage aren’t safe!
21. The default lighting cue is: lights go up, The Host will introduce you and you come on at stage left, you perform – upon the conclusion of your performance, the judges will have some comments for you, then you leave stage right. While we can make variations on this setup, we are not able to provide complex lighting schemes. If you desire anything other than default lighting or music cues, discuss it when you check in and we’ll do our best to accommodate your requests
22. During the contestant check in, there will be an opportunity to do a quick tech run through- we ask the contestants make sure they have their cues, – we will not allow anyone to ‘hold up’ the stage, as there is a limited amount of time before the audition round to set everything up.

ALA’s Next Top Star entry form (click here)

Half-Time Performer:

DEM POP is a local idol unit made up of two girls, Angie and Tiffany, who love Japanese pop music, especially idols! They have performed together and apart in various conventions and events over the years, including Japan Expo USA, AODCon, FanimeCon, NorCal Cherry Blossom Festival, SF Anime & Cosplay Festival, Ronin Expo, as well as many others! As a soloist Tiffany was the winner of the first ever Vocaloid Dance Contest at San Francisco’s J-POP Summit in 2011 and was a winner again in 2016! These two talented girls have come together to bring everyone at Anime Los Angeles a one-of-a-kind performance full of an energy that is sure to bring you to your feet and get you cheering along!