Pure Derek Hough

This is from Stephie, aka @StephieAuk on Twitter – thanks Stephie!!

The Adventures of The Three Hougheteers – Chapter 2

How did we get to be so lucky that I get to write down a second adventure that involves the sizzling hot, hip-shaking, super blue-eyed, gorgeous, smiling Derek Hough?!?

The story begins with the three of us, Lyd, Sue, and myself, trying to figure out when and where we can get our next fix of The Hot Blond One (because let’s face it: he is absolutely addicting!!)…enter Women’s Night Out in Tyler, Texas and we had ourselves a date!

We arrived in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon and it was a very sweet reunion of the Three Hougheteers because we now had an honorary fourth Hougheteer who would accompany us on our adventure! His name is Mackey and he is the cutest little service puppy you’ll ever see!

Wednesday early afternoon we loaded up our rental car with cameras, clothes, tripods and our furry little boy to start our two hour drive to Tyler! Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to prepare ourselves for seeing Derek again despite the two hours in the car because Texas’ freeway signs, or any signs for that matter, were not our friend during that trip (sorry ya’ll, but you need to make them bigger and a different color than the speed limit sign!).

After many detours and outbursts of “Oh crap! We missed it!!” we finally arrived at the Harvey Convention Center in Tyler. Once the car was in park and the engine was off, all of us were getting nervous and fidgety (especially me). Before our trip, I confessed to Lyd that I had practiced the steps he taught the girls in Nashville in case I would win a dance with Derek at this event. Lyd kept teasing me that she would totally tell Derek about my at-home-dance-lessons! I repeatedly told her if that was the case she would see me burst into flames from embarrassment! We walked up to the front of the convention center and saw a line of ladies waiting for the doors to be opened, but thanks to the amazing Lyd we didn’t have to stand in that line nor worry about the humidity making our hair go “poof”.

We went inside to meet a contact Lyd had made prior to the trip who was involved in the event and who said that we could go and talk to Derek for a few minutes before he takes the stage! Once we were inside and got acquainted with Rodd (the contact) he told us some very bad news: we weren’t going to be able to have Derek for ourselves after all. Something about Rodd’s boss wasn’t ok with the whole thing. I am curious what our faces looked like in that moment because I know I felt like someone had just punched me in the gut, stomped on my bare foot and told me that my hair had gone poof anyway! Bless his heart he said he’d keep trying to convince his boss, but he said if we asked Derek himself for extra time and if he agreed to it, then it wouldn’t be a problem.

With long faces we went to go stand in the VIP line to do the meet and greet and decided that we were going to ask Derek if it was ok to hog him for a few minutes. What did we have to lose?? We didn’t stand in line too long when the screaming from the crowd let us know that Derek had just walked into the room. I looked up ahead and saw him smiling and waving to his fans…he was as gorgeous as ever and I wondered if he still smelled as intoxicating as he did in Las Vegas.

It was finally our turn to meet him, so Sue walked up to him and handed him a picture we took in Las Vegas for him to sign. When he saw it he said, “Where was this taken?!?” and I couldn’t help myself and walked up to the table, like a pathetic moth to a flame. Sue told him, “That was last month…” and we both said at the same time “…in Las Vegas, remember?” He stared at it for a few more seconds and said, “Oh, yeah yeah!” I’m sure he remembers going to Vegas but I don’t think he remembers taking that particular picture, because he said: “That was one crazy night!” and laughed. He signed that one and then Sue handed him a promo picture of him and Jennifer Grey that Sue had already gotten signed by Jennifer Grey. He looked at it and asked Sue: “You want me to sign this one, too?” Lucky Sue now has a pic autographed by both Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough!! Then Sue and Derek got together for a very adorable picture!!

I officially greeted him at that point and gave him a hug and even though his cologne was a bit fainter this time it still made my head swim. I gave him a picture to sign and I believe that’s when Mackey and Lyd came up to Derek. Lyd introduced Mackey to Derek and told him that he flew all the way from California to meet him. Derek said “Hi, Mackey!” and was petting his head. That’s when my head cleared a little bit and we remembered to ask him if we could talk to him for a few minutes either before he goes on stage or right after. He said “Oh, sure, sure…I just don’t exactly know where I’m going to be next, but sure!” HECK YEEESSS!!  After everybody had their picture taken with Derek we were asked to move along by the staff…apparently we were holding up the line or something unimaginable like that! lol Once we were out of the room we got a hold of Rodd and told him that Derek gave us the ok to spend a little more time with him. But Rodd said he talked to his supervisor again and they didn’t seem like they wanted to budge at all. He took off again and said that he’d find us in a bit.

Our spirits had taken a total beating at this point. Sue and Lyd sat down and we were all just staring at each other asking the same question: What else did we have to do to be able to get those few minutes? Lyd decided to take a few things back to the car and I kept watching the fans come out of the same doors we just did which were guarded by a police officer. Every time the door opened I caught a quick glimpse of my addiction. This went on for a while and I barely noticed that the police officer was now approaching me. The officer said to me: “You’ve been waiting patiently for a while now.” And it turns out this police officer, Kevin, is a pretty good listener! Don’t ask me what happened but I turned into an unstoppable waterfall!! I blame the humidity, lol! Within ten minutes Officer Kevin knew the entire story of our trip and our obstacles. At the end he said: “Let me see what I can do for you guys” and with that he turned and walked through the backstage doors where Derek must have been taking his break from the meet and greet.

After what seemed like forever, Officer Kevin came out and walked up to us with a pretty serious face and said: “All of you, gather around. You too, Mackey!” So we gathered around him silently and frankly a bit terrified. He went on: “Who is your favorite Po-Po?” I wasn’t sure I heard him right but I answered with, “Kevin!” He asked again and we all yelled, “Kevin!!!” I don’t know what he had said to whom or who he pointed his gun at backstage, but out came another lady from the staff and walked us back into the meet and greet room to see Derek!!!

Kevin held the door open for us and as we walked past him, each of us planted a big one on his cheek. We saw Derek talking to only a handful of people which I assume were all staff, and he looked even better than the first time….if that’s possible. He saw me and smiled, so I walked up to him, hugged him again and thanked him for seeing us again. He was as sweet as ever saying “Oh, sure sure…no problem.” Then he turned to see Mackey and asked me, “His name is Mackey, right? Mackey?” I told him that it was and he bent down and called him over. Mackey ran into his arms like they’ve been old buddies and started showering Derek with kisses. Derek was petting him and laughing and thanking Mackey for the kisses. Lyd gave Derek a doggie treat and told him that if he sneezed Mackey would bring him a tissue (yeah, that’s right…Mackey is THAT awesome!!) So, Derek got up and put his hands to his face and produced a very dramatic sneeze, closing his eyes and saying: “Aa-aa-aaaacccchhhhoooooo!!!!” Mackey was way excited but unfortunately nobody had a tissue on them!

We asked him when filming would start and if he was practicing his lines yet. He said filming would start in early May and that he’d been practicing a lot of new things so Sue said: “So you’re sore from hoofing? Let’s see!” and there he went hoofing away! Dang, he is good at everything! She also asked him how he is going to keep himself grounded in the future and he said that he has his family, friends and his fans. I told him that he’ll always have these fans (pointing at us) and told him we named ourselves The Three Hougheteers. He laughed and said that at family reunions when they needed to form teams they’d always name themselves “The Houghenators” or “The Houghsters”. Lyd asked if he had any events coming up in New York and he said he wasn’t sure yet. I asked him if he could sign a picture for my mom and he totally personalized it! What a doll! Then Sue said, pointing at me “You know, Derek, you promised this girl a dip and a twirl in Vegas and we came all this way to collect!” I totally panicked and was mumbling “Sue…no, sshh, no, Sue, no.” But Derek said: “Oh, ok…well, let’s do one.”

He took my hands in his and said: “We’ll do this one…” and before I could wrap my brain around what was actually happening I was twirling every which way! I heard him say things here and there like: “Ok, so spin here but keep turning….Oh, she’s done this before!” Yeah, hardly Derek! “Ok, and then I go…” and then he’d spin. Then his back was to me with my arms sort of wrapped around his torso and then he said: “And then you go like this….” crossing my arms over his head, then he spun around to face me and I did the same and then he let go, bent down and said: “And then you hug Mackey!” and he did! Holy wow, I nearly overdosed on my addiction!!! I gotta say he really had a grip on me and he basically did whatever he wanted with me! No wonder all his partners look so awesome!! I thanked him a bunch of times and like an unstoppable nervous moron told him that I practiced the steps he taught the girls in Nashville!! The little voice in my head was begging someone to shoot me on the spot before I would burst into flames! He laughed and asked “What did we do in Nashville…I don’t remember!”

We took a few more pictures and got a few more hugs and then it was time for us to go. We walked outside and looked at all the pictures we took a thousand times!

Sue and I went to try to get seats by the stage while Lyd sat down on a bench near the restrooms with Mackey for a bit, feeding him some yummy treats, when she heard a familiar voice say, “Hi, Mackey!” Derek walked up (surrounded by eight people) to use the bathroom! Lyd met up with us a few minutes after that by the stage. Derek came out shortly, phone in hand, saying Julianne just happened to call him. He put the mic to the phone and asked her to say hi to the crowd. Then he took questions from the audience which were pretty much the same questions like at the event in Nashville. He did say that he wrote a song for CoBu 3D! Then they brought out the two ladies that won a dance with Derek. When the music started and his hips started shaking, the crowd went wild! He twirled his first partner, dipped her lower and lower and lower and ended with a lift. His second partner, which was this adorable lady, started out circling Derek, running her hands all over him. At one point she was standing behind him and ran her foot up his leg, making him clap and laugh out loud! The audience just loved it! After the dance all three of them walked off stage. We ran to the side of the stage and peeked around the corner where I saw our good friend Officer Kevin waiting to escort Derek out. Derek came out and Sue got a hold of him to say goodbye and she shook his hand. She turned to me and said: “His hand was all sweaty! OMG, I have Derek Hough DNA on my hand!!” I laughed so hard I almost fell! Then she told me to go and quickly say goodbye because he was leaving. I, along with twenty girls, walked up to where he was taking one last picture with some fans and then he walked out into a long hallway. I didn’t think I could keep up with all the people running after him so I just yelled out: “Bye, Derek!!!” He turned around, gave me one of those knee-melting smiles and said: “Bye, Babe! I’ll see you later, sweetheart!” Good thing the wall was really close by because the hallway was starting to spin.

Thank you to my girls Lyd and Sue for an awesome adventure, thanks to Mackey for all the kisses and hugs, (and the tissue) and last but not least, thank you to Officer Kevin for giving Mackey and me a dance with Derek Hough!!!!

Often stays in Vegas. But Stephie wrote a blog for us anyway.

The Adventures of the Three Hougheteers

A dinner amongst three friends to get together and discuss just how amazing (aka how gorgeous and funny and cute) Derek Hough really is, quickly turned into a much more elaborate event than I could have ever thought possible when it was announced that Derek was supposed to host an evening at the Moon nightclub inside the Palms hotel in Las Vegas on the date of our dinner.

Lyd, Sue and I coordinated almost two whole days to be able to pull this off. Once we had our trip booked things started to get exciting because not only was there a chance of meeting and perhaps talking to Derek, but Lyd, Sue and I would finally meet in person!

Lyd and I flew out on Thursday night and Sue met up with us on Friday morning. Most of Friday afternoon was spent getting ready for the night at Moon. We went out to dinner talking about Derek and what kind of event this would be. Was he going to dance for the crowd? Possibly with a huge fan (wink, wink, cough, cough)?? Was he going to sing? Or perhaps DJ??

I’m not going to lie, but I was starting to get really nervous when it was finally time to leave for the Palms hotel. Once our driver pulled up to the Palms, there was a huge lit up billboard that said “Tonight at Moon, Derek Hough 11PM” I couldn’t help it and screamed “THERE HE IIISSSS!!!” scaring the crap out of the driver and my girls! I apologized and promised them that it was out of my system and it wouldn’t happen again.

Once inside the Palms, we went to get Lyd her official Press Pass, then headed over to get our table reservations. ID’s inspected and hands-stamped with “Moon Nightclub” we headed over to the elevators and were taken up 54 stories to the Moon nightclub. A serious case of butterflies and anticipation were rolling off of me. The doors of the elevator finally opened and we were greeted by deafening music while we were shown to our table. We sat down and took in the scene. All in all the club was pretty small with our table almost directly across from the DJ booth and raised a few feet off the dance floor. There were also booths directly on the dance floor. All of us were scanning the crowd for the Hot Blond with no sign of him yet at 11:35pm. A little more time went by when I saw a very familiar hairdo and a stunning smile almost directly across from our table on the dance floor. For the second time that night I screamed “THERE HE IIIISSSSS!!!!!” This time it was necessary, people!! The music was just blaring! We grabbed our cameras and raced to the other side of the club. I ended up losing Sue and Lyd while shoving myself passed people to get to where I saw Derek. I caught a glimpse of him again and shoved myself passed two more people and then there he was…two feet away from me. Dancing. Smiling. Gorgeous. I must have looked so stupid just standing there staring at him!! I wanted to take one more step to touch his shoulder since he was facing away from me but realized that his booth was roped off. Then he suddenly turned to his right and left being followed by a 7 foot, 400 pound bodyguard (I am so NOT exaggerating!!). Sue found me and we went to follow Derek, meeting Lyd on the way. She said she saw him walk past the elevators and that we should see if we can find him while she would stay put in case we missed him. So, Sue and I went after Derek walking passed the elevators but didn’t see him so we turned back. And then there he was again, walking three feet to my left. So I said “Hi, Derek!!”, he looked at me slowed his step, smiled and said hi back. I asked him if I could get a quick hug but saw that he was hesitant to do so, so I quickly asked him: “Do you know that Jenougher shirt you wore last season?” He only heard part of it so he came up to me, leaned in and said: “The what?”. I told him again: “That Jenougher shirt you wore during rehearsals last season?”. He must have remembered and said “Oh, yeah yeah!”. I told him: “I designed that shirt for you!” He leaned back, smiled and held up his hand for me to give him a high five. I did and said, “I won the contest on PDH!!”. He said: “That’s awesome!! You should totally come sit at my table!” Excuse me…..what did he just say?? I must have blurted, “Really??” because he said: “Yeah, definitely!”. I told him that I’d love to and started to follow him back to his table. Two girls got in front of me and followed him back to his table…where I believe they were let in by the bodyguard. I honestly can’t remember because my mind was still going over what just had happened a few minutes ago. At the table Derek turned to me and said: “You know, it’s really crowded right now, maybe a bit later??”. I told him that that was fine but asked him if I at least could take a few pictures with him instead. He agreed and we took a few pictures together. Then he introduced me to his “best friend, Gary.” I shook his hand and then turned back to Derek who was dancing again. Then he took out his phone and came back to where we were standing and said: “Since you guys are here, let me show you a short clip from my upcoming project”. It was a clip of him doing a very impressive jump/flip. Sue and I both said “Wow!!” at the same time, then I asked him: “So this must be when you learned your ninja moves, right?”. He laughed, and did some more ninja like kicks and then turned his attention to Kym Johnson, who was also there.

At that point we went to go sit down for a bit and I realized that I couldn’t feel my legs. They were just not there anymore…I told Lyd and Sue that I needed to sit down ASAP because this could not be good! We got a few drinks and were of course watching D across the dance floor. We kept going back in pairs throughout the night, took more pictures and asked him to sign a few photos that we brought along. Derek didn’t mind and claimed that he’ll sign anything we give him. Lyd took that literally and asked him to sign her camera which he did along with a few hearts and a funny looking dude. At one point Derek and Gary were dancing with glow sticks and after Derek decided he was done with it, he pointed at me and carefully tossed it to me. I must say it couldn’t have been a very graceful catch on my part, jumping in heels and landing on the bottom part of the metal pole holding up the ropes around his booth. I pray that he didn’t see it. But I nevertheless caught it and when I looked at it on Sunday, it was still glowing He came up to us too asking a few questions here and there. We stayed until he did, which was just about 4:30am. We went by his table on our way out to say goodnight to him. He was sitting down, dinking around with his iPhone. He looked up and smiled as each of us said goodbye and goodnight to him. Then he got up and walked away, followed by his bodyguard, to the elevator and then he was gone.

We all couldn’t believe the night we just had and couldn’t stop recapping the night minute by minute. I think we were the only fans that kept going back to table to see him and talk to him, which was great because he had to lean in to you every time you talked to him because of the loud music, which meant I could take in deep breaths of whatever cologne or aftershave or whatever the heck he was wearing!! He. Smelled. A-MAZ-ING!!!

Back at the hotel we called Heidi and gave her anything and everything we could recall from the night! Sorry for the early wakeup call, Heidi!!!

My head finally hit the pillow around 5:21am and I was convinced the next morning that it must have been the craziest dream I’d ever had….until I caught a whiff of his cologne that must have lingered in my hair.

This has been by far the best Vegas trip I have ever had! I want to thank my girls Lyd and Sue for the awesome time I had with them. It wouldn’t have been the same without them!!!

This was written by Deana – totally unedited, except I put in a couple paragraph breaks for easier reading. Video and pictures are included also!

My Derek Adventure… Riding Solo

Once again our FAVORITE Dancing Man Derek Hough is the Champ of DWTS. He is the first pro to take 3 mirror balls and I couldn’t be a prouder fan! I am DancingForDerek Deana (Mommyof3boysD on Twitter) and I have been a #1 fan and following Derek’s career for awhile now. I have always had a passion for dance and Derek brought that passion back for me. I have been very fortunate to have met him several times. I live in NY and whenever he is here, I am right there to support him. So of course I knew I would be going to GMA again if Derek made the final 3. So figuring he would at least be in the finals, I requested tickets to GMA back at the start of the season of DWTS. I knew if they did come to GMA this time it would be cold and probably only in the studio, so I wanted to guarantee myself a spot inside. I had requested several tickets in hopes some of my Derek buddy’s would join me. Unfortunately, I hadn’t heard from GMA or confirmation that they would even be there until days before the show when I did get an e-mail with ticket confirmation. My usual partner in crime Aimee (another Derek fan) was going to be away, so she wasn’t able to come with me. There were a few other Derek fans that were considering coming with me and I wished they had, but in the end it was Me, Myself & I. I am very proud of myself for wanting to be there and still going by myself.

I had been to the GMA After Party in May for Derek & Nicole’s season win. This time it was so cold out and the line was much longer then last time… probably because of the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC the next day, the traffic was crazy. I got there at 5am and the line was around the corner already. Although many had confirmation ticket e-mails to get into the studio because there were so many people there, not everyone was going to get into the studio. They divided the line so some would have a chance to fit in the studio and the ones that definitely wouldn’t could stand outside for the bus arrival. Last time I did both and was sad about this. I started to consider since I am at the end of the studio line maybe there was a chance I wouldn’t even get in and then also miss the bus arrival around the corner. So I decided to go find our security friend from last time. He is awesome and not only did he put me right up front on the red carpet outside for the bus arrival (see my arrival video) but then after, I went into the studio 1st VIP. What a treat!!

I stood in the same spot that I did last time right in front of the interviewing chairs… but this time it was more on camera. I was surprised at how much I saw myself on TV after I watched it and friends called having recognized me. They gave out team tees (the ones on sale on ABC.com) and I was lucky my section was Derek & Jen’s, so I got a “Baby Derek” Tee. How PERFECT! Then when Derek came out into the studio, he came right over to our section slapped hands with me & others (check out my video of that) Derek LOVED that we had the team shirts on. Even on a break he asked a camera guy to take a picture with his phone of him in front of our section and he was kneeled right down in front of me Wish he would share that pic. I also brought a Rough Tough Team Grough tee I made and I was going to hold it up as a sign, BUT I had it on floor after I put on the team tee they gave us. Derek noticed it on the floor and picked it up on his own, looked at it and said “COOL” & took it to show Jen & Lacey then held it up and posed for a pic with it. I then also got the pic of the two of us.

It was crazy in studio…not a lot of time for talk like last time outside, but he did come over to me. I am very thankful for that. Then guess who came and stood next to me?…Jen’s daughter Stella and her hubby and I said… “oh Hi your Mom is AWESOME” she smiled and is so cute! Jen came over later got a close up shot (camera too zoomed in) of us (but at least a memory) and I told her what an inspiration she was and my passion for dance & Derek. She was thrilled and told me I have to pursue it! She is the sweetest and my fav partner of his so far! Kyle was so much fun, I didn’t get a pic with him but he grabbed my hand upon arrival and talked to us too. I also Didn’t get a pic with Mark but he waved… & Maks & Tony & Val were all there too…FUN show!

I also took a pic with Cameron Matheson while I was waiting for them to leave outside. It was a FUN show! Hope every Derek fan gets to meet him one day…until then let’s keep sharing the Derek LOVE and our adventures….and get that boy on the big screen! Deana

DWTS GMA Bus Arrival

Arrival in studio GMA Derek comes running over… high fives me, so sorry the camera is a little shaky

Derek & Jen dancing and the curtain improv was hilarious by Derek

Bristol & Mark Dancing

Kyle & Lacey Dancing

Maks & Robin Dancing

LA…Gardens, Designers and Derek Hough – by Michelle (Meeshlotus)

Los Angeles to me has always been a town of intrigue and inspiration.  Fifteen years ago, when my sister lived in Santa Barbara and I in Sacramento, we began meeting in LA for a weekend of bonding, shopping, clubbing and celebrity sighting.  We always managed to get into exclusive fashion shows, celeb-only clubs and charity events that were so amazing and different from our real lives back home with husbands and small children. We would always hit The Ivy for lunch and Fred Segal for shopping.  They never disappointed as we saw Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Taylor, Cojo, Christina Aguliera, Debbi Mazar and others shopping and eating just like us. When I opened my landscape design/build company, LA was where the greatest designers and architects operated their firms giving me more reason to visit.

My sister got a divorce, the economy tanked and I fell in love with Dancing with the Stars.  We weren’t visiting LA like we used too and I was dying to get down there to see all the places I read about…The Grove, DWTS lot, the practice studio, Derek’s apartment, Sunset Marquis Hotel and so on.  Once I received an email on a Mediterranean Gardening Symposium, I knew it was time to book a trip.

I flew down early last Monday and headed straight to The Grove.  Like Sue, I didn’t have tickets to the show and just wanted to see where BHB played and hoped for a sighting.  When I got there, Extra was about to film a segment with Lisa Rinna.  There was a small crowd gathering behind the stage and Mario was working with the crew on segways such as “You won’t believe what is happening on the set of Desperate Housewives, stay tuned to Extra for the details”.  I stood to the side with a few others as I needed to check into my hotel and get to a meeting with my mentor landscape design studio in Santa Monica.  One of the crew came up to me and said, would you like to be in the front?  Here I am, in the front row, black jacket and white top (darn, my tv debut and I am fresh off the plane and not freshened up):

For those wanting to visit LA or going to DWTS, Extra films 2 celebrity interviews every weekday and they post who is coming online and have the weekly line up advertised by the theater.  There were not tons of people so it is easy to get up close and worth the effort.  Brandy and Maks were on Thursday but I was gone by then.  I did see Bret Michaels the following morning:

I was at The Grove on Monday at about 11:00 am and the line was starting up for DWTS.  I couldn’t believe they had ticket holders lined up on a busy street such as Beverly Blvd.  It is sort of funny to see everyone all dressed up at 11 am sitting in folding chairs on the street.  Seems like DWTS could do a little better for the fans of the #1 show!  Here is the studio (which is smack dab in the middle of Hollywood):

I asked the few people in line and a couple of crew that walked out if there was an extra ticket for 1 – no luck.  My plan was to go to my meeting and off to The Mint to see Mark Ballas play.  I was hopeful that Derek would show up.  I got to The Mint which is a little honky tonk bar.  Another band was playing and there were not many people there.  There were, however, 10 or so paparazzi.  It was interesting that some said they had been there for 2 hours.  I can see the frustration of the celebs as these guys are sorta dirty and relentless.  Rick Fox and Eliza were the first to show up and they were rushed by the paps.  He is as tall and handsome as they say.  They grabbed a seat on the side of the stage and she sat on his lap.  Mark and Bristol were the next to show and she is young and cute and looks much better in person.  I still don’t understand how a 19 year old gets into a bar in California???  Corky was the only other DWTS person to show up – bummer.  Mark’s playlist included most songs of a lover who gets burned. He is passionate in his playing and uses a lot of profanity.  Funny to see him in this light.  The music industry is tough and I’m not sure he has what it takes but that’s my opinion.

Tuesday was the conference.  I did get up early to see Bret Michaels at The Grove.  From the 5th story parking garage at The Grove, you can see the DWTS lot. I wish I had binoculars, so bring them ladies!  This is also where they play football so I was bummed seeing the tweets on Tuesday about the football throwing contest and that I couldn’t be spying from the garage.

The Friday before my trip, Derek tweeted about the DOCTRINE Clothing launch at Boudoir.  I knew then that I would meet him.  Got back to the hotel around 5 and wished my sister or a girlfriend were with me.  I had to do it.  I decided to leave early and have a bite at STK and scope out Boudoir which is connected.  These restaurants are located on La Cienega which is right off Sunset and close to Koi and Nobu.  Major star sightings in this area.  I went to STK and they were setting up for the party – same wack paps out front but they were setting up for the elite paps on the red carpet.

This is the tiny red carpet you see in all the DOCTRINE photos with each paper designating US Weekly, STAR, People, etc. This area is at the top of the lit up archs you see in all the pap videos.   I went into STK and hit the bar.  I needed a drink.  I talked with the bartender who had come to LA 3 years ago from Chicago trying to break into the business.  It makes you realize how tough it is and how many struggle.  A guy sat next to me and we struck up a conversation on contracting in California.  It was nice to not be alone but I started to worry about how I was going to get into this invite-only party.

I got my check and walked outside to the area above.  There was a small line.  Rick Fox walked up alone and I stood next to him.  As they pulled him forward to take pictures on the red carpet, I walked behind him and into Boudoir.  I made it in without an invite!

I immediately saw Derek.  I needed another drink.  I went to the bar and the small club was not full.  It was early by LA standards.  I just watched…it felt pretty amazing to be there and so close to him, Mark and Cheryl.  The things I noticed right away – he is taller than I thought, so young, thin but broad shoulders for his build, and way light.  It was like a room filled with young beautiful people and he stood out with his blonde hair and white skin.  A young girl asked for a photo and I thought I better do it now…

Here is my picture with Derek – no flash on my iPhone!!!  Okay, to back up.  He was very generous and leaned into me, smells amazing and was very apologetic I had no flash.  I am pissed.

I hit the couches to come up with plan B.  This amazing couple from Australia asked if I was “on my own”.  It ends up, they are financial backers to the clothing line in from New York.  They took me in and we had a great conversation.  They could not believe I got in as a vodka company had sponsored the event and it was definitely invite only.  As I was texting my sister, she said “only you” haha.

Sonia, the backer, had a flash on her blackberry (that’s me on the right):

Here are a few observations from the night:

• Derek is aloof with the paps and maybe even in the crowd.
• He was in the crowd all night but as Cheryl and Kym were dancing, he was texting.
• He and Mark are close and were together all night.
• He was the man at this event, they kept coming to get him for more red carpet photos.
• I stood next to him at the bar and he asked me if I was having a good time.  I felt like a stalker trying to see the name on his cell phone
• He is a cute “regular” dancer – waved his arms dancing with the crowd
• Ordered lots of vodka

Sooooo, with all the talk of him giving Mark the spotlight at the end of the night and  hands in his pockets for the pap pics of he, Mark, Kym and Joanna – he got a buzz on.  He was pouring vodka over ice.   Shoot, he works so hard and was ready to cut loose.

I worked on the pic and this is the best for now

BTW, I know Meeshlotus sounds like a porn star but my friends call me Meesh and Lotus is my business name, Lotus Designs, so hence meeshlotus.  Love y’all and we all love Derek!

Thanks Sue and Kay for this great blog about your adventure in LA.  I left your last names off this – I’ll add them back if you want.

Condo in San Diego $980.00, Hotel in LA $250.00, Meeting Derek Hough……PRICELESS!!!!!!!

OMG He’s Everything Good!

It started out as a girls get-away. We’ve been friends for over 40+ years and we wanted to celebrate another birthday(eek!), this time in San Diego sea side. So we planned this short vacation. However, I always have some “adventure” cooked up for us. This time it was trying to meet Derek Hough. After all, we were going to California, we could spare a day and drive to LA. Our original plan was to go to the Grove and maybe get to see him shopping, since he tends to go there often. Yep, it was a long shot, but what else could we do?

Two days before our trip on Sept. 7th., I happened to brain storm an idea, I would find out where the DWTS group was practicing. With help from my husband and being the “sleuth” that I am, I found out where they were rehearsing. (Sorry, can’t tell ya all, it’s a secret). I was so darn jazzed I couldn’t stand it. I was just praying that Derek would be around. We were prepared to spend the day there if needed.

We left San Diego at 6am. OMG the LA traffic is a nightmare, but we forged on arriving in LA at around 8:30 am. We arrived at our destination thrilled and nervous. We scoped out the area and noted that we were really early, not even the paparazzi were there yet. So, as any sleuth knows, coffee is a must and now we were off to find a coffee shop. Surveillance started at around 9am. We saw a few people going to work, security wondering what we were doing on public property waiting around. But all was good when we saw our first pap. It was time to go and get into position.

I could tell by the look on the face of the pap he wondered who we were and how did we find this place?? I assured him that we were only there to get an autograph and then we were gone. Then a second pap arrived. I struck up a conversation with them. They were really pretty nice. They wanted to know how in the world we found this location. When I told them, they couldn’t believe it. Then they asked us who we thought the best dancer was. Of course we said Derek Hough, cuz he IS.

The pap then told us that Derek has been very reserved. He’s not giving the pap any time. They said Derek is all “preoccupied” with “other things”…meaning Cheryl. I told them Derek’s problem right now is that he is “in love” and just very withdrawn. The pap said that he probably won’t give us any time, that’s they way he’s been lately.

About that time Mark Ballas drove in. He was wonderful. Very gracious, very sweet, laughed when I asked him to sign the BHB CD, he stated that it was “Old School”. I was so nervous, and he just kept saying “don’t be nervous, no worries”. He signed pictures, gave us each a signed copy of his new CD then the pap took my camera and took pics of us with him. I was very impressed with him, a very nice non-pretentious young man. He talked to us and never acted like we were a bother. Bristol was already practicing so we didn’t get to see her.

Then finally Derek arrived in his cute Audi. He was hurrying into the building when I asked him for his signature. He stopped and looked around, saw the pap and us, then said he’d “come back out”. Well, the pap said he’s been saying that a lot and never does come back out. So, one of the pap, hollered to him and said “they came all the way from Arizona just to see you”. He again stopped but he did go in the building. We were afraid that he wouldn’t come back out. I would of been heart broken. Then about 15 minutes later he came out to meet us. He walked all the way out to us.

He was very gracious, giggled (like he does) when he saw some of the pictures I wanted autographed. I told him his fans are “missing his ring”. He asked me, “what ring”? I told him the one he wore on his left hand middle finger! He said it had to be cut off. He signed all our pictures, his BHB CD and took pictures. My brain was on overload…I was so nervous, he said, “don’t be nervous”. Then the pap again took my camera and took pictures. We wished him luck on this season, talked a bit more then he left. OMG, I was on cloud nine!!!! He was very reserved, not the crazy goofy guy that I’m use to seeing on TV. My friend Kay said he looked like he had just got out of bed, kinda sleepy. I said he’s probably burning the candle at both ends. We noticed that he’s pretty tall too. We are both 5’7″ and he is much taller than us. He had tennis shoes on and we had flats on. He is such a “baby face”, and a real sweetheart to come out and humor 2 older ladies!

Then Jennifer Gray came in. She looks FABULOUS!!! Just as sweet as she could be…gave me her autograph, wished her luck. She said she is having a blast dancing with Derek. Lucky girl!

Once we accomplished our objective, we left. It was an adventure that I’ll never forget. I know Derek will never remember us but I will store this little bit of heaven in my memory.

Derek must be having a growth spurt – ring got too small, dance shoes are suddenly too small. And he does seem taller, doesn’t he? Yeah, he’s 25, but it could happen. Here are Kay’s pictures, plus one I found of them on line. I’ll put up more later.

Deana has written a blog so that we can all live vicariously through her on her trip to GMA! Thanks, Deanna.

Where to start with my GMA Adventure…I guess from the start of an AMAZING season 10 with Our Favorite Pro Dancer Derek Hough. I had a feeling Derek was going to get Nicole when she was a confirmed Celebrity and when he did I was thrilled. Watching this season was AMAZING because we ALL know how talented Derek is and it just made him shine even more being able to give Nicole challenging choreography and really pushing past normal limits for the show. It was because Derek & Nicole were so talented and amazing together that people began to harp on the “unfair advantage” that they thought Nicole had. Even with the “ringer” remarks I was excited to see Derek take her all the way to the final and the win! I knew they would make it to the finals, so when that happened I began to think about Good Morning America!!! I live in NY and after being offered tickets to the LA taping several times last minute and not being able to go…my feeling was ANYTHING in NY I HAVE TO GO TO!! It was likely they would have the final 3 as they usually did the day after the finale each season. When it was confirmed I was so excited, knowing that I would be seeing Derek no matter what! Of course I wanted to see him with the Mirror Ball Trophy and his 2nd WIN! So when they WON!! it just made it even more EXCITING!!! Lucky season 7 & the best yet 10!! WAHOOOO.

When I asked my Derek Pal Aimee (who lives here in NY too) if she wanted to go with me, she was thrilled and wouldn’t of missed it!. We were also two of the front row girls at Burn The Floor and enjoyed sharing our LOVE for Derek I feel I owe Derek a great big THANKS for bringing my PASSION back for DANCE. Ever since I saw him on tour right before his 1st season of DWTS Season 5 he stood out! He is an AMAZING talent and I enjoy following his career and letting him entertain me! I also saw that another Derek fan from NY, Laura tweet she was going also so I wanted to meet her too. She went with her sister and a friend. Well after all the power voting and hoping, praying etc…on the finale when Derek & Nicole became the winners it was so EXCITING!! Knowing we were going to see them so soon after their win. It was hard to even go to sleep knowing they were on a plane on their way to us in NYC! After sharing some excitement with all my twitter friends I finally forced myself to bed by 1am. Getting up at 3am with only 2 hrs of sleep was well worth my upcoming adventure.

Aimee & I drove into the city together and we arrived at 5:30 am. I called Laura to see if her group had arrived also. They had just arrived in Times Square before us. We walked to GMA (which was conveniently right across the street from the parking garage) Here is a pic of us in Times Square…

and then we met and said Hello to Laura, Heather & Christina. They told us they were staying outside for the whole show and found a spot they would stay at by the outside stage the whole time. Aimee and I wanted to get into the studio if we could, so we walked over to the security guard and talked to him. We were one of the first to arrive and he told us to get on line with the confirmation/tix guests and that a stand by line would be established after.

Here’s a pic of us 1st on line. He knew we were 1st in line for the stand by and still thought we should get into the studio after all the tix holders. He explained that the way it worked with DWTS GMA was the 3 couples would be inside for the interview, then come out for their dances and that we would be able to go along outside as well. We felt like we had nothing to lose by standing online to get into the studio if we would also be able to come outside too. The line quickly grew and we were still confident we would at least get in. Then they brought everyone off the line and around the corner by the back entrance for the arrival of the DWTS couples. We were told that they would be arriving in a Yellow double decker bus and be out on top for us to cheer and welcome their arrival. They gave us leis to wear and confetti to toss when they arrived. Boy was the confetti FUN…some how I was finding it for HOURS after and in places I don’t even understand how it got there! LOL. Anyway, it was then while standing in the crowd ( but of course we made sure we were on the curb for a front row view ) then we met another security guard “Bill” that seemed to be one of the long time top guys. He took a liking to us and our excitement and signs for Derek. We talked for awhile and we shared our Derek adventures with him. He told us he watched the finale and thought they were great. He especially liked Brooke’s dress LOL which I have to agree with him…even though I am a woman She looked FAB I couldn’t even take my eyes off of her…well OK maybe to look at Derek but that’s it! LOL Anyway, Bill even took this shot of Aimee & I with our HoughZinger sign we had just made.

Even a Chinese reporter stopped to take our pic for his Chinese newspaper (so maybe you’ll see us in one) Bill then tells us he’s just been told they are a block away to get ready… and then I see the bus across the street at a light…that is when I captured on video the whole arrival here’s the link… Derek and Nicole Arrive! Enjoy! You’ll see how FUN it was to see them pulling up especially seeing Derek standing up from a far with the trophy in one hand and his phone videoing in the other. If we could get that boy to post his video, I know we would be on it!! But with in minutes Maks had tweeted an arrival pic of the crowd that Aimee & I were in and Dona was nice to let us know SO FUN seeing that!

They went in the back entrance and we were all told to get back on line around the corner. Well now Aimee & I were concerned that we wouldn’t even get into the studio anymore even though we were first on line and arrived so early. We went up to our friend Bill the security guard and explained our concern and the importance of being up close for Derek He said ok girls come with me…and with that we were put 3rd on line on the VIP line and we went in FIRST!! WE WERE THRILLED!!! AND SOOO THANKFUL!! BILL ROCKS!! and the other two guys were had talked to earlier were like “now you girls are happy now I bet!” OH YES WE WERE!!!…we were in the studio first, guaranteed without tix and in the FRONT ROW right in front of the interview chairs (knowing right in front of where Derek would be sitting) WE WERE SOOOO EXCITED that even when the girl asked us if we wanted to move across the floor to another spot that was more on camera visible, we turned it down because we wouldn’t of been facing Derek then..in other words we didn’t care if we were on camera as much as letting Derek see we were there to support him! Here is the pic of us front row in studio…

The studio was set up with the red carpet and chairs for the interviews.

Before long we were greeted by the audience coordinators and asked to fill out cards with questions for any of the pros/celebs and that if chosen we would get to ask the question on air. I said to Aimee I should ask Derek if I could have my long awaited DIP! She was like DEF!! ask it…but I chose to ask Derek if he would consider teaching lessons like Maks in his studio but it didn’t get chosen. So you can imagine when I saw the girl asking him for a “hug” chosen and then she got a bonus dip I was regretting not asking for my dip BUT super happy for her. She was the Derek fan we took a pic of with her AWESOME sign outside. Here it is:

Anyway, back to inside the studio… The couples came through the studio briefly and right outside for some quick promo shots on the outside stages before returning to the studio for the interviews first. Here’s the pic of Maks & Erin 1st

and then I got a pic of Derek & Nicole

and Derek noticing our sign

He came over to us again after coming back inside and that’s when I got this AWESOME SHOT

and Aimee too

and then Aimee & Nicole

and then it was my turn but they started doing Nicole’s hair in front of me and then they took her back to her seat…so I just took this pic of her close

Here’s the Mirror Ball Trophy

and Derek & the MBT

Studio view before show

Derek saying Hi to us!

then yummy treats like Red Velvet Cake that Derek ate and Maks & Erin shared a sundae

After the interviews we were all walked outside and right beyond the gating and into the front of the stage for another amazing VIEW!!

How lucky is that??? (we had thought we would be in the back since we weren’t out there already) Here’s the couples coming out to dance

Then we saw our twitter friends again Laura, Heather & Christina We waved to them and they took a pic of us and we did also of them

They had questions & interviews before the dance

and Here’s some more outside pics…

Here’s the Lucky fan that got a hug & dip

Here’s Maks & Erin Dancing

and Evan & Anna’s AWESOME spin

and a Derek & Nicole pic

and Video —> Derek and Nicole doing their Jive

and another dancing pic

and after the dancing

After the taping which was AMAZING FUN (which I am sure you all watched LIVE or on video) the cameras stopped rolling Aimee got a pic with Derek again

and then I got something EXTRA SPECIAL…. MY DIP!!

LOVE the LOOK!… he melted me with those baby blues! He was so sweet.. I said “Derek can I have my Dip I’ve been waiting for?” and he said Yes of course! and because no one else was allowed on stage and he was being taken away he said “we’ll do it anyway from right here…and he was actually on stage and I was off so he actually reached down to me which was so sweet We also got some pics outside with both of US

Then we got them leaving… Maks leaving

Derek leaving

Nicole Leaving

BYE Derek

and in a car and off to Regis & Kelly

It was an AMAZING Derek ADVENTURE from Start to finish and I’ve been smiling ever since BUT Now I need to catch up on some much needed sleep Until our next Derek Adventure I’m ALWAYS DancingForDerek Deana (Mommyof3boysD) on Twitter

Yes, this is Part II of Angie’s story. I have to share this with you guys – Angie is cracking me up right now. I’m almost afraid to post this because she’s revised this four times – are you SURE you’re ready for me to post it Angie?? And yes, as you can see, she took pictures. Or her partner in crime, Kelly, did. When Angie gets her courage up, she REALLY gets her courage up – this site even gets a mention (I didn’t ask her to do that, I swear). But Derek, I don’t know NEARLY enough about what’s going on in your life. Email me, hon. No, seriously.

Hi Heidi,

Got caught up here at work and got a chance to tell you about last night. I was sooo upset that I chickened out and didn’t talk to Derek on Friday night that I let the angry, resentful thoughts swirl around my head all day Saturday. When will I ever get to see Derek again? Will I ever get another chance to tell him how he touched me? How could I let something so ridiculous intimidate me? I skydive and have traveled Europe alone. I deal with serious life or death issues like cancer (I’m a registered nurse) all the time; I’m no wussie. My pride started to kick in. I have a chance to redeem myself, DeVience is playing tonight again at The Viper Room and Derek will be there. Wait a second…I work a 12 hr shift tomorrow and I start at 7am. How can I drive up to LA and see their show at 10:45 and get enough sleep to work tomorrow? I don’t feel good as is and I definitely am still recovering from last night. Kelly is down to go again with me tonight because she is as upset as I am that we didn’t talk to Derek on Friday. But I have to leave early, does she want to stay late in LA? I debate and debate all day till evening. Finally I got a sign I was meant to be up there. I jokingly posted a tweet directed at the band DeVience saying “Hey, saw you guys last night and you’re fabulous. Shall I grab a girlfriend and drive back up there from the OC to see you tonight?” To my surprise, the band responded with a resounding “Yes, come back up here. The show will be sick tonight.” Decision done. I’m going to watch a cool band tonight and I absolutely, positively have to talk to Derek tonight or I won’t be able to look myself in the mirror ever again.

We arrive at the The Viper Room 5 minutes before the band is to go on. The next band to go on is not DeVience…Oh hell no, don’t tell me I drove all the way here to miss the band! Come to find out that the bands are really behind and that DeVience wont go on till midnight. Well, there goes any chance I have of getting any rest tonight. The Viper Room is another famous LA band venue and like the Whiskey A Go Go, many famous bands have come through there. It’s a 2 story enclosed venue full of dark black hallways and the band stage is upstairs in a dark room that can fit about 50 ppl. I saw Derek slip into the room looking fabulous in a black leather jacket, basic blue jeans, and dark tennis shoes. He walks fast and crosses the room so quickly that when I blink, he’s gone again. I kept thinking…”You have to do this, get this over with. Do it now before his band goes on and he doesn’t want to be bothered. Just do it.” I figure he is outside so I casually walk to the door, camera in hand. I chat up the door bouncer for a minute or so and devise a plan in my head. Right before I walk outside, I pull out my phone and pretend to talk to someone so it looks like I stepped outside to use my phone rather than stalk Derek Hough. Yeah…I’m smooth, I know. I walk outside and casually make random conversation with myself. I hang up my phone and realize 3 band members of DeVience are standing between Derek and I. Here’s a good time to meet the band so I walk up to them and start chatting them up. In this totally adorable British accent, Sawyer, the guitarist asks me “Are you Angie from the OC? Thanks for coming.” Ahhhhhh, melt my heart why don’t you? Ten minutes later, the other 2 band members walk over and introduce themselves to me and I find out that four of them have never been to the US. “Why don’t you come down the OC and visit me? I’ll take you out.” The other guitarist (who is amazing on the guitar by the way) said, “I would like that. We need to get your number after the show.” Sweet. In my head I’m thinking, “Do any of you need a green card cause I’ll marry you.” Anyways, during this conversation Derek has vanished back into the Viper Room. The guys start to set up and I walk back into the room. I check in with Kelly who is at the front of the dance floor saving our spots. I turn around and see Derek sitting alone at a booth checking text messages on his phone. It’s now or never, Angie. Just do it.

I walk straight over to him and get his attention. In a calm and confident voice I say “Derek, I’m such a big fan and it is such a pleasure to meet you. Your dancing amazes me and I was wondering if you would take some pictures with me. I need these for your fansite.” In warm tone of voice, he smiled and said “Thank you so much. Thanks for coming. Yeah, that website purederekhough.com is great. Anytime I need to know what’s going on in my life I go to that website and it’s sitting right there. I’d love to take a picture with you.” And with that he jumped out of the booth and was by side with his hand around my waist in a snap. I was so ecstatic my smile ran off my face it was so big…just check the pic. I told Kelly to take another picture of us and I just couldn’t help myself. I wrapped both of my arms tightly around his waist and laid my head on his chest for the next pic. I could die now and be perfectly happy I’ve lived a full life. I took a pic of Kelly with him. Kelly mentioned to Derek after taking the pics of us that he had a little piece of hair sticking out alfafa style from the top of his head. I didn’t hesitate a second and I said “Let me fix that.” as I gently brushed his hair back in place. His hair is sooo soft, blonde and beautiful. So in heaven right now. I also gave him a sincere thank you card I wrote him and he slipped it in his jacket and told me he would definitely read it later. We chatted another few minutes or so and then it was time for the band to come on.

If its possible, the band sounded even better than last night. I stood in the front and rocked out with Kelly on my right and Derek on my left. That haunting voice of Giovanni was so dreamy at times and I ended up snapping several pictures of the band during the set. DeVience finished their set and I proceeded to say goodbye to all of them but alas! All their equipment is behind my car blocking my way out. So I chatted with them and Derek a little longer. When it was time to leave, Derek had walked away about 20 feet away from me and I yelled out “Bye Derek! It was nice meeting you, don’t know when I will see you again but take care!” He turned around, jogged over to me, and gave me a big, warm hug. Wow he is such a nice guy. I got home about 2 am and got up this morning at 5:30 to work but my total fatigue right now is a small price to pay for getting my dignity back and having a dream come true. There were many other little things that went on such as me getting free drinks from the hot bartender and my conversing the bouncer about DWTS and Derek (this hot bouncer actually had watched the show and took swing lessons). But nothing else really mattered because this, by far, was the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. Much thanks goes out to Derek and DeVience.

DFFL (Derek fan for life),
Angie from the OC

ETA: deVience’s MySpace

Angie told me about her night at the Whiskey and told me I could post it so the rest of us could live vicariously through her. Don’t feel too sorry for her for being “chicken” to talk to Derek – there is a part II to this story that will be coming later today sometime. The writing is all hers, with the exception of a spelling error that I fixed for her.

God Heidi…I’ve lived in the OC my whole life. Meeting celebrities is part of life here in cali and I’ve met some of my favorite actors but I’ve NEVER EVER EVER been a groupie until Derek. I’ve met Kevin Spacey, John Stamos, and a few others but I’ve always kept a chill calm aura about me. When it comes to Derek, I’ve been dying to see him in person dancing or singing but I never get tickets to DWTS and always find out a little too late about any appearances he may make. I joined twitter just to follow him. It’s actually pretty retarded really; I’ve lost all my dignity watching those fabulous hips of Derek move across a dance floor. Anyways, I had to see him so I worked my 12 hr shift yesterday (I’m a RN) and dragged my sick, energy drink laden ass out to LA last night (about 45 minute drive north). Whiskey A Go Go is a great place to see bands; it’s renowned in LA as the ultimate band venue and its been around forever. Any great band has played there including Doors, Avril LaVinge, Blink 182, and the list goes on and on. It’s a 2 story small venue that has a giant stage that you can see from every place in the joint; the place can fit about 150-200 ppl. The second story has a balcony that wraps around the stage and gives a great view of any bands. The place is old, dingy, and punk rockerish; it smells like rotting wood and beer but its a great place.

I got off work at 7:45 and left the OC at 8:30ish. I arrived at the place 10 minutes before DeVience went on and got myself a drink. My friend Kelly (also a DWTS fan) was with me and I glanced over her shoulder and saw him sitting at a nearby booth! I smiled and almost had a heart attack as I started to feel palpitations in my chest. He was a wearing a tight gray preppy sweater, light blue jeans and some sweet white tennis shoes and every time I stole a glance at him I swear I stopped breathing. Yes I know..pathetic huh? Remember, this behavior seems so ridiculous to me cause I’m 30 yrs old! I’ve always imagined what I would say to him or what fan letter I would write to him if I ever saw him and I all could do was stare completely dumfounded at his beautiful blonde hair. Kelly and I stepped out onto the dance floor in front of the stage. The place was not packed at all, I was surprised not more people were there considering Derek advertised this on twitter. I looked around and thought “Am I the only crazy Derek groupie here?” Guess so. These fabulous talented British Boys DeVience started to play their rock ballads and they were definitely an attractive, talented bunch. Some loud crazy dude cheered really loud on my right and I had another mini-heart attack when I saw the gray sweater standing on the right side of Kelly who was standing to the right of me. There he was…cheering loudly, waving his hands in the air, and bobbing his head to the music. He has a tremendous energy and you could tell he was so supportive and close to his friends. He circled us on the dance floor talking to multiple people and all I kept thinking was “Dammit! Talk to him!” but he looked too happy to be hanging with his friends.. At one point he yelled so loud right behind Kelly and I that Kelly got a bit irritated and almost turned around and said something. Ten minutes into the show I see him talking to this girl for a long time that looks like she’s 18 years old. She’s wearing black boots, black leggings a big loose button down plaid men’s top and a black painters hat covering that long platinum blonde hair. She turned around and Kelly and I instantly recognized Julianne. She is soooo little. No wonder everyone can toss around her around; my left thigh probably weighs more than her whole body. Got to say though…that is one adorable family.

Anyways, Derek circled in front of me and I finally got a chance to look at his whole back silhouette without him knowing it. Wow…he’s a lot more skinnier than I imagined but that unmistakable ass still bubbled out from under that long, lean body. Fabulous. I turned to Kelly and said “I feel like s**t but I’m so happy I’m here tonight.” Surprisingly, the more the booze sunk in, the more anxious I got to approach him. I also started to get raptured up in the music and really started to enjoy DeVience’s lead singer’s haunting voice. I wanted to buy their CD but they weren’t selling it. The more immersed I got into the music, the more oblivious I became of my surroundings and Derek disappeared for awhile. It was time for another drink so I walked to the bar and completely froze like a deer in headlights when I stepped up right behind him and he turned around and quickly glanced right at me. Maybe he was expecting his sister to be right behind him? Who knows. He was wearing a black leather jacket now so I hadn’t recognized him right off the bat. He stood at the front of the bar texting someone and waiting for a drink. “Come on Angie, just talk to him,” I thought to myself. He got his drink and walked away. Disappointed, I sauntered back onto the dance floor and listened as DeVience finished an amazing set.

I glanced upstairs and realized I had forgotten what the second floor looked like so I told Kelly I’d be right back. After scufflling up the stairs to check out the set up, I see a lot of empty chairs, tables, and a practically empty bar. Nice. I am so coming up here to get my next drink. Some mysterious door opened to the right of the bar and Derek quickly came out of the door right at me, gave me another expressionless glance, and breezed by me down the stairs to join his party. Another opportunity missed. At this point, I’m emotionally miserable and angry at myself that I don’t have the balls to go talk to this dude. After all, he’s just a guy. What is wrong with me?

I went downstairs and casually glanced over at his party while watching him smile and laugh the night away with a group of people. As badly as I wanted to talk to him, I couldn’t bring myself to disturb this guy having a night out with his friends. It’s never been my dealio to put celebrities on pedestals, much less this young, vibrant dancer. I also reminded myself that technically, this night was more about DeVience and not my obsession with Derek Hough. I also reasoned that if I was a member of a band I would hope that someone would take the time to appreciate my music, not my celebrity friends. Midway through the next band’s set, Derek and his crew vanished. I glanced outside through a door and saw Julianne talking to Giovanni, the lead singer of DeVience. Shortly after that, they all vanished but I stayed till the last band finished up so I could sober up, drink some water, and drive Kelly and I home. The bands that followed DeVience were absolutely fabulous as well. At least not all was lost, I did get to hear some great music. Tonight DeVience is playing at the Viper Room in LA at 10:00pm. I want to go but have to work tomorrow am at 7am for 12 hrs. Don’t know how that would work but Kelly is down for going up there tonight if I want to go. Derek will probably be there I’m sure but I’m ambivalent at what to do. If I saw him, I absolutely, positively would have to talk to him just to prove to myself that I got some courage still in me. Plus I would just have to get picture to give to you, wouldn’t I? I also wouldn’t mind seeing DeVience again, what a great band. Even if I don’t go I will meet him soon cause I’ve got a lot to say to Derek. I want to thank him for a very special thing he did for me and I hope I get the chance to tell him about it sometime. Maybe I’ll tell you about it another time.

Well, from what I’ve seen, the reaction to the Parachute video has been resoundingly positive. Even people who are NOT fans of Cheryl Cole seem to really like the video. Lots of flattering adjectives applied to Derek’s person, too. Of course – I expect nothing less. Here’s a sampling:

From Idolator:

Cheryl Cole Opens Up Her “Parachute” With ‘DWTS’ Pro Derek Hough
But it all worked out pretty decent. “Parachute” is now scheduled to be the third single, and Cheryl snagged Dancing With The Stars heartthrob Derek Hough to cut a rug with her in the music video. You can catch the full clip below—and hopefully Cheryl can finally get some sleep at night.

From Popbytes:

good morning everyone! here’s the brand new cheryl cole video for her latest single parachute – the third release off her debut album 3 words which i really like (it even got an honorable mention in my top albums of 2009) plus the video stars mega cutie derek hough from dancing with the stars – i just love him – i hope he comes back next season! popbytes over & out for now … xoxo

From the Mail Online:

She’s gearing up to head over to Los Angeles to make a real go of her solo career, and her new video will cement her break away from Girls Aloud.

Cheryl Cole looks every bit the solo star in the promo for her latest single Parachute.

The singer, 26, is put through her paces by Dancing With The Stars U.S. star Derek Hough, 24, as they perform a high-energy dance routine.

Intimate: Cheryl Cole and Derek Hough get up close and personal for the racy dance routine in her new video for the single Parachute

Heat: The Latin routine involves a lot of smouldering, close up positions

She first performed the Parachute on stage for her Night In show on ITV1 in December last year, where she was joined on stage by Hough for a Latin style dance routine.

Backed by a troupe of Latin dancers in black and red, Cheryl showed off her petite figure in a hot pink tiered skirt and asymmetrical sequinned body as she worked the dancefloor.

With her dark hair swept back into a tight bun and cherry lipstick, Cheryl looked every inch the Spanish Senorita as she performed the sexy sequence.

Derek Hough is a former world champion in Latin dance and would no doubt have had a strong influence over the racy choreography for both the video and their previous stage performance.

Uh, yeah.

I just had to give this post that title after the ribbing I gave DancingforDerek and CurlsforDerek in the comments. Many thanks to DfD for this blog – I wanted to know about Derek falling into the audience and she tried to tell me what I wanted to know, although she neglected to say if he was wearing PANTS.

YES being front row was beyond AMAZING! I was dead center (the other 4 girls were to my left) and after Shannon told me Derek would fall into the front row and someones lap…YES of course we were all wishing it would be us He fell off to my right (and of course it was choreographed so Derek wouldn’t get hurt)…so yes he landed on the lady 2 over from me. As far as how she reacted, I don’t think she was a huge Derek fan or anything…infact she was older and I was worried it may have scared her LOL. He did reach over and grab my hand which I did enjoy but no I didn’t squeel LOL just enjoyed it… but I’m sure the girl to my right was probably realizing by all of our screams every time Derek came out that WE would have LOVED if he fell a little more to the left LOL Derek wasn’t sweating like some of the guys…I thought for sure we were going to get wet LOL. BUT of course he shook his FUN stuff many times in front of us, which made me have some hot flashes LOL. Shannon also told me she would tell him we would be front row and I think he def. knew because when he first came out he looked over and smiled and winked. Which of course made all of us EXCITED! Also, Aimee got Derek & Kym roses and asked me to help her hand them to them. We did after the curtain call and Derek really seem to appreciate it. He was so funny and stuck it in his mouth and down his shirt and then sweetly looked at us and said quietly “Thanks so much guys!” The curtain closed and me & Aimee were yelling Wahoo Derek Hough! LOL and someone was wahooing back from behind the curtain (don’t know if it was him) but it was FUN!

I saw the show the previous weekend with Maks in it. My husband got me tix for Christmas and we sat front row but on the side. Maks is great, but Derek really shined. I am not saying this only because I am a HUGE Derek fan, but because like other fans have blogged about, Derek really interacts with the audience and stands out. Not knowing Derek would be there the following weekend all I kept saying to my husband was…it was an AMAZING show BUT imagine Derek in it?…especially the I Burn For You song…brought tears to my eyes. My husband understands my passion for Dance and is really supportive of my love for DWTS and Derek It was so nice to have my dream of Derek in it come true! We had waited outside after the show for Maks for 45 min in the freezing cold and I couldn’t take it anymore, so we left… BUT I did joke with the security guard saying that if it was Derek I was waiting for, I’d wait all night! (not knowing I would be there the following week). Anyway, it was meant to be and after the tix were bought by friends (Derek’s #1′s too) and he ended up covering for Maks and being there….it was PERFECT and meant to be!! Not only did I get to finally meet Curls who I felt like I knew forever already…but I got to see Kathy & Aimee again and share in our Love of Derek and DWTS! It was a FUN girl’s night out. Now as far as the after….Derek was so gracious to his fans waiting in the freezing cold and only took about 15 mins to come out. He was so FUN and tried to take as many pics and sign stuff for fans. Of course I wanted to talk to Derek forever…but I was waiting my turn and trying to be fair. LOL Considering how many fans were there trying to capture his attention I think us few girls got a lot of it…not going to complain. Not only did we all get our stuff signed and pics w/ him BUT Kathy had the wonderful idea of playing his song “Move” and he LOVED it and started dancin’ around and then we got that short video with him. It was longer..but my camera was acting up…he said something like let’s go clubbin’ and you know we all would of went LOL. I gave him a hat with Stewie on it (ya know how he loves hats and Family guy) couldn’t resist it when I saw it. He was signing so much and everyone was sticking stuff infornt of him. When I pulled out the hat to give him he went to sign it LOL but realized what it was and got EXCITED and said “wait is this for me?..I LOVE it!” and put it right in his backpack! I told him it would be so cute if we saw him wearing it on the show (during rehearsals) and he seemed to like the idea…so we will see… if you see a black ski cap with Stewie on it and it says “Obey Me” LOL that’s from me! I was telling him his new partner should “obey him” LOL One really cute thing that happened was when he first came out was a little girl was back in the crowd and she called out and said “Derek I’m here!” and he was so cute and said in a sweet voice…”where are ya honey I can’t see ya” It was also someones B-day and he gave her a kiss on the cheek as he dipped her! Now I have to say I was JEALOUS of that…I keep saying I’ll get that dip one day from him, but I didn’t want to be greedy and ask LOL. He posed by a pole and walked off into the street….and YES of course we all wanted to follow him, we even saw what restaurant he went into BUT we knew we wanted to respect his privacy and let him go on with his night…so we went on with ours. Having had a AMAZING time FUN girl’s night out! No stalkers here! LOL Ok, so hope I didn’t forget anything BUT now that I got all the details out I promise I won’t brag anymore UNTIL my next Derek adventure! LOL
Always Dancing For Derek (Mommyof3BoysD):)

Here are a few pictures that curlsforderek and Aimee (the partners in crime ) took that night – I believe I posted DfD’s pictures in a previous post.