Pure Derek Hough

Okay, there are several things floating around the net right now and lots of people have been asking me about all of them, so I figured I better post about all of them.

First – “Derek says he’s signed up for Season 14 of DWTS”.  People, you know how this show works by now. The pros usually don’t know for sure until a few weeks before the show starts.  IF Derek said “he’s signed” then it likely means that he’s signed a contract to do the show for season 14 – this does NOT mean that he will actually do it.  They might not find a partner for him. He might have something else come up – we have no idea what any contract might entail.  That said – he might not have even said that.  This is a print article – unless you hear the words come out of Derek’s mouth, you can’t be sure it’s really true.   Just a week or so ago, he said “probably” in regard to DWTS – that is not a “yes”….it’s a probably.  I believe it’s also what Julianne said after her last season and we know how that turned out.  This article came from the Las Vegas Weekly (or the Sun – both carried it) – and it also says that Derek says he was injured for the first time this season and we know that’s not true, right?  Remember the neck injury?? Please don’t believe everything you read.

Pro champion Derek, who presented Submission of the Year, told me he’s signed on for the next season of “DTWS” that starts in March. He said that he was injured for the first time this season with a dislocated shoulder. “I still feel that,” he admitted. “I now know how the fighters feel. I admire their dedication and discipline — it’s the same as a dancer. There are a lot of similar techniques between the two sports. There’s a lot of dancing in MMA. … I love going to the bouts. I have hopped over to Vegas to watch many of them because my mom has lived here now for 13 years.”

Derek also cleared up my misunderstanding of his years spent here training at Las Vegas Academy. “No, that was Julianne [Hough, his sister]. She was here. I was 10 years in southeast London, but obviously came here many times for family events.” He’s excited about his debut 3D movie “Cobu” that he’s completed filming and will be released in the spring. Like Julianne in “Footloose,” this features him dancing.

Don’t forget to watch Derek on Live with Kelly on Monday!! This article from MTV News says Monday and Tuesday, but it might only be Monday. Hard to say.

With the likes of Neil Patrick Harris and Jerry Seinfeld having already stepped up, many more actors and musicians are now in line to co-host “Live!” according to ABC. On December 5 and 6, “Dancing With the Stars” pro Derek Hough will join Ripa, while singer Josh Groban will fill the spot on December 7, 8 and 9.

Before he goes to audition…I mean co-host with Kelly Derek is apparently going to the KIIS FM Jingle Ball tonight – heard it on Twitter from @Katie_Krause who is looking for good interview questions for Derek, among others. Remember her – she’s the one who did that great 10 Questions interview with Derek a while back. If you wanna watch a live stream of the carpet, go here —-> Red Carpet Stream

Lastly – I’ve had a few people tell me, with great joy, that Derek is now dating Nicole. While I love Nicole and think they would make an absolutely gorgeous couple, I kinda doubt this one is true. I think that they DO hang out together – Derek did say that of all his partners he had the most in common with Nicole – but I tend to think this is someone’s fantasy or wishful thinking. We will see, but again – please don’t believe everything just because someone on the web says it’s true. Would you believe ME if I said I was dating Derek??

Vogue is starting to beat me to the punch on articles – very annoying. From the Las Vegas Journal:

Derek Hough of “Dancing with the Stars” is one of People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” now. But when he was a 10-year-old in Utah, kids bullied him for being a dancer.

“I would get in fights. I broke some kid’s nose. Well, he punched me first,” says Hough, who appears Wednesday at the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at the Palms.

Hough, 26, remembers that particular fight well.

“He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. And he punched me,” he says.

“My nose was bleeding all over the place. All this blood filled up in my hand. I turned around and threw all this blood in this kid’s face. Then I started getting on him and I broke his nose.”

Rough, Tough Derek Hough indeed!!

Best Friends wrote up a nice article all about the fund raising effort that many of Derek’s fans donated to in his honor. Click the link to read the whole article – a short excerpt is included below:

Fans give ‘Dancing with the Stars’ celebrity a special birthday gift: a donation to the animals in his name.
When Derek Hough’s biggest fans wanted to give the Dancing with the Stars celebrity a special gift for his 26th birthday, it made perfect sense for them to unite and come up with something really spectacular. But what do you get the guy who seems to have everything?

“Derek has often vocalized his support of companion animal issues by tweeting messages to encourage and educate the public on topics such as pet adoption over buying a pet, and since he regularly shares images of himself volunteering at local shelters to walk dogs, we realized that our mutual love of animals was a good place to start,” says Lydia Lane, the project’s organizer.

And so the idea of making a donation in Derek’s name to an animal rescue organization was born. As a supporter of Best Friends for over 20 years, Lydia decided that the Utah-based sanctuary would be a good fit for the donation. She knew the money would be put to good use to make a difference in the lives of animals in need.

We had heard from Derek himself that he was doing this – now we know when, thanks to The Wrap:

Derek Hough, Jonah Hill, Jerry O’Connell and Josh Groban will try to fill Regis Philban’s big, well-worn shoes when they fill in as Kelly Ripa’s cohost’s on the recently renamed “Live! With Kelly” in the coming weeks.

“Dancing With the Stars” professional Hough, who will co-host Dec. 5, and Hill, who will join Ripa the next day, are co-hosting for the first time.

Awesome new interview – be sure to go to AOL TV to read the whole thing, but I’ve put my favorite bits below.

After Tuesday night, it’s a wrap for Season 13, so what are your post-season plans?

I’m going on a vacation, which I’m really excited about. That should be fun. I’m actually co-hosting ‘Live!’ with Kelly Ripa, which should be a lot of fun. Regis has always been a huge supporter of mine, and I always have a good time on the show.

You also recently wrapped a film project. Is that what you want to focus on? Do you want to do more acting?

Oh, absolutely. It’s just a matter of finding the time to do all of the things I want to do. I went to a theater arts school, so I’m interested in many different projects, whether it be film, television or even live theater. I’m a performer. That’s what I do. That’s what I want to do.

I have to admit, articles like this one depress me a bit. He is so much more than DWTS and to hear him talk like making movies is too rigorous or “slow” is rather….well, like I said, depressing. He is a movie star, IMO, and I hope this talk is his way of not jinxing it. It does seem like he goes back and forth in interviews – there’s those like this one, then there are others where he says he wants to do more movies. :::sigh::: Derek, if you read this…I’m tired of the rigors of DWTS, even though I love seeing you on TV every week. I would spend lots of money on movies and/or Broadway. Just sayin’. Yes, it is all about ME.

Anyway, from the Hollywood Reporter (click to read the whole article):

Cheryl Burke and Derek Hough have five Dancing With the Stars titles between them. Joining the ABC series in seasons 2 and 5, respectively, they’re two of the winningest professional dancers on the roster — and among the more intimidating competitors as the Season 13 cast dwindles.

Hough says he’s grown up in a more literal way, saying that most people on set have remarked he’s been more focused since returning from his one-season break. He also recognizes that this gig might be more his speed.

“It was tough,” he says of filming the movie. “It was 17-hour days. I’m used to a fast-paced, live show. Movies are slow and really drawn out.”

“Probably,” Hough says when asked if he’ll come back next season. “It was nice to take the break, to just kind of reset, take a breath and do something different. I would love to pursue other things, Broadway and whatnot, but it’s hard to find the timing between seasons to things like that.”

Derek, Julianne and their dad Bruce went to the theater last night to see Come Fly Away.  From Theater Mania:

Siblings Derek Hough and Julianne Hough, both of Dancing with the Stars fame, attended the Saturday, November 5 performance of Come Fly Away, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp and featuring vocals by Frank Sinatra, at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Afterwards, they visited with the cast and posed for photos.

Here’s the picture Derek tweeted last night (LOVE Julianne’s hair):

And Derek’s artistic talents make another appearance – amazing.

Well, it would have been cool. He was planning on Broadway but re-shoots for Cobu got in the way? Boo. Ah well, re-shoots are often necessary in films and that’s his first commitment. He’s finally found a good answer for the relationship questions too. Read the whole story at E! News:

Sounds like the perfect excuse to get Mr. Hough dancing without his shirt on. We don’t want him to suffer anymore than he already has.

After this season of Dancing wraps, Hough needs to do some reshoots on his upcoming dance flick, Cobu 3D. “I was also planning to on doing a Broadway show actually,” he said. “Unfortunately, the scheduling didn’t work out. That’s something I definitely want to do.”

And I know y’all are wondering what Hough is saying about Lauren Conrad.

How about nada?

“Definitely for the past couple of years, I’ve just kind of been very private and I will continue to be,” he said. “I just try not to say anything.”

Entertainment Wise also has some great pictures of Derek from his fender bender. I’ve put two below but you’ll have to go to their site to see them all.

Nice little interview with Derek about this season and about Cobu!!  From the TV Guide:

Has math always been hard for you?
Derek Hough: [Laughs] I know, I know. And no, it has not. I want everyone to know that I got an A+ in math when I was in school!

How’s the rumba going?
Hough: Great! I tend to choreograph the beginning last. I don’t know why I do that. I leave the first 20 seconds open and go back to it last, but on the first day, I had the other three-quarters done and she picked it up really quickly. That pleasantly surprised me.

You have to tell a story this week. What’s Ricki’s?
Hough: What I really like about her story is that it’s about triumph, which is what I think we all want. She was saying that this past year, she wasn’t fully allowing herself to be happy or to be open to love again. So, the fact that she’s able to open up again and to be happy was a huge triumph for her. It’s kind of fantastic that it’s happening now and I’m kind of part of it in the present. I think there’ll be some pretty heavy and dramatic stories this week. Hers is happy. I think it’s really sweet.

How does it feel to be back?
Hough: It feels great. [The premiere] was wonderful. It was great to receive that sort of response. That’s why I love live audiences so much. It’s the instant response and gratification of the hard work you’ve done. They stood up and cheered. I was telling Ricki, “Isn’t this wonderful?” I was really glad she was able to experience that.

Did you want to take a break from the show or was the movie [Cobu 3D] a career opportunity you could not pass up?
Hough: I think it was a mixture of both. It was my first film, and I want to do more in the future. [But] I definitely needed to have one under my belt and throw myself into the deep end. But on top of that too was the fact that I just won two seasons in a row [with Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Grey], and I felt like coming back would be anticlimactic.

You didn’t want to go for a threepeat?
Hough: No. For me, it was like, “Wow! I’ve just had two incredible seasons. It really can’t get much better than that, so I’m going to take one out and then come back.” It’s difficult going all the way to the end. It’s not easy at all. It takes a toll, for sure.

Some of you are already aware of this worthy cause from previous work Lydia has done, which is coming to fruition later this month.  From Best Friends Network:

Strutting for Best Friends

September 15, 2011, 9:42AM MT

By Jennifer Parrucci, Best Friends Network volunteer

Dog Pack teams in Los Angeles and New York City planning to walk to benefit Best Friends Animal Society and you can help

Team Derek Hough — “The Houghaholics” is made up of a group of Derek Hough (to the right) fans who have chosen to raise funds in his honor. The “Dancing with the Stars” celebrity is a vocal advocate of animal rescue and regularly volunteers his time to work with shelter dogs. Team captain Lydia Lane has done a lot of volunteer work with Best Friends, local animal rescues and local animal shelters in Los Angeles. She finds Best Friends to be the best and most prominent organization out there in regard to stepping up the challenge of finding realistic solutions to the pet overpopulation crisis and the plight of homeless pets. None of the team members have been out to visit the sanctuary in Utah, but Lydia hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the Houghaholics taking a field trip there in the future. You can donate to support Team Derek Hough — “The Houghaholics” here.

There is still time to donate to any of these teams or to sign up to strut with your mutt in New York or Los Angeles. Not in one of these cities? You can sign up for our virtual walk, Strut Across America to raise funds for Best Friends or your favorite No More Homeless Pets Network partner.