It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…!

Actually, it’s not, especially here in California.  But after seeing my face last night, you probably would have thought I had woken up on Christmas morning, grinning from ear to ear.

It was supposed to be a normal Hollywood-ish type night, meeting up with my hometown friend Bailey to get some dinner before setting out to enjoy her first night in Los Angeles.  Dinner?  Check.  Then it was time to have some fun.

I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I had her go down an extra two blocks to get to the club we were going to, instead of turning immediately onto the street it’s located on.  I just want to say a huge thanks to God for having me do this because if he didn’t I wouldn’t have gotten that giant smile on my mug.

So, we turn left on Vine and pull up to a stop light at Hollywood Boulevard when we notice a ton of film equipment.  Upon further investigation, we also noticed (well, we couldn’t miss it really) the gigantic “JOHN MAYER, TONIGHT ONLY” sign that was up at the Pantages Theater.  There were a bunch of stand-up signs that I couldn’t read, but I was literally squealing: JOHN MAYER!  I missed his concerts in LA this year and I was pretty bummed out about it, so perhaps he was doing some kind of random-concert to film for a DVD or for Jimmy Kimmel or something.  I didn’t know and didn’t care, but we needed to get there.

After finding parking ($10.00, woof) and walking two blocks, we made it to Pantages, only to be stopped by a film crew.  Apparently they were filming a movie.  No John Mayer?  Blast!  I knew it was too good to be true.   As we shuffled away, I read the stand-up sign and my hopes were revived: they were not only shooting a movie, but shooting Friends with Benefits.  Perhaps some of you who know your celebrity knowledge know where this is going.  Who is in Friends with Benefits, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.  JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE!!!!

Now, I don’t fully support Justin’s acting career because it has massively taken over his ability to get in the studio and record.  Doing cameos on Timbaland tracks is not going to suffice for me or the rest of the general public.  I mean, seriously.  It’s been four years.  Time to make a new album, J.  But if I have learned anything, it’s that patience is a virtue and this isn’t Justin’s first rodeo.  His first solo album was released in 2002 and he didn’t put out Future Sex/Love Sounds until 2006 and that record was hit after hit.

Back to the point:  while I was not thrilled that he wasn’t throwing an impromptu concert, I was squealing again.  Bailey knew this squeal all too well.  She knew my love for Justin ever since I was 12-years-old. I say ‘knew’ because I had decidedly moved on from JT.  He is committed to the most gorgeous woman in the world, Jessica Biel.  He is probably going to marry her.  And I’ve pretty much come to terms that I will not be the one who walks down the aisle to him.  It was a sad realization, but I came to it.  And with that realization, I pretty much wrote him off as an arrogant megastar that I probably wouldn’t like if I got to know anyway (just to make me feel better about it).

Notice how I said ‘I had decidedly moved on.’  Yes, had, because once I heard he was somewhere in the area I was giddy.  I knew we had to wait to see him and so did Bails.  Honestly, did I have anyone fooled?  No.  Seriously, Justin was the yardstick for a lot of things in my life.  Unknowingly, JT has been a part of my life for 11 years.  Justin will always be around making me happy with his music and personality, while many things in my life are unstable and are on a come-and-go babis basis.  However, if a something or someone can make me feel as happy as I do when I’m at a JT concert, then I know it’s probably worth giving a fair shot.  I kid, but in all honesty, it’s JT.  He could make the Grinch happy.

Here we are on Hollywood Boulevard, standing next to some paps, just trying to get their money shot.  Everyone walking and driving by is wondering what the hell is going on.  The paps told me to wait until the lights come on for the next scene, which should be any minute, and then I’ll be able to see Justin.  Cue huge sh*t-eating grin here.

We waited and we tweeted.  I was hoping perhaps JT would read his precious tweets and come across the street looking for a “girl in a peach top” to take a picture with.  You may laugh, but my motto has always been this: you can’t receive if you don’t ask.

After waiting for what seemed to be forever, the doors to the theater opened and a group came out.  If there is one thing I know, it’s Justin Timberlake.  He came out with his security and it was like April of 1999 again, when he was walked into the meet-and-greet with his four band-mates and their security.  I have that engrained in my head to this day.  “That’s him!”  Bailey would not stop laughing at how happy I was.  It’s the small things in life.  Really.

I wasn’t the only one.  Once he walked out, gaggles of women were smiling, just getting one glimpse of his precious self.  “Bails!  There he is!  His curly little hair!”  Cue incessant laughter.

Once pedestrians noticed, they would come up and ask what was going on.

“They’re shooting a Justin Timberlake movie.”
“REALLY?!”  Their eyes would light up and a smile would instantly swipe across their face. “Is he over there?”
“Yes.”
“Ooooh!”

Insert many for sighs, coos and squeals.  I turned to Bailey.

“Look at these faces!  Nobody else can bring a smile to a woman’s face like this guy can!”

It was true.  Men would walk by, stop, ask what was going on, and once they heard “Justin Timberlake” they would scatter like wildfire.  I think men are smart sometimes (albeit infrequently).  They know if you can’t beat Justin or join Justin, you should probably run far, far away.  No woman will give you the time of day when he’s around.

Bailey as my witness, I was happy as a clam after that.  We watched his do his scene a few times — we actually had a great view — so now we’re going to see the movie just so we can see the scene we has witnessed.