A Vampire in the Bayou

One of the things Red Dot Diva hates er.. loves ... about her friend @eserei27 is that Red Dot Diva is able to live vicariously through her. See, @eserei27 the mega fan-girl gets around. ;)

Two weekends ago, @eserei27 made her way to sultry Louisiana for some vampire hunting. No, she didn't get any bottles of True Blood or get chomped on by lesbian Vampire Queen. Instead she bit herself into some diary entries by attending a charity event called "The Unleashed Bash on the Bayou".

The event was hosted by the current sexiest "vampire" of them all (Red Dot Diva snubs the glittery kind, if one must know). He who is none other than the stunningly gorgeous Louisiana homeboy and constant do-gooder, Ian Somerhalder. If one is still unfortunately unaware, Ian stars as vamp bad-boy Damon Salvatore in CW's hit show "The Vampire Diaries".

Being the geeky fangirl, Red Dot Diva confesses that Ian has been one of her top manwich lists ever since she noticed him in "Smallville" as the fated Adam Knight. Remember him?

Ian is this year's Honorary Chairman for St Tammany Humane Society, an animal shelter and welfare organization where Ian had previously adopted his dog from. The Cajun-themed charity ball that @eserei27 attended aimed to raise more awareness and funds for the charity.

After the event, Ian happily tweeted: "Last night was amazing- had a date with 1,000 girls! And the family- thank you all for supporting this charity and thanks for the party!"

If you're ready for some first-hand swoony-squees, read on for @eserei27's blog contribution!

----------------------

So, I like Ian Somerhalder. A lot. He first caught my eye back in 2004 as Boone, the unlucky "Lost" castaway who survived the crash of Oceanic 815 only to be the first to perish on the island itself (befriending John Locke never ends well). Back then, I realized he was attractive, and his eyes were a blue I’d never seen before, but I didn’t become obsessed with him until I saw him as Damon in "The Vampire Diaries". A sexy, snarky villain who, deep down, really just wants to be loved (hmm, sound like anyone else I might be obsessed with?) So yeah, Damon’s right up my alley.

Thus it was with absolute fangirl delight that I read a tweet from Mr. Somerhalder that he would be hosting an event in Louisiana for the St. Tammany Humane Society. The event was entitled “Bash on the Bayou” and would benefit homeless animals looking to be adopted. At first, I didn’t think it would be feasible for me to go, but then I saw a tweet from my good friend @icalynn trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t go. So I tweeted her back and we ended up convincing each other that we absolutely SHOULD go, and we roped @darkelegance in with us as well. WE WERE GONNA MEET IAN!!!

We weren’t in Louisiana long. We flew in to New Orleans on November 12 and flew out November 14. On Friday night, we made our way down to Bourbon Street to wreak our regular brand of havoc in the French Quarter. It was the first time there for all three of us, and we had a great time. New Orleans knows how to party!

On Saturday evening, we left our hotel in New Orleans and drove about 40 minutes to Pelican Park in Mandeville, Louisiana. The fundraiser was held in a large reception hall, and as we walked in we were handed read beads to wear around our necks. This was our admission ticket. Off to the side where some of the animals up for adoption, and if I hadn’t had to travel home on an airplane, I bet one of those puppies would have wound up going home with me! (I took a particular fondness to Geronimo, a two year old mixed breed who was the cutest thing ever!)

In the reception hall, there were many tables set up for the attendees (about 1000 of us in total) and all around the hall were tables manned by different New Orleans area restaurants. There was a main stage with local bands playing as well. Towards the back of the hall, a silent auction was taking place. The food and entertainment were great, but who are we kidding? We were there for Ian!

Ian joined the crowd at about 8pm (there had been a private reception for Ian and some lucky fans who had won a raffle). He went up to the main stage, gave a little speech about why the St. Tammany Humane Society was important to him (some of his first pets came from there), and thanked us all for being there. As soon as he exited the stage, he was mobbed by fans. I was lucky enough at that time to get a smile, a hello, and a handshake before he was whisked away into the crowd of screaming fans.

The rest of the night followed suit. Wherever Ian was, hundreds of fangirls surrounded him. He was very personable, and obviously enjoys his fans. We stood in line for a picture with him, and we could see how much time he was spending with each fan. He was signing autographs, giving hugs, kissing hands, kissing cheeks. Generally making girls swoon.

Unfortunately, the evening did not last forever and he was not able to get to every fan that wanted to meet him. His handler was telling him he had to leave (he had to be on set for The Vampire Diaries bright and early the next day) but Ian wanted to do one last thing for the fans who did not get the chance to get a picture with him. He ended up taking a group picture with all of us that were left, so that in the end we would all get our picture with him. It was very nice, even if it was a little chaotic, lol.

After the group picture, Ian’s handler dragged him off the stage and towards the door. Well, I knew at that point it was now or never, so I seized my opportunity. I said to him, “Ian, I came all the way from Ohio to meet you. Can I please get a picture?” He looked at me and laughed, then said, “Ohio? Get over here woman!” And then he put his arm around me and I got my picture. A perfect ending to an incredibly fun night!

The St. Tammany Humane Society is already planning for their “Bash on the Bayou” 2011, and Ian is planning on being there again. So if you’re contemplating being there, I say go for it. It’s for a great cause, and you might even get hugged by a vampire!

----------------------

A bloody fang you to @eserei27 for the blog contribution and pics.

Red Dot Diva urges fans to follow Ian Somerhalder on Twitter here. Big-hearted and personable Ian tweets constantly even if he doesn't always respond to fans personally. Anyone with such compassion for animals gets a BIG Red Dotted Heart in Red Dot Diva's books!

Also, please do check out this article from LATimes.com and video message from Ian Somerhalder!