Julianne Hough's Best 21st Birthday Gift? A Camera!

Sunday August 02, 2009 11:00 PM EDT

Julianne Hough's Best 21st Birthday Gift? A Camera! | Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough

Though boyfriend Chuck Wicks wasn't on hand for Julianne Hough 's 21st birthday blowout at club mur.mur at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., on Saturday night – where she threw back celebratory shots and threw her hands in the air while dancing to Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" – he was definitely on her mind.

"Chuck was at my real birthday party," Hough told PEOPLE about her beau and former Dancing with the Stars partner, who had gifted her with a coveted camera during a low-key private celebration days earlier (her actual b-day was July 20). "I've been wanting a camera for so long and he got me one of those nice Nikon D5000s," she reported. "It's awesome. I'm addicted."

So, who's her favorite subject? "I've got a thousand pictures and they're all of my dog Lexi," Hough admitted. And it turns out the Dancing champ-turned-country singer, who's touring with George Strait, isn't the only one obsessed with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

"I did a show last night in Madison, Wis., and [fans] had signs that said 'Go, Lexi!', 'She's the cutest dog in the world!' and 'We love Lexi!' I'm like, 'Okay, my dog is more famous than I am," said Hough. "People are always like, '[Lexi] needs to have her own Twitter account!'"

Should we be on the lookout for Lexi's Tweets in the near future? "I don't think so," laughed Hough. "I'll keep my dog humble."


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