TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

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Oct. 30 -- You probably didn't know she choreographed for 'American Idol,' was once a huge pop star in Japan, played Fook Yu in 'Austin Powers in Goldmember' or pole danced in one of Madonna's world tours.

But those experiences are just what prepared Carrie Ann Inaba to offer up her opinions and sage advice to the celebs and dancers as a judge on ABC's hit reality competition 'Dancing With the Stars.'

In a wide-ranging one-on-one with AOL Television editor Geoff Bennett, Carrie explained her "tough" method of judging, gave props to J. Lo and denied any and all responsibility for Taylor Hicks' dancing moves.

How did you get involved with 'Dancing With the Stars'?
My agent sent me a videotape of it and said that they were interviewing choreographers to be judges. I saw the tape and I loved it immediately; they've been doing it in the U.K. for a long time. I went in and interviewed with pretty much every other choreographer here in Los Angeles and New York. And we would go in, and they would match up different people to see the chemistry. And in the end, I ended up being very lucky and they chose me.

You've choreographed for a lot of reality shows -- 'America's Got Talent' and 'American Idol,' among others. I guess you like working with people who aren't naturally dancers.
Yeah, I do. I really love it. Dance has been such a wonderful gift in my life, and it's really taught me another level of expression. And I love seeing people tap into that knowledge; it's a beautiful thing. I see it each week on 'Dancing With the Stars.' I see these transformations happen, and they learn something else about their bodies that I've known for a long time. And I do love working with people who don't move well. It's a little more rewarding.

So who are you favorite celebrity dancers from the show?
I loved Drew Lachey. I thought he was fantastic. He was kind of a slow and steady climber, and he did really well. John O'Hurley was amazing the first season -- he had the magic when it counted. And I liked Lisa Rinna also. This year, I think Emmitt [Smith] is fantastic. I think there's a natural ease to him that's really fun to watch. And Mario Lopez is a fantastic dancer, as is Joey [Lawrence]. This year the entire cast is amazing. I'm really sad that Willa [Ford] left because she was turning out to be quite the dancer.

You sometimes get the label of being the "tough judge," and I'm wondering if it's fair to judge people based on their ability, or should there be a single standard?
We judge them all on a variety of things. So, I look at it this way: I look for each person, when they step out on the dance floor, to give me a ten. And anytime I see something that's not quite right, then I take off points. It's not that I'm judging them against each other or against a scale. I judge them based on if that's their ten. And if it wasn't, I take off points. I can see so many things because I've been dancing and choreographing for a long time. So I can see where things aren't going right or where things are really going well.

I've read on message boards where people were asking why the judges sort of lean in to the middle of the table and hit something once a performance is over. What is that?
Oh! (Laughs) From the moment they finish dancing to when they walk over to Tom, we have to press a button, which is our score. First, we have to give them a number score. We press it into the computer, so producers can have it flash up later on. And as a back-up, we also write it on a piece of paper. So when they see us reaching to the center to write something, that's what we're doing. If the technical aspect fails or if one of us punches in too many numbers -- because sometimes we're so excited -- then they come and they get the [written] numbers so there's a way to double-check.

Do you know the Wednesday night results in advance?
Nope! (Laughs) We have no idea. They don't tell us anything.

Is there any chance we may see the judges dance?
I would love it. I don't think the producers have any intention of letting us dance. I think we're there to complement the professionals. And the show isn't called 'Dancing With the Judges.' (Laughs) It's called 'Dancing With the Stars,' and I think that's what people want to see. We've all had our careers as dancers, and now we're kind of set out to pasture. (Laughs)

Speaking of your dancing career, you've toured with a bunch of pop stars like Ricky Martin and Madonna. What was your reaction when Madonna asked you to shave your head for her 'Girlie Show' tour?
I was a little scared because I had really, really long hair. I had just finished being a Fly Girl, so my hair was really long. But I thought about it -- to have an opportunity to tour with Maddona?! Yes, I'll do it. And she was smart. She didn't ask us after she booked us; it was the last question in the audition. We were still standing in line after she had cut everybody over three days. And the final 10 or 12 of us were there. And she was like, "Are you willing to cut your hair?" And what are you really gonna say: No?! And it was quite a wonderful experience. Not many people get to say they shaved their head bald and got to travel the world with Madonna.

You mentioned you were a Fly Girl on 'In Living Color.' Were you there the same time as Jennifer Lopez?
I was on the first three seasons, and Jennifer came on in the third season.

Was it kind of bizarre watching her turn into a huge star?
There was nothing bizarre about it. That girl is a star. She always has been and always be. She's got so much energy and vitality and is not afraid to go for her dreams, and she was like that from day one. I have so much respect for her.

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