Dancing With The Stars

January 06, 2006
By Yu Shing Ting

Local girls Carrie Ann Inaba and Tia Carrere return to TV, with Inaba as a judge and Carrere as a contestant on the second season of Dancing with the Stars premiering Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. on ABC (KITV 4). "I'm looking forward to this season," says Inaba, who served as a judge last year. "We have 10 couples as opposed to six people, so it's bigger and it's gonna be a lot more fun. "We have new dancers and new celebrities, and I'm looking forward to seeing them dance. Tia Carrere especially because she's my home girl, although I can't favor her at all." Dancing with the Stars will air every Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. through March 18. The Thursday night show will feature each couple (a celebrity partnered with a professional dancer) performing either a ballroom or Latin American dance, who are judged by professional dance judges (Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli) and by the viewers at home. On Friday night will be the Dancing with the Stars Result Show, where the couple with the lowest combined score from the judges and the viewers gets eliminated from the competition. There will also be performances from top musical acts, professional dance demonstrations and behind-the-scenes footage of training and other aspects of the show. "I think the viewers and the judges are just expecting me to get through the whole thing because I just had a baby," says Carrere, who gave birth to daughter Bianca on Sept. 25. "I don't understand how women have kids and then go back to work full time and still are able to breast-feed. That's a key thing, the breast-feeding aspect, because it's the best thing for them. Between the pumping, the lack of sleep, the feeding, I just don't know how they do it, and working full time. "To be honest, I had no idea how difficult it was going to be. Granted, doing this kind of show has a physical aspect to it, and memorizing things your body has never done before. I'm tired, I feel bad spending time away from my baby, my muscles, my feet, my knees, my neck, everything is, like, crazy." For the show, Carrere is partnered with Maksim "Max" Chmerkovskiy, a Latin dancer from Russia living in New Jersey. And judging by his resume, Carrere, who has no dance experience except for one tango with Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies, should be in good hands. Chmerkovskiy was the 2005 Yankee Classic Professional Latin Champion, the 2004 Manhattan Dancesport Professional Latin Champion, 2003 Ohio Star Ball Latin Champion, and ranked second in the United States. "For True Lies, it was one dance in three months, and for Dancing with the Stars I've learned two dances in five weeks," says Carrere, who currently has an apartment in L.A. while waiting to move into a new house in Malibu. "My parents were in a professional dance troupe before I was born, so I guess I want to see how far the apple has fallen from the tree. "I wouldn't say I'm nervous. I'm actually eager to get out there and do this waltz we've been practicing. I saw my gown and they took it in, and it's been fun and exciting. And I'm looking forward to seeing everybody else's dance." Carrere, whose favorite dance style is hip hop, has lost 15 pounds already from just practicing for her part on the show. "Now that I've seen what kind of shape you can get in, I just want to keep going," she says. "I just want to challenge myself physically and mentally. It's difficult, but it's nice when you see it come all together." Inaba, who has been dancing her whole life, can attest to its physical demands. She recently discovered problems in her hips from "dancing all these years." Along with dancing, she stays active and fit by doing tae bo almost every day as well as yoga and hiking. "I love being a part of a dancing show," says Inaba, who since leaving Hawaii after graduating from Punahou in 1986 has become a much sought-after choreographer in Hollywood. "I've been dancing since I was 4. I started at Creative Movement at Hanahauoli, and shortly after I started hula at St. Clements for a little bit and then at Punahou. I also danced a little bit with Kanoe Cazimero and Kaulana Kasparovich. "What I like about the show is that dancing is back on TV. I think it's very important for Americans to see dancing. We have so little of it in our culture, especially social dancing. And another thing I love about the show is that everything is done in good spirits. The three judges, we give critiques, but we're not trying to be cruel." According to the show, Inaba is a naturally feisty character, and along with her stunning good looks isn't afraid to say what she means or tell it like it is. Her impressive background in choreography includes work on numerous feature films, television shows, music videos and tours including Showgirls, Miss America 2003, American Idol, Madonna's The Girlie Show tour and Ricky Martin's Shake Your Bon Bon video. She also starred in Austin Powers 3: Gold Member as Fook Yu. "Lately I've actually been writing a lot and developing television shows," says Inaba, 37. "I would like to develop a television program that is educational, shows that are based on arts, education and culture. I'm also writing a play with my friend Jason Yribar - we were boyfriend and girlfriend for seven years. "I have this To Do list that I made and want to do. I still want to do a martial arts film. I want to create a show for Vegas. And I would like to do theater, either in Vegas or on Broadway." Also on that To Do list: dream wedding in Hawaii. "I still would like to get married in Hawaii on the beach, barefooted, and everybody has to wear white and beige," says Inaba, who was once engaged, but is now single. "If I have children, which I would love to, I would love to raise my children in Hawaii and give them the same experience I had growing up. I'm always close to Hawaii, and I think that's why I can live in L.A. because I'm not that far from Hawaii." Inaba, who grew up in Nuuanu and Aina Haina, returns home about twice a year, and usually visits her dad, Rodney Inaba, on the Big Island. "My dad runs Flumin'Da Ditch and HMV Tours, which is Humvee tours in Hawi (in Kohala)," she says. "So, I usually go out and see him. When I'm on Oahu, I usually stay at the Ihilani, and I spend time with my best friend Macy Kane, whom I went to school with, and I go to her house and sit on the beach and do nothing." Before moving to L.A., Inaba lived in Japan and released three records as a teen pop star. Her Hollywood career began shortly after, in the early 1990s, with a role as one of the Fly Girls on the hit TV show In Living Color. She now lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif., with her three cats, and in addition to her many ongoing projects, has a small production company she started after learning to shoot and edit at UCLA. "I majored in world arts and cultures, and part of my senior project was covering the Festival of the Pacific Arts in New Caledonia (a French territory off the coast of Tahiti) for two weeks, and that was fantastic," explains Inaba. "I was shooting and editing. And as much as I'm Japanese, Chinese and Irish, and I'm an American, when I was on that island, I realized that I was a Pacific Islander. That is truly where my heart is. "When I'm under the stars on the beach barefoot I feel so at home. Also, most people in the South Pacific, they just have this love and trust. Living in L.A. (for the past 17 years), I love it, but I miss being able to trust people the way you do in Hawaii. "The other day I was talking to Alema Harrington, who is now in Utah, and we were just reflecting on how you can't trust everybody like you can in Hawaii. I guess in Hawaii, if you do something too terrible it catches up to you because the island is so small." Carrere, who was born Althea Janairo, was named Tia by her younger sister who couldn't pronounce her name. Her career in showbiz started at 17 when she was discovered in a local grocery store, landing herself the lead part in the movie Aloha Summer. Since then she has starred in numerous films, including Wayne's World, True Lies and, more recently, in three seasons of the TV show Relic Hunter. She also voiced the part of Nani in Lilo and Stitch, and Queen Tyrani in Duck Dodgers. Carrere, who grew up with dreams of becoming a singer, also released a solo album, Dream, in 1993. Now, she's busy playing mom in real life, as well as wife to Simon Wakelin. "(Simon) came up to me in a Chinese restaurant in London called Hakkasan, while I was working on Relic Hunter," explains Carrere on how the two met. "I just happened to be having dinner there and he walked up to me with his business card and said he wanted to interview me for a magazine." The two eventually started dating, and as they say, the rest is history. Wakelin, a photojournalist, is now working as an onset photographer. Baby Bianca, who Carrere describes as a really pale version of her with lighter hair and hazel eyes, is a mix of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish (from mom), and English (from dad). "Being a mom, it's as challenging as it is wonderful," she says. "It's so weird. There's no words to explain it. It's just so amazing to look at this cute little muffin head and think, wow, we made that. And when she's sleeping, you just look at her cute little face and it's just love, love, love." Carrere, a 1984 Sacred Hearts graduate who grew up in Kalihi, was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1992. "Hawaii is definitely my home," she says. "I was just there in January, 2005, surfing in Makaha when I was five weeks pregnant. When I'm in Hawaii, the first thing I do is go to Liliha Bakery. It's my favorite place on earth. When I'm there, it's between two things, the hamburger steak dinner or the mahi dinner with extra rice and extra macaroni salad. "But now Vegas has L&L, and my sister just found a new place for lau lau and lomi salmon, so when I'm jonzing, she can send it to me. "I also go to Ala Moana and see how big it's gotten. It's a world class mall now. And I always love driving around the island and stopping at different places." After Dancing with the Stars, Carrere plans to return to the Islands for a project in Hawaii. But her stay is only temporary. "I would love to come back to Hawaii and work," she says. "That to me would be heaven on earth. Everybody leaves Hawaii. You just can't be in this business and live in Hawaii. "Ultimately, I have a few more things I want to achieve here in Hollywood, but it would be wonderful to live in Hawaii again." For now, Carrere is focused on getting her moves right for Dancing with the Stars. While she can act, the question on everyone's minds is can she dance? On the show, Inaba lists foot-work as the No. 1 mistake by the dancers. "A lot of people have a hard time with footwork because there's so many technical aspects to it," she says. "In ballroom dancing there are certain rules you have to follow. Most people do not know how to articulate their foot. They're a little heavy on their foot. They don't realize that there's a ball and heel to the foot, and they can work differently. "Also, I see a lot of women who don't extend their arms fully. They don't use their hands when they're dancing. I think it's more of a pet peeve for me because I was raised watching hula, and hula is all about telling a story with your hands. If they're not telling a story with their hands I lose interest." Although Inaba and Carrere have both made a name for themselves in Hollywood, the two have never crossed paths until now. "I know of her and I'm a fan of hers," confesses Inaba. "I loved her in Wayne's World, and she's such a beautiful woman." "I didn't even know Carrie Ann was one of the Fly Girls," admits Carrere. "In an interview they asked me what's your favorite modern dance and I said I really like the Fly Girls." Now the two local celebrities will finally meet, and while Inaba loves Carrere the actress, will she approve of Carrere the dancer? Tune in to see.