Bruno Tonioli

Carrie Ann Inaba, on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC.

We 5/19: Eddie Murphy, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Damian Marley with Nas on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC. Hawaiian-born Carrie Ann Inaba’s diverse ethnic background inspired her to pursue a number of divergent paths, each with impressive success. Of Chinese, Japanese, and Irish descent, Inaba attended UCLA and earned a degree in World Arts and Cultures before using her fluent Japanese to live in Tokyo between 1986 and 1988. During that time, she had a successful career as a pop star, releasing three hit singles over the course of her two years in the country. Returning to the States, Inaba focused on her dancing skills, becoming a Fly Girl on the edgy sketch comedy show In_Living_Color from 1990 to 1992. She also joined many famous and prestigious dancing troupes, appearing as a backup dancer for Madonna’s The Girlie Show tour, and Ricky_Martin’s Living la Vida Loca tour. Inaba also appeared as a dancer in movies such as Austin Powers in Goldmember and Showgirls. In 2005, Inaba put her loads of experience in dance to a different use, becoming a judge on ABC’s hit reality series Dancing With the Stars.

Alesha Dixon ‘Offered £100,000 For Strictly Job’

There is more gossip about Alesha Dixon’s rumoured job as a judge on the next season of Strictly Come Dancing. Last week a paper reported the singer would be joining the panel, as BBC bosses are hoping the next series will appeal to a younger audience. Now, according to a new article in the Daily Star, Alesha has been offered £100,000 for her services – which is double her fellow judges – Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel-Horwood. A show source apparently told the paper: “Alesha doesn’t come cheap but was well worth it in the Beeb’s eyes.” “She’s a young star who will chime with younger viewers who they are very keen to attract in their ratings battle with ITV’s X Factor.” “However, the rest of the judges may not like to hear how much money she is getting compared to them.” “There could be rumblings of discontent in the run-up to the series, with the others demanding a pay rise to bring them close to Alesha.”Dixon will be touring in October and November and tickets are still on sale.