Paula Abdul by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
"I'm going to kill Tom Bergeron," says Paula Abdul, sitting ringside at Dancing with the Stars Monday night. The American Idol judge has made no secret of the fact that she loves the ABC dance competition and has told Bergeron (as well as pro Louis van Amstel) that she wants to be a contestant next season. It was reported in TV Guide, and then Bergeron also relayed the message to the public in a radio interview. Now, Abdul has to face reporters who are peppering her with questions. "I sneak in here on Tuesday nights to watch," she explains, walking about 50 yards from the Idol soundstage to the adjacent Dancing ballroom.
Paula's take on Season 6? "It has been great," she says. "A nice progression, just like American Idol. Kristi Yamaguchi is amazing. But so is Jason [Taylor]. So is Marlee [Matlin]. And I'm not just saying that."
Does the choreography intimidate her? "It excites me and inspires me," she says. Does she have a dream partner? "Are you allowed to have dream partners?" she asks. "And 'the forces' can make that happen? Wow. I didn't know that. I have to be very set with my intent so you'll have to come back to me with that question. But I like the idea that the force can be with me. I have my list."
Does that mean she'll be Dancing next season? Abdul sidesteps the question. "Listen, it would be a phenomenal experience for me to be a student. It's a form of dance that I've never been introduced to."
"We want Paula if she wants to do it," says DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli. But is that fair, to have a contestant who used to be a professional dancer and choreographer? "The thing I tell everybody is that it's such a different technique," contends Tonioli. "Ballroom and Latin are so different, and Paula was doing hip-hop. She was a commercial dancer. That's what Carrie Ann and I used to do. With this, you'd have to relearn everything. It would not be unfair. I think if she wants to do it, she should do it. It would be very interesting."
Who would be the best partner for Abdul? Calling out the not-so-tall pro dancers, Tonioli suggests, "Louis or Mark [Ballas] or Derek [Hough]."
And how does Bruno think Paula would do? "She'll win," he offers flatly.
Abdul, though, isn't the only Idol judge who might be making an appearance in the ballroom. Tonioli and Simon Cowell have been cooking up a plan where Tonioli would slide into Cowell's chair to judge a singer while Cowell would wander into the ballroom to critique a hoofer. It might only last for a minute or two, but, says Tonioli, "The people would scream. They would go mad. We've talked about it many times and Simon loves a good laugh.
"Look, we're all in the same business," he continues. "We're all in entertainment, and it's two great shows. We just have to get the networks to agree. We love American Idol. And I'm sure they love our show." — Deborah Starr Seibel
Related:
• Will Idol's Paula Go Dancing with ABC's Stars?
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Totally not fair.