ROXY LADY CARMEN AND THE PUSSYCATS PREPARE TO ELECTRA-FY WEST HOLLYWOOD.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

SHE'S BEEN A ``Baywatch'' babe, a Playboy model several times over and the peppy host of every gimmicky 20-something cable show from ``Singled Out'' to Comedy Central's ``BattleBots.''

And now, for four shows beginning tonight at the Roxy, Carmen Electra is a hip-shimmying, underwear-sporting member of the Pussycat Dolls. That means when the 1940s-inspired cabaret dancers strut their assets, Electra not only keeps pace, she often leads.

Surprised? Don't be. Somewhere, stashed away in the Electra archives, are some 150 trophies from dance competitions that the former Tara Leigh Patrick (Electra's real name) earned during her younger hoofing days.

``I've been dancing since I was 5 years old, and I love to be on stage performing in front of an audience,'' says the Cincinnati-born Electra. ``The Pussycat Dolls is my outlet for dancing. These are the best dancers in the business, so there's just a certain trust level. If they're going to ask me to do something, it's probably going to be pretty cool.''

The Dolls, inspired by founder and choreographer Robin Antin's love for old-style strippers, pinups and calendar girls, have been a regular act at the Viper Room and have been hired to back up bands or for private parties. They have danced with Brian Setzer and No Doubt - whose lead singer, Gwen Stefani, is a frequent Doll guest artist - performed at Elton John's ``In Style'' Oscar party and, natch, complimented Hugh Hefner's birthday entertainment.

Electra is one of a cadre of celebrity guests joining the Pussycat Dolls. The four-show engagement at the Roxy will also feature actresses Christina Applegate and Charlize Theron.

``You never know who's going to show up in rehearsals,'' says Electra. ``Basically everybody is doing this for free. We're all doing it because we love Robin and we love the show she has created.''

Six years ago, Antin enlisted Electra - then a dancer with Prince's ``Erotic City at Glam Slam'' - for one of the Dolls' 20-minute performances. She learned the Bob Fosse-esque ``Big Spender'' routine, a number Electra says she could now perform ``in my sleep.''

A few years later, Electra and Antin reconnected when the two were working on the same movie, and Electra agreed to get Dolled up again, this time for a new hourlong version directed by Kristin Hanggi.

Electra's routines will include the ``Big Spender'' opening number as well as a duet to Bjork's ``It's Oh So Quiet'' and a sultry cigarette-smoking number set to Henry Mancini's ``Pink Panther'' theme. Electra wanted a shot at one of the new singing Doll roles, but she was in New York when Antin held the music auditions.

Not that the dancing won't keep her plenty busy. When not chatting with an interviewer a few days before showtime, Electra, pig-tailed and dressed Melrose Avenue chic, spent the bulk of her time swaying and strutting, getting herself into the rhythm for the task at hand. She's more petite, less leggy than many of her litter mates, but no less enthusiastic or skilled.

``With a show like this, it's not necessarily about the steps,'' says Electra. ``It's about a feeling. It's about what you bring to it in your own personal way. Every person has their own character and style.''

Still, says Antin, it takes more than a great body and style to make it with the Pussycats.

``She's a trained dancer, and that helps a lot because she can pick up the choreography more easily,'' says Antin, a dancer with the Pussycat Dolls as well as the group's leader. ``She's always on time with her tennis shoes and her heels and she works harder than anyone I've ever known.''

PUSSYCAT DOLLS LIVE AT THE ROXY

Where: Roxy Theatre, 9009 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.

When: Doors open at 8 tonight; also May 16, 23 and 30.

Tickets: $20 to $35. Call [phone].

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Carmen Electra and other celebrities will enter the meow mix, performing a sexy cabaret this month with the Pussycat Dolls at the Roxy in West Hollywood.