Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul was born in San Fernando Valley, California. She began dancing when she was eight. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the cheerleader of the year and class president for senior year. After graduation in 1980, she began college at Cal State-Northridge, majoring in TV and radio. After joining the L.A. Lakers cheerleaders, she became head cheerleader/choreographer after only a few months, eventually dropping out of college to dance and choreograph full-time. The Jacksons recruited her to choreograph the 1984 "Torture" the first of a series of films and videos she choreographed. After her debut album "Forever Your Girl" the singer's career began to take off. However, the single "Straight Up" was a big hit and she's become a popular singer/dancer for years after. This was made possible by her time on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father, Harry Abdul, is Sephardic Jewish from Syria. Her mother, also Jewish, was born in Canada. Her parents have lived in Syria, Brazil, and Canada - and this varied background has resulted in wildly diverse stories in the media about her nationality and/or religion. Daughter of Harry Abdul (once a livestock trader in Brazil) and Lorainne Abdul (former assistant to director Billy Wilder), grew in Hollywood, California. She's been dancing and singing since she was just seven years of age, on an adventure across America. She also attended tap dancing classes that earned her the chance to attend a dancing school. Later in life, she attended Cal State-Northridge College, where she studied in Broadcast radio. At the time she auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Cheerleading team. This was the reason she was offered a place as a cheerleader for the squad, earning some fifty dollars per game during her freshman year.