Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul was raised in San Fernando Valley. At age eight, she began dancing lessons. She went to Van Nuys High School, where she was senior class president and head cheerleader. Her graduation was in 1980 and began the college process at Cal State Northridge to major in radio and TV. 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 hired her to choreograph their 1984 movie "Torture" it was the first of a long line of movies and videos she would choreograph. Her first album "Forever Your Girl" and her first solo album, her singing career began to take off. However, the single "Straight Up" was a huge success and she has been a wildly successful performer/singer ever after. It was made easier by her appearance on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father (Harry Abdul), is Sephardic Jewish and hails from Syria. Her mother is also Jewish and was born in Canada. Her parents are from Canada, Brazil, Syria and Brazil. These varied backgrounds have resulted in diverse stories in the media regarding her country of origin or religious beliefs. The daughter of Harry Abdul (once a livestock trader in Brazil) and Lorainne Abdul (former assistant to director Billy Wilder), grew up in Hollywood, California. From the age of seven, she sung and danced in musical theatre groups while traveling across America. She also learned tap dancing and was awarded an award to attend a tap dancing school. In the future she attended Cal State-Northridge College where she earned a degree in Broadcast radio. She was a candidate to be an athlete for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Basketball Cheerleading team.