Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul was born in San Fernando Valley, California. At eight, she started taking dance classes. She went to Van Nuys High School, in which she was a senior class president and head cheerleader. She graduated in 1980 and entered college 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 recruited her to choreograph the 1984 "Torture" the first of a series of films and videos she would choreograph. The first album she released was "Forever Your Girl" the singer's career took off. But the hit single "Straight Up" was a huge success and she has been a wildly successful performer/singer ever after. This is aided by her stint on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father (Harry Abdul) is from a Sephardic Jewish background from Syria. Her mother, too Jewish, was born and was raised in Canada. Her parents were born in Canada, Brazil, Syria and Brazil. This diversity of background has led to different stories in the media regarding her ethnicity or religion. Born in Hollywood, California to Harry Abdul (another livestock trader from Brazil) and Lorainne Abdul (former assistant to director Billy Wilder), she was raised. As young as seven she sang and danced in musical theatre groups that toured throughout America. She also took tap dancing classes and earned her a scholarship to a tap dancing school. She went to Cal State-Northridge College where she majored in Broadcast radio. She applied to become an athlete for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Basketball Cheerleading team.