Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California. When she was eight years old, she began taking dance lessons. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the cheerleader of the year and the senior class president. She graduated from high school in 1980. After graduating she enrolled in the college process at Cal State Northridge. There she studied radio and television. 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. She was recruited by The Jacksons to choreograph their 1984 "Torture" video, the first in a long list of films and videos she would choreograph. Her first album "Forever Your Girl" the singer's career began to take off. But the hit single "Straight Up" was a huge success and she has been a successful dancer/singer ever after. This was made possible by her time on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father (Harry Abdul), is Sephardic Jewish and hails from Syria. Her mother, who is also Jewish, was born in Canada. Her parents lived in Canada, Syria, Brazil and Syria. This has led to many different stories regarding her nationality and religion within the media. Daughter of Harry Abdul (once a livestock trader in Brazil) and Lorainne Abdul (former assistant to film director Billy Wilder), grew up in Hollywood, California. At the age of seven, she sang and danced in musical theatre groups as she traveled around America. She also learned tap dancing and was awarded a scholarship to a tap dancing school. Later in her life, she attended Cal State-Northridge College where she earned a degree in Broadcast radio. She auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA cheerleading team. This led to her earning $50 per game her freshman year.