Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul was born in San Fernando Valley, California. She began dancing at the age of eight. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the head cheerleader and the senior class president. Her high school graduation was in the year 1980. Following graduation she started college at Cal State Northridge. There she majored in 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. The Jacksons recruited her to choreograph their 1984 film "Torture" video, which was the first of many films and videos she would choreograph. Her first album "Forever Your Girl", her singing career took off. However, the song "Straight Up" was a major hit and she's been a successful dancer/singer ever after. It was made easier by her stint 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 were from Canada, Syria, Brazil and Syria. This is the reason for a myriad of stories about her faith and nationality within the media. Born in Hollywood, California to Harry Abdul (another livestock trader in Brazil) and Lorainne Abdul (former assistant to film director Billy Wilder), she began her life. When she was seven, she sang and danced in musical theatre troupes while traveling all over America. Tap dancing was also something she took, and she was awarded a scholarship to the school of tap dancing. She attended Cal State-Northridge College, where she majored in Broadcast radio. At the time, she auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Cheerleading team. The audition was the reason she was offered a place as a cheerleader for the team. The team earned $50 per game during her first year of college.