Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California. At eight, she started taking dance classes. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the top cheerleader and class president for senior year. After graduation in 1980, she enrolled in college at Cal State Northridge, majoring 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. She was recruited by The Jacksons to choreograph their 1984 "Torture" video, which was the first in a long list of movies and videos she choreographed. After her debut album "Forever Your Girl" started singing, she turned to singing and became a popular performer and dancer. The stint she held as an American Idol judge (2002) has made her more well-known as a performer and dancer. Her father (Harry Abdul), is Sephardic Jewish and hails from Syria. Her mother is also Je...