Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California. At eight, she started taking dance classes. Van Nuys High School was where she was the class president and also the head cheerleader. Following her graduation in 1980 she entered college at Cal State-Northridge with a 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 video "Torture" that was the first of a long line of movies and videos she would choreograph. She began her singing career on her debut album, "Forever Your Girl" which was not a huge success until her single "Straight Up" exploded onto the charts in December of 1988. she has been a popular performer ever since. Her popularity was further boosted by her time as a judge on the hit series American Idol (2002). Her father, Harry Abdul, i...