Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul was raised in San Fernando Valley. When she was eight years of age, she began dance lessons. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the cheerleader of the year as well as the class president. Her graduation was in 1980 and went to college at Cal State Northridge to major in TV and radio. 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 film "Torture" that was the first of a long series of movies and video she would choreograph. After her debut album "Forever Your Girl" started singing, she turned to singing and was soon a well-known singer/dancer. The time she spent as an American Idol judge (2002) has made her a popular performer/dancer. Her father (Harry Abdul) is from a Sephardic Jewish background from Syria. Her mother, who is also Jewish, was born in Cana