Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul was raised in San Fernando Valley. At the age of eight, she began taking dance classes. Van Nuys High School was her high school. She was also the top cheerleader and senior class president. She graduated in 1980 and started college at Cal State Northridge to major 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 the 1984 "Torture" which was their first of many videos and movies she choreographed. After her debut album "Forever Your Girl", her singing career began to take off. However, the single "Straight Up" was a massive success and she has been a wildly successful performer/singer ever after. This is aided by her stint on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father (Harry Abdul), is Sephardic Jewish and hails from Syria. Her mother is Jewish and was