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Name: Paula Abdul
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Date of Birth:
June 19, 1962
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Place of Birth:
San Fernando, California, USA
Mini-bio:
Not exactly what you'd call a soul or disco diva, former Laker Girl Paula Abdul has nevertheless enjoyed some impressive commercial triumphs. As a teen, she was the major choreographer and a member of... read more the Los Angeles Lakers' cheerleaders. She moved from that role to choreographing videos for Janet Jackson's Control album and The Tracey Ullman Show. Abdul switched to recording in 1988, with the LP Forever Your Girl. It sold more than seven million copies, topped the pop charts for ten weeks, and yielded number one singles in the title track, "Straight Up," "Cold Hearted," and "Opposites Attract." Though ripped by some critics for lacking vocal range, distinction, or edge, Abdul followed that album in 1991 with Spellbound, which also topped the charts for two weeks, and sold over three million copies. Her third album, Head Over Heels, was released in 1995. Although not active on the recording side since that album, Abdul remained in the entertainment limelight. She scored some small acting parts in a few films in the mid-'90s (most notably Touched by Evil in 1996) and was married to actor Emilio Estevez from 1992 to 1994. But perhaps Abdul's biggest claim to fame yet has been her role as judge on the enormously popular American Idol reality series, starring alongside the acerbic Brit Simon Cowell and music-industry vet Randy Jackson on the show that draws millions of viewers each week. In mid-2007, Abdul could be seen in a reality series on Bravo called Hey Paula which followed her as she went about her daily activities. When her run ended with American Idol, Abdul continued to thrive in the reality industry, with the competetive dance series Live to Dance in 2011. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi
Paula Abdul mini-bio: Paula Abdul grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California. She began taking dance lessons when she was eight. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was senior class president and head cheerleader. After graduating in 1980, she started college at Cal State-Northridge, majoring 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. She was recruited by The Jacksons to choreograph their 1984 "Torture" video, the first in a long list of videos and movies she would choreograph. She branched out into singing with her first CD, "Forever Your Girl", which had lackluster sales until the single "Straight Up" exploded onto the charts in December 1988 and she has been a popular singer/dancer ever since, enhanced by her stint as a judge on the hit series "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" (2002).
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