Paula Abdul

From LoveToKnow Celebrity

From dance diva and pop singer to reality television star and American Idol judge, Paula Abdul seems to have done it all. Her fans love her, and her critics -- well, they say there's more to Abdul than what you see on TV.

Paula Abdul

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Early Years

Paula Julie Abdul was born June 19, 1962 in San Fernando, California, to Harry Abdul and Lorraine Rykiss. Her father owns a sand and gravel business in California and her mother is a former concert pianist. She has one sister, Wendy, who was born in 1955. At age 8, Abdul started dance classes and at 15, won a scholarship to attend a dance camp. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a member of the cheerleading squad.

After enrolling at California State University at Northridge to study broadcasting, Paula Abdul tried out and earned a spot as one of the Laker Girls with the Los Angeles Lakers. She quickly became head choreographer and quit school shortly thereafter.

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Choreographer

At the 2007 FIFI Awards

Paula Abdul's high energy and dance skills with the Laker Girls caught the eye of many Hollywood celebrities, including The Jackson 5, who hired her to choreograph a video for their album, Victory, in 1984. She later went on to instruct dance routines for:

Janet Jackson
Duran Duran
Heart
Prince
Debbie Gibson
George Michael
Luther Vandross
ZZ Top

She also choreographed stage shows for Toni Basil and Suzanne Somers. On the silver screen, Abdul helped numerous actors perfect their dance movements, including Tom Hanks in Big and Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire.

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Music Career

In 1988, Paula Abdul released her debut album, Forever Your Girl, and while it took more than a year, it finally reached number one on the Billboard 200 album sales chart. She had five top three singles from that album:

Straight Up
Forever Your Girl
Cold Hearted
(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me
Opposites Attract

In 1991, her follow-up album, Spellbound, sold 8.5 million copies, and had another string of hits. Her other albums released include:

Shut Up and Dance (remix album, 1990)
Head Over Heels (1995)
Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits (2000)
Greatest Hits: Straight Up! (2007)

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American Idol

Abdul with fellow American Idol judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson in 2004.

After being out of the limelight for a few years, Paul Abdul made a huge comeback in 2002, when she started regularly appearing as one of three judges on the reality music show, American Idol. Her role, along with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, was to evaluate amateur singers and then lead the American public to vote on the most-talented. Her role on the hit series has won her praise as being compassionate, especially when her cohort, Cowell, blasts the candidates time and time again. In the spring of 2007, the show concluded its sixth season.

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Hey Paula

So what's life like for Paula Abdul in between seasons of American Idol? Well, Bravo television thought that her fans would really want to know. In the summer of 2007, it aired her reality show called Hey Paula. The premise, according to Abdul, was to allow others to see there is more to her than what is shown on Idol. The Los Angeles Times said her show is everything from a "dull trainwreck" to "train-wreck-tastic." It looks like the public will be the judge this time.

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Personal Life

Much has been said about Paula Abdul's personal life -- it even went as far as becoming a topic on a special Valentine's Day edition of Dr. Phil in 2006. She has been married twice -- for two years beginning in 1992 to actor Emilio Estevez, and again for about a year in 1996 to Brad Beckerman. Both ended in divorce. She is the proud owner of three Chihuahuas -- Tulip, Thumbelina and Tinkerbell.

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Rumors and Controversy

What celebrity isn't without a bit of controversy or rumors in their life? Well, Paula Abdul has been the brunt of both:

After season two of American Idol, it was claimed that Abdul and contestant Corey Clark had an affair and that she coached him on his success during the show. The allegations were found to be false.
In December 2004, she was involved in a hit-and-run car accident in Los Angeles, California, after she switched lanes and struck another vehicle. She was fined $900 and put on two years of informal probation.
In April 2006, she filed a police report in Hollywood, claiming she was injured at a party.
In May 2007, Abdul fell and broke her nose while trying to avoid tripping on her dog, Tulip.
Videos started circulating on the Internet in January 2007, showing Paula Abdul "swaying in her chair" during American Idol interviews and slurring her words. Her publicist chalked her behavior up to fatigue and technical difficulties.
Two months later, Abdul jokingly told David Letterman on his talk show that her "erratic behavior" was because she had been "abducted by aliens."

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Awards and Honors

At Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards in 2007.

Paula Abdul has been nominated for 10 Emmy and Teen Choice awards, winning:

Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (The 17th Annual American Music Awards - 1990)
Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (The Tracey Ullman Show - 1987)
Teen Choice Award for Choice Reality Babe (American Idol: The Search for a Superstar - 2002)

She also has been honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Hall of Fame.

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Paula Abdul Trivia

In 1991, she made a Diet Coke commercial where she "danced" with Gene Kelly.
In 2007, QVC launched the line of "Paula Abdul Jewelry."
She was treated for an eating disorder in 1994.
Abdul suffers from the rare neurological disorder, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
She is of Jewish descent, although some have said she looks African-American.
She has been a reporter on Entertainment Tonight.

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