Biographic - Sunday March 19, 2006 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Millions of young viewers only know her as one of the trios of celebrity judges who help determine which starry-eyed young hopeful will become the next "American Idol" but it wasn't so long ago that singer, dancer, choreographer, and actress Paula Abdul was a genuine American Idol, too.... Born on June 16, 1962, Paula Julie Abdul was raised in California's San Fernando Valley. She took dance lessons from the age of 8 and was a cheerleader in high school. While studying broadcasting in college, she tried out for the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleading team and was selected from a pool of 700 girls. Within weeks she was made choreographer and she dropped out of school a few months later. The slick dance routines that she devised impressed Lakers fans The Jacksons and she was recruited to choreographer their 1984 "Victory" tour. She choreographed the videos for Janet Jackson's run of hits from the "Control" album and went on to work with George Michael, Prince, ZZ Top, and Duran Duran. This led to the movies, where Paula choreographed such classic screen moments as Cuba Gooding touchdown celebration in "Jerry Maguire" and the piano sequence in the 1988 Tom Hanks hit "Big." She won an Emmy for her work on the "Tracy Ullman Show" before taking center stage herself. Her 1988 debut album, "Forever Your Girl" took a while to ignite before spawning a string of huge hits such as "Straight Up" and "Forever Your Girl." Her next album 1991's "Spellbound" was equally successful, producing hits like "Rush Rush" and "The Promise Of A New Day." But by the mid-'90s, the chart-toppers had begun to dry up. She tried her hand at acting, appearing in several TV movies before signing up for the role that catapulted her ack into the spotlight... Since 'American Idol' debuted in 2002, it has become one of the most popular shows in the history of U.S. TV. Paula's impeccable credentials as an award-winning choreographer, dancer, actress and multi-platinum recording artist make her eminently qualified to sit on the celebrity panel and dispense career advice and encouragement to a whole new generation of aspiring stars.

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