Paula Abdul

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Biography

Paula Julie Abdul (; born June 19, 1962)
is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreography|choreographer , actress and television personality.

In the 1980s, Abdul rose from National Basketball Association Cheerleading|cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music- Contemporary R& B|R& B hits in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her for fifth among the female solo performers who have reached #1 there. She won a Grammy for "Best Music Video - Short Form" for " Opposites Attract " and twice won the " Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography ".

After her initial period of success, she suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life, until she found renewed fame and success in the 2000s (decade) as a judge on the television series, American Idol , for eight years, before departing from the show. Abdul had moved on to another television series, CBS 's Live to Dance , which debuted in January 2011. The series has since been canceled. Following her judging role in Live to Dance , Abdul moved to the first season of The X Factor (U.S.)|American version of The X Factor (TV series)| The X Factor with her former American Idol co-judge Simon Cowell which premiered on September 21, 2011.

Early life

Abdul was born in San Fernando, California to Jewish parents. Abdul's father, Harry Abdul, was born in Aleppo , Syria, raised in Brazil, and subsequently immigrated to the United States; her mother, Lorraine M. (née Rykiss), is originally from Minnedosa, Manitoba in Canada with ancestors from Russia and Ukraine, and Abdul derives Canadian citizenship through her. She has a sister named Wendy, who is seven years her senior. In 1980, she graduated from Van Nuys High School and was voted girl with the funniest laugh.
An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film '' Singin' in the Rain as well as Debbie Allen , Fred Astaire , and Bob Fosse .A& E Biography

Abdul began taking dance lessons at an early age in ballet, Jazz, and Tap. She attended Van Nuys High School , where she was a cheerleader and an honor student . At 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs , and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, Junior High School (film)|Junior High School .

Abdul studied broadcasting at the California State University at Northridge . During her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team—the famed Laker Girls . Within three months, she became head choreographer. Six months later, she left the university to focus on her choreography and dancing career.

Career

1982-1986: Dance and choreography era

Abdul was discovered by The Jackson 5|The Jacksons , after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single " Torture (The Jacksons song)|Torture ". "My only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance," Abdul later recalled. "Imagine me telling them what routines to do. I was young, I was scared. I'm not quite sure how I got through that." The success of the choreography in the video led to Abdul's career of choreographer in music videos. It was also due to the success of the video that Abdul was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons' Victory tour.

Abdul choreographed videos for several singers throughout the 1980s, including many videos for Janet Jackson during her Control era. In 1995, Abdul released a dance workout video entitled ''Paula Abdul's Get Up and Dance! (re-released on DVD in 2003), a fast-paced, hip-hop style workout. In 1998, she released a second video called Cardio Dance (re-released on DVD in 2000). In December 2005, Abdul launched a cheerleading/fitness/dance DVD series called Cardio Cheer, which is marketed to children and teenage girls involved with cheerleading and dance.

In film, Abdul choreographed sequences for the giant keyboard scene involving Tom Hanks ’s character in Big . Further credits include Coming to America , Action Jackson , Jerry Maguire , The Running Man (film)|The Running Man , American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty , '' Can't Buy Me Love (film)|Can't Buy Me Love '', and Oliver Stone 's The Doors (film)|The Doors .. PaulaAbdul.com. Retrieved on February 24, 2008
Television credits include The Tracey Ullman Show , American Music Awards , the Academy Awards , and several commercials, such as The King's touchdown celebration, as seen in a string of popular Burger King television commercials that aired during the 2005–2006 NFL season.

1987-1994: Forever Your Girl and Spellbound

In 1987, Abdul used her savings to make a singing demo. Although her voice was relatively untrained, her exceptional dancing proved marketable to the visually oriented, MTV -driven, pop music industry. She was a tireless worker, and relied on input from her vocal coach and producers to improve her sound.

In 1988, Abdul released her pop debut album, Forever Your Girl . The album took 62 weeks to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart—the longest an album has been on the market before hitting #1—and spent 10 weeks there. The album eventually became RIAA certification|multi-platinum in the spring and summer of 1989, and it spawned five American Top Three singles, four of them #1s (three in 1989 and one in 1990): " Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)|Straight Up ", " Forever Your Girl (song)|Forever Your Girl ", " Cold Hearted ", and " Opposites Attract ". A remix album, Shut Up and Dance (album)|Shut Up and Dance , was also released and reached #7 on Billboard's album chart, becoming one of the most successful remix albums to date. The Grammy award-winning video for " Opposites Attract " featured an animated cat named MC Skat Kat .

At the 33rd Grammy Awards , Abdul won her first Grammy for Best Music Video for " Opposites Attract ", http://www2.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx She was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song " Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)|Straight Up " but it lost to Bonnie Raitt 's " Nick of Time ".

In the early 1990s, Yvette Marine, backing vocalist on Forever Your Girl , claimed that she sang "co-lead vocals" on the album and sued Paula and Virgin Records for compensation. After one month of court proceedings, Abdul and Virgin won the case.

Abdul's follow-up album, 1991's Spellbound (Paula Abdul album)|Spellbound , contained another string of hits, and sold 7 million copies worldwide. The first single from Spellbound was the ballad, " Rush, Rush ," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, and was noted for its music video and Rebel Without a Cause Motif (art)|motif featuring Keanu Reeves in the James Dean role. " Promise of a New Day ", the second release from the album, also hit No. 1, and was followed by the Top 10 hit " Blowing Kisses in the Wind " and two Top 20 hits: " Vibeology " and " Will You Marry Me? ". The album, Spellbound , retained much of the dance-oriented formula heard on her debut album. The track "U" was written for Paula by Prince (singer)|Prince .

Abdul promoted the album through the " Under My Spell Tour ", which was named by an MTV contest for fans. This tour was nearly cancelled due to an accident during rehearsals. The tour began on schedule and ran from October 1991 to the summer of 1992. In 1991, Abdul embraced advertising and starred in a popular Diet Coke commercial in which she danced with a digital image of her idol, a young Gene Kelly .

Abdul was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 1991.

1995-2001: Head over Heels and a music hiatus

By 1995, Paula Abdul had recovered from her battle with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa and prepared to return to the spotlight with her new album Head over Heels (Paula Abdul album)|Head over Heels . The first single off the album, " My Love Is for Real " featured a fusion of rhythm and blues|R& B and traditional Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern instruments, and was performed with Yemeni-Israeli singer Ofra Haza . Its accompanying Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia -inspired music video was played in theaters across the world as a preface to the film Clueless (film)|Clueless . The single was a hit in the clubs (peaking at #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), and made it to #28 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

The second single, " Crazy Cool ", peaked at #13 on the dance charts. " Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up " was the album's third and final single. To date, Head over Heels has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
In January 1997, Abdul starred in the ABC television movie Touched by Evil, playing a businesswoman who discovers that her boyfriend is a serial rapist. Also that year, Abdul co-wrote the song " Spinning Around " with songwriter and producer Kara DioGuardi , who became a fellow judge on American Idol in 2009. "Spinning Around" was a dance-pop track intended to be the lead single on Abdul's follow-up album to Head over Heels (Paula Abdul album)|Head over Heels . But the album never materialized, and "Spinning Around" was instead given to Kylie Minogue . The song was highly successful, reaching #1 in numerous countries.

While Abdul took a break from the music industry, she remained busy behind the scenes. Abdul served as the choreographer for several film and theater productions, including the 1998 musical Reefer Madness (musical)|Reefer Madness and the cheerleading scenes in the 1999 film American Beauty (film)|American Beauty (she had previously also choreographed the 1991 film The Doors (film)|The Doors ). Abdul also co-produced a 2001 television pilot|pilot episode of Skirts , a dramatic series that would have aired on MTV about a high-school cheerleading squad; Abdul was also set to appear as the head coach. The pilot never aired. (Paula Abdul interview), Gia Kourlas, Time Out New York , September 2001

In 2000, Abdul’s Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits CD was released by Virgin Records (with whom Abdul was already no longer affiliated). It included all her hit singles and other noteworthy tracks. The song "Bend Time Back 'Round" had previously been heard only on the 1992 soundtrack for the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210 .

2002-2006: American Idol

In 2002, Abdul appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show American Idol . Abdul, along with fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson (joined by Kara DioGuardi in 2009) evaluated thousands of amateur contestants in their ability to sing. Abdul won praise as a sympathetic and compassionate judge. She seemed especially kind compared to fellow judge Simon Cowell, who was often blunt in his appraisals of the contestants' performances. When she realized that Cowell's over-the-top judging style was heartbreaking for many young contestants, Abdul was so horrified that she considered leaving the show. Although their differences often resulted in extremely heated on-air exchanges and confrontations, Cowell says he played a major role in convincing Abdul not to leave the show.Cowell, S (2003): ''I don't mean to be rude, but... , p. 116–117, Random House. ISBN 978-0-7679-1741-4

While serving as a judge on "American Idol," Abdul accepted a second assignment as reporter for Entertainment Tonight .

In March 2006, Fox announced that Abdul had signed to stay on American Idol as a judge for at least three more years. Later that year, fellow American Idol judge Simon Cowell invited her to be a guest judge at some of the early auditions for the third series of his similar UK talent show The X Factor (UK)|The X Factor . Abdul was present at the initial audition of the eventual winner, Leona Lewis .

2007-2009: Post- Idol projects

image:Paula_Abdul_2007.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Abdul at the Los Angeles Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in March 2007

Paula Abdul's second greatest-hits CD, Greatest Hits: Straight Up! , was released by Virgin Records on May 8, 2007. Virgin Records also released the music videos to all six of Abdul's #1 singles to iTunes . Meanwhile, Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo began airing the reality television series Hey Paula (TV series)|Hey Paula , which followed Abdul through her day-to-day life. The series was produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and debuted on June 28, 2007. Abdul's behavior as depicted on the show was described as 'erratic' by comedian Rosie O'Donnell and decried by numerous fans and critics. The show aired for only one season.

The week of May 14 to May 18, 2007 (the week before the season 6 finale), Abdul broke her nose when she tried to "avoid tripping over her pet chihuahua." She was present at the May 22 performance and the May 23 finale.

Abdul's American Idol wardrobe often included a number of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings that she designed, and she frequently gave show contestants custom-designed jewelry. In 2007, Paula Abdul Jewelry launched its nationwide consumer debut on QVC , with the tagline "fashion jewelry designed with heart and soul.", rMay 13, 2007. Paula's first QVC appearance resulted in 15 sellouts of her first jewelry collection involving more than 34,000 pieces.

In January 2008, Abdul returned to the music charts for the first time in nearly 13 years with the single " Dance Like There's No Tomorrow (song)|Dance Like There's No Tomorrow ," the first track on the album '' Randy Jackson 's Music Club Vol 1 . The song debuted on On Air with Ryan Seacrest (radio)|On Air with Ryan Seacrest ''., Retrieved January 18, 2008 and Abdul performed it during the pre-game show for Super Bowl XLII. "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" was a modest comeback hit for Abdul, peaking at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 , #11 on iTunes and #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. She also made a brief guest appearance in season 3 episode 1 of the British television Comedy-Drama Hotel Babylon , which aired in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2008.

In February 2008, it was reported she was to be working on a new album.

In January 2009, Abdul hosted "RAH!," a 90-minute cheerleading competition on MTV. "RAH!" featured five collegiate squads competing in a series of challenges with Abdul crowning one the winner., retrieved January 13, 2009. In May 2009, Abdul debuted her latest song " I'm Just Here for the Music " (originally an unreleased song from Kylie Minogue 's ninth album Body Language (Kylie Minogue album)|Body Language ) on the Ryan Seacrest Radio KIIS-FM show and performed the single on the American Idol results show. " I'm Just Here for the Music " reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 , May 15, 2009, VH1.com becoming Abdul's 15th song to appear on the chart.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on July 18, 2009, Paula's manager David Sonenberg told the newspaper that, "Very sadly, it does not appear that she’s going to be back on ‘Idol’.", retrieved July 20, 2009. This came about as a result of stalled negotiations between Paula and the show. On August 4, 2009, after numerous contract negotiations, Abdul confirmed that she would not be returning to Idol for its ninth season., retrieved August 4, 2009. The Times cited reports Abdul had been earning as much as Dollar sign|$ 5 million per season and that she was reportedly seeking as much as $20 million to return.

On August 18, 2009, it was reported that Abdul was negotiating to return to Idol after not taking part in season nine of Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)|Dancing with the Stars . Two days later, Abdul's manager said that there were not any talks with Fox, but they were not ruling anything out.

Abdul claimed her departure from Idol was not about money, but that she had to stand on principle.

On September 9, 2009 Ellen DeGeneres was confirmed as Abdul's successor for Idol .

2010-present: Live to Dance and The X Factor USA

In January 2010, Abdul presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to choreographer Julie McDonald (agent)|Julie McDonald at the 11th Anniversary show of the The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball .

In November 2010, Abdul launched and co-founded AuditionBooth.com, a website that allows aspiring talents to connect with casting directors, producers, and managers.

Abdul kicked off 2011 by serving as lead judge, executive producer, creative partner, mentor and coach on CBS ' new dancing competition, Live to Dance (formerly Got to Dance ) Abdul said that unlike American Idol , her new show is less about "competition" and more about "celebration." February 6, 2011, USA Weekend After its first season of seven weekly shows, it was cancelled by CBS. Live To Dance canceled, Retrieved February 15, 2011

On May 8, 2011, it was announced that Abdul would join Simon Cowell on the first season of the American version of The X Factor (U.S.)|The X Factor . The judging panel consists of Abdul, Cowell, music executive L.A. Reid , and former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger . The series premiered on September 21, 2011. She was the mentor for the "Groups" category. In January 2012, Abdul announced that she would not a return as a judge for the show's second season. Fellow season one judge Nicole Scherzinger and season one host Steve Jones (presenter)|Steve Jones also left the show that month.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Abdul was married to Emilio Estevez from 1992-1994.
Another short-lived marriage for Paula Abdul was to clothing designer Brad Beckerman, in 1996. They divorced in 1998, citing irreconcilable differences.

On Valentine's Day 2006, Abdul appeared on Dr. Phil (TV series)|Dr. Phil as part of a prime time special on love and relationships. She was set up on two dates, and Phil McGraw gave her advice.

In mid July 2007, Abdul announced that she had begun dating J.T. Torregiani,, All Headline News , 2007-07-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-19 a restaurant owner 12 years her junior. The View (U.S. TV series)|The View , episode airing July 19, 2007 She told Access Hollywood : "''He is a good guy. Things are looking upwards. It's looking good right now. I wasn't even looking for someone and that's what usually happens.''" Access Hollywood , episode airing July 18, 2007 Paula and JT broke up in June 2008, citing their hectic work schedules.

Religion

Abdul is still observant in her Jewish faith today and is proud of her heritage. She once stated, "My father is a Syrian Jews|Syrian Jew whose family immigrated to Brazil. My mother is History of the Jews in Canada|Canadian with Jewish roots . My dream is to go to Israel for a real holiday." In November 2006, Tourism Minister of Israel|Israeli Tourist Minister Isaac Herzog invited her to Israel, Abdul responding with a hug, adding, "I will come; you have helped me make a dream come true."

Legal issues

On December 20, 2004, Abdul was driving her Mercedes on an L.A.-area freeway when she changed lanes and hit another vehicle. The driver and passenger snapped a photograph with a cell phone camera and wrote down the license plate number of the car, which was traced to Abdul. On March 24, 2005, Abdul was fined USD|$ 900 and given 24 months of informal probation after pleading Nolo contendere|no contest to misdemeanor Hit and run (vehicular)|hit-and-run driving in Los Angeles. In addition to the fines, she was ordered to pay $775 for damage to the other car. Associated Press|AP ., , CBSnews.com, 2005-03-24, Retrieved on 2007-02-10.

On April 4, 2006, Abdul filed a report at a Hollywood police station claiming she had been a victim of battery at a private party at about 1 a.m. April 2, according to L.A.P.D. spokesman police Lt. Paul Vernon. "According to Abdul, the man at the party argued with her, grabbed her by the arm and threw her against a wall," Vernon said. "She said she had sustained a concussion and spinal injuries." Associated Press|AP , , MSN.com, 2006-04-06, Retrieved on 2007-02-10.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

In April 2005, Abdul revealed that she suffers from a rare neurological disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (CRPS) that causes chronic pain., USA Today, 2005-04-20. Retrieved on 2005-04-20

Activism

Paula is also a dog lover who raised awareness about National Guide Dog Month in May 2009 and she is teaming up with Dick Van Patten to help people with blindness to have more independence through the help of guide dogs. She does not wear real fur. 29 May 2011, The Gloss.com

Controversies

Corey Clark

In May 2005, American Broadcasting Company|ABC 's news magazine Primetime Live reported claims by Season 2 American Idol contestant Corey Clark that he and Abdul had an affair during that season, and that she had coached him on how to succeed in the competition. The fact that Clark came forward at a time when he was marketing a CD and trying to get a book deal was seen as suspicious by some, but Clark maintains that his career was being prejudiced because of his relationship with Abdul and that is why he came forward with the information to clear his name. For the most part, Abdul refused to comment on Clark's allegations. Simon Cowell came to Abdul's defense, calling Corey Clark a creep and stating “It was just somebody using her to get a lot of publicity for an appalling record, full stop." At the height of the debacle, Abdul appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit, making light of the situation. Associated Press|AP ., , MSNBC|MSNBC.com (2005-05-11), Retrieved on 2007-02-12 While Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox launched an investigation, Abdul received numerous calls of support from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Ripa ; Barbara Walters even addressed the camera during an episode of ABC's The View (U.S. TV series)|The View to say she was sad to be part of an operation that would report Clark's flimsy tabloid claims under the guise of a news story. In August 2005, the Fox network confirmed that she would be returning to the show, as the investigation had found "insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance." Associated Press|AP ., , MSNBC|MSNBC.com (2005-08-24), Retrieved on 2007-02-12.

Substance abuse allegations

Substance abuse allegations arose as the result of what some described as "erratic behavior" by Abdul during episodes of American Idol. After reading these allegations on message boards, Abdul told People (magazine)|People magazine in April 2005 that she suffered from chronic pain for years following a "cheerleading accident" at age 17 and was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome|reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in November 2004. Abdul says she is now pain-free following treatment, including the anti-inflammatory medication Enbrel .

Allegations arose again in January 2007 when videos circulated on the Internet of Abdul appearing to sway in her chair and slur her speech during a set of interviews., Reuters via MSNBC.com , 2007-01-15, Retrieved on 2007-04-09. Abdul's publicist attributed this to fatigue and technical difficulties during the recording of the interviews. It was revealed on the Bravo show Hey Paula , which had followed Abdul with a video camera prior to the interviews, that Abdul had not been sleeping, perhaps suffering from some mild form of insomnia.
In February 2007, Abdul told Us Weekly that she had never been drunk or used illegal drugs and called the allegations "lies.", Associated Press via MSNBC.com , 2007-02-13, Retrieved on 2007-02-15

In a March 2007 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman , Abdul joked that her scrutinized behavior was caused by her being "abducted by aliens."

In several interviews given in the late 2000s (decade), Paula claimed to have been left in debilitating pain after a 1992 car accident and a 1993 plane crash that required 15 spinal surgeries and which left her dependent on pain medication for years.

In May 2009, '' Ladies' Home Journal posted an article on its Web site that said Abdul told them she attended the La Costa Resort and Spa the previous year to recover from physical dependence on prescription pain medications., People (magazine)|People , 2009-05-05, Retrieved on 2009-05-06 The medications, prescribed due to injuries and her RSD diagnosis, included a pain patch, nerve medication, and a muscle relaxant. According to the article, Abdul said the medications made her "get weird" at times and that she suffered from physical withdrawal symptoms during her recovery.

Later that same week, though, in an interview with Detroit radio station WKQI, Abdul rejected the article's accuracy. She told the radio station she never checked into a rehab clinic and never had a drug abuse problem.

Tours

The Club MTV Tour

The Under My Spell Tour

Discography

;Studio Albums

1988: Forever Your Girl

1991: Spellbound (Paula Abdul album)|Spellbound

1995: Head over Heels (Paula Abdul album)|Head over Heels

Filmography

Film and television

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
1978
1987
1997
1997	Muppets Tonight
1998
1998	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1999
	''Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story
	Family Guy
2002–2009 2003 Zoe's Dance Moves Herself
2004
2005
	Less Than Perfect
	Robots
2006
2007
2009
2009	Brüno
2008
2009– present
2011
2011

As choreographer

Year !! Film !! Notes
1983
1986
1987
	Can't Buy Me Love
	Man (film)>The Running Man
1988
	Big
	Coming To America
1989
	Dance To Win
	The Karate Kid, Part III
1990
1991
1996
1999
2001
2002

Awards and honours

1987 MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography for Janet Jackson ""Nasty"

1989 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for The Tracey Ullman Show

1989 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video - Straight Up

1989 MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography - Straight Up

1989 MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video - Straight Up

1990 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for The 17th Annual American Music Awards

Pop & Rock Music Artists