Paula Abdul grew up around show business; she went to Van Nuys High School in the San Fernando Valley, the alma mater of a whole lot of movie stars, and her mother once worked as the assistant for the great director Billy Wilder. (When Abdul was born, the #1 song in America was Ray Charles’ “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.”) Both of Abdul’s parents were Jewish; her mother was a white lady from Canada, while her father was born in Syria and grew up in Brazil. Abdul was a cheerleader in high school, and she studied broadcasting at Cal State Northridge, hoping to become a sportscaster. Abdul got involved in sports a lot earlier than she planned, though. A friend convinced her to try out for the Laker Girls, the famed cheerleading squad, and she won a spot on the team during her freshman year of college. Less than a year later, Abdul was the Laker Girls’ head choreographer.
https://www.stereogum.com/2151499/the-number-ones-paula-abduls-straight-up/columns/the-number-ones/
StereoGum