Paula Abdul, a choreographer and singer, started life as a poor child from a broken home. Her dreams of song and dance began at the tender age of four when she saw Gene Kelly on television performing "Singing in the Rain". Unknown to her mother, Paula began taking ballet lessons free of charge at the age of seven by cleaning the mirrors and floors of the dance studio.

Paula Abdul began choreographing musicals when she was five years old, before ever taking any classes. From her condominium, she would conduct neighborhood friends and invite adults to watch her shows. Paula would practice dancing while her mother cooked by holding onto the kitchen sink.

Paula Abdul's mother was encouraging, but in a realistic sort of way. She was always very upfront about the hardships of life as a performer. She frequently saw dreams shattered in young girls while working as a personal assistant for Billy Wilder. Paula knew that she would have to work alone to find success as a performer.

During high school, Paula Abdul was accepted to Juilliard on a dance scholarship, but after one trip to New York, she knew that wasn't the life she wanted to lead. She wanted to dance, but she couldn't get a job unless she had an agent. She was teaching cheerleading camps, so she decided to try out for the Los Angeles Lakers' Cheerleading Squad, even though she didn't have the body of a typical cheerleader.

Out of nearly 1000 auditioning, Paula Abdul was chosen for one of only 12 spots as a Laker Girl. In her rookie year, Paula was asked to take over and form a dance squad. When season ticket holders saw the changes Paula had made to the squad, they started calling her for corporate events.

Paula Abdul eventually landed choreography spots in movies like "Can't Buy Me Love," and in music with groups like the Jackson Five. In fact, she was only 17 years old when she began working with the Jackson's. Paula received a choreography award for her choreography of ZZ Top and Duran Duran. She later worked with many of the major recording artists of the time choreographing their tours, videos, and live performances.

Paula Abdul even got to work with her Gene Kelly, her idol since childhood, during the last two years of his life. During the same year, she was chosen to choreograph the Academy Awards, and she received an Emmy nomination. In secret, so not to give up choreography job leads, Paula began making recordings starting with a song called "Straight Up." Her voice became one of the hottest in her time.

After a plane crash in 1995, Paula Abdul disappeared for a while so she could focus on her health and rehabilitation of injuries. Today, Paula can be seen right along side Simon Cowell on the hit reality television show "American Idol" in which thousands of singers are auditioned down to just one winner. Paula is the judge with a heart who gives constructive criticism in a positive way. She also wrote the foreword of the book "Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul."

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