Paula Abdul

Singer-dancer-choreographer, Paula Abdul, was born in California in 1962 to a French-Canadian mother and a Syrian father. Discovered by The Jacksons, the former LA Lakers cheerleader was hired for the Jacksons' Victory tour in the 1980s. The former American Idol judge scored her first hit in 1989 with “Straight Up” from her debut album “Forever Your Girl,” which sold over 12 million copies worldwide and hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. She won an Emmy in 1989 and a Grammy in 1990.