Paula Julie Abdul
(, born June 19, 1962) [1] is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.
In the 1980s, Abdul rose from 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-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. [2] 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 as a judge on the television series, American Idol
, for eight years, before departing from the show. Abdul has since been working on a new album, and hopes to have the album released by the end of 2009. [3] [4]
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PAULA ABDUL TICKETS
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Background
Abdul was born in the
San Fernando Valley of
Los Angeles, the daughter of Lorraine (née Rykiss), a
concert pianist who once worked as
film director Billy Wilder's assistant, and Harry Abdul, a former
livestock trader and owner of a sand and
gravel business. Her father, a
Syrian Jew, was born in
Syria, raised in
Brazil, and subsequently emigrated to the United States;
[5] Abdul's mother, also Jewish, is originally from
Saint Boniface (now part of Winnipeg),
Manitoba,
Canada.
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.
[6][not in citation given]
Abdul began taking dance lessons at the age of eight and showed a natural talent. 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, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film,
Junior High School.
Abdul studied
broadcasting at the
California State University at Northridge. During her
first year (freshman), 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
Dance and choreography era (1982–1986)
200px at the 1990 Grammy Awards
Abdul was discovered by
The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Laker game.
[7] She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single "
Torture".
[8] "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."
[9] The success of the choreography in the video helped lead to Abdul's then new career of choreographer in music videos.
[10] 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,
American Beauty (1999 film),
and
Oliver Stone's,
The Doors.
[11]
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.
Forever Your Girl
era (1987–1990)
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.
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
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", "
Forever Your Girl", "
Cold Hearted", "
(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me", and "
Opposites Attract". A remix 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.
Abdul also went on a
Club MTV
tour where she performed songs from her album. Several other acts were also on the tour.
In the early 1990s, Yvette Marine, backing vocalist on
Forever Your Girl
, claimed that she sang 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.
[12]
Spellbound
era (1991–1994)
Abdul's follow-up album, 1991's
Spellbound
, contained another string of hits, and sold 13 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 featuring
Keanu Reeves in the
James Dean role. "
Promise of a New Day," the second release from the album, also hit No. 1, and it 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. "U" was supposed to be the final single from the album, but was never actually released.
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.
Head Over Heels
era (1995–1996)
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
. The album received mixed reviews, and its singles became modest radio hits. The first single off the album, "
My Love Is for Real" featured a fusion of
R&B and traditional
Middle Eastern instruments, and was performed with Yemeni-Israeli singer
Ofra Haza. Its accompanying
Lawrence of Arabia
-inspired music video was played in theaters across the world as a preface to the film
Clueless
. It was a hit in the clubs (peaking at #1 on Billboard's
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), but the single stalled at #28 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Despite the lack of mainstream chart success, the single was nominated for several MTV Video Music Awards.
The second single, "
Crazy Cool" became a minor hit in the U.S. yet managed to peak at #13 on the dance charts. "
Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" served as the third and final single but failed to chart in the
Hot 100. To date
Head Over Heels
has sold 3 million copies worldwide, Abdul's lowest selling studio album.
Musical hiatus era (1997–2001)
After the low sales of
Head Over Heels
and conquering her personal problems, Abdul took a hiatus from the music industry. In 2000, Abdul’s
Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits
CD was released by
Virgin Records (with whom Abdul was already no longer affiliated). It featured all of 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
. The album was not a commercial success; however, it did sell more than one million copies worldwide.
In 1997, Abdul co-wrote "
Spinning Around" along with fellow
American Idol judge,
Kara DioGuardi; a dance-pop track intended to be the lead single off her new album. The album never materialized and "Spinning Around" was given to
Kylie Minogue as a single. The song became highly successful and re-launched Minogue's career, as it was intended to do for Abdul, and reached #1 in numerous countries.
American Idol
(2002–2009)
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) were to evaluate the talent of a large group of young amateur singers, eliminate most of them in various audition rounds, and then judge the finalists as American television viewers voted on which finalists would continue to each successive round, until all but the winner were eliminated. Abdul won praise as a sympathetic and compassionate judge. She seemed especially kind compared to fellow judge Simon Cowell, who was often very 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, 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.
[13]
Now a
bona fide
television celebrity, Abdul accepted a second assignment as reporter for
Entertainment Tonight
. Her knack for finding something positive in almost every performance, her emotion-laden praise for contestants whose style she really likes, and her unique fingers-bent-outwards handclapping style have fueled the belief among some that she is drunk during auditions. This rumor has been the subject of satire, especially by
Amy Poehler during
Saturday Night Live
sketches and
Nicole Parker on
MADtv
. This ability to give positive feedback to every performance has also led some people to say she is a poor judge incapable of constructive criticism.
Abdul has been criticized for falling back on the same cliches and pat phrases when praising or criticising
Idol
contestants with comments like "America loves you!", "You're authentic!" or "It wasn't your best performance." Several American comedy shows, including
Saturday Night Live,
The Simpsons, and
Mad TV, have capitalized on these catch-phrases when doing sketches involving an Abdul impersonator. They also imitate Abdul's unusual "arm-flapping" style of clapping her hands.
On March 28, 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
. Abdul was present at the initial audition of the eventual winner,
Leona Lewis.
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.
Her second greatest-hits CD, entitled
Greatest Hits: Straight Up!
, was released by Virgin on May 8, 2007. This album was put together by Virgin Records, with whom Abdul was no longer signed as a recording artist. At this time, they also released the music videos to all six of her #1 singles to
iTunes.
Bravo announced a
reality television series following Abdul through her day-to-day life, called
Hey Paula
. The series was produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and debuted on June 28, 2007.
[14] Paula's behavior as depicted on the show has been described as 'erratic' by comedian
Rosie O'Donnell.
[15] and decried by numerous fans and critics.
Abdul's
American Idol
wardrobe often includes a number of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings that she designs, and she often gives 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".
[16] Paula's first QVC appearance resulted in 15 sellouts of her first jewelry collection involving more than 34,000 pieces.
[17] Paula is currently about to release her own perfume entitled "Sexy Thoughts."
In January 2008, Paula returned to the music charts for the first time in nearly 13 years with the single
"Dance Like There's No Tomorrow", which is the first track on the album
Randy Jackson's Music Club Vol 1. The song debuted on
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
.
[18] The song was a modest comeback hit for Paula, peaking at #62 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Paula's MTV show "RAH!" premiered in January 2009. The 90-minute special featured five collegiate cheerleading squads, which competed in a series of challenges in order to be crowned the winner by Paula.
[19] A snippet of Paula's latest single "Boombox", a cover of a Kylie Minogue song, also premiered on the show.
On May 5, 2009, Paula debuted her new song "
I'm Just Here for the Music" (originally an unreleased song from
Kylie Minogue's ninth album
Body Language) on the
Ryan Seacrest Radio
KIIS-FM show. On May 6, 2009, Paula performed her new song on the
American Idol
results show. On May 8, 2009, Paula released "I'm Just Here For The Music" to the US iTunes Store.
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’."
[20] This came about as a result of stalled negotiations between Paula and the show. Later on her
Twitter page, Paula responded to her fans' messages of support by stating: "I’m actually moved to tears upon reading the enormous amount of tweets showing me your kindness, love, & undying support. God bless all of you!,” continuing, “If it weren’t for you, this specific time and situation would feel a whole lot worse!”. On August 4, 2009, after numerous contract negotiations, Abdul confirmed that she would not be returning to Idol for its ninth season.
[21] The Times cited reports Abdul had been earning as much as $5 million (USD) per season and that she was reportedly seeking as much as $20 million to return.
[22]
On August 18, 2009 it was reported that Abdul is negotiating to return
Idol
after not taking part in season nine of
Dancing with the Stars
.
[23] Two days later Abdul's manager said that there have not been any talks yet with FOX, but they are not counting anything out.
[24]
Abdul claimed her departure from
Idol
was not about money, but that she had to stand on her principle.
[25]
Personal life
Abdul was married to
Emilio Estevez from April 29, 1992 to May 1994. In a June 19, 2005 interview with
People
magazine Abdul stated that they broke up over the issue of children; she wanted them to have a child together, while Estevez (who already had two children from a prior relationship) did not. She later married sportswear designer Brad Beckerman in 1996. They divorced in 1998.
Having recovered from her eating disorder after treatment in 1994, she later became a spokeswoman for
NEDA, and was presented with the Profiles In Living Award in late 2005. She then continued her work by recording Public Service Announcements in 2006.
In April 2005, she revealed that she suffers from a rare neurological disorder called
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (CRPS) that causes chronic pain.
[26]
Paula practices Judaism
[27] and is proud of her heritage. She once stated, "My father is a
Syrian Jew whose family immigrated to Brazil. My mother is Canadian with Jewish roots. My dream is to come to Israel for a real holiday." In November 2006,
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."
[28]
On
Valentine's Day 2006, Abdul appeared on
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.
Paula is also a dog lover who is currently raising 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.
[29]
In mid July 2007, Abdul announced that she had begun dating J.T. Torregiani,
[30] a restaurant owner 12 years her junior.
[31] 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.
"
[32] Paula and JT broke up in June 2008,
[33] citing their hectic work schedules.
Controversies
Corey Clark
In May 2005,
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. At the height of the debacle, Abdul appeared in a
Saturday Night Live
skit, making light of the situation.
[34] While
Fox launched an investigation, Abdul received numerous calls of support from celebrities, including
Oprah Winfrey;
Barbara Walters even addressed the camera during an episode of ABC's
The View
to say she was ashamed 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".
[35]
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
$900 and given 24 months of informal
probation after pleading
no contest to
misdemeanor hit-and-run driving in Los Angeles. In addition to the fines she was ordered to pay $775 for damage to the other car.
[36]
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".
[37]
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 in April 2005 that she suffered from chronic pain for years following a "cheerleading accident" at age 17 and was diagnosed with
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.
[38] 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".
[39]
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, 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.
[40]
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.
[41] 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.
[42]
Tours
- The Club MTV Tour
- The Under My Spell Tour
Discography
Filmography
Film and television
Year
| Film [43]
| Role
| Notes
|
1978
| Junior High School
| Sherry
|
|
1987
| Can't Buy Me Love
| Dancer
| Uncredited
|
1997
| Touched By Evil
| Elle Collier
| TV Movie
|
1998
| The Waiting Game
| Amy Fuentes
| TV Movie
|
"Sabrina the Teenage Witch (TV series)"
| Herself
| 1 Episode
|
1999
| The Wayans Bros.
| Sasha
| 1 Episode
|
Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story
| Denise Walton
| TV Movie
|
2002–2009
| American Idol
| Judge
|
|
2004
| That's So Raven
| Undercover Judge
| 1 Episode
|
2005
| Romy and Michele: In the Beginning
| Herself
| TV Movie
|
Less Than Perfect
| Kathleen
| 1 Episode
|
Robots
| Watch
|
|
2007
| Hey Paula
| Herself
| 7 Episodes, also Executive Producer
|
2009
| ''RAH! Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl
| Herself
| Host
|
Brüno
| Herself
| Uncredited
|
2009
| Drop Dead Diva
| Herself
|
|
As choreographer
Year
| Film
| Notes
|
1983
| Private School
|
|
1986
| A Smoky Mountain Christmas
|
1987
| The Tracey Ullman Show
| Won
1989 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Choreography"
|
Can't Buy Me Love
|
|
The Running Man
|
1988
| Action Jackson
|
|
Big
|
|
Coming To America
|
1989
| She's Out of Control
|
|
Dance To Win
|
|
The Karate Kid, Part III
|
1990
| 17th American Music Awards
| Won
1990 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Choreography"
|
1991
| The Doors
| Val Kilmer's choreographer
|
1996
| Jerry Maguire
|
|
1999
| American Beauty
|
|
2001
| Black Knight
|
|
2002
| The Master of Disguise
|
|
"Roses" Music Video Outkast- herself
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
- List of artists by total number of USA number one singles
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
References
- Paula Abdul - LoveToKnow Celebrity
- Chart Beat: T.I., James Taylor, Kellie Pickler
- Paula Abdul Confirms New Album, Tour Are in the Works
- Paula Abdul Plotting Comeback Album
- Israeli minister, American Idol
- A&E Biography
- Abdul's Dues: Paid a Lot of Them in 3 Years, But They Haven't Slowed Her Rise
- Abdul Delivers More Than the Same Old Song and Dance
- Paula Abdul Scores with New Singing Career and Debut Album
- Idol Scandal Could Hurt, Not Help, the Show
- The Official Website of Paula Abdul. ''PaulaAbdul.com.'' Retrieved on February 24, 2008
- Paula Abdul did lead on 'Forever Your Girl': jury – Brief Article
- Cowell, S (2003): ''I don't mean to be rude, but...'', p. 116–117, Random House. ISBN 978-0-7679-1741-4
- MovieWeb.com News
- http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272615124.shtml
- Paula Abdul Jewelry homepage on QVC, retrieved May 13, 2007.
- GuyoutBrothers.com Jewelry Industry News
- Paula, Randy & Ryan Unveil Her New Single Retrieved January 18, 2008
- Abdul's Rah! Cheerleading Bowl, retrieved January 13, 2009.
- Paula Abdul ‘Hurt,’ ‘Angry,’ May Not Return To ‘Idol’, retrieved July 20, 2009.
- Paula Abdul: "I've Decided Not to Return to Idol", retrieved August 4, 2009.
- 'Paula Abdul quits American Idol’
- Paula Abdul negotiating a return to ‘Idol’
- Exclusive: Paula Abdul's manager: "There have been no discussions whatsoever about 'Idol'"
- Paula Abdul Says Leaving Idol Wasn’t About Money
- Abdul says odd behavior not drug-related, ''USA Today,'' 2005-04-20. Retrieved on 2005-04-20
- [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yYrLwO0cIk]
- Israeli minister, American Idol
- Paula Abdul & Guide Dogs
- Paula Abdul Finally Restores Her Love Life, ''All Headline News'', 2007-07-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-19
- The View, episode airing July 19, 2007
- Access Hollywood, episode airing July 18, 2007
- Paula Abdul's Ex Blames Work for Breakup
- AP., Abdul pokes fun at sex scandal on ‘SNL’, ''MSNBC.com'' (2005-05-11), Retrieved on 2007-02-12
- AP., After probe, Paula Abdul to remain on ‘Idol’, ''MSNBC.com'' (2005-08-24), Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- AP., 'Idol' Judge Fined For Hit-And-Run, ''CBSnews.com,'' 2005-03-24, Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- AP, Paula Abdul Tells Police She Was Assaulted, ''MSN.com,'' 2006-04-06, Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- Paula Abdul seen slurring in TV interview, ''Reuters'' via ''MSNBC.com'', 2007-01-15, Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- Paula Abdul claims she’s ‘squeaky clean’, ''Associated Press'' via ''MSNBC.com'', 2007-02-13, Retrieved on 2007-02-15
- Comeing Clean About Drugs
- Paula Abdul Reveals Struggle with Prescription Painkillers, ''People'', 2009-05-05, Retrieved on 2009-05-06
- Paula Abdul Denies Report She Abused Painkillers; Magazine Stands by Story
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000716/