Even as a child, Paula Abdul had stars in her eyes. ‘‘Being born and raised in California, in the San Fernando Valley, celebrities were in abundance,’’ Abdul recalls. ‘‘When I was 4 years old, that’s when I stood up and told my mum and dad that I’m going to be a famous entertainer. I don’t remember that, but they do. I just remember, at 4 years old, being quite taken with the MGM musicals.
‘‘I was always driven,’’ she continues, ‘‘but I was a realist. My mother was Billy Wilder’s assistant for the last 10 years of his career. She’d always say, ‘You’re going to be a doctor or a lawyer,’ and I’d say, ‘Okay, but I want to give performing a shot.’ I was determined.’’
Abdul succeeded beyond her wildest dreams, of course. She first made her mark as a Laker Girl, cheerleading for the Los Angeles Lakers. Abdul then moved into choreography, working with singers, dancers and actors on everything from concert tours and music videos to feature films. She choreographed the Jacksons’ ‘‘Victory’’ tour, Toni Basil’s music video Hey, Mickey and even the iconic scene in which Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia dance on a giant piano keyboard in Big (1988).
Later Abdul emerged as a superstar pop singer, scoring a series of hits that included Straight Up ( 1989), Forever Your Girl (1989), and Rush, Rush (1991). Eventually, however, Abdul’s album sales sputtered and her star faded — a scenario that hardly caught her by surprise.
‘‘I’ve always understood and appreciated the intensity of longevity,’’ Abdul says, speaking by telephone from her Los Angeles home, her dogs happily yapping in the background. ‘‘For me, I guess my biggest gift has been having the ability to put myself out there and, with daring, bold and hard steps, to constantly navigate reinventions.
‘‘I’ve had four separate and distinct careers that have had nothing to do with each other and that have hit the stratosphere,’’ she says. ‘‘So I’m blessed beyond that I’ve had the ability to be driven and tenacious. I’ve always respected the business part of it, though, and I’m always looking outside the box how to reinvent and how to nurture my niche, which is leading with my heart and being driven by passion.
‘‘But how do I turn that into something that will keep me in the business a long time?,’’ she asks rhetorically. ‘‘I never knew my career would last this long, but I think it has because I understand how fleeting it is and how you have to constantly put yourself out there and be a perpetual student.’’
The world at large knows the most recent chapter: In 2002, after several years out of the spotlight, Abdul joined Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as judges on a new, little-heralded talentcompetition show called American Idol. Abdul dispensed her charming, encouraging and occasionally loopy advice to contestants on the Fox juggernaut until 2009.
And that brings us to today. In the course of a half-hour, the 48-year-old Abdul cheerfully chats up her latest projects, AuditionBooth.com and Live to Dance.
Launched in late November, Audition Booth is a website that enables aspiring singers, dancers, actors, comedians and entertainers of all types to display their talents to casting directors, producers and other show-business decision makers.
‘‘I’m so proud of this,’’ Abdul enthuses. ‘‘I look at it as a final destination. The site is so broad and caters to all the needs of people. It helps you fine tune the art of auditioning and helps you pick your best footage. We help you get off to a great start in the first 10 seconds and keep the flow going.
‘‘There’s nothing out there that’s like this,’’ she continues. ‘‘When I first started, it was the prehistoric times, before computers, before eight-tracks — thank God, I’m just kidding! But I got involved almost 3 years ago and, when I was introduced to the concept, I felt very passionate about it, because I look at the work I’ve done in my career and there’s no mistaking that I’ve been out there talent scouting and mentoring.’’
Abdul dove in deep. She checked out other sites, attended branding and marketing seminars, and got in on the ground floor with Audition Booth, gathering around her kitchen table with the company principals and providing input and suggestions, asking questions and recounting her own experiences.
‘‘When I’ve seen how things have been done online, with auditioning, I’ve just found it a little frustrating,’’ Abdul says, ‘‘because I don’t get a sense that there’s real follow-through and that there’s real attention paid to the intricacies of getting your name out there. I wanted to get involved in this because I feel like it’s what I do. I’m passionate about the creative side of how to mentor people who want to get involved in entertainment.
‘‘And I wanted to be involved at the beginning with these guys,’’ she continues, ‘‘so that we could, collectively, have a really sound site that allows people to go on whatever path they want to go on. I think this gives you the closest chance to realising a dream.’’
Meanwhile Abdul is taking the centre seat at the judges’ table on Live to Dance. Joined by Michael Jackson choreographer Travis Payne and singer/dancer/exPussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, Abdul will say yea or nay to dancers of all ages as they vie for a winner-take-all grand prize of $500,000.
‘‘[(Entertainment reality shows] are plentiful right now,’’ Abdul says, ‘‘and the ones that do succeed are giving young people the chance to fulfil a lifelong dream. The more platforms there are out there, I think it’s fantastic. Like I said, growing up, none of this existed.
‘‘But doing this show, I don’t know what day it is any more,’’ she continues. ‘‘I can’t count the number of flights I’ve been on and cities I’ve been in. It’s been sometimes 6 to 7 days a week, and I’m working 20 hours a day, no joke. I’m producing the show. I’m in the trenches. I brought in the production designer, the lighting people and the music supervisor.
‘‘The amount of work producing it has been ginormous,’’ the entertainer says, ‘‘but it’s been amazing. We have a beautiful, heartfelt show that I hope will resonate with people.
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