European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Forever by Carla Hall Washington Post Paula Abdul a Black xj-12 Jaguar convertible needs a Wash. But As she walks into la Loggia in los Angeles one of the valleys Toner italian restaurants receives effusive greetings and Heads for a table the car is probably the last thing on her mind. These Days the dancer choreographer turned vocalist whose songs Haven to left the top 40 pop charts for a year spends much of her Energy juggling the demands of stardom. There Are endorsement contracts with Reebok and diet Coke to fulfil and overseas Tours to plan. She a posed for the cover of people and answered rumours of romantic alliances. Prince no. Arsenio Hall they re just friends. Actor John Stamos Well she took him to the grammy did t she every music awards show wants a and because of her widespread popularity has probably earned a a piece of her. She appeared on the american music awards show and the grammy. And in one hectic week while she rehearsed for the Academy awards show during working hours she went to the Peoples Choice awards one night a cocktail party for the music retailers convention the next and the following afternoon developed a 101-degree fever. What if she Wasny to feeling up to the soul train awards the next night her manager fretted she recovered. Quot we had an offer from the president Quot says Larry Tollin her manager referring to an invitation to Abdul to make an appearance at an anti drug rally in Santa Ana calif., with president Bush and other celebrities Early this month. She declined. The White House press office confirms this. Tollin explains Quot they gave us two Days and we had All these commitments that  be  citing similar time constraints Abdul cancelled an interview she had scheduled in connection with this article. For weeks the Academy awards show Laid first claim to Abdul s time. As choreographer of the shows two musical numbers she rehearsed More than 30 dancers every Day. Abdul is the hot pop Princess of the moment. The 27-year-old Singer has made the pop charts the Black charts the dance music charts. For months you  drive a stretch of freeway without the car radio offering one of their Quot Homegirl a Quot hit singles a straight up her first no. 1 hit it s just the Way that you love me knocked out forever your girl cold hearted and opposites attract. After a hesitant Start her debut album forever your girl has sold 6.4 million copies its been ranked on billboards pop charts for the past 88 weeks a with nine weeks As the no. 1 pop album in the country. This Means she has had the longest running debut album since Whitney Houston s first album in 1986 logged 14 weeks at the no. 1 spot. Quot when an album snowballs it just takes on a life of its own Quot says billboard columnist and Industry observer Paul Grein. Quot people become curious. Once it hits the 2 to 3 million Mark you break Down and buy it. You want to feel part of the popular  but the Laws of pop music Are such that Abdul a moment cannot last forever. Quot every artist who hits this big is in danger of being overexposed Quot notes Grein. Quot Cyndi Lauper is a Good example. She was on so Many awards shows and so Many talk shows. She flamed out years before she should have. The Betty Boop voice and image did t change and people got tired of  Abdul looks dramatically different from her Days at Van Guys High school. Gone is the round faced Cherub with a dark curtain of hair. Now she has a Hairdresser and a make up artist who take 2v2 hours to transform her into Paula Abdul the Public figure. She showed up at the grammy in a glittery Bob Mackie gown her hair pulled up into the modified pebbles Flintstone do that she currently favors. Since her studio City Condo was broken into the night of the american music awards she divides her time Between her Mother s Home and her older Sisters and Only occasionally returns to her own place. Meanwhile renovations Are under Way at her new Hollywood Hills Home. She has a manager a publicist an attorney a business manager a personal assistant professional agents and a stylist. For events Quot she never likes to Wear the same thing twice Quot her manager says and she a Rich. Quot yeah we be made her a multimillionaire Quot confirms Jeff Ayeroff co manager of Virgin records. What a most interesting about Paula Abdul is not her Ascendancy to pop Fame but Why the deck was even loaded in her favor to begin with she can dance. Whether she sings Well is a matter of individual taste a and questionable importance. But since Michael Jackson changed the profile of pop singers with his thriller album and with the entrenched influence of music videos pop singers must be showmen too. Quot used to be you just needed to sing and girls around you could dance Quot says one record company executive about Michael Jackson. Quot now he was the Guy singing and  Quot what Paula represents is the massive popularity of dance pop Quot says a record company executive who marvels that the Market is voracious enough to accommodate both Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul who share similar music videos and even physical types Quot they have the same Hairdo the same Chunky bodies. They re both Selling  but the image of Abdul also includes a Sweet personality a warm smile an accessible attractiveness. She a been deemed a hard worker by everyone from a former math teacher to the producer of the oscars. Quot if she gets upset about something she cries a says one Industry person. Quot she a a  Quot to me Quot says Ayeroff Quot Paula is an entertainer. She can sing a Little she can dance a Little she can act a Little. She s not controversial. She does no to have nude pictures around she does no to have a sordid  Quot she s like Madonna with class Quot says Grein. A certain ethnic vagueness in an age of frequent crossover hits does no to Hurt her either. Her Mother is White her father is of syrian and brazilian descent but Abdul a dark features skin tone and hip Urban sound create at least a first impression that she might conceivably be Black. Quot Paula has never said what she was never said what she Wasny to Quot says Ayeroff. Quot she a half jewish half Arab a Quarter brazilian i done to know. I think a lot of people done to believe that she s White because she dances so Well. She has that sort of exotic look of mixed Breeding. She a definitely caucasian a but she a not a Wasp a  How does she rate As a pop Singer most people in the Industry answer taut logically a if she s popular she a a Good pop Singer. Quot she does no to sing like aretha Franklin Quot Ayeroff says. Quot she a a Good song stylist. If you judge her by other big voices a Well can Sammy Davis sing like Placido Domingo who cares. Whitney Houston does have a big voice. But she can to  Abdul a fans believe likewise Quot she a not a great Singer a she a Good but not like Whitney Houston or something Quot says 18-year-old Alex Amidi a Junior at Abdul Salma mater. Quot she a a great dancer Abdul has said that she wanted to be an entertainer since she first watched singing in the rain As a Little girl. She spent years taking dance classes was a cheerleader All through High school and taught at cheer leading Camps. During the three years she was enrolled at a but never graduated from a California state University Northridge she signed up for choreography classes dance classes acting classes. Van Guys High school one of the oldest schools in the san Fernando Valley already boasts an impressive list of alumni Robert Redford Natalie Wood Jane Russell Marilyn Monroe Quot attended. But few done to know the name of their newest celebrity Alumna. Abdul s first break came when she was plucked from the corps de Laker girls a the 12 cheerleaders who perform at . Lakers basketball games a first by the Laker girls themselves to choreograph their moves and then by Michael Jackson a Brothers. The Jacksons among the flock of . Celebrities and celebrity makers who show up at lakers games liked what they saw on the floor of the forum so they engaged her to choreograph their torture video. Then another lakers fan a and record executive a asked her to choreograph for Janet Jackson. The resulting videos boosted both their careers establishing Jackson As a vibrant dance act and Abdul As a sought after video choreographer who went on to create moves for such performers As Zzz top the Pointer Sisters and Duran Duran As Well As actors like Eddie Murphy in coming to America and Tom Hanks i his dragnet video. She won an emmy for her choreography on the Tracey Ullmann show. Abdul hired several Laker girls on a number of the videos she choreographed and she herself is visit Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes wednesday april 4,1990