Just one year ago, video choreographer Paula Abdul had just released her debut album and was struggling to win radio airplay for the LP's first single ("Knocked Out"), which had some success on the dance charts but didn't make much of a dent with pop audiences.

Abdul's latest smash is "Cold Hearted," which this week moved up from No. 2 to give her her third straight No. 1 single. ("Forever Your Girl" hit the top in May; "Straight Up" ruled in February.) She also did it in the face of some pretty tough competition: Richard Marx's superhot "Right Here Waiting" (now No. 2), which couldn't quite hang on for a fourth week as champ on the pop list but did notch a fifth straight week at No. 1 on the adult contemporary list.