Paula Abdul: "I Have a Brain"

As Paula Abdul gets ready for her new reality competition series "Live to Dance" to premiere on CBS, she'd like to "Straight Up" tell people about the real Paula.

"I am intelligent," Abdul said to Julie Chen in an interview that will air on "Sunday Morning" Jan. 2. "Having a brain, that's a concept, yes, with Paula Abdul. I have a brain."

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Abdul told Chen that her earliest memory of dance was watching "Singing in the Rain" and getting close to the TV set to be able to kiss Gene Kelly.

"I looked back at my dad, and I said, 'That's my dad.' And my father says, 'No, I'm your dad. That can be your television dad.' And I fell in love with Gene Kelly," Abudl said. "As my parents put it, I stood up and I put my fist down and said, 'I'm going to be an entertainer.'"

Abdul also addressed rumors of drug and alcohol abuse - including unflattering videos that have appeared of her while she was a judge on "American Idol."

"I've never had a drinking problem … Even though I've been in this business for quite some time. I've never physically been drunk in my life. I've never been drunk in my life. I don't use recreational drugs. But, I am goofy," Abdul said.

She said her loopy behavior is just her being "Paula."

"And, even the people on 'Idol' know that none of that [drug abuse] existed, ever," Abdul said.

For more, including how Abdul has a new man in her life, watch "Sunday Morning" Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. ET/PT.

Watch this excerpt from the interview when Abdul speaks about her intelligence: