Frequently Asked Questions About Lynne Russell

Table of Contents

Q1. Who is Lynne Russell? [RECENT]

Q2. What makes Lynne more special than other news anchors?

Q3. What Lynne resources are available on the net? [NEW]

Q4. What are her background and vital statistics? [NEW]

Q5. What are her activities and interests outside of CNN? [RECENT]

Q6. Could Lynne kick my butt?

Q7. Does Lynne really have a tattoo?

Q8. Have there been any magazine articles about Lynne? [NEW]

Q9. What TV appearances has she made other than CNN?

Q10. Any Lynne pics on the net? [NEW]

Q11. Are there any "Headline Nudes" in existence? [RECENT]

Q12. What's with the hair?

Q13. Is Lynne herself on the net? [RECENT]

Q14. How can I contact Lynne? [RECENT]

Q15. What are Lynne's plans for the future? [RECENT]

Administrivia

Q1. Who is Lynne Russell?

Lynne Russell is the former weekday evening anchor for CNN's Headline News, on which she appeared from 1983 to May 18th, 2001. Her time slot was 7-11 PM (Eastern).

Q2. What makes Lynne more special than other news anchors?

There are many answers to this question. Beauty, quirkiness, class, sexiness, professionalism, warmth, humor, grace, spirit, the list goes on. As an article in the Saturday Evening Post said, "Her style is distinctive. Whereas others are primarily composed and favor a clipped, oracular delivery, Russell is personal, almost conversational, and has a powerful, kinetic presence she cannot quite contain. Whether it's a half-smile, an arched brow, or the toss of a shoulder, there is a restless physicality about her." She's not just a news reader: in an interview for the journal Electronic Media, she characterized herself as «an involved journalist and active reporter.» In any case, she edits her own material, and is likely to reject what is on the teleprompter in favor of what she has in front of her on paper, and anyone who would dispute her right to do so should refer to question #6.

Q3. What Lynne resources are available on the net?

There are quite a few resources about Lynne available:

• Lynne Russell's official web site http://www.lynne-russell.com/ debuted February 2002. The site includes a picture gallery (with photos never seen before online), message board (which Lynne will participate in from time to time), quotes, tips for romance and a place to buy autographed copies of her book.
• alt.fan.lynne-russell, a Usenet newsgroup created in January 1995. The newsgroup also hosts discussion about various other ladies of broadcasting, at least until there is a critical mass of support for a more generic alt.fan.infobabe newsgroup. For people without direct access to newsgroups, alt.fan.lynne-russell can be read on Google Groups at http://groups.google.com/groups?group=alt.fan.lynne-russell for text messages; Google Groups doesn't archive binaries. For newsreader options which include binaries, see NewsReaders.com
• CNN's web site, Anchors & Reporters section provides a brief biography and career summary http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/russell.html in spite of the fact that she no longer appears on CNN Headline News.
• Lynne Russell: A Truly Unique Individual, a web page by Brian Lev http://www.his.com/~blev/lynnepages.html
• There is a Lynne Russell Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lynnerussell/
• The alt.fan.lynne-russell Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file, maintained by Earl Cooley III http://www.io.com/shiva/lrFAQ.html

If you know of more Lynne Russell resources online, please e-mail details to shiva@io.com.

Q4. What are her background and vital statistics?

Lynne Russell was born in Orange, New Jersey, to John Russell and Carmela Pasqualina Evangelista on November 1, 1946. Her father was a career army officer, so her family moved frequently while she was growing up. She studied nursing at the University of Colorado, but later pursued a broadcasting career at a small radio station. Lynne then got a radio job in Miami, where she met her second husband, Jim Dunlap. They married in 1978, and divorced a few years ago. That same year was her first TV news job, in Jacksonville, and over the next several years she did TV news in Boston, Honolulu, and San Antonio, until landing the job in Atlanta with the young Headline News in 1983. In 1993 she became the first recipient of St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School of Journalism Award for Excellence in Responsible Journalism.

• Lynne has a son, John, born circa 1971 from a brief first marriage.
• Her height is 5' 9". (although one eyewitness report estimates 6' 1")
• Hair: red/brown. Eyes: dark brown.
• Her ancestry is Italian on her mother's side.
• She's a vegetarian.
• Her CNN salary was in the six-figure range.
• Favorite anchor: Roger Mudd.
• Favorite Charity: the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.
• Favorite Words of Wisdom: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Q5. What are her activities and interests outside of CNN?

One of the fascinating aspects of Lynne's life is that she has some unusual hobbies and moonlights in some unexpected professions. "She has a lot of different passions," says coworker Chuck Roberts. She is a:

• Deputy Sheriff: Lynne is a volunteer deputy for the Fulton County Sheriff's Department. She wears a full uniform, carries a gun, and performs such duties as providing security for public events, screening visitors at the county jail, and occasionally directing traffic.
• Private Investigator and Bodyguard: A licensed P.I., Lynne works part-time for the United Security Group (unpaid, so as not to be a conflict of interest with CNN). For example, she does investigation and surveillance of fraudulent injury claimants and unfaithful spouses and has served as a bodyguard for celebrities visiting Atlanta.
• Martial Artist: Lynne has been involved in martial arts for about 20 years, starting with Shotokan Karate and more recently studying a Korean form called Choi Kwang Do which emphasizes the reduction of the risk of injury during training. She is a CKD black belt and trains regularly. «A woman should be able to defend herself.»
• Athlete: She is an open-water certified scuba diver. About the certification test, Lynne says, «the water temp was sixty-two degrees, and it was sixty feet in three feet visibility. It was a certification from hell.» She is also an ice hockey enthusiast; a few years ago, she broke her leg while indulging in the sport.
• Public Speaker: Lynne has frequently put her great voice to good use as a public speaker. For example, she (along with Richard Belzer) co-emceed the Top Cops Awards® ceremonies from 1995 to 2000 for the National Association of Police Organizations. More recently, she was the keynote speaker at the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Professional Education Conference - North America which was held in January of 2001 in New Orleans. For booking inquires, see http://lynne-russell.com/media.html
• Author: Her autobiography, How to Win Friends, Kick Ass and Influence People (ISBN: 0312244037, 0312267509 pbk), is available from St. Martin's Press. The cover blurb by George magazine says, "As Russell reads the news, her spunk, like an unruly bra strap, slips into view." Lynne also wrote an article for the January 1994 issue of Tae Kwon-Do Times magazine, called "CNN's Lynne Russell Speaks on Choi Kwang-Do: No Pain, Big Gains." That particular back issue is sold out. She is working on a second book.
• Actor: She's been cast as an abused woman in a Canadian TV series, "The Ride," opposite ex-"Homicide" star Yaphett Kotto.

Lynne says, «I can't imagine doing any one thing. Why should you have to?»

Q6. Could Lynne kick my butt?

Almost certainly. Lynne's extensive experience in martial arts would make her a formidable foe. Says her instructor, "In the classroom a lot of the male population, they're actually pretty frightened of her." Aside from that, she's licensed to carry a handgun; the last we knew, she packs a SIG-Sauer P230 9mm short semiautomatic pistol and knows how to use it. But we are fortunate in that Lynne uses her powers for good instead of evil.

Q7. Does Lynne really have a tattoo?

Yes, she has at least two, one is on the inside of her left forearm. It is a yellow circle containing an orange mark, a black figure of a dragon, and black Korean characters which read as "Pil Sung." Pil Sung is a motto for Choi Kwang Do and translates as "Certain Victory." Lynne got the tattoo to celebrate attaining her bodan belt in 1994. The more recent Jezebel picture shows a second tattoo on the outside of her right arm; the resolution of the picture was such that it is difficult to provide an accurate blazon for the new tattoo, except to note that it is reddish with a dark border and contains several symbols, one of which looks like the letter "C". One presumes it celebrates her first dan black belt in CKD.

Q8. Have there been any magazine articles about Lynne?

Features on Lynne have appeared in the following magazines and webzines:

• People Weekly, June 27, 1994. "Here Now, the Sleuth," p. 61.
• Millenium Pop, Fall 1994. "Lynne Russell - Revision," by Robin Dougherty.
• Atlanta Magazine, April 1995. "CNN's Secret Agent," p. 40.
• The Saturday Evening Post, June 1995. "Lynne Russell: CNN's Straight-Shooting Anchorwoman," p. 34.
• Lynne appeared, along with other "Ladies of CNN," in the August 1996 issue of Esquire magazine in the "Women We Love" section.
• An article about Lynne appeared in the November 13th, 1996 edition of the hypertrendoid webzine Suck, a self-proclaimed "experiment in provocation, mordant deconstructionism, and buzz-saw journalism." Some of it was actually about Lynne, but it tended to diverge into odd topics such as modern primitivism and posthuman psychology.
• An article which mentioned Lynne appeared in Salon, a webzine owned by Borders Books & Music; in a FAQ-like discussion of television, Joyce Millman says of Lynne, "Her dark, manicured eyebrows are mobile arches of silent editorial commentary."
• George Magazine's May 1998 issue (p. 30) featured a brief profile which compared and contrasted her to Daljit Dhaliwal of ITN. Rory Evans says Lynne is "...the business-class version of Sophia Loren."
• Playboy's Body Language newsstand special featured an article by Lynne (excerpted from her book) in its September 1998 issue.
• The November 1998 issue of Southwest Airlines Spirit in-flight magazine's cover story is called "Lynne, Live" by Lawrence Wells.
• Atlanta's Jezebel magazine's 2nd anniversary issue (November 1998) featured a two-page photo spread of Lynne; she was also one of the people on the cover.
• The November 30th, 1998 issue of Electronic Media (a weekly newspaper that covers the programming business of television in broadcasting, cable and syndication, including local stations, broadcast and cable networks, direct broadcast satellite and the Web) featured an article about Lynne.
• The July 1999 issue of Cyberteen Zeen (an e-zine for teens) featured an article called "The Best Person You Don't Know About," by Lindsey Buckner.
• The November 1999 issue of Mirabella magazine had a one-page feature on Lynne with pictures. Mirabella ceased publication in April of 2000. Please email shiva@io.com if you have any information about this article.
• Adult film industry jounalist Luke Ford wrote about Lynne in his April 19th, 2000 column; the article is called "Luke Loves Lynne". It includes commentary from various sources, as well as an excerpt from Lynne's article in Playboy's Body Language.
• The August 21st, 2000 online issue of Salon Technology & Business featured an article by Sonia Chopra called "A CNN anchor opens up off-camera" which was reprinted from Green Magazine. Bankrate.com picked up the article as well, under the title "This Redhead Reads Headlines and Much More"
• The December 2000 issue of The Meeting Professional magazine featured a great interview with Lynne. «Free speech is the basis of a free society,» says Lynne, «whether it's in a meeting forum or on a news set. It's more than fun, interesting and stimulating. It's essential.»
• The January 28th, 2001 issue of American Profile magazine featured a short bio of Lynne in several of their regional editions.
• On May 15th, 2001, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reported on Lynne's exit from CNN in an article "CNN anchor to quit, seeking 'mellower time'". «I'm gonna make my hair redder,» she said. «I'm gonna put down the top of that car» (a Mercedes SLK 320). «I'm gonna break some rules here.»
• The May 16th, 2001 issue of Variety reported Lynne's departure from CNN Headline News in a news item called "Vet anchor Russell ankles CNN". The article is available to Variety subscribers only.
• The May 17th, 2001 online issue of Hollywood Star News featured a report of Lynne's departure from CNN Headline News, summarizing the Variety article.
• On May 18th, 2001, The Washington Post featured an article "Sunk in a Funk Without Anchor Lynne Russell" which described the reaction of the men of The Washington Post's Style section to Lynne's resignation from CNN Headline News. Their tribute to Lynne was both heartfelt and eloquent: "We love Lynne because her voice is an exotic instrument, a smoky, soothing thing that is the vessel of her conspiratorial bond with her viewers."
• From The Rational Radical's Daily Diatribe column, comes an anti-Lynne article, which criticizes her for smiling while reporting disasters, called "Lynne Russell, Keep That Smile Off Your Face!"
• On February 20th, 2002, The Starr Report featured an interview with Lynne about her new web site.

The text of many of these articles has been posted to Usenet or the Web and is reposted occasionally. Thanks to Google's 20-year Usenet archive, many of these articles are available once again.

Q9. What TV appearances has she made other than CNN?

Lynne has been interviewed several times on TV.

• Lynne appeared as a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on 7/25/94. She caused a bit of a stir by hiking up her miniskirt in the middle of the interview to reveal her trusty 9mm pistol in a thigh holster. In addition, she repeatedly referred to her boss Ted Turner's wife Jane Fonda as "Barbarella." Unfortunately, individual episodes are not available for sale at the NBC Store site.
• In the spring of '95, Lynne was profiled on the entertainment news show EXTRA. They showed her at work at CNN, practicing martial arts in the gym, and patrolling the streets of Atlanta as a deputy sheriff.
• In the summer of '96, Lynne made an appearance on the Crook & Chase show in her Fulton County deputy's uniform; she frisked Charlie Chase, got him down on his knees, handcuffed him and read him his rights: «You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to color tv, you have the right to sing the blues...»
• Given the fact that she has published her memoirs, we hope to see Lynne make the talk show tour to promote her book.

Q10. Any Lynne pics on the net?

Pictures have been scanned from the Saturday Evening Post article and other sources, and the jpegs are posted to alt.binaries.pictures.celebrities and alt.binaries.pictures.misc on occasion (sometimes flagged with an "[INFOBABE]" tag in the message subject). Four Lynne Russell pictures reside at the Private Pages "On The Air" web site; they consist of photos from the EXTRA feature and Atlanta magazine, with more pictures available to members. The CNN web site has a single medium-quality color pic of Lynne. Although the Lynne Live! web site is no longer active, it has a large associated photo gallery. Some of the online resources listed above have a few pictures of Lynne. Lynne's entry at The Vanishing Tattoo's Celebrity Tattoos listing features a copy of the Jezebel picture. The alt.fan.lynne-russell newsgroup itself has had many pictures posted over the years; participants in the newsgroup are generally tolerant of on-topic binary postings even though it is a discussion newsgroup. Pictures and discussion of other ladies in broadcasting who have no newsgroup of their own have appeared there from time to time as well; this is likely to continue until a more general infobabe newsgroup gets created.

Q11. Are there any "Headline Nudes" in existence?

Rumor has it that Playboy twice offered Lynne big bucks to pose nude, but she declined. Since she presumably no longer has CNN contract restrictions to interfere, she is in negotiations with Playboy to make some sort of appearance. Although not nude, the most erotic pictures of Lynne (not counting the many fakes) are from Atlanta magazine, where she is clad in tight patent leather, wears her gun as an accessory, and shows quite a bit of black-stockinged, stiletto-heeled leg. The much-awaited Jezebel pictures were posted to the newsgroup a few years ago, so there appears to be a new champion in that department. Quite a few fake nudes of Lynne have appeared in the alt.fan.lynne-russell newsgroup, and can be expected to appear in alt.binaries.pictures.nude.celebrities.fake as well. By the way, Google Groups does not archive any binary content.

Q12. What's with the hair?

Unlike most anchorwomen, Lynne is known to change her hairstyle frequently. To quote Atlanta magazine, "Russell's may be the most carefully scrutinized television 'do' since Howard Cosell put on a rug. Even casual viewers note that one night Russell looks carefully coifed and the next as if she forgot to wear a shower cap -- which is what, in fact, sometimes happens. «Regarding my hair,» volunteers Russell, accustomed to comments, «I have no control over it. I'm just wearing it.» " Her color is primarily dark red, although even that is variable -- at one time during the 80's she even had a very brief stint as a blonde. Some have theorized that she may sometimes wear wigs on the air, but this has not been confirmed. Also, she sometimes wears (and always looks good in) glasses on-air, something that is seen on few other female anchors.

Q13. Is Lynne herself on the net?

Yes. She participates in message board discussions on her new web site.

Q14. How can I contact Lynne?

You can contact Lynne through her new web site at http://lynne-russell.com/contact.html and http://lynne-russell.com/media.html for media and appearance inquiries.

Beyond that, you should respect Lynne's privacy. She has had bad experiences in the past regarding obsessed fans. Quoting from Atlanta magazine, "She has had men stalk her, including one from New England who traveled to New York and Washington before he realized she was in Atlanta. When he finally found his way here, he was arrested, convicted and sent to jail." Above all, don't try to interfere when she's working. One guy tried to get in the background of a location shot and was making a pest of himself. Lynne covered her mike, turned to the man, and said, «If you don't knock it off, you're gonna carry your balls out in a basket.» He left. Anyone with similar ideas is referred to question #6. Further, "... the network gets more requests for pictures of Russell than anyone. Unfortunately, says Russell, some «you'd want to handle with gloves. They're disgusting.»" So keep it nice.

Q15. What are Lynne's plans for the future?

Lynne's last broadcast for CNN was on Friday, May 18th, 2001. Lynne is committed to writing and acting for now. Watch for her when The Ride becomes available on Canadian TV. You can also keep up to date on Lynne through her new web site at http://www.lynne-russell.com/

Administrivia

Please e-mail comments about this FAQ to Earl Cooley III at shiva@io.com.
Last modified Thursday, August 22, 2002 6:53:40 AM.
http://www.io.com/~shiva/lrFAQ.html
ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/usr/shiva/lrFAQ.txt
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/celebrities/lynne-russell
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/celebrities/lynne-russell/