Ask American Profile
Chuck Norris, Brenda Lee, Aaron Brown.
—Scott M., New Mexico
Yes, to both questions. Norris and his wife, Jena, who married in 1998, are the proud parents of 2-year-old twins, Dakota and Dani Lee. Aaron Norris and Chuck Norris are not only brothers, they are partners in Norris Brothers Entertainment, the production company responsible for the long-running hit series, Walker, Texas Ranger. The company currently has several film and television projects in development. Chuck Norris, who splits his time between a home in Los Angeles and a ranch outside Houston, also stays busy with his KickStart Foundation. He created the foundation in 1990 with the encouragement of former President George Bush to help young people resist drug-related peer pressure through martial arts training. Norris, 63, a martial arts teacher and six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion, began acting at the suggestion of his friend and student, Steve McQueen.
Singer Brenda Lee was, and always will be, in a class of her own. Can you tell me what she’s doing now?
—Marie H., Indiana
The one-time teen sensation behind the hits I’m Sorry and Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree still performs on occasion. Lee says she spends the rest of her time at home, enjoying her two grandchildren as often as she can and doing the typical household chores that take up so much time of every day. Her autobiography, Little Miss Dynamite, released last year, is now out in paperback. Lee, 59, made her first impression as a singer when she was just 5, winning a children’s talent show in her home state of Georgia. As a result, she was invited to become a regular on a radio show in Atlanta, then went on to sing regularly on a local TV show. But her real break came at age 12, when she went to see her favorite performer, Red Foley, in concert. She ended up singing on the show herself, impressing Foley so much that he later said he felt guilty he hadn’t paid for a ticket to sit in the audience to hear her perform. He invited her onto his own network TV show, Ozark Jubilee, and the audience loved her. A record contract, hit songs, awards, and international fame all came her way quickly after that. She’s sold more than 100 million records, and has been inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She lives in Nashville, Tenn., with her husband of 40 years, Ronnie.
What can you tell me about Aaron Brown on CNN? I’m a big fan of his.
—Bo. W., Alabama
Brown, 54, who anchors NewsNight, CNN’s flagship evening newscast, began his broadcasting career as a radio talk show host in Minneapolis. He is also the cable network’s lead anchor during breaking news and special events. Less than an hour after the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, Brown began covering the event from a rooftop in New York City. He’s anchored coverage of the war in Iraq from CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, including several weeks of on-air marathons. Before moving to CNN, the Hopkins, Minn., native was the anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight Saturday and a reporter for several ABC news programs. He came to ABC from Seattle, where he anchored the evening newscast for KIRO-TV and spent 10 years at Seattle’s KING-TV as a reporter and anchor. Brown has won three Emmys during his career.
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