#1. Judy Fortin

The Ultimate 50

1. Judy Fortin

2010 Update

Judy left CNN in 2009, to join an Atlanta clearinghouse for speakers and news "experts." But look at what she's done to her Super-Hair -- grow it out to shoulder-length, like we've never seen from her before. This corporate photo suggests the vulnerable right side of Judy's hair is sprayed into perfect line.

Yet this picture from an August awards program hints at a looser look, with strips of hair seemingly wanting to go their own direction. They're not going near Judy's eyes, of course -- and we wonder if switched to a lighter spray to achieve this. Her risk has increased, but her success with hold remains unmatched.

As far as we know, Judy ended 19 years on cable TV with her hair never falling. That verifies her place atop this list, as well as a spot in our Project 20/10 list. And if you're at the right public event in Atlanta at the right time, you still can see her serving as emcee and check how that perfection is going.

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2008 Update

Judy's role at CNN hasn't changed much since our last update, and her on-air appearances remain scarce. But the network had wonderful timing for us, presenting a live medical report with her only a few days before we posted this update. This look hints at a bit of mixed layering in his basic style. But especially note a bit of curl added above the right eye. It's clear to us some bangs have grown out, and the curve (probably with added spray) keeps the Super-Hair in perfect position.

This report from April 2008 took place inside a school. All-around length in the style is evident here - and the hair bends away at precisely the right moment, barely touching her eyebrow. Do a search for Judy's name at the CNN Video section to find more examples of her perfect looks (longer clips seem more likely to include her on camera).

With her times on the air limited, Judy continues to display undefeated Ultimate hair mastery. You can see her adjustments over nearly two decades in a picture collection by an obvious CNN Headline News fan.

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2006 Update

Many Hair Fans were disappointed at the start of 2006 when CNN Headline News shuffled its anchors. Fortin was moved to part-time, "fill-in" duty. We had to drop her from our Top Ten Tresses list because of it. But TV news message boards indicate Fortin didn't take well to the change, and asked for reassignment -- so now she's a reporter with CNN's medical unit. The network biography of her doesn't indicate she's with the Headline News side at all. But it does have this current picture, showing her sidepart possibly flat-ironed a bit for straightness. The bangs are ever-so-close to collapse. But as always, they don't.

The disappointing thing about Fortin's new role is that people hear her on TV more than they see her. She's the voice of "Medical Minutes" sent to many local TV stations, but on-camera appearances don't happen very often. We captured this exception in June 2006, with right-side bangs slightly mussed compared to the picture above - but if anything, these don't appear as likely to hit her eye. May CNN show her more frequently, to show the world what a true head of "Super-Hair" is all about.

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2004 Update

In an early 2004 speech at her alma mater, Fortin said she "got the anchor hair going" when she moved behind the desk at CNN Headline News. It's still going after all these years, though she still has occasional moments of slight weakness. Even if a few bangs drop as you see here, longer ones are strong enough that she averts defeat.

Here's another side view, from late 2004. It shows the precise, perfect shape of an Ultimate style. If you don't have cable, you can follow this amazing hair at a great source we use, TV Heads.

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2002 Update

Deep thanks goes to a Hair Fan in Los Angeles, for providing "vid-caps" of this "cap" style from early in 2002. Judy has shown signs either that she's getting more daring, or the "Ultimate of Ultimates" is slowly starting to weaken. This photo reflects what we saw one December day -- bangs more across the forehead than brushed to the side.

The bangs nearest the right eye are only a half-inch away from defeat -- yet still holding strong. We've seen an instance or two, though, where the hair seems to slip slightly during a long run on-camera. Only slightly, though - never enough to hit the eyes.

This is a rare profile look at the Super-style's vulnerable side. We believe she still uses a bit of layering to make longer strands look like they could collapse, when in reality they're not likely to do so.

CNN Headline News viewers don't seem to rate Judy as highly as we do, so photo collections of her are scarce. The best we could find was through joining (we're almost ashamed to post this name) the "CNN Babes" Yahoo! group.

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