Confession: I haven’t gotten around to seeing the new Spiderman film yet. Somehow, I’ve managed to avoid all spoilers, because I’ve generally been laying low on social media sites. I did, however, manage to catch Tom Holland on that hot chicken wing show, and he was such a good sport he earned this Dazzler of the Day honor simply for that. Holland was previously a shirtless Hunk of the Day here, so not much more needs to be said.
While I love the American teams for Olympic ice dancing (Chock & Bates, Hubbell & Donohue) my favorite team, and the one I’ll be rooting for, is the French team of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron. They are named Dazzlers of the Day because in my armchair-amateur opinion they have the best combination of skill and artistry in this competitive field, just edging out their counterparts. Witness the rest at Beijing next month, when the Winter Olympics begin on February 3…
Starring and directing in anything is a feat of majesty, purpose, and grace when well-executed, and in the case of the music video for Karel Barnoski’s ‘November Moon’ Summer Shapiro executes both tasks in magnificent form. She earns her first Dazzler of the Day feature thanks to the precision of her vision, and the hints at physical dexterity and skill that inform her other artistic work as dancer and comedienne. The powerful ‘November Moon’ marks a return to this avenue of craft after a few years away, and it’s a stunning sort of re-birth, more phoenix than butterfly, as one gets the sense that she’s taking fiery flight after burning up the ashes of learning to let go. Visit her exquisite website here.
It’s not often that I get to say that I’ve known the Dazzler of the Day since we were kids, but such is the happy circumstances of today’s Dazzler Karel Barnoski, whom I ‘ve known since we played hide-and-seek in the streets of Amsterdam, NY back in the 80’s. A friend of my brother’s, he was (and is) about two years younger than me, so I didn’t know him that well, but we spent some formative summers inflicting the usual trauma upon the neighborhood as young boys are sometimes wont to do.
Since then, Karel has grown into one of the most inspiring and creative artists I know, making his time matter with musical composition, musical performance, and new forays into painting and video. Witness and hear his ‘Tiny Telephone Sessions‘ collection for a starting point, and the gorgeous ‘Welcome Home’ album which is an absolute balm on today’s mad world, as well as his recent ‘November Moon’ song and video. Also check out his website for previous genius.
Birthday boy Jerry Mitchell easily earns his first Dazzler of the Day with this post, which he can add to his sterling curriculum vitae (which probably doesn’t include his Hunk of the Day honor seen here). Mitchell is a Broadway superstar, from his time treading the boards to the many producing/directing/choreographing/too-many-slashes-to-mention efforts. His brilliance and genius are in evidence on the stage, but more importantly is the heart ad soul he puts into everything including all of his Broadway Bares endeavors, which have raised an enormous amount of money for the fight against AIDS. It’s so good to see someone whose talents match how much they care for others. Happy birthday to him, and congrats on this latest honor!
Swizzling their way onto the road to the Winter Olympics, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue earn their first crowning as Dazzlers of the Day, even if Zachary has been featured here previously. This is reportedly their last outing as a competitive ice dancing pair, which lends all of their programs an added gravitas and flare. I’m always here for both.
We began our journey to the Winter Olympics in Beijing next month with this Dazzler of the Day, and today we continue on that ice-laden path with a joint Dazzler crowning for the US ice dancing team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who have been featured here before for previous Olympic glory. They are an exquisite pair to watch, and the ice dance competition is fierce, so they have their work cut out for them.
Hot off the blades of his 6th US Figure Skating Championship title, Nathan Chen kicks off this year’s Winter Olympic extravaganza with his first Dazzler of the Day crowning. He leads the hopes for US Gold at this winter’s Olympic Games. There’s a lot of pressure riding on that, yet he has the champion’s focus to deal with it in a way that I cannot even begin to fathom.
Artists make the most impressive dazzlers, and so this Dazzler of the Day was an obvious and much-deserved choice. Here is Michael Breyette – one of my favorite living artists – and what a thrill and joy it is to be alive when someone so talented is working and producing art that will surely endure long into the future. We don’t appreciate people when we should.
Breyette has been featured here in a few previous posts, such as this artist profile and a cheeky Hunk of the Day crowning. He was also gracious and kind enough to capture me back when I could fit snugly into a Speedo.
He recently posted the following on his lovely website, offering an inside look into the process of an artist in winter:
It’s great to have a busy holiday season, but it seems like forever since I was at the drawing board. I also have this ‘dream’ of coming up with a whole bunch of ideas and outlines now to carry me through the whole year. The hope would be that I’d be more proficient and could quickly finish up one work and move right on to the next, without waiting for inspiration or taking time to develop an idea. Knowing how I usually work though, I don’t think I’ll make it happen. In the past when I’ve planned out several pieces at once, I’ve only managed to complete a few of them. Maybe I lose interest, my head is just not in the same place it was when I was creating the concept.
How wonderful it is to have him in this world, making it more beautiful, making it more resonant, making it more bearable. Visit his website here for more magic and enjoy the seasonal selections of his work below.
She’s that rare Jeopardy champion who becomes an absolute joy to watch as she racks up wins into and beyond the million dollar mark. This is Amy Schneider, who earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor thanks to the way she’s captured the heart of the gameshow-watching world. I don’t know how one person can know so many things – it’s a success if I get one question correct per round, and I’d be that one person who wages $0 on a Daily Double just to be safe. Congrats to Ms. Schneider on this win.
Amy Schneider – Jeopardy! Contestant
https://app.asana.com/0/1135954362417873/1201448923918845/f
Credit: Courtesy Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
Having recently opened her Las Vegas residence entitled ‘Play’, Katy Perry earns her very first Dazzler of the Day here, if only for the iconic clips I’ve already seen (a piece of shit rises out of a giant toilet at one point, so… yeah). Perry has proved herself a survivor in the fickle landscape of pop, and that’s no easy feat these days. Her baby daddy Orlando Bloom is not bad to look at either.
Creator and overseer of Ryan’s Mean Girls, Ryan John has been making fitness into something cool and chic thanks to an effervescent spirit and consistently motivating brand of encouragement and inspiration. He earns this Dazzler of the Day for being a source of fitness empowerment coupled with fun and wit. Bonus points: his motto for the fitness program (found on this FaceBook page) is straight out of the burn book:
Not like a regular fitness page, It’s a cool fitness page.
* Don’t wear a tank top two days in a row.* You can only wear your hair in a ponytail once a week.* On Wednesday’s we wear pink.* You can only wear jeans or track pants on Friday.Your “one-stop- shop” when it comes to health and fitness. We have workouts, healthy recipes and a ton of motivation to keep you active and healthy!
We promise to help you as best we can but only YOU can make the change happen
Work hard, get fit and above all…have fun!
Inspired by Miranda Hart’s turn as Dazzler of the Day and the utterly charming performance he gives on her self-titled show, Tom Ellis earns his own Dazzler of the Day thanks to that charming chef, and a more devilish turn on ‘Lucifer’. He also re-ignites the ‘shirtless male celebrity’ side of this site, setting the stage for a sexy New Year.
We knew from the moment she held her own with Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley in ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ that Emily Blunt was a star. From there, she’s been stunning and seducing audiences with an impressive curriculum vitae that runs the gamut from critical indie darlings to smash sensations – see ‘Sunshine Cleaning’, ‘Jungle Cruise’, ‘Mary Poppins Returns‘, ‘A Quiet Place’ (1 and 2), ‘Into the Woods‘, ‘The Adjustment Bureau’, and ‘The Girl on the Train’. All of those films were made better, if not spectacular, thanks to Blunt’s masterful portrayals. Today she is crowned Dazzler of the Day, if only for surviving the devil in Prada.
PS – Bonus points for her husband.
My friend Marline introduced me to Miranda Hart when we were discussing the concept of a savory muffin at work one morning. I’d known her work from the movie ‘Spy’ where she was the funniest part of that Melissa McCarthy-helmed comedy (a Herculean feat unto itself), and then I later realized she could be as heart-tugging as she was hilarious in her turn in ‘Emma’. From there, I’ve been revisiting her BBC sitcom ‘Miranda’ to laugh away the winter nights, and because of that she earns this Dazzler of the Day.
