Category Archives: Dazzler of the Day

With his latest endeavor making a splash in the podcast world, veteran NPR news anchor Eddie Robinson earns his first Dazzler of the Day crowning thanks to his show’s impressive aim at illuminating those disenfranchised communities that have historically been silenced. Robinson’s new ‘I SEE U’ podcast aims to share and enlighten stories from those of us who have not yet had our voices heard: 

I SEE U is a unique new program that gives voice to those who have often been unheard. Hosted by Houston Public Media’s Eddie Robinson, I SEE U explores cultural identity through the stories of people and places that have been transformed by the effects of long-standing biases. Eddie guides fascinating conversations with newsmakers who share their personal histories, their struggles and their triumphs. In listening, we learn to empathize and hopefully experience a few ‘a-ha’ moments for ourselves.

“If we turn our back on the world’s most vulnerable people, we’re eschewing the values our country was founded on.” ~ Ted Lieu

He’s my Twitter hero, thanks to his epic and savage take-downs of ignorance and hate, as well as his thoughtful and insightful bits of wit and wisdom. Even more impressive, his service to our country earns Ted Lieu our Dazzler of the Day honor. A United States Air Force Veteran, and a member of the House of Representatives, he still counts his family as his first priority. His work in Congress has earned him a place on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I’m thankful for his presence there, and his hard work for all the people of this country.

“Diversity – both in ideas and people – has always been one of the country’s greatest assets.” ~ Ted Lieu

This Dazzler of the Day is a stunner, holding so many ‘firsts’ that I can’t keep track. Kamala Harris is the first female Vice President, the first Black Vice President, and the first Asian Vice President – and that’s only the ‘firsts’ of her current job title. She was actually my first choice as the candidate for the most recent Presidential election, and it’s thrilling to see her embrace and expand the office of the Vice President, working closely in tandem with President Biden on all key policy points. I also distinctly recall her giving the go-ahead for gay marriages to commence in California, at a time when it seemed like this country was not quite ready to do so. For all those reasons (and so many more), Harris earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor. 

Jose Antonio Vargas earns his first Dazzler of the Day honor thanks to his untiring and ongoing fight for the rights of immigrants. He’s been nominated for Emmy and Tony awards, and has won the Pulitzer Prize. His memoir ‘Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’ is the next book on my reading list, and a new book ‘White Is Not A Country’ is scheduled to be published in 2023. For more of his many accomplishments, check out his website here.

“This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like me find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. After twenty-five years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.” ? Jose Antonio Vargas, ‘Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’

Lately I’ve been obsessed with watching video clips of the set-ups for the E! Red Carpet Glambot – directed by Cole Walliser, who earns his very first Dazzler of the Day thanks to his effervescent attitude and infallible ability to get the best out of his celebrity subjects. With a mane of hair that I daresay surpasses the locks of Jason Momoa, Walliser usually makes as dapper a sight to behold on the red carpet as those he so expertly captures on the glambot. Don’t be fooled by all that frivolous fabulousness – Walliser has been making short films and music videos for a while, working with such luminaries as Katy Perry, P!nk, and Miley Cyrus. 

A man of so many talents and accomplishments seems sorely limited by such an honor as Dazzler of the Day, but it’s all I have to give, and no one embodies that dazzle better right now than Colman Domingo. In all honesty, it’s that ultra-hot-pink outfit he wore to the Academy Awards that cinched this title, but delve deeper into his website and the following bio, which merely hints at his considerable greatness, and you’ll discover all the plentiful brilliance with which he dazzles:

A 2021 Film Independent Spirit, NAACP, SAG and Critics Choice Award nominee for his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Colman Domingo is a Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, and Drama League Award nominated actor, director, writer and producer. Colman has recently received his Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Ursinus College. He is a Juilliard School Creative Associate and on faculty of the Yale School of Drama. He has starred in some of the most profound films in recent years such as Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, Steven Spielbergs’ Lincoln, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation. He stars in the upcoming films, Jordan Peele’s Candyman and Janicza Bravo’s Zola. He stars on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead for seven seasons and guest stars on HBO’s Euphoria as Ali. He recurred on Steven Soderbergh’s series The Knick. As a writer, his plays and musicals include Dot (Samuel French), Wild with Happy (Dramatist Play Service) and A Boy and His Soul (Oberon Books), the Tony Award nominated Broadway musical Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Geffen Playhouse’s groundbreaking musical Light’s Out: Nat King Cole. His plays have been produced by The Public Theater, Vineyard, La Jolla Playhouse, Humana Festival of New American Plays, New York Stage and Film, A.C.T, The Tricycle Theater in London, Brisbane Powerhouse in Australia, among others. He is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel, Obie, Audelco and GLAAD Award for his work. His production company, Edith Productions, has a first look deal with AMC Studios for which he is developing television, film, theater and animation projects. He is currently writing a new musical for The Young Vic in London/ Concord Music and hosting Season 3 of his series, Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s across AMC platforms.

Bringing truth and integrity back to the White House Press Secretary position (after four years of liars) is no easy feat, but the studied intelligence and straight-forwardness of Jen Psaki is precisely the healing truth bomb/balm that our country so desperately needed. She is a masterful conveyor of information, while handling often-ignorant (and sometimes downright stupid) questions from the press corps with grace and aplomb. She can expertly deliver a zinger of truth in the politest manner while wielding her words with the precision and practice of a master surgeon. For those reasons, Psaki is our Dazzler of the Day.

Senior Producer of ‘The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell’ – the intelligent and erudite follow-up to Rachel Maddow’s brilliance on MSNBC – Kyle Griffin earns his first Dazzler of the Day thanks to his vital Twitter feed and rightful indignation at inequality and hypocrisy. With a keen political eye, and an equally-entertaining Instagram feed, Griffin dazzles behind and in front of the lens.

As the first woman of color to win the Oscar for Best Director, Chloé Zhao earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor, an admittedly paltry gift given all the other awards she has earned this past year for her film ‘Nomadland’. She gave a wonderful acceptance speech in which she said she has always followed a Chinese saying she learned as a child: “People at birth are inherently good.” I like that message. I wish I believed it as much as Ms. Zhao, and I’m grateful she gives me that bit of hope.

Her Louis Vuitton dress was my favorite at this year’s Academy Awards, but Regina King has earned this Dazzler of the Day for her decades-long entertainment career, over which she is currently reigning as actor and director. I remember watching her on ‘227’ on NBC when I was a kid, and she was one of my favorite characters thanks to her studious and sharp delivery. The spark she delivered even at that early stage has carried through the long trajectory of her artistic journey, and whenever she’s on stage or screen (or shining behind it) she mesmerizes. 

It can’t be easy being Madonna’s daughter. As much as I love Madonna, one does get the feeling that living with her is no easy gig. Yet from most indications her first-born daughter, Lourdes Leon, is making her way from beneath the enormous shadow of the most famous mother in history. Ms. Leon earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor, thanks to her latest turn as the muse and model of Marc Jacobs, and a charming ‘Vanity Fair’ story that reveals a level of sophistication that one might expect from the offspring of Madonna. Watching her grow into her own may not be as rocky as some anticipated. 

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