Category Archives: Dazzler of the Day

My adoration for Soledad O’Brien began when she was on CNN in the early 2000’s, at a time when seeing another biracial person on television was both emboldening and refreshing. We haven’t come all that far since then, a point which O’Brien continues to drive home, in necessary and potent form. Many of the problematic news stories today are such because of the way in which they are framed – for ratings or political correctness or plain and simple weakness of people who are afraid to call out injustice and social ills in blunt and accurate terms. 

O’Brien consistently challenges reporters, and viewers, to do better, and she can back up her criticism as a veteran in the news field. Unfettered by the restraints and internal machinations of a behemoth like CNN, O’Brien has earned this Dazzler of the Day for her ongoing influence and voice for intelligence, truth, and calling out racism and hate as they are. She continues to make a powerful impact in the news world, helming her own documentary production company that is currently putting out the ‘Disrupt and Dismantle’ series on BET. 

Her Twitter feed alone is enough to dazzle and delight (I will always appreciate people in powerful positions taking risks that unabashedly speak out against social injustice, no matter how polarizing or unpopular that may be) and if you ever hear that she’ll be appearing on a news segment somewhere, make that appointment to watch. 

Venerated and worshipped by my pal Skip, Marcus Lemonis is one of those do-good philanthropists of which this world needs more – and the only way I have of honoring him is by naming him Dazzler of the Day. It’s a small reward for all the good he’s done for others, but hopefully it will be just as good as any bite of chocolate at 2 AM (an inside joke, Skip tells me, that I still don’t quite understand). Lemonis makes an ideal Dazzler because he dabbles so successfully in so many fields, and does it all with true artistry and talent. For further evidence of his brilliance, visit his website here.

There is a very good argument to be made for the proclamation that Stacey Abrams single-handedly saved the American Democracy as we know it. Following her questionable defeat in a run for Georgia’s Governor amid infuriating voter suppression, Abrams took it upon herself to work tirelessly in the next election cycles to help fix all that was (and some of which still remains) broken, and we have her to thank in large part for the the recent Senate elections in Georgia going blue. She is a true Dazzler of the Day, for her unwavering belief in our democracy and her inspiring journey of making setbacks and challenges into an opportunity for reform and improvement. 

If it were based on his Twitter account alone, George Takei would be a lock on Dazzler of the Day; based on his entire amazing career, he earns the title in a way few others have. Takei has been an actor, activist and author for roughly seven decades – an unprecedented run that only seems to be getting stronger as his growing social media acumen finds new ways to inspire. 

She was probably the most famous casualty in the entire ‘Sex & the City’ series, and she certainly went out in a memorable way (the cost of a cigarette in those days…) Anyway, Kristen Johnston is named Dazzler of the Day not only for her scene-stealing antics on-screen, but for her courageous and brave recovery from addiction (chronicled in her brilliant memoir ‘Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster’). Check her out in this final season of the hilarious, and often moving, sitcom ‘Mom’ (made all the more exhilarating thanks to Johnston’s surprisingly tender portrayal of Tammy) and then find and follow her magnificent Twitter feed, @thekjohnston.

She embodies what the line ‘Ladies with an attitude’ truly means, and Margaret Cho, with an impressive herstory of accomplishments and courage, easily earns this Dazzler of the Day. She continues to wow audiences and the world over with her cutting social commentary and witty delivery, backing it all up with that rarest of Hollywood careers: a long and sustainable one. She’s been trailblazing for decades, and isn’t slowing up anytime soon. Dazzle on, Queen.