Amelia Dimoldenberg earns her first Dazzler of the Day thanks to her hilarious web series ‘Chicken Shop Date’, which leaves celebrities feeling as awkward and confused as the rest of us. Her humor has struck such a chord that she helmed the red carpet festivities for the most recent Academy Awards show.
Full-disclosure: ultimately, if you follow my work office chain-of-command, this man is my boss. His name is Basil Seggos and he is the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a position from which he recently announced he will be stepping down. He easily earns this Dazzler of the Day because his eight-plus years as our Commissioner is, quite literally, a record-breaking run: Seggos has served in this position for longer than anyone else ever has. During that time, he’s had to deal with increasing challenges and complexities as the world grapples with climate change, environmental justice, and the constant intertwining of politics that is part of every state agency. Throughout it all, he’s maintained a focus fixed on the mission of our agency, while keeping an eye and a helpful push toward diversifying our work-force. In the few meetings I’ve had with him, he’s always been open to different ideas and viewpoints. In a recent interview with ‘City & State NY’ he said, “When we hit that point when we’re representative of New York state, we’re gonna be more effective as an agency because people will see themselves in us and want to be part of this agency and ultimately make us better as we do our important work in every community in their state.”
Being a commissioner is a tough balancing act, and there will always be contingents and people who have an issue or critique of how things are handled; Seggos has been open to those criticisms, and even set up open-door office hours where employees were free to discuss whatever they wanted with him. While he’s been coy about what’s next, his love for the state of New York and the mission of environmental conservation will surely play a part in whatever lucky entity ends up utilizing his talents.
{Requisite Personnel plug: if you’re looking for a rewarding career in Environmental Conservation, please visit the employment page of the DEC website here.}
American soccer player Gaby Vincent earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor for her talent on the soccer field, as well as her LGBTQ+ community outreach and relations work. She is set to be a featured speaker at Athlete Ally’s Athlete Activism Summit in Louisville, Kentucky this June, as seen below:
Over the course of four days, college athletes, coaches, and administrators from across the country will convene to build community, gain knowledge, and commit to actions to help expand LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship on their campuses.
Athlete Ally staff and event co-hosts will share how they are using education, policy reform, athlete activism, and groundbreaking research to champion LGBTQI+ inclusion in and through sport. We will hear from athletes & activists on how visibility and representation can shape collective power, and from QTBIPOC athletes & allies on intersectional activism. Attendees will cycle through breakouts on storytelling and campus advocacy. To cap off the Summit, we will lay out a blueprint for where we go from here to maximize our collective impact.
Gearing up for the Summer Olympics 2024 in Paris, France, this is a continuation of our first summer Olympian found here, and it finds us splashing into the pool with Noah Williams. Partnering up with Tom Daley (a power move of itself) Williams earns his crowning as Dazzler of the Day, a title that Daley clinched a couple of years ago. Williams looks to gain some Olympic gold of his own this summer, and this sets up the water nicely. {See also Tom Daley and Matty Lee.}
The Dazzler of the Day goes out to Lena Waithe, for her reigning run as actor, producer, and writer. Waithe has created the Showtime series ‘The Chi’ as well as the BET series ‘Boomerang’ and ‘Twenties’, and acting as Executive Producer of ‘Them’. She’s received a Tony Award nomination (for ‘Ain’t No Mo’) and won an Outstanding Writing Emmy as well as a Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay for ‘Queen and Slim’. That’s a lot of accomplishments, and it still feels like this is only the opening act.
I love a good spiritual trajectory, especially one that echoes the ups and downs most of us will have experienced if we make through any decent run at life. Nicholas Capolino is our Dazzler of the Day because he has gone on such a journey, and continues to follow his own path, through a practice of yoga and meditation and healing, which he now shares with the rest of us. But as they once said on ‘Reading Rainbow’, you don’t have to take my word for it – here’s a better description of his story from his website.
Nicholas cultivated his own yoga and meditation practice in 2008 while studying acting and graduating from Cal State University of Fullerton in 2012. Every day in the acting program, he learned in depth embodiment techniques and trained with world renowned teachers such as Fay Simpson , Kennedy Brown Katherine Fitzmaurice, and many more!
He learned how to tune into his own hormone centers (yogis call these “chakras”) with the Lucid Body Technique, various voice techniques including Fitzmaurice Voice work, and physical embodiment practices to bring classical characters from Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Moliere to life on the stage. He truly believed acting would be his career until he was cut from the program in his junior year. It was heart breaking…
He stopped doing yoga and meditating and instead started smoking cigarettes, and partying for the remainder of his college years. This downward spiral of feeling addicted to smoking, partying, and sex taught him the power of learning to live a life of discipline, moderation, and spirituality.
In 2016, Nicholas rediscovered his roots in yoga and meditation by becoming a certified Hatha yoga instructor at the Huntington Beach Wellness Center. Once he recognized his own healing transformation, Nick expanded his style of teaching by getting certified in Pranic Healing by Master Ko. In addition, he is certified and trained in Hatha, Tantra, Healing Qi Gong , Iyengar Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Restorative Yoga; which allowed him to become a E-RYT 500. (Expert Registered Yoga Teacher 500 hours of training + 200 hour of Healing Qi Gong) He is also certified as a group fitness instructor with expert knowledge in strength training and nutritional programming.
He has partnered and worked with companies like Nike, Equinox, Lululemon, Fabletics, MLB, Topo Chico, Vuori, Bay Clubs, and much more! Nick continues to teach yoga and meditation for hundreds of people by co facilitating health and wellness festivals and leading private retreats around the world.
His true purpose is to promote and inspire growth, healing, and transformation for each individual. Nick’s grounded nature, gentle guidance and spiritually-focused approach provides a welcoming and loving atmosphere for all ages and levels of students.
I love a Dazzler who writes their own post, so I’m letting Gina Yashere’s brilliant bio from GinaYashere.com. do most of the explaining here. For those woefully-out-of-the-know, Yashere is a hilarious comedian, producer, writer, vocal artist, television correspondent, and actor. She easily earns this Dazzler of the Day for never allowing her star quality to be dimmed.
Gina was born & raised in London UK, of Nigerian parents, and previously worked as an elevator engineer for Otis. Gina has been a stand up and TV star in the UK for numerous years now, with appearances on iconic TV shows such as Live At The Apollo & Mock The Week, as well as creating & performing the hugely popular comedic characters, Tanya & Mrs. Omokerede on The Lenny Henry Show. She broke onto the American comedy scene with her appearances on Last Comic Standing (NBC), where she made it to the final 10, and then never went home!
Gina went on to be named one of the top 10 rising talents in the Hollywood Reporter.
She is also known in the US for being the only British comedian to ever appear on the iconic Def Comedy Jam, as well as for her hilarious appearances on The Tonight Show (NBC) & Crashing on HBO.Gina self produced 3 separate 1 hour Stand Up Specials, Skinny B*tch, Laughing To America, & Ticking Boxes, two of which are currently streaming on Netflix.
Gina’s 4th stand up special is also streaming on Netflix, as part of The Stand Ups, season 2, and is garnering rave reviews on the network. She is also regularly featured on Comedy Central as the British Correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Gina is also an in demand voice artist. She has voiced characters in various animations, including Keisha in the British cult hit, Bromwell High, & Gravelle in the latest movie from the makers of Wallace & Gromit & Chicken Run, Early Man! She can be currently heard playing a starfish called Gareth, on the Children’s ITV show, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud.
Gina has performed for audiences not just in Europe, the US & Australia, but she is in fact, a highly sought after comedian in Asia, making numerous sold out appearances in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia & Hong Kong.
It’s a wonder she found the time to pick up her 4th award in a row for “Best Comedian” at the recent Black Entertainment & Comedy Awards (UK).Gina has performed numerous times at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Toronto. Feature films appearances have included Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Mr. in Between, and she has also appeared on the West-End stage in The Vagina Monologues.
Gina currently resides in Los Angeles where she is producing, writing and acting on the new sitcom Bob hearts Abishola, which she co-created with Chuck Lorre, & is currently airing on CBS.
The people who dazzle me the most are usually my family and friends, so this Dazzler of the Day honor, going out to my cousin Bobby, is especially fun to write. Today is his birthday, so this is a little gift to him, and he deserves it regardless of birthdate because he’s become our point person for all things going on in the Ilagan world. Whenever anything noteworthy happens in our family, Bobby is usually the one who knows the news and who helps us all stay connected. He’s an integral member of our immediate family as well, who has in many ways become our third brother (because cousin doesn’t fully convey his place in our home). Growing up in our home was an experience, not always the most fun or sunny, but Bobby helped us get through our toughest years, and when Dad got sick he was there when Mom needed him most. He’s raising his own family now, heading up his own table and leading his own way, and he’s still our family point person. Happy birthday, Cuz!
Finding mass fame and exposure from the world of Tik Tok (perhaps the most endangered world of all right now) was not the goal and quest of Ian Paget, but taking that twist of fate and translating it into a vessel for fans to find his work and charm is one of those destined brushstrokes of the universe that shouldn’t be questioned, merely enjoyed. Paget is an actor and performer first and foremost, and that has always shown through all his online, social media endeavors. Check out the bio on his website for further evidence of his brilliance, and it’s clear to see how he is crowned with his first Dazzler of the Day honor here.
Ian was born and raised in London, England. Thanks to his Honduran Mother and French grade school, he speaks three languages. At the age of 12, he, and his soon-to-be-extinguished British accent, moved to Miami, Florida where he got accepted into the New World School of the Arts’ acting program in for High school. From there, he went on to Marymount Manhattan College Acting program in New York City.
Immediately following graduation, he booked the first of his three Broadway Shows, and since then has performed and worked on some amazing projects in both Film and TV; Rock of Ages, Step Up Revolution and Mozart in the Jungle and One Life to Live, respectively. There are also a few episodes of Lip Sync Battle , Dancing with the Stars and SNL sprinkled in there.
In addition to being an actor, Ian is a foodie who loves to cook, go on long tangents (for which he is known for on TIK TOK), and loves making people laugh. He started Tik Tok in April of 2020 and quickly gained a following making comedic videos with his boyfriend for Tik Tok and Youtube.
He loves music and never stops singing but nothing makes him feel as good as bringing a writer’s words to life. Above all else, acting is his passion. – www.ipaget.com.
Keen fashion-watchers will remember Mickey Boardman from his cameo in the Iris Apfel documentary by the brothers Maysles (of ‘Grey Gardens‘ fame), and anyone who knows anything about New York will know him from any event worth being talked about. Boardman has been the Editorial Director for Paper Magazine, and most recently was named Creative Director for the online reboot of Playgirl (the newest issue of which features Maluma – come back later for more on that). His social adventures and appearances have branded him as a career socialite, but that discounts all his years of compelling writing, cultural commentary, fashion expertise, and historical lifestyle knowledge – for those reasons Boardman is crowned Dazzler of the Day.
{See also Michael Musto for further fabulousness.}
The easiest way to all but guarantee winning a coveted Dazzler of the Day honor is to drop your trousers for the cameras. To do so at the Madonna Celebration Tour is winning that crowning without hesitation. Eric André also earns this from a career of stellar performances, and a multi-faceted collection of talents that include acting, writing, performing, producing, and performing. He graduated from Berklee College in Boston, and that just about cements the dazzling deal.
The first time I met Jonathon Nason he was working at The Front Porch, and we were on our annual Ogunquit, Maine visit, so it was a very happy time indeed. Since then he’s made his artwork his chosen focus, channeling the backdrop of Maine into his colorful work and vibrant portraits. Today he is crowned as Dazzler of the Day thanks to his consistently inspiring artistic creations. See below for a more comprehensive description of his work and mission, and then visit his website here for an exhilarating romp through his work.
JOnathon Nason is a rising talent in the art world, bringing a fresh and vibrant perspective to the scene. His work is deeply rooted in the rich tradition of impressionist styles, where he skillfully explores the beauty of the human form, the wonders of nature, and a captivating blend of fantasy, emotion, and the human experience. JOnathon’s art is a lively celebration of bold, vibrant colors, often elevated with a touch of shine and shimmer, as he fearlessly explores new mediums and styles.
Hailing from the breathtaking landscapes of Maine, JOnathon’s artistic journey has been profoundly influenced by the captivating natural beauty that has surrounded him throughout his life. Primarily self-taught, he has drawn inspiration from his environment and innate creativity, forging a deep connection between his art and his surroundings. He also had the opportunity to live in South Florida, where he was exposed to the world of galleries and street art, further enriching his artistic perspective.
JOnathon Nason’s art is a mesmerizing fusion of impressionism, fantasy, passion, emotion, and mythology. His work showcases a masterful interplay of color and light, inviting viewers to explore the intricacies of human existence and the boundless worlds of imagination. Always eager to experiment with new mediums and styles, he pushes the boundaries of his creative expression.
JOnathon is currently immersed in a series of projects aimed at enhancing his understanding of form, figure, and composition. He is focused on building a larger and diversified body of work that showcases his evolving artistic journey. In the near future, he aspires to explore opportunities in galleries and other exciting venues.
JOnathon Nason expresses his heartfelt appreciation for your support and invites you to explore his art. He hopes that his work resonates with you and inspires you in some way. This artistic journey is an ever-evolving one, and he warmly invites you to join him on this creative odyssey.
English comedian and writer Sarah Millican earns her first Dazzler of the Day crowning thanks to her hilarious on-stage work and writing, and a sly delivery that makes it all the more hilarious. Check out Millican’s website here for her current touring dates and upcoming performances. Hopefully she makes it to this sad side of the pond someday – we definitely need a laugh. (Bonus points for her brash sense of style.)
The good news is that Joe Phillips finally has a few slots open for commissioned work; the bad news is that his formidable skill and talent will likely mean these slots won’t be open for long. Phillips has been celebrated on this blog before, but given the fleeting nature of people, and the precarious state of the world, I believe in celebrating our living artists while we can, and while they might be able to appreciate it. For that reason, among many others, he earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning. Costume and play are often intertwined with the life of an artist, and in addition to his phenomenal artistic work, Phillips crafts looks that are worthy of museum-installation iconography. Knowing exactly what features to accentuate, and how to achieve the unmistakable elements of a design to convey precisely a specific character, time or place is a talent that takes years to hone and perfect. It’s all part of the artistic package and the magic that Phillips conjures whenever one is in his presence. Check out further evidence of his brilliance at his website here.
American pair figure skater Colin Grafton has also done some modeling, which makes his crowning as Dazzler of the Day a sure thing. He made a splash on ‘Dancing on Ice’ as well, lending some additional sparkle to his dazzle.
