Star of stage and screen, James Phoon is crowned as Dazzler of the Day thanks to advance buzz on his upcoming season of ‘Bridgerton‘. Is this the year we finally sign up for Netflix? I’m not fully convinced, but James is pushing us in that direction. Check out his Insta here and then watch the new season if you’re lucky enough to have Netflix. (I do realize I’m one of the last people in this country to not have it.)
“No one is truly equal and free until everyone is equal and free.” ~ Helen Zia
This Dazzler of the Day crowning feels like a superfluous and almost frivolous honor compared to the work that Helen Zia has done for her entire life. Activist, journalist, and freedom-warrior, Zia has dedicated her life to advancing justice for Asian Americans and LGBTQ+ community members, and all the various intersectional spaces where marginalized people exist. It’s a war she has waged since the 1980’s, and sadly needs to continue now more than ever. Check out her website here for further evidence of her brilliance.
“There are many lessons to be learned from refugees and migrants that can contribute to the understanding needed to navigate the global tectonics to bring people together, not drive them into flight.” ~
With his crazy-popular TikTok account (and tributary social media accounts), Harry Sisson is one of the next generations most vocal supporter for democracy – and at a time when our country very much teeters on its own destruction should the GOP come into full power, voices like Harry’s will be necessary to see us through these turbulent times. He earns this Dazzler of the Day for his relentless speaking of truth, and encouragement to keep our democracy working.
Iconic goddess Grace Jones, original slayer of pop culture and still a magnificent force with which to be reckoned, has crafted a career and life destined to blaze for ever after. This crowning as Dazzler of the Day is a mere footnote in her storied lifetime of achievements. In a world where the word ‘icon’ has lost some of its hallowed meaning, Jones is a reminder that only a few truly exist. Behold her eternal power and revel in her ongoing relevance.
Anyone who knows how to dance has a leg-up on being crowned a Dazzler of the Day, and so it is that Gleb Savchenko earns his first dazzling honor. A beloved star in his own right from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and currently on a run in a Chippendales show (now in Las Vegas and moving to Atlantic City this summer), Savchenko dazzles through his fancy footwork and appealing charm.
Whenever someone is vilified and raked across the coals for simply living their life in their early twenties (and making the foolish choices we all make) I tend to want to champion them. Austin Armacost was widely ridiculed for his stint on ‘The A-List’ but he’s gone to make a career from his reality television roots, and so he earns this Dazzler of the Day for surviving in a business hell-bent on striking survival from its resumes.
Nancy Pelosi should need no introduction or explanation as far as earning this Dazzler of the Day, and she does it not only from her historical successes in politics, but her recent swift and simple throw-down of MSNBC ‘reporter’ Katy Tur for continuing to play the both-sides game at a time when that nonsense threatens to kill American democracy as we know it. Go Nancy.
Entertainment legend Vanessa Williams has conquered just about every conceivable performing arts avenue, and she continues to astound and enthrall with new music (the upcoming ‘Legs (Keep Dancing)’ album) and a new musical (the London premiere of ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ musical). Both sound extremely promising, and as someone who’s loved Williams since her tender ballad ‘Saved the Best For Last‘ through her stiletto-clicking turn on ‘Ugly Betty’ and a glorious spell as the Witch in the Broadway revival of ‘Into the Woods’, I cannot wait to see what comes next. She earns her first Dazzler of the Day for a magnificent career of spellbinding performances.
Susan Brumley has what I consider to be the perfect FaceBook page. She is real and honest, yet errs on the side of what’s hopeful and positive and good. She calls herself out for when she realizes she’s being cranky, works on being ever-present and mindful, and has a witty and wicked sense of humor about life and herself that brightens my world every time I see one of her posts. For that alone she would easily earn this Dazzler of the Day, but she’s also been a company manager for an entire slew of Broadway and touring shows including ‘The Book of Mormon’, ‘Evita’, ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812‘, ‘Sister Act’, ‘Hairspray’ and her current stint at the ‘Hamilton’ Phillip Tour. (She’s often the sole person I consult when plotting out any shows I’m considering attending.)
I remember Susan from grade school and middle school, where she was a grade ahead of me, and one of the smartest people in her class, if not the entire school. Such intelligence thrilled and impressed me, and when she started anchoring the student news programs that opened the day at Wilbur H. Lynch Middle School, I was even more dazzled. She was an inspiration because I thought she would charge into life being whatever she wanted to be, and it looks like that is exactly what she’s achieved.
There have aways been people who have whispered, or shouted out loud, their complaints that the LGBTQ+ community has to proclaim their identity over and over again when most people don’t even care about someone’s sexuality. Those people must live largely ignorant and unaware lives where they don’t see the hatred and homophobia still running rampant, and given a new lease on acceptability with a certain political party’s current leaders. As a gay man, I’m keenly aware that there is a resurgence in homophobia, sanctioned by the GOP Presidential candidate that trickles down to all the other GOP candidates who seem to be ok with stepping in line with a criminal. What a sad and far cry from the Republican Party of my parents.
Case in point is our Dazzler of the Day – brilliant author, activist and actor Maulik Pancholy, whose scheduled participation at an anti-bullying event was canceled by a Pennsylvania school board due to his “lifestyle”. Don’t tell me there isn’t a problem here, and don’t tell me we don’t need Pride Month and reminders that this sort of thing keeps happening no matter how much you might want to pretend it isn’t.
Happily, this is bringing further attention to his work and his passion for making the world better for all children. Check out his website here for all his exciting accomplishments, including his two YA novels, ‘The Best At It’ and ‘Nikhil Out Loud’.
He’s got a body made for far more than a podcast, but thankfully there’s instagram to round out the views of John Arthur Hill, our Dazzler of the Day. Hill has made the rounds of several musicals over the years, recorded more than a few songs, and currently has his own SiriusXM show ‘The News with John Hill’. He also co-hosts ‘Andy Cohen Live‘ and has been seen behind the bar (and behind the scenes in a more professional capacity) at ‘Watch What Happens Live’. Check out his link tree here for all that’s on his horizon, including some legendary live performances coming up.
If you’re familiar to these parts, you know I thrill at being introduced to people who dazzle in all sorts of ways, and if they have a bio that speaks to such wonder, all the better. Case in point is our Dazzler of the Day, Cody Belew, who has a wonderful description of his accomplishments. See that below and witness more of his magic at his website here.
Singer/songwriter CODY BELEW has a love of the South that is in his blood. Reflecting on his upbringing in rural Beebe, Arkansas, what sticks with him most is the one-room church where he learned to sing when he was just a toddler. It’s these soulful roots that are reflected in his music which combines authentic storytelling with powerful vocals that take you to the heart of his experience. Blending raw emotion with Southern stomp, Cody’s material moves far beyond his contemporaries with a unique point of view on faith and love that he approaches with fearless honesty. Cody made his way to Nashville to pursue a music career, where he made ends meet working with fashion, furniture restoration, and music. It wasn’t long before his talents were recognized, earning him an appearance on NBC’s THE VOICE. After finishing the show as a Top 8 finalist, Cody was asked to open for Delta Rae, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and more, and started writing with GRAMMY Award-winning Deana Carter and Mike Reid, ACM Award winner Tia Sellers, and ascending recording artists like Hailey Whitters, Rick Brantley, and Waylon Payne.
Assembling a mix of candid originals and well-loved classics by artists who inspired him, Cody released his self-titled debut EP in early 2022. The lead single, “Rodeo,” premiered in Times Square and quickly found regular rotation on CMT. His take on the Dolly Parton classic “Here You Come Again” was a welcome reinvention, with Robert Oermann from Music Row Magazine saying “he completely reinterprets this 1977 Dolly hit, transforming it from a bouncy ditty into a cry of romantic anguish. His only accompaniment is a pianist, but his dramatic performance is so gripping that it needs nothing else.” Last year also had him reimagining the Brooks & Dunn classic “Neon Moon” with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dave Aude. The disco-tinged cover, which recently hit the one million streams mark on Spotify, continues to top a variety of popular playlists.
Belew kicked off 2023 as a member of CMT’s coveted “Listen Up” program, which counts Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, and Maren Morris among its alums. A long-time Nashville resident, Cody recently completed a yearlong, sold-out residency at the city’s famed Lipstick Lounge and is playing a slew of upcoming shows for a fan base he’s built with his impassioned vocals, deft songwriting, and undeniable stage presence. Belew is currently working on his full-length debut, in which he’ll traverse between his deep-seated love of Southern music and his obligation to activism.
Whenever I think that I’ve grown too old for music to touch me in the magical, primal, soul-wrenching way it did in my teen years, I’ll happen upon something like the new Cigarettes After Sex song, ‘Tejano Blue’ and suddenly the world feels fresh and exhilarating and gorgeously terrifying in the best way. Many a ‘Cigarettes After Sex’ song has had a similar effect, from the very first time I heard ‘Apocalypse‘ to the latest peek at their upcoming ‘X’s’ album. Drummer Jacob Tomsky is largely the reason I became aware of them, as I was a huge fan of his ‘Heads in Beds’ book; when I discovered he played for the band, I gave them a listen and music was once again that thing that gave me inspiration and hope in a world, and an age bracket, where those things were largely gone.
Way back then, the band wasn’t as big as it is now (they are set to play the TD Garden and Madison Square Garden on their forthcoming X’s Tour) and Jacob was kind enough to invite a swooning fanboy like myself to meet him backstage before one of those early Boston shows. Suzie joined me and we fanned out like we were teenagers again – the best thing music can bring out in anyone.
Headed by Greg Gonzalez, Cigarettes After Sex often sounds like it could be the love-child of Angelo Badalamenti and the ‘Laid’ album by James – two of my very favorite things in the whole world. And while this sort of exquisite, dreamy music doesn’t seem to rely on the drum work to make its statement, it requires the sort of consistent precision and controlled innate rhythm to potently cast its hypnotic spell. Credit Tomsky with the latter, and you have one of the many reasons he is our Dazzler of the Day.
A year or so ago, my niece Emi, by then already a teenager herself, marveled at the fact that I knew about the new favorite band she was listening to: Cigarettes After Sex. Happy to pass the torch of musical fandom to someone who shares a special and, pardon the hubris, spectacular taste in music, I shared my history of loving the band, and how one day I got to meet them before one of their early shows – and how they were just as cool as you’d want them to be. She’s going to see them in New York on their MSG date, while I’m looking into seeing them in Boston again. The world is growing up, the world is growing darker, and the world is growing older, but through it all the good music will keep us going. Thanks to Jacob Tomsky for reminding me of that.
An outfit as exquisite as this one would typically guarantee a crowning as Dazzler of the Day, but Ronan Farrow comes with the talent and substance to back it all up and match the beauty on the outside with a keen analytical mind. Farrow is an investigative journalist who has notably covered the case that rightfully toppled Harvey Weinstein, winning a Pulitzer Prize in the process, and his book ‘Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators’ detailed how it all happened.
Getting back to that outfit, as featured on a recent episode of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘: I need to know where he got it and when, and then I need to figure out how to get one in lavender. (Generally I’m a 40S in jackets for any kind benefactors out there.)
Faithful friend and partner-in-fabulousness to RuPaul, Michelle Visage is a dazzling star in her own right, thrilling with her cutting quips and dagger-like assessments and advice on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’. She originally burst on the pop-star scene as a member of Seduction, which garnered several hits as the 80’s turned into the 90’s – proof that Visage has earned her place at the judge’s table because she’s already gone through it. She is crowned Dazzler of the Day for the guts and determination it takes to last this long in the business they call show.
