Did ‘The Biggest Loser’ winner drop too much weight?

When Rachel Frederickson came to the stage near the end of the finale for NBC show “The Biggest Loser” last night, I truly did a double-take. The 24-year-old from Los Angeles looked thin. And it wasn’t just when they had her stand next to that hologram of herself at the start of the season, a…

It’s time for the nominees to start hoping for a Sammy

All it took was the voice and keyboard work of Ronnie Leigh to get me excited about the Syracuse Area Music Awards all over again. In Syracuse, jazz singer Leigh has been The Voice for many decades before NBC started a singing competition named “The Voice.” To start the festivities to announce what’s-what for this…

Get your Seahawks, Syracuse, Sox, Yanks, Mets stuff now

I know good marketing when I see it. My Favorite Sports Store had a quick thinker out front on Monday morning. The T-shirt, jersey, collectable and more emporium in the Syracuse, N.Y., mega shopping, entertainment and dining complex Destiny USA had a full table of boxes out front. To the left sat Seattle Seahawks stuff,…

For the Dragon’s Loyalty Award, I’ll melt snow

This is my 300th post on markbialczak.com. Who’s counting? Well, WordPress, of course, as you all know from the number the WP robo-crew pops up there to celebrate each and every post you make. And, quite by serendipity, this landmark post has an award attached. Fresh back from holiday in his native London, the effusive…

In ‘Labor Day,’ Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin fall quickly

Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin can look at each other and understand so much. In “Labor Day,” they play a mother and an escaped convict who meet under much duress. After a day of circling each other warily — but compassionately, considering the circumstances — the stars’ characters pack two lifetimes’ worth of drama into…

Super Bowl Poetry 101

Well, now, a Super Bowl postscript just arrived on my Reader doorstep. Last week, acuriousgal offered a finish-the-poem contest regarding the big game. I wrote a little something, predicting a Seahawks victory. And I won Barb’s contest! Click on over to catch my verse, why don’t you?

A Super Bowl feast: chili at home, turnovers on TV

So how was the Super Bowl celebrated in our Syracuse city neighborhood home? Food was heavily involved, of course. Yup. Flat screen, football and food. The Sunday spectacular started with an appetizer of my choice: a bowl of shrimp sitting next to another bowl of cocktail sauce, perfect for super dipping. I stood next to…