So, if you guys read the news on KEWLmag.com today, you know that one of us lucky kewlteamers saw Joe Jonas out having some private time yesterday!  Not only did we see him, he sat down RIGHT NEXT TO US in the cafe!!!  He was out with Chelsea Staub, who starred in Bratz, Minutemen, and is currently working with The Brothers on J.O.N.A.S, their upcoming TV show for Disney.  They were really sweet, normal teens out getting to know each other.  We talked for a moment about getting the outdoor heater next to our tables turned on (and will remember it forever!)  And then we left them alone.  It took a lot of effort, but come on!  Doesn’t everyone go to a cafe with the same plan?  To sit with their friends and talk, right?  It was our first sighting outside of ‘red carpet’ situations, and we’re so glad to report that Joe Jonas was friendly and nice to everyone!  Yay for nice people!

yourKEWLteam

As we head into the birthday month of just about everybody at KEWL, and KEWL itself, we are sadly losing one of our team members.  Our tech guy, Marcus, is moving away, and though he will still be working with us over the internet, he will be missed in person in our offices!  Spring is a time for new beginnings, and even though he’s leaving us, he’s beginning a whole new life somewhere else.  An ending is always a beginning. 

Today is the end of the week, but the beginning of the weekend.  For some that means rest and playing around.  For others, it means the end of Spring Break is closer.  For us, it means we leave our work at the office, and get to work on the stuff in our homes!  Laundry, taxes, grocieries, cleaning, errands - it all has to get done on the weekend!  Some break!

What’s beginning or ending for you?

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Maybe it’s just that time in the competition!  Chikezie being voted off is terrible, but we’re having a hard time deciding who else wouldn’t have made us sad as well!  It’s getting tough now, and these super talented people are really pulling out all the stops.  One missed note or false song choice, and it could be over!  But not necessarily.  The one good thing we can say, is that we can count on all of these people being on the summer tour!  And a lot of them will probably carry on to have careers after idol.  Sure, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson were winners, but people like Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry weren’t, and they’re doing pretty well, too!  Here’s to the future of all the idols!

Now tell us where your voting heart lies… and try to be fair!  Maybe your fave didn’t sing better than everyone else this week - let us know who you thought was best, along with your faves.  Staying open to cheer for the best work instead of only your team is a super skill and talent for the future!

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Whether you had it last week, or are having it this week, let us know how you are spending your time off from school.  With the weather the way it is in California, everyone is running around like it’s the middle of summer here!  We know everyone lives in different climates, so let us know what you, and your family, are doing for the holiday week.  Nothing spesh?  Big yearly trip?  One special outing or meal?  A tradition you always take part in?  Let’s share our differences!

What is vacation to you?

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Not to you guys!  No worries there!  It’s just that this particular kewlteam member is going home this weekend to say goodbye to the house she grew up in.  It will definitely be sad, because even though there were the usual amount of fights, and misunderstandings and stuff that goes along with growing up, there were also a LOT of good times!  And the view from the house ain’t so shabby either!  It was always there to come home to, when I went away as an exchange student, during college, and after, when I moved away.  My parents lived there for 52 years! (Yeah, they are a bunch older!)

Even though it will definitely be sad - and weird, since there’s nothing left in the house - I have a lot to be thankful for.  Growing up in that house was a blessing.  We had the bay and a bike path in front of the house, open hills for climbing behind the house, and a neighborhood full of kids for mounting massive games of cops and robbers or capture the flag.  We rode our bikes, dug up indian soap plants and ate indian chewing gum (the spongy inside of anise stalks and their seeds), played mud soccer on rainy days, and always came home to watch the sun set over the mountain from our front deck.  It was never the same twice.

So look around you, and find a little time to be grateful for the things you get to experience now.  Part of growing up is having to say goodbye to them sooner or later.  You usually don’t get to choose when, so enjoy it now!

Have a great weekend!

theKEWLteam

And we’re not talking just rooting for the old home team, here! Do you know what the party you support stands for?  Do you know what the other party stands for?  It’s important to remember that BOTH sides have good points, after all, there are REALLY smart, caring people who support both parties!  So, if you think ‘the other guys’ are ‘just stupid’, or even ‘evil’, then do some homework, and find out what it is about the other party that would allow intelligent and wonderful people to support their goals.

In politics today, the important thing, the ‘party platform’ - or what the party stands for in real terms, always seems to get pushed under the rug in favor of putting down other candidates to make themselves look better, and making it a personality and popularity contest, instead of an election about issues that affect our lives.  Since we all wave flags and love our country, it’s important to look at the platform of issues that each party says they will promote in the coming years to really know who you want to root for.  You may be surprised by what you find! 

The best thing you will find, is the ability to have rational discussions about politics, and the ability to stand behind your point of view, because you actually know what it is!  Understanding the ‘enemy’ is the first step to understanding yourself.

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Okay, guys!  Did you read the news story at kewlmag.com?  If so, then you know this is the place to make a comment about your faves, and not-so-faves, from last night’s show.  Who took it up a notch?  Who is just repeating the same old same old?  And who just may not have what it takes?  As always, we only allow negative comments that are given with a lot of good, intelligent thought put into them.  Mean is mean, and we try to avoid that here :).

KEWL is trying to stay out of things here… but come on!  Chikezie learned harmonica in a week!  Okay, we’re done.  Your turn!

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Notifications went out yesterday to all the winners of our February contests…except the grand prize - so stay tuned on that one!  For all of our regular contests, winners are contacted by email, or regular mail if they don’t have email.  The grand prize winner is contacted by phone, so if your info in your KEWL profile on the website is incorrect or not up to date, we could have trouble finding you!  MAKE SURE YOUR INFO IS UP TO DATE!!!  Same goes for KEWL Store ‘purchases’ - it’s kind of hard to ship you something if we don’t have your full name and address!  (No!  Really?)  You’d be surprised!

Later today, we will get to the task of posting the winners on the site by their usernames as well…but give us some time, kay?  All this contest running is a LOT of work!  So we’ll get back to it!

yourKEWLteam

Mostly here at the mag, we’re divided between the guys liking them, and the girls liking the illustrated novels more.  But in the end, they’re all exciting stories of good versus evil, with some pretty amazing art thrown in!  A couple of us KEWLteamers spent the weekend at Wizard World in LA this weekend, and it can be pretty fun…and strange!  There are regular people walking around as Superheroes, actors who play superheroes signing autographs, whole families enjoying meeting the artists, collectors looking for those rare early editions of their favorite comics, and even some robot makers with some superkewl R2 units (think cute Star Wars robot)!  There were grown ups haggling over the price of dolls, kids learning how to duel with light sabers, and comic books worth thousands of dollars! 

There are comic book stores, conventions and markets in every city in the US, so go ahead and check one out!  Just Google your town name and comic book store, and you should be able to find the closest one.  It’s great to go with a parent or older brother or sister, because they’ll probably like it as much as you!

Whether you go for the comics or the people watching, it’s a great time!

yourKEWLteam

(photo: pr photo)

Ah!  That thing that life isn’t, and we are all trying to be!  And when someone isn’t, we all complain!  It’s not easy being fair!  Come to think of it, people complain even when things are fair - just when they’re not getting what they want!  Hmmmm!  So sometimes ‘fair’ doesn’t mean ‘fair’, and what ‘not fair’ really means ‘I’m not happy with the result’?!?  Try to keep that one straight in your head!

Well, in the spirit of fairness, this is a warning that the February Issue contests are closing @ midnight on Friday, March 14th.  And Yes!  That is tomorrow!  If you’re a VIP, get your free entry in for the “Ashley’s/Reporter for a Day” Sweepstakes in the VIP section, or enter for mucho points in the contests section of the website.  You can always write in for these things for a free entry, but it’s a little late for that one now! 

And have you been checking out the new contests?  They’re up on the site, and the March issue should be out on stands by now, with the Brothers Jonas gracing our fair cover!  You know you want it!

The VIP entry will be updated over the weekend to reflect the new VIP contest, namely an XBOX 360 game system with a Guitar Hero III game, and the guitar/controller?  It’s signed by Miley Cyrus herself!  She’s such a sweetie!  We randomly ran into her in a restaurant yesterday, and she stopped her whole entourage (business people!) to say “Hi”!  Now that’s kewl!

There will be a blog stop until Monday - as our prime blogger will be out of the office at the Wizard World convention in LA all weekend!  Wish her stamina!

Have a kewl weekend!

theKEWLteam