I thought I would start a new feature here at Kickin' it Old School where I will point out a few interesting stories. One story will be kind of sad , one will be kind of happy  and the last will just be kind of weird . Whenever possible, I will provide a link to another article where you can get more details. Here we go...

SAD STORY
The husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae was found dead this past Saturday (3/22/08). He was just 31 years old and, though not confirmed, is a suspected drug overdose. Here is a link to an article over at the Pop Culture Madness Blog. To me it is sad when anybody with this much of their life ahead of them is taken so soon. What is even sadder to me is the seemingly increased amount of celebrity drug overdoses recently. Our thoughts and prayers are with Corinne Bailey Rae at this time. I am a big fan of her music and you can see the "download this" section below where I will recommend one of her songs.

HAPPY STORY
Do you remember Josiah Leming? He auditioned for season 7 of American Idol, made it to Hollywood, but was not chosen to be in the top 24. They covered his story pretty heavily during the auditions because he had been living in his car trying to make it as a musician. The kid was very emotional and cried uncontrollably after getting cut loose. Well, there might be a happy ending for Josiah. Here is a link to an article that reports that he has signed a record deal with the major label, Warner Bros. He does not strike me as a pop star, so I hope they give him some quality time in the studio to put together more of a musician's album. He seemed like a good kid who worked hard and made sacrifices to pursue his dream. I hope everything works out for him. This is another example of the powerful influence of American Idol because I am sure this kid would have never received this kind of attention without the aid of the show. Check out my article on the American Idol Influence.

WEIRD STORY
Most people have heard about the ugly divorce proceedings taking place between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Well, now there is an online computer game based on these divorce proceedings. Here is a link to an article that explains it a little more. I can't imagine who would want to play a game like this, but here is a link to the site where you can find the game if interested. Nothing ever ceases to amaze me.

That's all I have for you in this issue of Kickin' it. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of this new feature. We will still have normal Old School articles on a regular basis as well, but just wanted to mix some new things in. Please click on the archive buttons in the upper left column (January, February or March) to have access to all past issues of Kickin' it Old School. I encourage you to subscribe or at least come back often. Peace and much love.

Check this out: I am sure many of you have heard of this website before, but for those of you who haven't, I thought I would share it with you. It is www.Snopes.com and this site is recognized as the place to substantiate rumors or urban legends of all sorts. When someone tells you something that sounds unbelievable or you get a chain email forwarded to you with some warning or crazy story, go to Snopes and check it out for yourself. Knowledge is power and this site can provide that knowledge for you on many topics. (In case you are wondering, this is in no way a paid endorsement. As always, just sharing information I thought you would find interesting or helpful.)

Quote of the day: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear." -Mark Twain

Download this: "Put Your Records On (Acoustic)" by Corinne Bailey Rae - I prefer the acoustic version of this song best which was released as a single back in February of 2006 (available on iTunes)