Jon and Katie on the Acela

Hey Jon --- I'll be on the train at the end of June on my way to a Soul game... wait... you'll be overseas... Damned tour! Anyway, one of those cute with-a-cell-phone pictures. Just look at Katie's smile!



(For those who don't know Katie Couric, she's a journalist here in the states -- currently the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News).

~ Hath

Thanks, Kiwi, for the picture drop :)

David and Joe: Sirius/XM

Remember that thing that Dave and Joe did on SiriusXM Satellite?  Well, some of it has been captured and is up on YouTube.

Of course, the footage of David singing is cut (grumble, grumble) but it's a good two minutes plus of curly-haired delight.



~ Hath

Even MORE Covenant House

Thanks, Teale, for dropping this link into my inbox.



~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Rear Views

Yeah, Bay, this one's not bad.  Not bad at all :)

~ Hath

More Covenant House

Some additional photos from the JBJ Soul Foundation site, and a video clip from ABC.
Thanks Catte!!

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Show-off

Another vocab lesson.  Thanks, T!!!

~ Hath

Wanted Wednesday: Mexico 1995

Please rise, for the singing of our national anthem...

Today's selection is from October 22, 1995.

These Days era.

One of the best hair-eras for the band (yes, I went there).

Also, for most fans, the best album of the bunch.

But this track is (obviously) not from TD. Duh, Hath.

This one has a little bit of a different "long" intro -- I get a more New Age kind of vibe from it. I dig it. (Yeah, I said "dig it")

Richie's mic is a bit loud, which doesn't bother me, and the crowd noise is well under control; this is a very clean audience boot version.

It also seems to be a quarter step slower than they usually play, which I kinda like too. Give it a listen -- tell me if I'm smoking something about the slower thing.

Let's Ride!!








If you want it for yourself, you can grab it from my mediafire.

~ Hath

More Covenant House Pictures

Thanks Catte!

~ Hath

Covenant House Opening

From the JBJ Soul Foundation Website (Thanks Catte for the link, and Liz, for the photo!)

Formerly homeless youth will take part in a special ribbon cutting ceremony today at their new Covenant House Rights of Passage apartments in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

“The Rights of Passage Program not only provides a safe place for homeless youth, but also provides skills and experiences needed to become independent and responsible adults,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “The city is proud to be part of such an important and unique program.”

The Covenant House Rights of Passage program is based on the simple belief that all children have the right to pass into adulthood without being abused and homeless. The new housing development consists of 10 two-bedroom units, and includes outdoor recreational space, a lounge and computer lab, laundry facilities, and offices for program support staff. It will provide temporary housing for 20 homeless youths under the age of 21.

"Today is a celebration of the lives of the young people who will call this home,” said Jon Bon Jovi. “It’s a victory over the issues that forced them into homelessness and economic despair. Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships like this, we can all support innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.”

The Rights of Passage apartments in Kensington are a direct response to the growing need for transitional housing for young adults in Philadelphia. Covenant House alone serves more than 500 young people every year through its Crisis Shelter, with limited resources for transitioning them to independence. This expanded Rights of Passage program is the final piece of Covenant House’s continuum of care that provides youth with both the joy of independence and the stability of a safety net.

“This is a dream come true for our kids, a chance to have a place to live and work and grow and build new futures for themselves after a tough start in life,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. “We are here today because of the amazing support we have received from Jon Bon Jovi and his JBJ Soul Foundation, from Mayor Nutter and his staff, from our friends at the Connelly Foundation, the Horn Charitable Trust, and from thousands of private citizens who believe in our kids. In the midst of such difficult economic times, today is a great example of what we can accomplish together.”

Since 1999 Covenant House has been providing faith-based services to children suffering on the street. The Rights of Passage Program requires all residents to be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week, participate in life skills classes, attend to daily chores, complete three or more hours of community service each month, and pay rent. Aftercare is also provided to graduates of the program.

“We are so excited to finally cut the ribbon and open these apartments for our kids,” said Cordella Hill, Executive Director of Covenant House Pennsylvania. “What started as a dream eight years ago is finally becoming a reality. This is a truly monumental day for homeless youth in Philadelphia.”

Funding for this project includes $400,000 from the City of Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund; $600,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and distributed by the Office of Housing and Community Development, as well as large grants from Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, The Connelly Foundation, the David A. and Helen P. Horn Charitable Trust, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and over $500,000 from individual supporters of Covenant House.

For more information on Covenant House Pennsylvania, please visit their Website

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Hey

LMAO, spoken with a pure Jersey accent of course, Bay :)

The Last Word: Richie Sambora

Even though the Canadiens are whooping my Bruins' butts, I went onto their website to read this interview :)

What is it about Montreal and the fans that make you guys enjoy playing here so much?RS: I don’t know what it is about Canada, but we’ve definitely had an affinity for the country since we made Slippery When Wet when we were living in Vancouver. We actually lived in Vancouver while we were recording three albums: Slippery, New Jersey and Keep the Faith.

By now you can pick a preferred Montreal delicacy: smoked meat or poutine?RS: I’ve had both and I’d say it’s definitely smoked meat. I’m more of a meat guy.

Do you remember your first show here? Was it at the Forum? Was there an instant connection?
RS: It would’ve been in the early ‘80s so it was probably a small club nearby, actually.

Did you play any sports growing up in New Jersey? How about hockey?
RS: I played a little bit of hockey at home, but I was more of a football guy as a kid.

Growing up in New Jersey, were you one of those sports fans that jumped ship and became a fan of the New York teams or did you stay loyal to your roots?
RS: I was a Yankee fan, a Met fan, a Rangers fan, a Jets and Giants fan – you have to root for the home team. But oddly enough, I was actually a Green Bay Packers fan growing up. I loved Bart Starr – it was hard not to like the Packers.

You may be a Packers fan, but your recent hit "This Is Our House" debuted originally as an anthem played exclusively at New England Patriots games. How did that come about?
RS: [Patriots head coach] Bill Belichick is a good friend of ours. It was written as that kind of song where it’s almost like an anthem – when we come out on the stage, or a team comes out of the tunnel – and it could’ve been an anthem for any sport. We wrote it with that big concert feeling and it applies to the band, too. You walk out and it’s just blazing “This is our house!” and for that night, it is our house.

There are a bunch more questions and answers on the Canadiens' site.

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Asset

Today, a vocabulary lesson.  It's not all just fluff-and-nonsense, you know.
T, thanks for the lesson today :)

~ Hath

Who's the most All American Rocker?

You know us, any reason to vote for Jon (or the boys) for something :)

Thanks, Imp, for this little bit.

You can go here to vote.

~ Hath

Did You Know...

... that JonBon is a cousin to Epstein? (from Welcome Back, Kotter)

I had no idea. Thanks Catte, for the article from MyCentralJersey:

Welcome back, Robert Hegyes.

The Metuchen native, who played Epstein on "Welcome Back, Kotter," is enjoying new acclaim as the show marks its 35th anniversary.

"I auditioned for Barbarino," said Hegyes, who still has his Epstein denim vest with the Puerto Rican flag on the back. "I'm in the elevator and there's another kid and (producer) Alan Sacks and he says "How are you doing Epstein?' and I said "No, I'm Barbarino.' John (Travolta) said "I thought I was Barbarino,' and they went "you're Barbarino and you're Epstein!' "
Travolta is also a Jersey native, coming from Englewood. Palillo did not make the reunion as he's recovering from surgery.

Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy and grew up on Woodbridge Avenue in Metuchen, near the house where he now lives on the same avenue. He's of Hungarian and Italian descent — Jon Bon Jovi is a cousin — which is different from the Epstein character, who proudly proclaimed his Puerto Rican and Jewish ethnicity.

The 1969 Metuchen High School graduate played football and acted, too.

God, I can't imagine anyone other than Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino :)

~ Hath

Paparazzi Clip

Video clip of JonBon and Tom Cruise (and wives/children) leaving dinner the other night.

You can watch it here.

And on Topix, they were talking about this old interview (2002) with Jon.  Anyone have a YouTube of this?

"My wife Dorothea is someone that if you met, you would want to hang out with. She's cool, independent, one of the guys and she's not scared of losing me and, believe me, that is so attractive. So would I like to sleep with Caprice? Yeah. Would I lose my wife for her? No. I've had these conversations with her a thousand times. She says,'Okay, go ahead. But as soon as you're done just remember I'll be the one with the kids and I'll be the one shagging Tom Cruise.' And you just know it can never be worth it. But hey, they still can't touch you for looking."

~ Hath

Thanks Tara, for dropping me the info in my inbox :)