Munich Stream

The Munich show (tomorrow) is going to be streamed at this website.  Click the link, and you can register your email address and get a message sent to you when the stream is starting.

Thanks WildFlower, for the heads up!!

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Migraine

I can relate.

By the time this posts, I'll have undergone a second MRI with contrast to see if Blobby (the mass who's taken up residence in my brain) has grown from last year.    If you don't mind, keep your fingers crossed he's still a runty little bahstid...

~ Hath

Tour Photography

Kiwi passed this along to some of us, and I thought I'd pass along to all of you. Kiwi purchased a bunch of photos from TourPhotographer.com:

I got my stack yesterday and they are lovely pictures----fantastic quality but I have just one complaint. I didn't realize when purchasing each one has the white frame with the TP watermark and then the writing, and the gold heart and dagger. I had just assumed that they were the watermarks for the site so people didn't rip em off.

I'm actually a little disappointed as I expected just the black and white photos. I think they should have the option when you purchase to have the frame or not. A watermark in the corner of the photo---would be fine but the gold heart and dagger just ruins the whole B&W experience for me. And he could have all the pic info on the back ie where it was shot.

Of course I can cut them off, or buy smaller frames so it's not a big deal but I was just a little disappointed with the amount that they cost.

Just passing along some information before you purchase your photos. Even with the frame/watermark, they are gorgeous and a fantastic addition to any Jovi memorabilia collection.

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: New Fund Raiser

And They're OFF!

Thanks Catte, for being my Twitter Eyes :)  *stupid firewall at work* 

Man, I wish I was there...

~ Hath

Penthouse For Sale

The Gothamist is reporting, in this article on Artist-in-Residence rules in SoHo, that JonBon has put his SoHo penthouse on the market.

Remember those pesky Artist-in-Resident laws down in Soho? You know, the ones that say only "artists," as defined by the Department of Cultural Affairs, can live in the 200 or so buildings that were converted from commercial to residential use? The laws have been hampering real estate deals for some time, and now a group of concerned neighbors wants to abolish the AiR laws forever.

Non-artists had been quietly ignoring the laws for years, moving in and out of gorgeous, expensive Soho lofts without being officially certified as artists (because, really, how many artists are living around the corner from Kelly Ripa and Jon Bon Jovi?). Everything was going just fine until last year, when the city suddenly began to care, and now sellers, like Bon Jovi, who put his penthouse on the market to the tune of $30 million, are feeling the burn.

So the Soho/Noho Action Committee, a group of concerned neighborhood residents, is meeting tonight at St. Anthony's Church to push for the "archaic" laws to be overturned. As one broker told The Post, "Ninety percent of the people here are living illegally."

Fox News confirms:

The Artists-in-Residence law says that about 200 buildings that were converted from commercial to residential use are only for "artists," as defined by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs. "Artists" are certified by a department committee that determines if they are actively working in painting, sculpting, choreography, music or other artistic endeavors.

But not every artist is able to afford the luxury homes, and it could hurt potential sellers -- such as Jon Bon Jovi, who quietly put his penthouse on the market for more than $30 million.

The city already denied certificates of occupancy to 10 buildings in the area -- including Bon Jovi's at 158 Mercer St., according to real-estate lawyer Margaret Baisley.

Anyone know any artistes in the market for a pricey pad, and willing to live there illegally?

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Critics

Croatia SoundCheck

According to numerous posts on Twitter last night, these were the songs sound-checked last night in Croatia:

• We Weren't Born to Follow
• Whole Lot of Leaving
• Happy Now
• Love's the Only Rule
• Hey God
• Something for the Pain
• Someday I'll be Saturday Night
• Work for the Working Man

And in this photo provided to Sulekha.com by David Bergman (TourPhotographer.com) US rock band Bon Jovi, from left, Tico Torres, Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, and David Bryan rehearse at the Maximir Stadium in Zagreb, Tuesday, June 7, 2011, ahead of the first night of the European leg of the 'Open Air Tour' on Wednesday.

~ Hath

More Richie Airport Pictures

Thanks, Rike, for posting the link to these on Twitter :)

~ Hath

Wanted Wednesday: June 11, 1998 (Richie)

Please rise, for the playing of our National Anthem...

Yes, we did one of these Richie/Tokyo shows last week, but this one is from June 11. Not the 14th.

Ahem.

Another Midnight Rider intro, another bluesy, growly slice of yummy goodness. Sorry, I'm just so pleased that Richie's back with the guys making music and looking happy. No, I'm not delusional -- I know I don't know the man, and he could care less what some frumpy forty-something in Beantown thinks -- but that doesn't change what I feel.

And listening to him sing just makes my heart soar. I can't wait for the goodies tonight.

Let's Ride!





You can download this track here.

~ Hath

PS: Obviously, I'm joining most of Jovidom in celebrating Richie's return. All you folks in Croatia tonight, we're counting on you to capture the magic for the rest of us who can't be there.

Goooood Evening, Croatia!

Rock star Jon Bon Jovi has confirmed his image of an epicurean prior at his gig in Croatia scheduled for 8 June in Zagreb.

Bon Jovi has ordered a cook who is a specialist for traditional Croatian food. The cook will be on his request in the Esplanade hotel in Zagreb as the 49-year-old singer wanted to taste genuine Croatian specialities.

source

Some arrivals shots -- Nice pics, Mr. Bergman...

And, in case you missed the Richie pic earlier on Facebook -- from the airport before departure:

SO, who's going to the show tomorrow?

~ Hath

Take a chance, lend a hand

We have a guest poster today, Ms. Catte Sambora.  Catte sent this to me (and some others) as an email.  I asked her to put it as a blog post so everyone could see it.  I think it's an amazingly uplifting trend, and can only hope that Jon and Dorothea are not only proud of what they're doing, but also keep on doing it!

Thanks for this Catte.

~ Hath

I don’t normally watch the news.   Things around our house are usually pretty chaotic during the evening news hour, with usual family comings and goings and homework and practice and dinner and, and, and….  I don’t usually get a chance to even notice the TV until late in the evening, when the kid’s finally in bed and I have a second to breathe.

But for some reason last night I had the TV remote in my hand and was flipping through channels.  While passing by the local NBC affiliate channel I heard a phrase that caught my attention… “pay what you can.”  I paused, wondering if there was another NBC Nightly News “Making a Difference” piece on JBJ’s Soul Kitchen, which is now in the process of moving into its new digs in Red Bank.  It wasn’t, but the story made me smile all the same.

National bakery/restaurant chain Panera has joined the effort to help feed those in need.  After seeing an NBC “Making a Difference” piece that aired a couple years ago about a “pay what you can” community café in Denver, Panera founder Ron Shaich was inspired to use his company’s resources to help give back to their customers and communities.  

For some time, I had been considering how Panera Bread could use our strengths to make a more meaningful contribution to society.  Turns out it was a feature I saw on “Making a Difference” a couple of years ago that helped initially inspire me.  The segment described a Denver restaurant where customers could pay whatever they could afford.  I immediately sensed an opportunity for our communities and our company.  Panera had the expertise, experience and scale that could potentially expand this idea dramatically.

One in six Americans are, in USDA lingo, “food insecure” – that means not sure where their next meal is coming from.  Panera was already giving away about $150 million in bread and baked goods every year to food banks, and continues to do so. But feeding those in need -- in our own bakery-cafes -- in our own communities -- from our own menu -- that struck me as a far more profound approach to the problem, both in terms of the connections it would forge for us with our communities and in the impact it would have on the people who live in them.

At Shaich’s direction, in May 2010 Panera converted one of its St. Louis-area bakery-cafes from a retail location to the first-ever Panera Community Cares Café, where cash registers were replaced by donation boxes and customers were invited to pay what they could afford.  The experiment was successful, with approximately 1/5 of the Community Café customers paying more than the suggested donation and helping provide their neighbors’ meals.   Based on this model, the Panera Community Café has expanded to Portland, Oregon and Dearborn, Michigan.

In addition to providing affordable meals and a place to gather, Panera is helping shape the future of these communities through a program that provides job and life-skills training for at-risk youth, with a promise of full-time employment for those who succeed.  It is through programs like these, that address not only the immediate problem of hunger but also the long-term issues of responsibility and self-sustenance, that not only individuals but whole communities can grow stronger. 

But perhaps most importantly, Panera and other community cafe projects are helping re-build the sense of community – neighbor helping neighbor – that society seems to have lost .  In this fast-paced world of technological isolation and virtual relationships it has become far too easy to forget the power of the human touch – a smile, a kind word, a small gesture – to help us get through what has for many become an increasingly difficult life.

I had to smile when the piece concluded with a familiar quote from the Panera Community Cares Café Manager :  “we’re providing a Hand Up, not a handout.”  One of Jon’s signature phrases during his many interviews and speeches and soundbytes about his philanthropy, that simple sentence carries a powerful message.  Those who need our help most often crave the one thing everyone is capable of giving them:  Dignity. 

A person is more than their financial or societal or familial situation.  Those in need of help deserve to be treated as persons of value just the same as everyone else.  That is the real lesson of efforts such as the Panera Community Cares Café and the Soul Kitchen and the other endeavors of the like that are springing up around the nation.  Communities built on respect, compassion, and dignity can only become stronger.

Last night’s “Making a Difference” not only made me smile because it touched my heart, it made me reflect on how a single man can inspire significant change in the lives of complete strangers.  I’m sure Jon would be the first to say he didn’t pioneer the concept of the community café or “Robin Hood restaurant,” as he’s called it.  In fact, he has pointed to the same NBC “Making a Difference” piece that inspired Shaich as the impetus for what has become the Soul Kitchen.  But by being a public and visible proponent of the idea, Jon has sparked interest in the community café effort across the nation. 

According to One World-Everybody Eats, there are at least 20 community cafés currently operating or about to open their doors in the U.S.  And that doesn’t include the multitude of spin-offs on the community café concept that have been adopted by churches, charitable organizations, or local communities.  Local newspapers are full of stories about pay-what-you-can “events” that aim to bring the community together and allow those in need to dine with dignity alongside their neighbors. 

In my area, several local churches have teamed up with community restaurants for highly successful Sunday Dinner events.  Local restaurants volunteer their facilities and staffs and donate the food and services.  Patrons don’t receive checks; they are asked to make donations in the amount they can afford.  Waitstaffs either forego tips or donate their tips back toward the cause.  For that one Sunday night the restaurant’s goal isn’t to make a profit or to break even, it’s to bring everyone together in a celebration of community, to give something back.

Other organizations in my area have hosted special event nights such as pay-what-you-can seafood dinners with crabs and fish donated by local watermen and seafood restaurants, and volunteer cooks, dishwashers, and servers.  Transportation to and from the dinner is provided by local churches and service organizations.  Proceeds go to local food banks and shelters.

Often the most enthusiastic volunteers for these community-café-type events are young people.  They not only volunteer to help, in many cases they are the organizers of the events.  In doing so they not only serve their communities, they gain valuable experience in leadership, communication, management, and organization that will help them in the working world. 

In fact, two young women from an Alabama high school will be competing on the national stage for recognition of their community café-inspired service project.  They will present their community service project, “A Second Chance to Serve” at this month’s national Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) conference in Orlando, Florida.  Their project was based on JBJ’s Soul Kitchen concept, with the girls leading their school FBLA chapter in organizing and holding a pay-what-you-can Cajun Christmas dinner, with proceeds going to a local women’s shelter.

Jon’s public example has undoubtedly inspired many of his fans to volunteer, not just in community café-style endeavors but in a wide variety of ways.  But I have no doubt his message has reached even those who are not fans of his band or music, or who have only a passing recognition of the rock-star-philanthropist. 

Jon does so much more than most other celebrities who freely distribute their money but otherwise take a hands-off approach.  More than just pinning his name on his Foundation, Jon rolls up his sleeves and gets involved.    He uses his fame to call attention to the effort, then humbly redirects attention to the cause and to the “real heroes” behind the scenes. 

One of the things I truly admire is that Jon’s philanthropy isn’t a “solo act.”  Dorothea is heavily involved in the Soul Kitchen and in a myriad of other efforts that are never made public.  She and their daughter Stephanie can both be seen in the Soul Kitchen promotional video (uncredited of course).  Though probably only Jon’s fans ever realize the “family affair” nature of his philanthropy, it speaks volumes about his character and dedication to being part of his community – even if Jon’s backyard is a little bigger than most of ours.

I wonder if Jon and Dorothea really comprehend just how much their example has encouraged and continues to inspire others to give back in their neighborhoods.  Just by making their endeavors visible and actively promoting them through the media they've made volunteering and being part of your community something to be proud of, something that's Cool. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jon and Dorothea at a volunteerism-themed event several years ago, and I was awed by their humility and kindness.  It’s easy to see their passion for this work, how it feeds their souls.  I hope they know how their words and deeds are inspiring generations of people to make their worlds a little better, one community at a time.

As for the Panera Community Cares Café… I hope they continue to expand.  Times are still hard with no end in sight, and we need our neighbors more than ever.  Ron Shaich makes this challenge to other companies to step up and make a difference:

But what would really please me would be to see other companies take inspiration from this concept, just as we took it from the concept of the restaurant in Denver.  Corporate America is generous with its checkbook and in-kind giving.  But it could do much more by going beyond giveaways and using its expertise to attack our country’s problems directly.  Think of the impact that our huge national retailers, with their vast experience in the procurement and distribution of goods, could have on distribution to food banks. Think of what our builders could do by working with homeless shelters. Think of what our technology experts could offer to surgical teams working in third world countries.

The possibilities are endless.  The impact would be spectacular.

And for those of who aren’t part of Corporate America:  If each one of us took just a few hours out of our lives every week or month to lend a hand, imagine how much better our world could be.  Maybe starting a community café isn’t your thing, but everyone has something to offer. 

Take a chance, lend a hand.  You’ll make a difference in somebody’s life.  And you’ll feel good.

Sources:

MSNBC

One World Everybody Eats

Hulu has the video of the broadcast up here (May be only US-viewable)

Mid-Day Motivator: Yum

Me and Mimi and Nancy

"Why?" you ask? Because it has appearances by a (somewhat younger) Jon Bon Jovi:

Me Miami and Nancy is the based on the true life and experiences of Dean Grakal and his rendevous with the love of his life, Nancy. In order to understand and appreciate this great film, you must first understand Dean, and his life path which lead him to Nancy.

Over a 7 year period Dean, focused and determined, along with the help of director Brent Carpenter and producer Mark Hudson, shot his film with an ensemble cast which included Robert Downey Jr, Malcolm McDowell, Cloris Leachman, Gary Oldman, Ringo Starr, Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi and many many more famous faces.

The story outlines the emotional ups and downs of Dean’s pursuit of his true love, Nancy. Completed in 2010, the film has been selected to debut at the 2011 Park City Film Music Festival...Dean is currently writing another book about his life and carreer as a songwriter.

Read all about it here: Me and Mimi and Nancy

You can watch the trailer below:



~ Hath

Make it Greener

Online PR Media is reporting on the opening of the first LEED-certified housing facility in Philly:

Jon Bon Jovi is taking a green step. That green step is for an affordable and green housing facility as he, along with Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Cardinal Justin Rigali and Brian Hudson, announced last week the opening of Conelly House. It is the first LEED-certified housing facility in Philadelphia.

With the new housing facility, the people of Philadelphia who currently have no place to live can now have low-cost and eco-friendly houses. And to make their places a bigger help to the earth, MyCleaningProducts offers them a Green Bean line of organic home cleaners.

You can read the whole article here.

~ Hath

Munich Live Stream

Bon Jovi's Website is reminding everyone about the Munich stream on the 12th:

Bon Jovi Stream Gig Live from Munich’s Olympic Stadium

2010's biggest tour is rolling back into Europe this month and Bon Jovi will be giving fans across the globe a chance to experience the live show from the comfort of their homes!
The record breaking band will be streaming the first 30 minutes of their show live from the awesome Olympic Stadium, Munich, in front of an 80,000 strong crowd and millions watching via the internet, courtesy of Ustream.

Just click on any of these links to watch at www.bonjovi.com on June 12, 2011, at:
10:00am (Los Angeles, PST)
1:00pm (New York, EST)
6:00pm (London, GMT)
7:00pm (Berlin, CEST)

Or use this link to embed the stream onto a web page:
http://www.ustream.tv/bonjovi

The Munich show will act as a special preview for Jovi’s European tour, kicking off in Zagreb June 8th, and blazing across the continent before finishing at Lisbon’s Parque De Belavista. The band will play 24 dates across the UK and Europe, following their incredible 12 night stand at London’s O2 Arena last summer, playing to over 190,000 people.

We can only  hope that the first 30 minutes turns a little longer.
Also, how 'bout a surprise stream for Richie's Return?

~ Hath

JonBon in Newark Today

As reported on the JBJ Soul Foundation website:

Jon Bon Jovi has hosted a series of youth listening tours at various community-based organizations across the country over the past several weeks. The series of sessions concluded today in Newark, NJ as Council Members Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Kempner (CEO of MWW Group) engaged young Americans and community leaders in candid conversations to determine where efforts are most needed. The series began in New Orleans, LA on April 29, continued with visits to Atlanta, GA on May 13 and Houston, TX on May 16.

Monday's session was hosted at the Youth Education & Employment Success Centers of New Jersey and attended by the youth they serve. Youth served by other local organizations also participated, including Newark Now, HELP USA, La Casa de Don Pedro and Newark Works (City One-Stop). In New Orleans (4/29), youth attended from local organizations Cafe Reconcile, Liberty's Kitchen, Youth Empowerment Project and Tulane Drop In Center. In Atlanta (5/13), youth attended who have been served by the Goodwill Career Center, Chris Kids and Visions Youth Leadership Academy. In Houston (5/16) youth served by SEARCH Homeless Houston, Goodwill Houston, Community in Schools and Gulf Coast Trades Center attended.

From Twitter (thanks Catte for these -- you know I can't get @Twitter from work):

CoryBooker Cory Booker 

RT @brian4NY: Newser w Jon bon jovi & @CoryBooker & @mkempner in Newark on youth ed and jobshttp://lockerz.com/s/108284120

CoryBooker Cory Booker 

Great meeting and conversation with Nwk youth, Jon Bon Jovi & other members of the White House commission on youth. Great exchange of ideas

CoryBooker Cory Booker 

Jon Bon Jovi continues to do much for Newark. From building affordable housing to elevating the voices of our youth. I'm grateful.

And some photos (again, courtesy of Catte):

~ Hath

They're Everywhere

This is the lament I hear from my DH whenever a Bon Jovi song or reference comes within ear shot. I haven't even told him about this story -- he'll make sure our son can't spell.

From Metro (and various other places):

The tension was almost unbearable as it came down to the final two contestants of the 84th Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland.

Roy, from Pennsylvania, knew all she had to do was correctly spell the next word and she would be the national champ.

After she heard the word that she had to spell was 'cymotrichous' the teenager asked for a definition and was then told by a panel judge that it meant ‘having the hair wavy, as in, there is considerable debate among musicologists about whether there is a causal relationship between Bon Jovi’s most awesome tunes and the band’s cymotrichous era'.

Roy proceeded to spell the word correctly to take the national prize and go out in a A Blaze Of Glory.

Watch the 14-year-old spell cymotrichous and claim the title below:

~ Hath

PS: Thanks to all of you who sent the link to the YT video -- I think I got at least a half-dozen emails on this topic!

St. Louis Audio Bootleg

Thanks Catte, for the find!

Bon Jovi / Scottrade Center / St. Louis, MO / May 22, 2011

Intro
Last Man Standing
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
In These Arms
Superman Tonight
It's My Life
Runaway
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine / Pretty Woman
Keep the Faith
When We Were Beautiful
(You Want To) Make A Memory
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Takin' Care of Business
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have a Nice Day
Blood on Blood
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer
Twist and Shout

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TPAMWOLX
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YL309JZR
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6OZQI5BF

For hints on downloading/using the files, you can check this post, which has some of the tips/tools I use.  It's by no means inclusive, just the things that've worked for me.

Enjoy!

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivator: Most Wanted!

Wednesday Night....

~ Hath

Brief Richie Video

... courtesy of TMZ

Go here to watch the 41-second clip of Richie signing autographs.

The accompanying article says he was signing autographs for fans -- I think these are the autograph hounds you hear/read about. You know, the ones who want to make a buck on eBay for selling signatures of celebrities.

In any event, that smile is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

~ Hath

Resplendent Randomness: Kick Open the Door

Kiwi sent this along (she knows I need a better time suck than Angry Birds lol) and I thought I'd share.  Thanks to TammyJovi for posting this vid up on YouTube.



~ Hath

European Leg ~ Tour Schedule

JUNE

June 8: Zagreb, Croatia (Maximir Stadium)
June 10: Dresden, Germany (Ostragehege)
June 12: Munich, Germany (Olympic Stadium)
June 15: Oslo, Norway (Ullevaal Stadium)
June 17: Helsinki, Finland (Olympic Stadium)
June 19: Horsens, Denmark (Horsens Stadium)
June 22: Edinburgh, Scotland (Murrayfield)
June 24: Manchester, Great Britain (Old Trafford Cricket)
June 25: London, Great Britain (Hard Rock Calling)
June 27: Bristol, Great Britain (Ashton Gate Stadium)
June 29: Dublin, Ireland (RDS Arena)
June 30: Dublin, Ireland (RDS Arena)

JULY


July 8: Istanbul, Turkey (Abdi Ipekci Arena)
July 10: Bucharest, Romania (Piata Constitutiei)
July 13: Dusseldorf, Germany (Esprit Arena)
July 14: Zurich, Switzerland (Letzigrund Stadium)
July 16: Mannheim, Germany (Maimarktgelande)
July 17: Udine, Italy (Stadio Frilui)
July 20: Athens, Greece (Olympic Stadium)
July 22: Vienna, Austria (Ernst Happel Stadium)
July 24: Bruges, Belgium (Zeebrugge Beach)
July 27: Barcelona, Spain (Estadio Olympico)
July 29: San Sebastian, Spain (Estdio Anoeta)
July 31: Lisbon, Portugal (Parque De Belavista)

Remember to check in on the BJCT Blog for setlists, videos, pictures, and more!
And for details, tickets, packages, etc., head on over to the Bon Jovi website.

~ Hath

Resplendent Randomness: Axia Ad, circa 1986

Thanks Kiwi for this -- I hadn't seen it before, though like Catte, I did recall Richie talking about this in the VH-1 Storytellers from 2000.  He talks about filming a commercial in Japan, standing knee-deep in black water, and while he and Jon were shooting the -- er -- breeze, they came up with the idea for Bad Medicine.  Richie was telling Jon about some "crazy chick" he was seeing, and Jon commented that Richie's love life was good inspiration for writing :)

Anyway, a little puppy love for your Monday Morning.

~ Hath

Richie (blurry) Airport Pics

Thanks Liz and Kiwi!

~ Hath

For @1NikkiLund

Nikki, just in case you need a visual to help with my personal request for Richie's stage clothes (lol) something along these lines would be purrrrrrfect...

~ Hath

Listening Tour comes to Jersey

JonBon is wrapping up the Listening Tour with a stint in Newark, according to the Beaumont Enterprise:

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Bon Jovi may be known for the kind of tour that makes a lot of noise — but the band's leader says he's on a different kind of tour just to listen.
Jon Bon Jovi will be in Newark Monday to conclude a "listening tour with disengaged youth" as part of his role as a White House Council member.

The New Jersey native has been taking time off from his band's current sold-out world tour to talk to young people across America about their efforts to stay on track despite the obstacles they face.

It's the final stop on a tour that held previous sessions at community organizations serving young people in New Orleans, Atlanta and Houston.

Monday's session will be hosted at the Youth Education & Employment Success Center in Newark.

~ Hath

Welcome Back, Richie!

Of course, nothing official has come out of the Bon Jovi camp, but the tabs are all reporting he's back and joining the boys for the last leg of this mega tour.

We "knew" that already, what with the tweets from PhilX and Abby and Nikki, but now TMZ has reported it -- so it MUST be true:

Richie Sambora is out of rehab and has just landed in New York City, but he's not staying long -- he's rejoining the Bon Jovi tour.

Sambora told our photog at JFK he was feeling good -- which was evidenced by the fact he signed dozens upon dozens of autographs for fans.

He just arrived from Los Angeles, but plans on heading right back out -- he's meeting up with Jon and the boys for the European leg of the tour. They are scheduled to play in Croatia on Wednesday.

And, Nikki tweeted over the weekend about designing new stage clothes for Richie as well.  As an aside to Ms. Lund -- we would LOVE it if you would forget the t-shirts (especially the bedazzled ones) and go for the light-as-air, only-has-the-bottom-two-buttons-cause-really-he-doesn't-need-them button-up shirts.  We (at least the dozen or so girls I talked to) want to see the chains, chest and sweat for this last leg of the tour.

Just sayin'.  Thanks Doll.

~ Hath

Protecting Bon Jovi at Policeman's Gala

File under "taking things WAY too seriously...  From the NY Times:

The only thing that kept us from an apoplectic fit on Thursday night was our fear of the following headline: “Reporter Arrested at Policemen’s Gala.” And despite our Nocturnalist correspondent’s calm, cool demeanor, it seemed it almost happened.

Publicists had said we could have a moment on the red carpet with Jon Bon Jovi, at a gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of the New York City Police Foundation held in the Waldorf-Astoria’s Grand Ballroom. But facing a tsunami of fans, the musician walked away.

We chatted instead with the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly; Penny Marshall; and Regis Philbin (who delighted with his use of the third person when we asked him if he planned to do “Dancing With the Stars”: “Why does Regis have to do that at this point in his life?” he yelped.)

Heading for the powder room, we actually crossed paths with Mr. Bon Jovi (whom the evening’s M.C., Charlie Rose, referred to several times as “Jon Bovi,” while the crowd laughed awkwardly). We asked for an interview. “I’d rather not,” he said.

As we headed back to our seat, we were stopped by a keg-shaped man blocking our path.

“You’re leaving,” said the man, who did not identify himself. We’d “ambushed” Mr. Bon Jovi, he said. We introduced ourselves and explained that what he called “ambushing” was, in fact, asking nicely for an interview — that is, doing our job.

“Right,” he said, still blocking us from the ballroom, where, behind him, Chevy Chase posed with fans.

After some bargaining, he let us get our purse (we needed our MetroCard) and demanded that we show our press pass for the event. None had been issued.

Our chin-high captor called us a liar, and shuffled us into a side room. He “didn’t want to make a scene,” he said. (Thoughts flashed across our mind: Were we going to be searched? And more importantly, if so, were we wearing clean undergarments?)

We began to sweat.

But inside the anteroom, there was the event’s P.R. team, who freed us with a word and confided that they had no idea who the stout little man was. At a police party, we could really have used a police detail.

Honestly, if JonBon couldn't be "safe" in a roomful of cops...

And I had to laugh at the "chin-high" description.  Well done.

~ Hath

PS: Thanks Catte, for the article.