Story Update...

 Merry Christmas!

A new chapter of New Beginnings has been posted.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Read more...

JonBon Nominated

From the Hollywood Reporter

Jon Bon Jovi on the Song That Could Break His 22-Year Oscar Dry Spell

 

The Hollywood Reporter is pleased to offer an exclusive first look at Roadside Attractions' new, roughly four-minute-long featurette highlighting Jon Bon Jovi's song "Not Running Anymore," which can be heard in the new film Stand Up Guys. The melancholy tune was recently nominated for the best original song Golden Globe and included on the short-list from which the Academy's music branch will select five best original score Oscar nominees, the names of which will be revealed Jan. 10.

Jon Bon Jovi is, of course, lead singer in the immensely popular rock band Bon Jovi. Twenty-two years ago, he wrote the song "Blaze of Glory" specifically for Young Guns II. The song was part of his first solo album and it became a phenomenal success, placing No. 1 on the Billboard charts, winning the Globe for best original song and earning an Oscar nomination. (It lost at the 1991 Academy Awards to Stephen Sondheim's "Sooner or Later" from the film Dick Tracy.)
  
In the time since, Bon Jovi has done only one other solo project, largely because he has been so busy with his band. But as he explained in an interview with THR earlier this year, he has been on a "streak of writing" over the past year or so since the band wrapped its last tour -- and it occurred to him that he might attempt another if the right project came along. He was sent the script for Stand Up Guys, a dramedy about three longtime partners-in-crime who reunite for one last night together, and agreed to write a song for it even before any actors had signed on to the effort. Shortly thereafter, Oscar winners Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin jumped aboard.

In the featurette -- which cuts between an interview with Bon Jovi, scenes from the film and scenes from the song's music video -- the singer says the track's placement in the film "immediately sets the tone for who these guys are" -- particularly the character played by Pacino, who knows that his best friend, the character played by Walken, has been ordered to kill him in just hours.

Bon Jovi says that he deeply connected with the on-screen trio: "I think it’s telling that I’ve had those same relationships with my band, for example ... I’ve been with the same band for 30 years. I’ve been with the same wife for 30-plus years. I’ve been with the same record company for 30 years. Loyalty, friendship, trust, honor — that’s the foundation on which everything I’ve ever done has been built.”

Read more...

Story Update...

New Beginnings has been updated.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!



And thanks to Kiwi for this fab pic!

Read more...

Story Update...

New Beginnings has been updated.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Read more...

Jon Bon Talks...

Bon Jovi talks charity, tour, daughter's struggle

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Bon Jovi has been with his band for more than 30 years, so he could be considered something of an expert when it comes to the durability of rock stars. Still, even Bon Jovi is mystified at how the senior set is dominating on the stage.

"I can't get over it," said Bon Jovi, who will perform next week with Paul McCartney, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and a host of other superstars at the 12-12-12 concert at Madison Square Garden to benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy.

"I'm (expletive) dying already and I'm gonna go out there and play four songs. How do they do it?" he said, joking. "The Who and (Mick) Jagger and McCartney. ... I'm not going to be that journeyman. ... I'm not going to be that 75-year-old guy doing 150 shows a year."

But at 50, he's not ready for early retirement either. Bon Jovi has a couple of songs in the upcoming Al Pacino film, "Stand Up Guys," and the band just completed their 12th studio album, "What About Now," set for release early next year. They also have a world tour kicking off in Connecticut on Feb. 9.

Bon Jovi was in a jovial mood when he sat down with The Associated Press last week to discuss his group's upcoming projects, but turned somber when he discussed some of the more painful events to hit him in 2012: The devastation caused in his home state of New Jersey by Superstorm Sandy and the recent troubles of his 19-year-old daughter, Stephanie Bongiovi, found unresponsive in her dorm room at an upstate New York college last month after an apparent heroin overdose. Still, he discussed it all with candor — and optimism.

AP: What was the intent of releasing the single, album and tour in stages?

Bon Jovi: I know how to do it. It's as simple as that. ... New songs are why artists go on the road. That's why I go on the road. It's a three-prong play. Writing: You're intrigued. Recording: It brings it to life. And then you want to share it.

AP: Tell me about being part of the Jersey rocker pedigree.

Bon Jovi: Depends what day of the week that it is. Those are my roots. That truth helped us not fall into the trap of our peer group in the mid-'80s. Being from New Jersey was actually a great asset, now that I'm a much older, wiser man. ... If you were to ask me about a mistake I have made, it's calling my fourth album, 'New Jersey,' because for the first time in my life, we were compared to the E Street Band. I don't think we're anything like the E Street Band. There's a Jersey root there. I love the band. I grew up loving them. But I didn't want to sit up there telling (imitating Springsteen), 'Jonny when I was 16 ...' Uh uh. There was a lot of guys jumping on that bandwagon. I didn't do that.

AP: Do you see similarities between you and Bruce Springsteen as philanthropists?

Bon Jovi: My philanthropy is no relation to anybody else's. None. My philanthropy and what we do at the foundation speaks for itself and has no relation to anyone's. I don't know what he does as a humanitarian. I have no clue. ... I'm talking about what I do at the Soul Kitchen (his community restaurant in New Jersey). It's a whole other level. It's millions of dollars in a foundation that does stuff.

AP: You seem to honestly care about people and not just the photo opp. You left London early to see the aftermath of Sandy. Why do you care so much?

Bon Jovi: That's a deep question without a simple answer. I throw gasoline and light the match on that photo opp guy. This was the argument in politics this year. Entitlements. I call them empowerments. If a guy doesn't have to worry so much on how he's going to have to get fed tonight, maybe he can concentrate on reading the book or going to get a job. Maybe his kids are going to be happier.

AP: With your daughter recently in the news, how do you go forward from there?

Bon Jovi: I didn't have any sisters. We bring home this girl the first day. Now what? Where's the manual? There was no manual. So you bring her up the best you can, you surround her with hugs and kisses and know that she may eventually fall down. I appreciate the outpouring of kindness in light of what happened in my household. I'm shocked as much as the next parent with this situation and had no idea. But then you surround them with best help and love and move on, and that's where we're at with it. Steph is a great kid. Great GPA. Cool school, Hamilton College up in Clinton, N.Y. Everything about it is idyllic. She was doing great. Then a sudden and steep decline. Hopefully, we caught it when we did and that's the end of it. But who knew? I've got three more to come.

AP: Sometimes kids just make bad decisions?

Bon Jovi: I hope so. I'm confident, but no one knows the future. It is what it is.

source

Read more...

Story Update...

New Beginnings has been updated.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Read more...

Philanthropist Richie...

Richie Sambora honored with Special Celebrity Philanthropist Award

Los Angeles, CA(Hollywood Today)11/17/12/—The  Association of Fundraising Professionals, (AFP) Greater Los Angeles Chapter, hosted the 27th Annual National Philanthropy Day Luncheon Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills California on Wednesday November 14, 2012.  Hundreds of  philanthropists, founders, fundraisers and non-profit community leaders attended to support outstanding celebrity and community philanthropists.  Richie Sambora was honored with Special Celebrity Philanthropist Award.  Alysha del Valle and Bri Winkler from ABC 7 Eyewitness news emceed the event and musical performances from Broadways A Chorus Line and Rent were performed by Katherine Tokarz, Melissa Sandvig, Ade Obayomi and an ensemble cast.

Richie Sambora Grammy award winning musician, iconic rock group Bon Jovi with over 130 million albums sold worldwide, over  2800 concerts in over 52 countries in three decades; was awarded Special Honor Celebrity Philanthropy recognition. He performed at the Music Box – Henry Fonda Theater for a special concert to raise emergency funds for Hurricane Sandy relief effort for the Red Cross and has vowed to match all the proceeds raised.  Richie Sambora featured the release of his third solo album, Aftermath of the Lowdown.

 

Source

Read more...

Review: Richie Sambora at the Fonda Theater 11/13/12

How does one transform a small intimate venue like the Fonda Theatre into an arena like rock show? Few people can accomplish such a task. Richie Sambora easily managed to pull off this feat while touring in support of his new solo album Aftermath of the Lowdown.

Primarily known for his fiery fretwork and slick songwriting in Bon Jovi, Sambora seamlessly made the transition to engaging frontman as his years of playing arenas has given him invaluable experience. A line of female fans hugged the front barricade in anticipation of watching Sambora much closer compared to the vastly high and distant arena stage.

It didn't take long for Sambora to heat up as he cranked up his boutique Friedman amplifier and battered Fender Stratocaster for "Burn That Candle Down". Flanked with a highly capable backing band, Sambora sounded superb as a vocalist. It became apparent how vital his background vocals hold together some of Bon Jovi's greatest hits.

"Every Road Leads to Home" was another anthemic rocker that was well deserving of its lead single status from the album. I shouldn't have been surprised but Sambora's guitar tone was outstanding. It could be indexed as the quintessential sound of rock and roll guitar with its perfect blend of overdrive, distortion and sustain.

A perfect example of his hot-rodded guitar sound was during "Nowadays" with its blazing hot riffs that could have been a Foo Fighters song. Throughout the evening fans were shouting out song requests to which Sambora quipped that he could be hired for weddings but was "VERY expensive."

Hailing from New Jersey, it was fitting that Sambora donated all the proceeds of the show to the America Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Fund. Although Sambora had mentioned that "Weathering The Storm" was more about personal problems it was eerily prescient in relation to the damage that Sandy had wrought.

One interesting turn of the evening was the interjection of The Black Keys song "Howlin' For You" into the song "Sugar Daddy." A boost in the energy of the room occurred when he played the Bon Jovi song "I'll Be There For You". A moment of guitar envy swept across me when I saw a stunning double neck acoustic guitar for the jangle of "You Can Only Get So High".

Cell phones were quickly set to record during the opening chords of "Wanted Dead Or Alive" as the crowd ended singing half the song to Sambora. A slowed down version of "Livin' On A Prayer" followed by "These Days" capped out the evening which made me think that Sambora would have been successful even if he hadn't joined Bon Jovi.

Critical Bias: I'm a sucker for good guitar sound and Sambora had it in spades.

The Crowd: '80s arena rock fanatics. Didn't see any big hair though.

Overheard: "I want some "Bad Medicine!" Wasn't sure if they were referring to the song or scoring some drugs.

Random Notebook Dump: Sambora's album was released on indie stalwart Silverlake label Dangerbird records.

Setlist:
"Burn That Candle Down"
"Every Road Leads Home To You"
"Nowadays"
"Stranger In This Town"
"Taking A Chance On The Wind"
"Weathering The Storm"
"Sugar Daddy"
"I'll Be There For You"
"Hard Times Come Easy"
"Seven Years Gons"
"You Can Only Get So High"
"Who Says You Can't Go Home"
"Wanted Dead Or Alive"
"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"
"Livin' On A Prayer"
"These Days"

source

Read more...

JonBon Ground-Breaking...

N. Broad corridor gains new low-income rental development

 

 

 

The revival of the North Broad Street corridor got a major boost Tuesday with the official launch of a $16 million, 55-unit rental housing development.

 

But unlike most of the high-end projects in the fast-changing Francisville neighborhood, JBJ Soul Homes will cater to low-income families and individuals trying to escape homelessness.

 

The project is a collaboration, led by Project HOME and the Greater Exodus Baptist Church and funded, in part, by a foundation run by the rock musician Jon Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi provided star power at the launch, attended by more than 200 people under a tent pitched on Fairmount Avenue.

"We live in a time when we can't rely on just the government or the private sector alone," Bon Jovi said. "But these collaborations are so important, especially when the country is so polarized."

The Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II said Project HOME approached his church three years ago about developing the triangular property where Ridge and Fairmount Avenues cross Broad Street.

 

Over a decade, he said, church members spent about $600,000 acquiring all the derelict houses on the block, which were then demolished to create 1.8 acres of open space.

He said the members of his congregation had thought about following the real estate trade winds in the neighborhood and building high-end condominiums.

In recent years, developers have been converting old factories and offices on North Broad into loft apartments. Most recently, the eyesore Divine Lorraine Hotel was sold and slated for renovation into apartments.

But the cofounders of Project HOME - Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson McConnon - persuaded Lusk and his congregation to join their effort.

"I had to make a decision to make more money or to serve the people who need it most," Lusk said. Of the decision, he said, "We have to provide for ourselves. No one else will do it."

Project HOME will set aside 40 of the 55 affordable rental units in the four-story building for housing homeless individuals. A nonprofit affiliate of Greater Exodus will operate 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retailing in the building.

Funding for the project came from a broad number of public sources and private donations, most notably Bon Jovi's foundation and the Middleton family of Philadelphia.

Leigh and John Middleton, who run a charitable housing initiative called the Middleton Partnership, have committed a total of $15 million to Project HOME to use for eliminating street homelessness in Philadelphia.

As part of that pledge, the family last year made an undisclosed contribution to Project HOME to renovate an empty apartment house at 21st and Venango Streets into the James Widener Ray Homes.

With the JBJ Soul Homes under way, the Middletons also plan to back Project HOME on a 94-unit rental project at 810 Arch St. that will be developed in conjunction with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.

Mayor Nutter has vowed to make Philadelphia the first major city in the country to end homelessness. Project HOME is building credibility that the goal is within reach, said John Middleton, a limited partner in the Phillies.

"People will begin to believe we can solve this problem," he said.

About 600 people survive on the streets of Philadelphia, with about 3,000 others living in shelters.

JBJ Soul Homes is expected to be completed by next fall.

source

Read more...

Story Update

New Beginnings has been updated.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Read more...

From Richie's Website:

Rock For A Cause!!

 

In light of the recent tragic effects in his home state of New Jersey, Richie Sambora (@therealsambora) has decided to donate all profits from the ticket sales to his Nov 13th solo concert @ Fonda Theater in LA, to the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Fund.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, please click here!.

Also, he has added a two very special VIP packages to raise even more funds for the affected people, all proceeds from these will go directly to the Sandy Relief Fund:

THE VIP PACKAGE – $100 – Buy Now
- Includes a VIP ticket to the concert (special seating area) and a personalized autographed copy of his new CD Aftermath Of The Lowdown

THE ULTIMATE PACKAGE – $1,000 – Buy Now
- Includes an autographed guitar, and a meet and greet with Richie himself at the concert! (these are extremely limited, so please act quickly)

* All physical merchandise will be picked up in person at The Fonda Theater on November 13th. Purchasers will be notified of details 24-hours prior to show date.

 

Read more...

JonBon on Katie...

Jon Bon Jovi and Steve Buscemi were on with Katie Couric yesterday...

If you go here, you can see all the segments from the show, including a short backstage tidbit with Jon in the green room.

Read more...

Richie on Access Hollywood

Richie sat down with Access Hollywood's Billy Bush to talk about how Hurricane Sandy affected his family:

Read more...

Benefit Concert...

This Friday at 8 p.m. EST

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi to perform at benefit concert for Sandy victims

 

New York - NBC is doing a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy featuring some artists native to the areas hardest hit.

 

Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi of New Jersey and Billy Joel of Long Island are scheduled to appear at the concert Friday.

The telecast will benefit the American Red Cross and be shown on NBC and its cable stations including Bravo, CNBC, USA, MSNBC and E! Other networks are invited to join in.

The concert will be hosted by Matt Lauer. It will air at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be taped-delayed in the West.

Other performers include Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jimmy Fallon.

The telethon will be broadcast from NBC facilities in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Meanwhile, at a concert in upstate New York, Springsteen offered up his thanks to the police officers, firefighters and government officials for their storm relief efforts.

Springsteen made the comments Wednesday night in Rochester at the Rochester Blue Cross Arena as he dedicated "My City of Ruins" to Asbury Park.

The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but was postponed because of flight cancellations for the band and ticket holders.

source

Read more...

Bon Jovi on the Road Again...

ANNOUNCING Because We Can - The Tour Bon Jovi fans - get ready! We are bringing our rock 'n' roll show back to the people,  hitting the road in 2013 to fill stadiums and arenas worldwide! Because We Can - The Tour will kick off with a string of Canadian dates, beginning on  February 13th, 2013 in Montreal and continuing on to Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary  and Winnipeg. Stay tuned to BonJovi.com for more tour announcements in the coming weeks.  It's going to be a wild ride!

CANADA PRE-SALES FOR BACKSTAGE JBJ MEMBERS BEGIN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 Beginning Friday, October 26 at 10:00AM Local Venue Time, members of Backstage JBJ will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets and Backstage JBJ VIP Packages for Bon Jovi 2013 tour dates. Visit BonJovi.com for more details on how you can get exclusive access to pre-sale tickets, general on-sale information and more details about Because We Can - The Tour. Pre-sales beginning on Friday, October 26 at 10:00AM Local Venue Time:

Date	Location	Venue	Pre-Sale Tickets
February 13	Montreal, QB	Bell Centre	Buy Tickets
February 20	Ottawa, ON	Scotiabank Place	Buy Tickets
April 2	Calgary, AB	Saddledome	Buy Tickets
April 3	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place	Buy Tickets
April 5	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre	Buy Tickets

Pre-sale beginning on Saturday, October 27th, at 10:00 AM Local Venue Time:

Date	Location	Venue	Pre-Sale Tickets
February 17	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre	Buy Tickets

Pre-sale tickets and VIP Packages are available exclusively for Backstage JBJ members. If you are not already a member, or need to renew your membership, visit BonJovi.com/Join. For more details on Backstage JBJ Exclusive VIP Packages, visit BonJovi.com/VIP To purchase Backstage JBJ Pre-Sale Tickets & VIP Packages 1. Join or log in to Backstage JBJ 2. Go to the Pre-Sales tab or the VIP Packages tab on the Tour Page. 3. Click the "Buy Pre-Sale Tickets" link or the "Buy VIP Packages" link for the event of your choice at the pre-sale start time.    GET YOUR BACKSTAGE JBJ TRAVEL PACKAGES TO TORONTO BROUGHT TO YOU BY RUNAWAY TOURS Turn your concert experience into an unforgettable getaway with a Runaway Tours travel package! You are invited to a very special trip to Toronto from February 16-19, 2013. This travel package goes on sale Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 10:00 AM EDT. This trip includes: 3 Nights Hotel Accommodations - Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto Tickets to the Concert Photo Op With JBJ Welcome Cocktail Party Pre-Show Party Special Surprise Fully Escorted By Our Staff Don't miss out on this opportunity to travel and meet up with other fans!

Read more...