Undercover Karaoke

JON BON JOVI GOES UNDERCOVER TO 

SURPRISE FANS AT KARAOKE BAR

 
ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

This was pretty funny and it's for a good cause.

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And the Award Goes to...

Jon Bon Jovi to Be Honored at Clinton Global Citizen Awards

Jon Bon Jovi has played for a lot of major audiences. But the Jersey rocker just booked a major gig on Sept. 19, when he will be honored and a featured performer at this year's Clinton Global Citizen Awards.

The 10th annual event that honors outstanding individuals for their exemplary leadership and work to effect positive social change will take place during the final Clinton Global Initiative meetings in New York (Sept. 19-21). 

This year's meeting celebrates a decade of CGI's philanthropy across the planet and will recognize the 10-year anniversary of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, whose focus is on issues of affordable housing and hunger in the U.S. The rocker's organization launched at a press conference in Philadelphia, where President Clinton took the stage to commend the philanthropic model.

Richie Sambora Congratulates Bon Jovi on New Single in Twitter Video

According to CGI, the list of this year's honorees include President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia for his "commitment to establish peace in Colombia following a 50 year civil war"; Dr. Hawa Abdi for her work to provide "refuge, quality healthcare, education and entrepreneurship opportunities" for all Somalis and Adi Godrej for "transforming his family’s multinational company into a leader of social and environmental value creation."

In addition to Bon Jovi, the event will feature special appearances by opera singer Andrea Bocelli, who will perform with the Voices of Haiti Choir and Sister Mary Scullion, who will present an award to Bon Jovi; Randy Jackson will serve as musical producer for the event.

Some notable past Global Citizen Awards honorees have included: Quincy Jones (2009), Sting and Trudie Styler (2011) and Leonardo DiCaprio (2014).

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Jon Bon People Article...

Jon Bon Jovi Talks New Restaurant and Parting Ways with Richie Sambora:  He Didn't Show up for Work Anymore

Video Interview with Jon and Dorothea
 
After decades of making music together, Richie Sambora left rock band Bon Jovi behind – and, along with it, longtime songwriting partner and bandmateJon Bon Jovi.

"I haven't seen him in over three years. He just didn't show up for work anymore," Bon Jovi, 54, told CBS This Morning while promoting the new second location of his New Jersey restaurant, JBJ Soul Kitchen. "And that's the truth of the matter."

Sambora left the band's tour in April 2013, telling Entertainment Tonight that he wanted to spend more time with his and Heather Locklear's daughter Ava, 18.

"My daughter looked at me and said, 'Dad, I need you.' She's getting ready to go to school. Currency of love and happiness outweighs the currency of money," Sambora explained last year.

Of the split, Bon Jovi told CBS, "Life goes on. You know, being in a rock band is not a life sentence... you have other things in your life that you care to do. But it's okay, because you share your art as long as you choose to share it."

"You know, you don't have to do this for a living – you choose to do it for a living," he said.

The "Livin' on a Prayer" singer, whose second album sans Sambora is due out this fall, opened up about launching another JBJ Soul Kitchen in New Jersey.

The restaurant encourages customers to "pay it forward" by buying other diners' meals, and is part of a bigger center, which includes a food pantry, food bank and teaching kitchen.

"When you come into this restaurant, there are no prices on our menu. So if you are in need, you participate," Bon Jovi said. "And that means bussing the table, washing a dish, working in our gardens. If you are here to just enjoy a meal and affect change directly by buying a Pay It Forward card, you are paying for your meal and for someone else's that are here in the restaurant or are going to come tomorrow, and you don't know the difference between who are in need and who are not in need."


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Q Note: Once again, CBS would NOT let me embed the video, so you'll have to click the link to see Jon and Dorothea discuss the newest Soul Kitchen...

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Jon Bon Bringing Everyone All Together...

JON BON JOVI ON HAND FOR B.E.A.T. CENTER OPENING IN TOMS RIVER

TOM RIVER, N.J. (WPVI) --

It was a celebration of new possibilities Tuesday in Toms River, New Jersey.

A group of dignitaries, including rocker Jon Bon Jovi, cut the ribbon on the brand new B.E.A.T. center in Toms River.

B.E.A.T. stands for "Bringing Everyone All Together." It's a new one-stop location that includes a food pantry, job training and other resources, along with the second of Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen restaurants. That's where diners can get high-quality meals for a minimum $10 donation, or eat for free and volunteer their services to pay.

Jon Bon Jovi explains, "We are here to affect change directly. And in the Soul Kitchen or the B.E.A.T. center it's a microcosm of what we believe in - community. Bringing people together to help each other and not judging."

Ocean County is still recovering from super storm Sandy. Thousands are still out of their homes and financially unstable, and one in eight people struggle with hunger.

Pat Donaghue from The Peoples Pantry tells us, "These people have been suffering in silence and they're coming forward. These are solid people. These are blue collar middle class."

One of those in need is Christina Donahue, who says, "They were there in my time of need. Just so caring. Not just only did they provide food they provided comfort."

After having to move from place to place because businesses didn't want a food pantry next door, the B.E.A.T. center is a more permanent location where people can come for groceries, a meal and help.

Carlos Rodriguez of the FoodBank Monmouth and Ocean Counties says, "What we are trying to do is identify what's your underlying need and reason for needing emergency food. There's so many simple things that families, unfortunately, just don't know that these resources are available to them."

The B.E.A.T. center will connect clients to the services they need to get on their feet. It's happening with help from the Tepper Foundation and various donors.

Peter Unanue of Goya Foods says, "A lot of people were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and are struggling so we are really happy to help out."

The B.E.A.T. center is located at 1769 Hooper Avenue and is accessible by public transportation.

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Q note:   There is a video if you click the source link.  I could NOT get it to embed in my post.  Sorry!

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Jon Bon, Philanthropist Today...

Found this in my inbox today...Jon and his wife are to be commended for all they have done and continue to do to help those that struggle everyday to put food on their table...

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And the Award Goes to...

Hundreds turn out as Bon Jovi receives Marian Anderson Award



Hundreds feted New Jersey-born rock star and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi at a Kimmel Center gala Tuesday night, where he accepted the Marian Anderson Award for his music and charity work.

The award is given to entertainers who have "contributed to our society in a singular manner," event organizers said. They highlighted Bon Jovi's music and commitment to charity, including his work with programs in the Philadelphia area and beyond.

Bon Jovi took the stage to a standing ovation about 10:30. "I'm deeply humbled to accept this award," he said, "and I do so fully aware of the rich and the powerful legacy of this honor."

The award is named for the late African American contralto and South Philadelphia High School graduate, who was celebrated as a singer of classical music and spirituals and who, when she encountered racial intolerance, gracefully fought for social justice.

Saying he never had to face the struggles Anderson endured, Bon Jovi noted: "I was, in fact, born in suburban New Jersey in 1962."  He exhorted the crowd: "Let us draw inspiration from those that have come before us to do the work we are called to do."

Earlier, a host of celebrities and politicians sang Bon Jovi's praises. The comedian Wanda Sykes said Bon Jovi excels at everything he does: "Music, acting, good hair."

She drew laughs with a reference to Philadelphia's marijuana-decriminalization law: "Thanks to Mayor Nutter, we're all carrying a little bit of weed around with us now."

Later in the evening, Nutter responded: "There's nothing like being called out by Wanda Sykes."

He hailed Bon Jovi as "really just a wonderful man" and a "great artist."

An early no-show was Sen. Cory A. Booker (D., N.J.), a former Newark mayor. "If he was Mayor Booker, he would have been here," Sykes joked.

Booker arrived about 10. Explaining his lateness, he quipped: "I had to save Wanda from a fire backstage."

In a serious vein, Booker said Marian Anderson's groundbreaking 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial was a seminal moment in American history.

Of Bon Jovi, Booker said: "It is a true artist who has courage and creativity in their passion."

Sister Mary Scullion of Philadelphia's Project HOME said Bon Jovi "calls us to live out the American dream - to work for what our country can and should be."

Bon Jovi, who rose to prominence with his band, Bon Jovi, in the 1980s, has become known in recent years for his charity work. He chairs the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which deals with hunger and homelessness, and has partnered with Project HOME.

Proceeds from Tuesday's gala will support the Young Artist Study Grant Program, which helps high school artists and musicians in financial need. One recipient, violinist Sean Bennett, performed at the gala.

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Bon Jovi ALS Ice Bucket Challenge - UPDATED!!

Richie came thru!
As I noted in my previous post, he had been out of the country but he's back home now and he accepted the challenge...






As I am sure you all know by now, Jon Bon Jovi was challenged to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  He readily accepted the challenge and called out David Bryan, Tico Torres and Richie Sambora to do the same.





Tico also accepted the challenge.  He called out Tiger Woods, Alice Cooper and Ernie Els...




David, too, accepted the challenge.  He called out Richard Saker, Gavin DeGraw and Ryan Cabrera.





The only slacker right now is Richie.  Granted, he is out of the country, but still, they have ice, water  and buckets in Japan, don't they?


Come on Richie, where's your video?!


For more information about ALS and/or to donate, click here.

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Jon Bon @ Parker Family Health Center Benefit

Bon Jovi brings charity back home

Jon Bon Jovi fired things up at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Wednesday night, once again showing his support for the folks back home.

"Let's turn up the heat!" said the rocker from the stage to the sold-out audience.

Bon Jovi, lead singer of the band Bon Jovi, normally plays stadiums around the world, but here it was a solo fundraising hometown show — he lives in neighboring Middletown — for the Parker Family Health Center of Red Bank.

"There are a lot of people who live in our area who have no health care, and they need our help," he told the crowd.

The Jersey Shore-based Kings of Suburbia were his backing band, and the evening feature a mixture of soul shakers ("Ain't Nothin' But a House Party"), classic rockers ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band") and Bon Jovi hits ("You Give Love a Bad Name"). The evening had a loose but musically tight roadhouse feel, very much rooted on the traditional R&B meets rock sound of the Jersey Shore.

Southside Johnny joined the ensemble about an hour into the show.

"He's the reason I do what I do," Bon Jovi said.

See Bon Jovi's $37.5M NYC penthouse

Bon Jovi is known for his local philanthropy. For example, he donated $125,000 to the Sea Bright Fire Department after superstorm Sandy, and created the Soul Kitchen soup kitchen, located down the block from the Basie, to help feed the hungry. He also donated $1 million to the New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, and through his Soul Foundation, has helped build affordable housing in Philadelphia and a homeless shelter in Camden.

Before the show began, Monmouth Street was abuzz with Bon Jovi fans outside the theater. Fans were snapping pictures of the marquee, chatting and getting primed for the show.

Francesca Migliori, 38, made the trip from Lucca, Italy to be there.

"I've seen a lot of stadium shows in Italy, Milan, New Jersey, so I assume this is going to be different than the stadium shows," said Migliori, a native of Staten Island. "I met Jon on an Italian TV game show when I was 8 and I've been a fan ever since."

Migliori was seeing the show with her mom, Joan Migliori of Staten Island, and son, Giuseppe Dello'Averson, 13.

Prior to the show, Parker Family Health Center board member Gina Petillo said: "The Bon Jovis have been good friends to the Parker Center since we've opened in 2000. They've been with us from the start."
The concert was live streamed via Stageit.com to fans around the world. Proceeds raised from the streaming also went to the Parker center.

The rocker appeared in a videotaped statement posted on social media Wednesday morning.

"Do me a favor, sign on and watch the Kings of Suburbia rock out on your computer and give some money to a great cause," said Jon Bon Jovi, seated in a convertible near an unidentified beach.

The Parker Family Health Center provides primary health care free of charge to low-income, uninsured Monmouth County residents, according to a release. The clinic logged 11,888 patient-visits in 2013, with over 100,000 cumulative visits since its founding in 2000.

The Jersey Shore-based Kings of Suburbia includes guitarist Bobby Bandiera, who plays in the band Bon Jovi; bassist Graham Maby, who has played with Joe Jackson and Shania Twain; drummer Rich Scannella, who substituted for Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres on the band's most recent tour when he was ill; and singer Layonne Holmes, who has performed with Bruce Springsteen. The band played with Jon Bon Jovi for a fundraiser for the Parker Family Health Center at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville in 2011.

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And, some pics, of course!

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Jon Bon Not a Cliche Rock Star...

From the USA Today -

Jon Bon Jovi: 'I don't live the cliche, rock star life'

Singer's new passion: A foundation that feeds and houses those in need

Jon Bon Jovi sits on a wooden bench in Red Bank, N.J., rubbing the throbbing right foot that three weeks earlier had undergone surgery for plantar fasciitis. Behind him is JBJ Soul Kitchen, the restaurant run by his charitable foundation, and in front of him are volunteer groundskeepers tending to the vegetable garden. He waves off suggestions that he should join them for a photo, but not because of his physical condition.

"I'd rather kill myself," the world-famous rocker says. "It is very important to me that this foundation is real and not about a guy who does photo ops. There is no pride in any of that. I can't do it."

For 30 years, as frontman for one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, Bon Jovi has lived in the public eye – his life photographed, filmed and chronicled, his work reviewed and analyzed.

But over the past few years, Bon Jovi has increasingly turned his attention to the less-glamorous work of understanding the needs of less-fortunate residents of New Jersey, Philadelphia and beyond, researching ways to help them and then working with communities to open new facilities through his JBJ Soul Foundation. One example is the Soul Kitchen, a restaurant that allows diners to work for their meals. Another is JBJ Soul Homes, a partnership with Project HOME that includes 55 apartments for formerly homeless and low-income residents in Philly.

Celebrity-driven charity efforts are nothing new, and cynics may scoff at the idea that a rock star does much more than lend his name to an organization. Bon Jovi's longtime business partner says the Soul Foundation is not like that. "He wants to be involved and he is intimately focused on every step of every project," says Craig Spencer, who formerly co-owned the Philadelphia Soul arena football team with Bon Jovi and helped found this foundation in 2006. "He uses his brand to benefit others, not himself."

Case in point: Last year's tour in support of the band's No. 1 album What About Now, was rife with disruptions: Drummer Tico Torres underwent two emergency surgeries. And lead guitarist Richie Sambora famously quit the tour. Yet Jon Bon Jovi worked during off-dates to advance the foundation.

"He asked me to find best practices-type of organizations that deal with homeless youth so we could visit and find out what has worked for them," says Mimi Box, Soul Foundation executive director and one of only two paid employees of the organization. "He wants to be fully informed."

Adds foundation President Leo Carlin: "Jon often speaks about the power of 'We' and what we can accomplish together, but it takes the power of 'One' to move the 'We,' and Jon is that 'One.' "

Perhaps more accurately, it's the power of two. Driving through Red Bank almost three years after establishing JBJ Soul Kitchen, Bon Jovi talks about his wife of 25 years, Dorothea (who declines interviews) and her brilliance for turning visions into realities. After the 2008 economic downturn, support slowed for the foundation's housing projects. Relaxing at home, the Bon Jovis were drawninto a news report about a restaurant that reached out to the community's neediest residents.

"Dorothea and I started to have a conversation, and we volleyed ideas back and forth. People have a roof over their heads, but now they gotta eat. We thought it was a great idea. The definition of our mission became clear only with time, and a year of the experiment."

In Red Bank, Bon Jovi points out the landmarks that led to the Soul Kitchen: There's the church where it began with weekly Sunday meals, where every fork, plate, pot and food had to be carried in and out; there's the struggling restaurant that closed rather than house Soul Kitchen because the owner couldn't personally profit from it; there's the institutional soup kitchen; and there's the former auto service shop that was transformed through Dorothea's vision into the linen-and-crystal sit-down JBJ Soul Kitchen.

At this community restaurant, patrons are asked to donate $10 or volunteer their labor for a meal. It serves dinner on Thursdays, Fridaysand Saturdays and lunch on Sundays, averaging 45 to 50 meals per day.

"There is a different set of challenges when you say to somebody, 'We want to provide you a warm, nutritious meal, but we need you to pick up after yourself and maybe wash a dish or take the garbage out,' " Bon Jovi says. "They say 'Who you talking to?' But it's 'No, no, no. This is me, my wife, my kid, Terrence, in the kitchen.' When you explain this to somebody who is used to entitlement, immediately any mask comes off and they say, 'Oh, OK, great, I can do that.' … The sense of pride, of purpose, is unbelievable."

Restaurant manager and friend Lou Morreale attests to Bon Jovi's dedication, saying he is the best dishwasher he knows.

"I loved washing the dishes there. I can't now," Bon Jovi says. "Why? This isn't the place to come and meet the rock star. Second, the size of the place — I am taking a job away. Folks need to feel empowered."

He wishes others would use the Soul Kitchen as a model to establish a similar restaurant but shakes his head when praised for his efforts. "I don't sit in front of a mirror and think, 'Aren't I wonderful?'" he says. "Angie Jolie does a wonderful job. George Clooney does a wonderful job. Robert Redford did a wonderful job. A lot of good came out of their celebrity."

When it's mentioned that rock stars aren't generally among that group, he pauses.

"My whole genre, my whole decade of music, I didn't want to be them when I was a kid," he says. "Some journalists tell me, 'You're not very rock 'n' roll.' If all they think is that I should throw a TV out the window, then I'm not interested in talking to them. I don't live the cliché, rock star life."

MAKING DIFFERENCE

Jon Bon Jovi spoke about the work of the JBJ Soul Foundation at the USA WEEKEND Make A Difference Day Awards luncheon in April in Washington, D.C.

Make A Difference Day, co-sponsored by Points of Light and Newman's Own, is the nation's largest day of service, with millions of volunteers participating in projects across the USA. The next Make A Difference Day is Oct. 25, 2014. For more information or to find a project, visit makeadifferenceday.com.

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Jon Bon Honored...

Brian Kelly honours Jon Bon Jovi

PublishedThursday, April 24, 2014

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, left, and his wife Paqui, second left, founders of The Kelly Cares Foundation, honor the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, started by Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Bon Jovi, for its work to combat hunger and homelessness, at the 4th annual Irish Eyes Gala. (AP)


Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, Jon Bon Jovi and Regis Philbin (AP)

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly and his wife Paqui, honor Jon Bon Jovi (AP)


Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, center, and his wife Paqui, right, present Anne Thompson, NBC News Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent, with the "Leadership in Education Award," at the 4th annual Kelly Cares Foundation's Irish Eyes Gala. (AP)


Jon Bon Jovi meets Special Olympic athlete Tom Smith, of Hamilton, NJ., as Dorothea Bon Jovi and Regis Philbin, right, look on, at the 4th annual Kelly Cares Foundation's Irish Eyes Gala. (AP)

ESPN's Tom Rinaldi interviews Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly, right, and Paqui Kelly, founders of the Kelly Cares Foundation, during the 4th annual Irish Eyes Gala. (AP)

Kelly Cares Foundation honors the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (AP)



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Food Bank for NYC Can Do Awards, 2014

Last night's awards dinner was held at Cipriani Wall Street and Dorothea Bongiovi was one of the night's honorees.  Jon had to have been so proud.

Just a few pics from the orange carpet and inside.  Man, who wouldn't want arm candy that looked like that.  Love the tie and pocket square...

 

 

 

Thanks to Catte for dropping all the pictures in my inbox!

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Jon Bon at Joseph's House Shelter...

Jon Bon Jovi, Camden officials, open Joseph's House shelter

 

CAMDEN — Michael Reider of Blackwood was an auto mechanic for nearly 30 years.
He also collected and cashed in scrap metal.

“Scraping sometimes leads to stealing,” Reider said. “Most places we had permission to take scrap metal, but some places we weren’t cleared to be there.”

Reider was arrested and charged with third-degree theft and unlawful taking, and housed in the Salem County Correctional Facility for six months.

“I served my time, and when I came out, I found myself in a homeless position,” he said, standing outside of Joseph’s House of Camden, a new 75-bed homeless shelter on Atlantic Avenue.
Reider has been spending his nights at Joseph’s House since March 4.

“This is a truly needed service for the people of Camden,” he said. “What a blessing this place is.”
Though Joseph’s House of Camden opened its doors to those in need in late January, the shelter celebrated its grand opening April 1.

“When Jesus was born, they couldn’t find a home for him,” said Monsignor Robert McDermott, pastor at St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral. “A homeless shelter is a place for people without a home to come to.”

Partially funded by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Joseph’s House holds a special place in Jon Bon Jovi’s heart.

“Today I feel a little more alive,” Bon Jovi said at the grand opening celebration. “Just being here makes me feel like we’re participating in life.”

"Jamaica," a regular guest at Joseph’s House, shared part of his life story and how he ended up at the shelter.

“Homelessness is a challenge that has existed for a long time, and will exist for a much longer time,” Jamaica said.

Jamaica said he has dealt with homelessness twice in his lifetime, the most recent culminating with a tragic accident on Oct. 23.

“On Oct. 2, I had a heart attack at work and was hospitalized. I was removed from work for two weeks,” he said.

Once out of the hospital and recovering, Jamaica was at a train station headed to New York on Oct. 23 when he passed out, fell onto the train tracks and was run over by the train, losing both legs in the accident.

“One day I was employed and functioning, the next day I was unemployed and a double amputee,” Jamaica said.

The doors at Joseph’s House open every day at 9 p.m.

“They leave at 9 a.m. unless they are staying to see a provider,” said John Klein, executive director at Joseph’s House.

In addition to providing shelter to those in need, Joseph’s House connects homeless people with local social service providers who can offer more permanent solutions to homelessness, including veterans services, connection to benefits, counseling services, job and housing referrals, and medical and prenatal care.

“We hope to get to a point where the guests trust us so we can build a rapport with them and we can help them one person, one connection at a time,” Klein said.

Bon Jovi said Joseph’s House is filling a gap in homeless services which has already been witnessed by the high volume of homeless people who have utilized the shelter.

“This is a testament of what can happen when we put the power of ‘we’ to work,” he said.
Joseph’s House is located at 555 Atlantic Ave., in Camden.

For more information, visit www.josephshouseofcamden.org.

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And here are a few more pictures...

And no, you're eyes are not deceiving you.  Jon really is that gray...

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