Bon Jovi on X-Factor

Don't forget, Bon Jovi's on X-Factor tonight! You can watch the live stream here.

JBJ: On politics, fame, and...being fat?!

Thanks to the Twitter-ers who posted this article today.

I have to say, it's kind of a roller coaster reading it. Jon's a flat-out prick in the beginning, and I swear if I were the reporter/journalist, I'd give him some attitude right back.

"I'm sorry you hate doing this, but I hate pulling answers out of stuck-up rockstars, so we're even..."

Okay, so maybe I wouldn't have the balls to say that NOW, but trust me. I may admire, worship, and swoon over the man, but I won't take shit from him no matter how famous he is.

He got better throughout the interview, though. I positively LOVED his feminism remarks (*big grin*), but he is, for the most part, rehearsed and vague and repeats the same machine-cut replies about touring, music, being a poster child for marriage, bla bla bla.

As for the "considering politics as a career" thing...I don't think he'll ever be a political man by profession, so I'm not worried about that.

But if he thinks he's 10 lbs. overweight, I'd like to know what scale he's standing on, because the man is still as fine-tuned as ever. Not that 10 lbs. is anything - especially for him, he'll burn it off in one show. Please.

Jon Bon Jovi: 'I'm overweight. Drinking too much. Bored to tears.'

Jon Bon Jovi admits he has seen better days. But after a quarter century of nonstop hits, tours and large-haired sexiness, what do you do for an encore? We catch up with the 48-year-old rock god in Brazil and find he may be dreaming of a political career.

By: Polly Vernon
The Observer, Sunday 31 October 2010

Jon Bon Jovi in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photograph: Suki Dhanda for the Observer

Jon Bon Jovi – long-serving rock god, philanthropist, ageing yet viable pin-up – has truly stupendous teeth. They are white and they are straight and there are lots and lots and lots of them. They are semi-threatening when bared, but blindingly, staggeringly glamorous otherwise. They work brilliantly onstage. Jon Bon Jovi deploys them (quite knowingly, I am sure) to amazing effect. He'll unleash them on you with no warning; smiling suddenly and broadly (maybe with irony, maybe flirtatiously, maybe just because he's tickled by something), and you'll find yourself mesmerised by the beauty of the man's gnashers. He's got superstar teeth, no question.

This is lucky, because from where I'm standing, the rest of him looks a bit like a crumpled middle-aged man in a lumberjack shirt.

I meet him in the conference room of an expensive chain hotel located in the midst of São Paulo's endless urban sprawl. It's early October, the night before Bon Jovi – the band Jon named, fronts and owns in any meaningful sense – will perform a sell-out stadium gig for 60,000 Brazilian fans. I have been ushered into the long, anonymous, overly air-conditioned room, past swathes of security guards dressed in seven shades of stern; it's all quite portentous. I'd expected to be confronted by oodles of barely suppressed tension and leather-clad, pouty-mouthed, large-haired sexiness; the visual shorthand of rock gods in general, and Jon Bon Jovi in particular. But once inside, I can see nothing but a nondescript man in a chair. It's not until the nondescript man in the chair tells the stern security guards that they should leave ("I'll be more comfortable without you. Go!"), turns around and unleashes the full power of his teeth upon me that I recognise him as Jon Bon Jovi at all.

Bon Jovi are two weeks into the South American leg of a lengthy world tour. The Circle tour (named after the band's 2009 album) began in May of last year and has rolled on ever since, through North America and into Europe (incorporating a sell-out 12 nights in June 2010 at the O2 Arena in London), back to North America again before this South American section (the band's first visit in 15 years). It's scheduled to carry on long into next year, via Japan and Australia and back to North America with a few more dates in Europe, possibly.

So Jon is ragged with travelling. He's only just flown into São Paulo; he doesn't make much sense for the first few minutes of our interview. His sentences start and trail off into nonsense, and he blames this on me. Is he enjoying the South American gigs, I ask (I'm not that bothered, honestly; I'm just making polite conversation in the name of easing us both into the bigger questions); and he rambles on a bit, catches himself not making sense, tells me (impatiently) that he's: "Trying to answer me in a way that [I'll] understand…", has another bash, loses his track again, and suggests that I'm just: "Not going to appreciate what [he's] saying!"

Then he stops short, meets my eyes, flashes the teeth.

"But no, no! Let's start over! I don't want to do it like this! Go back to the start, go back to where you say: How are you doing? And I'll say: I'm tired! That's what I'll say."

Jon Bon Jovi has been a rock god for more than half his life. He was born John Francis Bongiovi in1962 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; his father was a Marine turned hairdresser, his mother a Marine turned florist. His childhood was all very blue-collar and secure, and Bongiovi grew up safe in the conviction that he would inevitably be a rock god.

You never thought it wouldn't happen to you?

"Never for a minute did I doubt that it wasn't going to."

Why were you so sure?

"Naiveté [he pronounces it the French way] of youth."

As a teenager he sang and played in local bands and revelled in his physical proximity to Bruce Springsteen and singer-songwriter Southside Johnny. "These guys who were 25 minutes away and doing it, literally doing it. You know, they were sitting literally on that stupid-ass boardwalk in Ashbridge Park. There wasn't a day gone by that you didn't stumble into one of them. There was 10 Asbury Dukes [Southside Johnny's band] and seven E Street guys [Springsteen's band]; there was only three bars to go to. Chances are, one of those 17 guys is going to be in the same bar you're in."

When he was 21 he formed Bon Jovi with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboard player David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres; in 1986, their third album, Slippery When Wet, featuring career-defining single "Livin' on a Prayer", turned Jon Bon Jovi into a superstar.

In the intervening 24 years, the group has never faltered, never split up; never stopped writing, recording or touring.

They've released 11 studio albums together, albums which have sold somewhere in the region of 120m copies worldwide. Bon Jovi have performed more than 2,700 concerts in 50-something countries for the delectation of some 35 million fans; it was the number-one best-selling touring act of 2008. At this point in time, only U2 and the Rolling Stones are capable of outselling Bon Jovi on tour.

Jon Bon Jovi is giving this interview in the interest of promoting a forthcoming Greatest Hits album, the second the band have produced in their lifetime.

Why now for a Greatest Hits, I ask. Is it a creative pause, an opportunity for reflection, a celebration of the past 25 years?

"A commitment," he says dryly. "Nothing more than a commitment."

Two and a half years ago he cut a deal with Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal, his record company. Grainge allowed him to go and make a somewhat self-indulgent country album in Nashville. "I rang him and said: 'I want to do this.' There was silence on the phone, and then: 'I guess at this point you can do whatever you please, but… would you do me a favour when you lose all my money and give me a Greatest Hits?' I said: 'You got it – that's a deal.'"

The country album, 2007's Lost Highway, ended up selling more than either Bon Jovi or Grainge had anticipated; but still, Bon Jovi had agreed to the Greatest Hits album, and so it'll be out tomorrow, at which point it will undoubtedly sell and sell and sell.

You have an endless capacity for commercial success, I say.

He pauses; he's not sure whether or not I intend the comment as a dig. Bon Jovi have come to define a certain kind of rock: soft and girlish and people-pleasing; lacking in rawness, edge, credibility. Critics don't like them, on principle.

"Weeeeeell… If that's how you see it. Thanks…" he says eventually.

It's not just how I see it – there are numbers to back it up.

"There are numbers. Big numbers. But you know what the big numbers are, actually? They are the sum of a lot of little numbers. And the truth is, this is our first tour of South America in 15 years, and we didn't come for 15 years because the records didn't do as well here as they did in America. It's not that we have this planetary appeal, that when every record comes out, you are that big, everywhere. Europe turns its back on you for certain records and then embraces others, as does America."

Is commercial success important to you?

"No. But it allows you to continue to do it. And it also becomes a platform for so many other things that have become a part of my life. I don't know that I would have had the same entrée to presidential politics had I not been as successful in my day job."

Was I surprised to learn that Jon Bon Jovi is a political activist? Kind of. Deep-held political conviction and unapologetic party bias do seem to contrast with his inoffensive, edge-free variant of rock.

But he is deeply politicised, a card-carrying Democrat. In 2004 he toured extensively on behalf of John Kerry, performing duets with Richie Sambora at rallies. In 2009 he campaigned hard on behalf of Obama; he held a fundraiser for the then-presidential candidate at his own home. After Obama was elected, Jon Bon Jovi performed live at his inauguration ceremony.

He says his politicisation began in his teens.

"You were born in the Kennedy era and you came of age and Uncle Ronnie's telling us that everything was going to be OK, because Gorbachev tore down those walls! It was a romantic time, politically."

You believed in it?

"I believed in the 1980s, sure!"

But what about Uncle Ronnie, Ronald Reagan?

"I voted for him! 1980. First time I could vote."

You voted for Reagan?

"Sure! I was 18, and how could you not be impressed?"

But you're a raging Democrat!

"Staunch. It was a… realisation. It happened shortly thereafter. I woke up. I got educated. Got out of school, started to see the world, started looking at things a little differently. And with time… and experience, comes…" he falters "…more experience. Ha! I almost dared to say 'wisdom', but…"

You don't think you're wise?

"Oh. I don't know about that."

Now, as a consequence of the work he has done on the US president's behalf, he is said to be friends with the Obamas.

"Friends with…? No. I don't want to say I'm friends with 'em. That's too strong a word. I have met a lot of them."

Hillary Clinton?

"Bill! Al! Obama! Got emails from the White House today!"

Saying what?

"Saying I'm being vetted for a committee position by the White House."

Bon Jovi denies, repeatedly, that he has any political ambition. He's said in the past that he wouldn't want political office, because sooner or later you have to give the private jet and the apartment back; if you're a rock star, you're allowed to keep them. Now he says: "It's a thankless job! It's a really shitty job! And I tip my hat to the pure conviction of the people who do it. Some of them do have such purity of conviction."

But you seem to have purity of conviction, I say. You believe in the Democratic party. You believe in social justice. Four years ago you launched the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to tackling poverty in the US, and you have spent significant time making sure it ticked over ever since.

"You do!" he says. "You do have purity of conviction. Because you see what an unjust world we're living in…"

Do you feel obliged to do good work, as a rich and privileged man?

"I don't know if I'm fully committed to that," he says (how versed he is in the semantics of politics!). "But I think that when you come to terms with who you are, regardless of your economic status, taking the time to help others in whatever way moves you can really be fulfilling for the soul."

Are you constantly looking for ways to fulfil your soul?

"Not necessarily. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it."

Jon Bon Jovi would make a natural politician – not least because he is a very bossy man. He is certainly the boss of Bon Jovi. His bandmates describe him in those terms in the course of interviews for the 2009 film When We Were Beautiful, a documentary that follows Bon Jovi as they toured Lost Highway. Jon Bon Jovi described himself as the "CEO of this major corporation".

You make it happen, don't you, I say. You make the phone calls and compile the set lists and break the balls.

"Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!"

Does it grate on you that the others – Richie, David, Tico – are less involved, less responsible, more passive? According to several sequences in When We Were Beautiful, they spend significant time lounging on yachts and rolling round golf courses while you graft. Isn't that annoying?

"No. And you know why? There's a number of reasons why. When you look up at the marquee: whose name is on it? And I was willing to accept that reward, with that payment. I was that kid with the report card that said: 'Doesn't play well with others…'" He laughs. "I couldn't be in a situation where someone else was controlling my destiny. I'm probably not really a candidate to be in the army. Or working at the factory. Or… I have to sink or swim on my own merits."

Are you a control freak?

"I love Team! I'm a big proponent of Team! And I share the wealth and all the accolades. But…"

You have to be team leader?

"Yeah."

I wonder if he's team leader of his domestic situation, too. Jon Bon Jovi has been married to his wife Dorothea since 1989; they met while they were still at school. They live in Manhattan with their four children: Stephanie Rose, 17, Jesse James, 15, Jacob, eight, and Romeo, six. Jon Bon Jovi wears silver dog-taggish pendants inscribed with their names on a chain around his neck.

So is he the boss at home?

"I am wise enough to realise that women are much smarter than any man, and that women control the world."

You really believe that?

"I know that."

Are you a feminist?

"Yeah! Yeah! And… this idea that the pay scale is unequal is beyond my comprehension. Every man knows… and if he doesn't say it, he's a liar… that they get their wisdom from their mother, their wife and their daughters."

He's made oblique references to marital meanderings in the past. He has said: "I've not been a saint. I have had my lapses." Now, when I ask him what sort of a husband he is, he says: "One that runs away a lot more often than not. Ha ha! Not the perfect one! Trust me! Not on any level!"

We talk on. Bon Jovi are slated to fly to London and perform their new single "What Do You Got", a lament to the conflict between celebrity and personal intimacy, live on The X Factor on the night this article is published. Jon and I discuss the phenomenon of that kind of talent show, the pressure it places on the contestants ("It's a lot to ask of those kids"), the fact that Jon thinks he wouldn't have stood a chance competing in such a process ("I would have failed it miserably! Sure! So would [Bob] Dylan!") and his friendship with Simon Cowell ("I enjoy Simon. I enjoy him immensely"). We talk about fame, about the pitfalls of celebrity. He tells me he was always careful to avoid: "Getting sucked into that LA scene, the Hollywood scene, from supermodel to actress to get my photograph taken. It was a shallow pool to swim in. I am not a fame junkie – I have never been a fame junkie."

And we talk about ageing. Jon Bon Jovi is 48 years old. As a young man, he was absurdly good looking. How aware was he of that then?

"In as much as you guys would say I was cute. Uh huh."

You still are cute, I say – and I mean it. As crumpled as Jon Bon Jovi looked when I first met him, through the course of our interview he has woken up and sort of re-engaged with his own face. He still has significant cheekbones, handsome features, those teeth…

He giggles.

"Well. I think your eyesight's going."

Did you enjoy being a pin-up in your youth?

"Now I can say: 'Thank you – that's a wonderful compliment.' At 26, 27, I was pissed off about it. Because I thought: Goddammit! I'm working so hard! I'm trying so hard! I'm trying to do what I want to do, while I'm trying to please you!"

And all we could talk about was how handsome you were?

"Right."

Are you a vain man?

"I'm vain inasmuch as I think I'm terribly out of shape right now. If you want to be perfectly honest, I'm 10lb overweight and I'm drinking too much and I'm bored to tears."

You look OK, I say again.

"You're very kind. OK. I'm not the fat Elvis. At 48, I look OK. But you know… I'm coming to real good terms with getting older."

What are the advantages of age?

"You become that thing that you looked at your parents and the older people in your life, and said: 'No! I don't want to live to be that old! I don't want to!' But it's actually… much better than dying. And there are too many people that are my age, that are dying. God, I didn't want to be that! That would be awful! You can see why people get fat, grow old, give up! Because every day is: get up, do the same mundane shit. When you don't know anything more, and you don't see anything more, and you're not willing to open up your eyes and take a step in another direction… that treadmill would make any young man old."

It sounds a bit like he's quoting his own lyrics.

We wrap up with a return to politics.

How does he feel Obama's doing?

"Not great. Not great. I want the guy that made the great speeches! I think he's in there. I want the guy to come out now. I think he's figured his way around the hallways." He giggles. "I think he knows where all the light switches are! And: 'OK! So this is what I came to do.' And just stand up and say: 'Fuck it!'"

Do you think he will?

"I hope he will. I hope he will."

Twenty-four hours later Jon Bon Jovi stands on stage at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo and delivers three and a quarter hours of roaring, supremely commercial rock for a crowd of rapturous, teary, official-merchandise-happy Brazilians. All evidence of the crumpled middle-aged man has left him. He looks truly rock god now: all leather and upper-arm definition and bouffant hair; though, of course, it's his teeth that steal the show. They are more compelling even than his rock-star strut (though heaven knows Jon Bon Jovi struts well) or the cheap, vast rhetoric of his lyrics (sample: "With an iron-clad fist, I wake up and French kiss the morning." Can one French kiss with a fist, iron clad or otherwise, I wonder). It's a deft and practised performance, and never mind that the band didn't soundcheck (they don't these days) or that the set list wasn't decided upon until the very last minute (Jon Bon Jovi had asked the Brazilian press for suggestions during the conference held shortly before the opening number was performed). He attempts to finish with "Livin' on a Prayer" as the encore, but the crowd demands more, so he throws in "Bed of Roses" for good measure. He makes great use of strategic pauses, dewy eyed, head-noddy moments in which he surveys the crowd with a sort of entitled awe and exchanges meaningful looks with Sambora, Bryan and Tico.

But, but… I don't really buy it. There is nothing technically wrong with Bon Jovi's show, nothing at all. It doesn't flag, it's utterly slick, no one falters. And I'd forgotten how much I like a lot of these songs. Yet I get a sense that Jon Bon Jovi is dialling this concert in. Going through the motions. He emanated much more conviction, sincerity and engagement when he and I talked politics the evening before; much, much more. I think politics is where Jon Bon Jovi's true passion lies these days. I think he might even be a little wasted on the rock. Furthermore, if it ever came to it, I'm pretty sure I'd vote Jon Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits album is out on Mercury on 1 November, along with the DVD of Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits

Halloween Zazzle sale!

This weekend only, get $5 OFF shirts at Zazzle!

Use promo code: OCTSHIRTSALE

This would be an excellent time to do some early holiday shopping in my Jovi Zazzle shop - especially with my newest holiday design!

Remember, you'll not only look great clad in Jovi style and be the envy of all your friends, but you'll also be helping out a struggling college student. Need I kiss up anymore? LOL

Enjoy!

JBJ Solo Album?

Thanks, Queenie, for the find!

From Billboard.com:

It's a long way off, but Jon Bon Jovi is already hatching plans for August, after he and his band wrap up touring in support of their 2009 album, "The Circle," and a "Greatest Hits" set that comes out Nov. 9.

"I'm going to sit on a beach for August, which is usually what I do, and come September figure out what's next," Bon Jovi tells Billboard.com. Some possibilities? "A smaller-sounding solo record and/or focus more on the philanthropy and sports ownerships," he says. "I don't see any acting in the immediate future. It'll be out of the political cycles, and there's nothing else I wish I could do. I'm not a coulda, shoulda, woulda kind of guy. If I wanted to do it, I tried it, so it's not like I have any hidden desire to become a chef or anything."

Bon Jovi Up for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

If he does take the solo album route, Bon Jovi -- who went it alone on the 1990 soundtrack for "Blaze of Glory -- Young Guns II" and on 1997's "Destination Anywhere" -- predicts he'll go for "a lyric-driven, acoustic-sounding kind of thing with piano, a couple guitars, a B3 (organ) and a violin. I do these solo things oftentimes for charity, and I enjoy the atmosphere because it really gives the singer a chance to sing. You're not competing with the loud amps. So I could see myself doing a singer's type of a record. We'll see."

Before that, however, comes quite a bit of Bon Jovi group activity. The "Greatest Hits" album comes out in two different configurations -- a standard 16-song single disc and a two-disc "Greatest Hits -- Ultimate Collection," with five new songs spread across the various domestic and international editions. The project was first broached to follow 2007's "Lost Highway," but was pushed back when Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora came up with a batch of topical new songs for "The Circle."

Q&A: Bon Jovi Talks Pushing Himself On Tour

"While we're in the midst of 'The Circle' tour, this 'Greatest Hits' made the most sense," Bon Jovi explains, "because the tour's going to continue through the summer of next year. For those who have just found the band in this rather prolific decade, this is a great introduction, and for the fan who's been there the last three decades, this is everything you've ever known and then five new songs. So I feel like they're getting value added, too."

Bon Jovi says two of the new songs, the single "What Do You Got?" and "This Is Love, This Is Life," were started during "The Circle" sessions but didn't fit the album and were finished for "Greatest Hits," along with "This Our House," an MP3 download premium for those pre-ordering the album. The other two, "No Apologies" and "The More Things Change," were written specifically for the compilation.

He says he was surprised that "What Do You Got?" got the nod to be the first single. "I said, 'If anyone wants to pick a single, you tell me. What do I know?' " recalls Bon Jovi, who favored "No Apologies." "That was the one that floated to the top, and I was taken aback because it was the (last) of the five I would've picked. But people have really been relating to the lyric, and seemingly for...radio, it's a hit."

Bon Jovi has a number of appearances and events lined up in conjunction with the release of "Greatest Hits." On Nov. 7, the group will perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid, where it will receive the inaugural Global Icon Award. The next night will see the premiere of "One Night Only," a concert film from May's opening run at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, at 750 movie theaters worldwide. They'll appear Nov. 9 on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman," along with a webcast concert that will stream on the show's website and Vevo.com, followed by a monthlong run that includes the "Today" show, A&E's "Private Sessions," the American Music Awards, "Ellen," "Larry King Live" and "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute."

Bon Jovi resumes "The Circle" tour on Nov. 30 in Tokyo and hits Australia and New Zealand before a six-leg North American leg starts in February. The band then wraps things up in Europe during June and July, including a show at the Hard Rock Calling festival on June 25 in London's Hyde Park.

Extra Raw - online video of Richie segment

So in case you missed the Extra segment with Richie and Nikki Lund tonight, here's a condensed version - plus a fan question...which did NOT air on TV, and my question was left out of both. :(



I wish they had shown me talking to Richie, but you can still clearly see me in the front row behind him (Bon Jovi heart/dagger shirt!). And I have the memories in my heart and will always carry them with me, so even if they didn't show me on TV, I know it still happened. :)

EXTRA! Airing TONIGHT.

*UPDATED* It is officially on tonight!! Tune in to see Richie Sambora, Nikki Lund, and yours truly! :)

FINALLY - a week after the taping at The Grove in L.A., the Extra! segment with Richie and Nikki Lund will be aired tonight!

I know, it was "only" a week ago - but yours truly got to interview Richie and I've been DYING to see the segment. I really hope they didn't cut me out, lol. With my luck, they only chose one fan question to air, and it won't be me.

But we'll see it THURSDAY!

Check here to see when and on what channel Extra airs in your neck of the woods.

Stephanie Bongiovi model photos

I came across these pictures today, but I think they're a few months old.

These daughters are just TOO beautiful. Gah! Look at her, she looks JUST like her daddy. Her smile, especially!

Along with Ava, Jon and Richie should be bursting at the seams with pride. Their little girls are growing up and blossoming into absolutely GORGEOUS young women. How can they not, with the genes they have?!

And THIS...is my favorite. It's absolutely adorable.

Animoto video contest: "Why my life ROCKS." LAST DAY

All right folks - it's coming down to the wire for Part 1 of the Animoto video contest. Please take a look at my entry for the Living On A Prayer campaign, and "like" what you see! :)

You'll be helping me win two tickets to see Bon Jovi next year - which I need now more than ever, since there's no way in hell I can afford to see them with the just-released ticket prices!!

Thank you! :)

Click here to see why my life ROCKS.

OFFICIAL 2011 U.S. & Europe/UK tour dates (as per Backstage)

Okay, everyone can calm down - Backstage just posted the OFFICIAL 2011 U.S. tour dates for spring, and I'm reposting the OFFICIAL Europe summer 2011 dates. This is all legit, folks!

USA

2/9/11 State College - Bryce Jordan Center
2/11/11 Pittsburgh - Consol Energy Center
2/14/11 Toronto Air - Canada Centre
2/18/11 Montreal - Bell Centre
2/21/11 Raleigh - RBC Center
2/24/11 NYC - Madison Square Garden
2/25/11 NYC - Madison Square Garden
2/27/11 Washington DC - Verizon Center
3/1/11 Boston - TD Garden
3/2/11 Philadelphia - Wells Fargo Center
3/4/11 Uncasville - Mohegan Sun Arena
3/8/11 Chicago - United Center
3/17/11 San Antonio - AT&T Center
3/19/11 Las Vegas - MGM Grand Garden Arena
3/22/11 Salt Lake City - Energy Solutions Arena
3/25/11 Vancouver - Rogers Arena


EUROPE
8 June ZAGREB MAXIMIR STADIUM
10 June DRESDEN OSTRAGEHEGE
12 June MUNICH OLYMPIC STADIUM
15 June OSLO ULLEVAAL
17 June HELSINKI OLYMPIC STADIUM
18 June HORSENS HORSENS STADIUM
22 June EDINBURGH MURRAYFIELD
24 June MANCHESTER OLD TRAFFORD CRICKET
25 June LONDON HARD ROCK CALLING
29 June DUBLIN RDS
8 July ISTANBUL ABDI IPEKCI ARENA
10 July BUCHAREST PIATA CONSTITUTIEI
13 July DUSSELDORF ESPRIT ARENA
14 July ZURICH LETZIGRUND STADIUM
16 July MANNHEIM MAIMARKTGELANDE
17 July UDINE STADIO FRILUI
20 July ATHENS OLYMPIC STADIUM
22 July VIENNA ERNST HAPPEL STADIUM
24 July BRUGES ZEEBRUGGE BEACH
27 July BARCELONA ESTADIO OLYMPICO
29 July SAN SEBASTIEN ESTDIO ANOETA
31 July LISBON PARQUE DE BELAVISTA

Backstage JBJ referrals

So several people have told me since Backstage JBJ launched their referral program contest that they would join the fan club through me - and I appreciate it GREATLY. Two people have already done so, and I thank you!!

I found out today that renewals DO COUNT. I'm surprised, but one of my recruits was a renewing member, and I got credit.

So, please. I'm asking again (and will continue to do so) - PLEASE, if you want to join Backstage or renew your membership, if you've been out of the fan club loop lately and want to get back in, or if you simply just want to help me out (:)), I ask you to kindly sign up to Backstage through me. The top banner on my blog links directly to my referral code, so if you sign up through there, I get credit.

I would REALLY appreciate it - the ultimate top recruiter will win the grand prize of an interview with Jon at the last show of the tour, along with tickets to the show. Obviously many a fan would love this opportunity, and I, as an aspiring music/media journalist and broke college student (LOL), am included in that.

Thank you for considering it, and I hope you join! :)

Greatest Hits - new singles audio downloads

So someone messed up - we weren't supposed to get "The More Things Change" until Wednesday, but we got a slip release today!

Since it's everywhere all over the web by now, I feel no guilt in sharing the audio MP3s with you all. Each of the four new singles that will be released on the Greatest Hits album can be found in my MediaFire account - as well as the "This Is Our House" official track.

Enjoy! :)

Click the track name to download:

This Is Our House
What Do You Got
No Apologies
This Is Love, This Is Life
The More Things Change

The More Things Change early release

Ooh, someone posted The More Things Change before it should be released! (Shhh)



Lyrics

(techno funk opening, LOL)
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same

Ah, is it just me, or does anybody see
The new improved tomorrow isn't what it used to be
Yesterday keeps coming round it's just reality
It's the same damn song with a different melody

The market keeps on crashin'
Tattered jeans are back in fashion
Instead of records, now it's MP3s
I'll tell you one more time with feeling
Even though this world is reeling
You're still you, and I'm still me

I didn't mean to cause a scene
But I guess it's time to roll up our sleeves

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The same sun rises, it's just another day
If you're hangin' long enough, they say you're coming back
Just take a look, we're living proof, and baby that's a fact

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same

You're either runnin round in circles
Or you're runnin' out of time
Everybody's somewhere either twelve, three, six or nine
The times, they are changing
We're here to turn the page
It's the same old story
But it's told a different way

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The same sun rises, it's just another day
If you're hangin' long enough, they say you're coming back
Just take a look, we're living proof, and baby that's a fact

You know
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Never and forever just keep comin' back again
Don't hold out for tomorrow
Or hold onto yesterday
The more things change, the more they stay the same

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same

Here comes the na-na-na-na-na-na-na
These days it's raise the roof, instead of sha-la-la
Here come the rappers, the dancers and the remixture machine
This one is for the CEOs and record companies

And if you're waiting on a happy ending
We're gonna hit the hook one more time

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same

Ah, you know
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The same sun rises, it's just another day
If you're hangin' long enough, they say you're coming back
Just take a look, we're living proof, and baby that's a fact

You know
The more things change, the more they stay the same
'Never' and 'Forever' just keep comin' back again
Don't hold out for tomorrow, or hold onto yesterday
The more things change, the more they stay the same

No Apologies & This Is Love, This Is Life lyrics

I hashed out the Love, Life lyrics - and thanks to Jessie for the No Apologies lyrics!

No Apologies

No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt

Let's start this from the happy ending
Just another white trash train track kid
Fightin' for survival
Tryin' not to do like his daddy did

Double down the devil at Three-Card Monte
No apology, he just knew when to quit
Push your luck, say your prayers
Make believe you don't care
Take a chance, sometimes it's all you need

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies
No apologies

You wanna start a personal revolution
I think you're livin' somebody else's life
You can lie about retribution
But there ain't no fire in your lover's eyes
Seems like everybody's sellin' their dreams 'round here
But no one's buyin' and it's closing time
Light the fuse, make your breaks
There's no time left to waste
Baby, just like freedom, nothing's free

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies

You wanna start a personal revolution
What else you gotta do tonight?

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies (no apologies)
No apologies
(no apologies)
No apologies
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies



This Is Love, This Is Life
These days, what's left of me ain't no Prince Charming
And my Cinderella feels like she stayed at the dance too long
We ain't got much, but what we got is all that matters
We're picking up the pieces, trying to put 'em back where they belong

Oh, it's gonna be all right
This is love, this is life
When times get tough, we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the broken-hearted
We gotta finish what we started
Oh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life

These days it seems like there's three sides to every story
There's yours, mine, lately there's the cold hard truth
Who cares who's wrong or right when we turn out the lights
We'll find forgiveness when we're in each other's arms tonight
It ain't pretty but somehow we always make it through

Oh, it's gonna be all right
This is love, this is life
When times get tough, we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the broken-hearted
We gotta finish what we started
Oh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life

Oh, it's gonna be all right
This is love, this is life
When get tough, we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the broken-hearted
We gotta finish what we started
Oh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life

Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh
(This is love, this is life)
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh
(This is love, this is life)

Monday morning news bits

Once again, I'm behind my fellow east coast bloggers - but I just woke up an hour ago and had these notifications in my inbox (Google alerts, emails from friends, etc.) so I'm just now getting these up. Sorry for the delay. :)


This Is Love, This Is Life
The third single off the Greatest Hits compilation (due out Nov. 9, 2010) has been released! You can hear it here.

Look for "The More Things Change", which will be streamed on Wednesday!


Scotland in 2011
According to www.music-festivals.co.uk, Bon Jovi is slated to play Scotland in summer 2011 - along with a lineup of other UK dates.

Bon Jovi are set to return to Scotland in 2011. This year they played a residency at the O2 Arena in London playing 20 odd dates in June. Bon Jovi are set to return to play outdoors, and are lining up a huge outdoor conccert at the home of Scottish Rugby Murrayfield in June 2010 according to scottish paper the daily record. They wanted to play at Hampden Park but Take That have secured Hampden Park. The US Rockers Bon Jovi fronted by Jon Bon Jovi, will play other live dates in the UK with Wembley almost a dead cert. The Bon Jovi Wembley date is expected to be 29th July 2011. Before this Bon Jovi are to perform live on the X Factor Results show on 31st October 2010, it is therefore expected that Bon Jovi Stadium Concerts will go on sale on Friday 5th November 2010. An Bon Jovi UK Tour announcement is expected on 27th October 2010.

Remember, nothing is official unless released by bonjovi.com or BackstageJBJ. I'll let you know when I hear official deets.


Jon was surprise guest at Baron Conference
JBJ showed up as the surprise entertainer guest at the 19th annual Baron Conference at the Metropolitan Opera House on Friday.

Read the story here.


Richie and Ava at Power of Youth
I was at home in San Diego, but Richie and Ava were spotted at the Power of Youth event in Hollywood, CA on Sunday. The event spotlights and honors the endeavors of star youth's involvement in charity/philanthropy, and promotes it to the public.

Papa looks proud - and why wouldn't he?! That beauty is only 13 years old and already looks like her beautiful mama.




Don't forget - Jovi on X-Factor!
Thanks to Hath for the clarification of the X-Factor appearance next week - apparently Saturdays are performance days and Sundays are elimination days. Bon Jovi will perform along with Rihanna and Jamiroquai, and will "most likely" perform "What Do You Got?"

Since the show isn't broadcast in the States, you can watch a live feed here.

New Zazzle merch - the holidays are coming!

The holidays are almost upon us again - I know, scary! So I've started designing a line of holiday-themed Jovi merchandise for my Zazzle shop.

Here's the first design - a simple, but cute and festive ornament deco.

What do you think? They come in all sizes, colors, shirt styles...and they make great gifts! ;)




TO ORDER THIS SHIRT, CLICK HERE.

Happy early shopping!

New track - "No Apologies"

One of the four new songs that will be included on the Greatest Hits album (released Nov. 9th!) was released on www.bonjovi.com today.

"No Apologies" - you can hear it here.

Or download the MP3 here!

What do you think?

I like it so far - it sounds very Circle-y, but the whole young kid growing up on the streets, estranged from his father thing is very traditional Bon Jovi (almost a little too repetitive, too, but well...)

It's a good upbeat, fun song and I think it's going to be GREAT live! It's a good stadium kicker, so that's one plus - but I feel like the music kind of drowns out the vocals in a way. I thought that from just one listen, so I figured maybe I should play it again - but then I've seen several other people feel the same.

So maybe that's something to consider - but then again, my boyfriend might be happy with the heavy guitar and drums. LOL!

Give it a listen and tell me what YOU think!

Upcoming promos/events for 2010 Greatest Hits

Hold onto your hats, Jovi fans - the band may be on hiatus from touring, but they're hopping all over the place with promo events for their Greatest Hits release!

I found this handy PR release that lists all of their upcoming appearances and other little gigs in one place, which helped tremendously because I've been so out of it lately. (Still on Cloud 9. ;))

So here's that handy list of events all ordered by date for you - and will be added to the Bon Jovi Calendar of Events soon.


Starting with November 7:
- The MTV EMAs will take place in Madrid, where Bon Jovi is up for Best Live Act (keep voting!!) and will be presented with the first-ever Global Icon Award.


November 8:
- Movie theater premiere of One Night Only - the screening of their concerts at New Meadowlands Stadium this past May. (Buy your tickets now!)


November 9:
- Greatest Hits album released (Greatest Hits only and Ultimate Collection)

- 45-minute "Live on Letterman" webcast concert performance (presented by AT&T) in conjunction with a two-song broadcast appearance on the show that same night (the webcast will stream at www.cbs.com/late_night/liveonletterman and www.VEVO.com, and will be broadcast on CBS radio stations nationwide)

- Clear Channel Stripped/iheartradio will air a 5-song performance broadcast on over 450 radio station websites

- RockBand 3 video game launch, featuring Bon Jovi


November 11:
- New York's WPLJ radio presents Bon Jovi Live from the Best Buy Theater in Times Square


November 12:
- Bon Jovi will appear/perform on NBC's The Today Show


November 14:
- A&E's Private Sessions


November 21:
- Bon Jovi will perform on ABC's American Music Awards


November 23:
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show appearance


November 25:
- CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute

Bon Jovi to perform at CNN Heroes Tribute

Thanks, Hath, for the heads up on this!

CNN announced that Bon Jovi will be joining the lineup to play on the 4th annual CNN Heroes - a 2-hour tribute to the top 10 CNN heroes of 2010. It will be hosted by Anderson Cooper at the Shrine Auditorium here in L.A. and air at 8 pm EST/PST on Nov. 25, 2010.

Sugarland is also slated to perform, as well.

Bjorn will be in town that day -- I wonder if we can get down there! ;)

Holy shit, I met Richie Sambora.

That's really all I can keep saying after I MET MY FAVORITE GUITARIST TODAY!!!!

OH MY GOD I'm still on Cloud 9!

How did I meet him, you ask? When? Where? Why?

I don't even know where to begin. So how about the beginning? lol

Yesterday, my dearest and most wonderful TRISH texted me saying that Mr. Richie Sambora would be at The Grove in L.A. on Tuesday doing an Extra! interview with Mario Lopez. Mario does all of his interviews there now, and it's an open, fan-friendly experience, so I was immediately excited and decided to try it.

Now, I've been in countless situations where I've TRIED to meet members of the band - to no avail. So I had to calm myself and will myself not to get my hopes up too high, because this would probably be yet another of those times.

I dragged along my coworker and friend Sophia, thinking we could see the interview, hopefully see Richie, then hit up the excellent shopping and Farmer's Market afterward - and it's always more fun with a friend.

The interview was scheduled for 1pm, so we left around noon and got there in plenty of time to find the place - the big cameras and spotlights were big tip-offs. :p There weren't that many people there, so we mingled and asked around, and secured our spots on the other side of the red carpet so we'd have a better view of the actual interview location. (I'm vertically challenged, so being in the back of the crowd wasn't ideal!)

I figured I should as a crew member if I'd be allowed to ask for Richie's autograph/picture once he came through, because I didn't want to get in trouble. And I am SO glad I asked him! Because he said I should definitely be over on the other side in the crowd - not only would I be better able to get an autograph, etc., but I could ask him a question on air. o.0

HUH??

Ask Richie a question? On air? Me?

That's what the guy said. I chatted with him a bit more to find out details, said I was worried about not being able to see, but he insisted I get over there and have my chance. He was so nice, I couldn't believe it!

So we relocated and found a pretty good spot by the stage, and heard the crew saying that Richie was very late and they were going to do the other guest interviews first. I heard the crew director asking people in the front of the crowd if they wanted to ask Richie questions, and she assigned them numbers - I was a few people back, so I raised my hand and got her attention, and she asked if I had a question too. Then the other crew member who had talked to me before came over and told her I had one, so she assigned me to number 6!!!

I said thank you and then stood there, stunned. Was I REALLY going to be up there asking Richie SAMBORA a question? On camera? Which would be aired on national television? I think the prospect was so beyond my realm of reality that it didn't sink in enough for me to freak out. So I was eerily calm on the outside - but you can bet my heart was pounding, and my fingers were shaking on the outside!

So we waited and got established (Sophia took my things and camera and moved back across the red carpet to get better pictures), and after some waiting, the first guest arrived - some director I don't know. I watched her interview and saw Mario Lopez two feet from me (first note of excitement!) and saw how the process was going to work.

Then we heard Hilary Duff was coming out next, and after another maybe 15-20 minutes she arrived - very cool for me to see my childhood favorite, the Lizzie McGuire star! LOL She is absolutely beautiful, but much shorter than I thought. haha

She was very nice, talked to Mario about her recent marriage and her book, acting and singing, etc. They lined girls up to ask the questions, and when I saw that they stood front row and then got on STAGE, took the microphone, faced Hilary in person, and asked their questions, that's when I started freaking! I would be doing that to Richie!!

Insert pounding heart, turning stomach, sweaty palms, heavy breathing, and of course, now I had to pee.

Hilary's segment was maybe 10 or 15 minutes long, and she gave out free books afterward to the audience. People CROWDED like crazy, so I didn't even try - I wanted someone else who was a bigger fan to have a chance, but I still didn't want to lose my spot for Richie. ;)

By then, I saw that Sophia had returned to the crowd behind me so she could see better. Apparently the other side of the red carpet wasn't as good a view as we thought.

When Hilary was done with the segment, talking to Mario, doing autographs, etc. she left, and the crowd cleared almost instantly. Then the crew director said Richie was next, and would be on in "two minutes."

AHHHHHHH!!!!

The other crew guy found me in the crowd around this time and made sure that I was set up to ask Richie a question. I said yes and thanked him so much for helping, and then the director started gathering all the question-askers to the front of the crowd along the stage.

Including me.

I was placed RIGHT up front - I'm talking less than 10 feet from the cameras and VERY hot spotlights, so close that the stage was touching my shins. That's when I started shaking! The other question-askers around me were so friendly, and I chatted a bit with the woman next to me who was so sweet and excited, and I never got her name. :(

Sophia was joking to keep me calm, and we were laughing like crazy while the crowd behind me filled up. The director briefed us on how the process would work, and gave us numbers - I was now #3.

Mario then came back out and talked to us a little bit, doing kind of the same thing as the director. Then that other crew guy came BACK and I heard him asking the director if "that one girl who wanted to ask Richie a question" was here, and then he saw me and said "Oh good, you're here!" OMG I could have hugged him, he was so sweet.

I barely had time to catch my breath or get to know my neighbors before I heard "here he is! He's coming!" and then I thought I would just pass out right onto the stage. LOL.

I couldn't see over the crowd behind me, so I had to wait until he appeared on the side, but I could follow the screams to figure out how close he was...and then BAM!

There was Richie Sambora, clad in black and sunglasses, looking so handsome and rockstar-ish that my heart stopped. The cameras were on us, so I clapped and cheered as directed, and then he took the stage RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME with Mario and Nikki Lund...and I had a view of his nonexistent ass the entire time. LOL!!

I was almost glad he stood right in front of me and blocked me from the cameras, because a) his back was to me, so I could get used to being right in front of Richie Sambora before I talked to his face, b) I was so damn nervous I was shaking and probably would have looked uncomfortable on the camera. :p

He was literally so close I could touch him without extending my arm. I had to lean slightly back and fold my hands so I wouldn't feel him up! LOL!! And he smelled. So. Good.

*ahem*

The first part of the interview went well - Mario asked about the White Trash Beautiful clothing line and got input from Nikki too (who is also very nice). They talked about Ava and growing up, and Richie said in two years he'd be in trouble - HA, I think he's in trouble already! He was SO good-natured and funny, he kept making jokes and cracking up, and was generally in a fantastic mood.

Then, before I was ready, Mario said the fans had some questions. He asked who wanted to go first, and I immediately turned around and offered it to the girl next to me. I was forgetting my question already! LOL

So she got up and said her piece - I can't remember for the life of me what she asked - and then, again all too soon, she was getting off the stage and Mario looked right at me.

"You want to go next, hon? Come on up!" and he took my hand, helped me onto the stage, handed me the microphone....and I was face to face with Richie Sambora.

Oh. My. God. If I tried the rest of my life, I couldn't find words to describe that moment. I was thrust up on a platform, all eyes of the crowd, Richie Sambora, Nikki Lund, Mario Lopez, and the camera crew on me, and I was holding the microphone. My favorite guitarist, one of my heros, someone I had dreamed of meeting for years, was smiling at me and awaiting my question. In the flesh. RIGHT THERE. His attention on me, and only me, not a million other women at a concert.

Thank GOD that all didn't run through my head at the time, or I would have fallen right on my face!

I amazingly kept my cool and my voice was pretty steady (though I have NO IDEA how). He said, "Hi!" So I smiled and said "Hi!" back. (It's only polite. ;))

Then he asked my name, and I said I was Becky. Then it was my turn to talk. So I started with - "First, I feel compelled to tell you that my boyfriend and I met through Backstage, the fan club." Richie thought that was awesome, and said something about having his own social network, lol.

I told him Bjorn lived in the Netherlands (I don't think he heard me), and he said "And how is it going?" I said it was VERY well, and that it wouldn't have happened without the band, so thank you to Richie and the other guys. He was very sweet about it, but I didn't want to take up any more time so I started right on the question: "When are we getting a solo album from you?"

Ahhh, Richie. So sweet and gracious, yet so rehearsed. He said something about him being very busy and how as long as he's still selling out stadiums, he's going to keep doing that.

Okay, thanks, I already knew that! LOL

The actual dialogue is in the video below (black and white by accident, LOL), and even I can't remember exactly what was said. Richie thanked me and Mario took the mic, helped me offstage, and took up the next interviewee.

HOLY CRAP! So then I was standing on the ground behind Richie again, feeling like I had just descended from a cloud. Sophia was smiling and saying I did great, and the woman next to me was hugging me, and I was too stunned to do anything but smile and nod. I had just talked to Richie! On TV!!! And Mario Lopez had his arm around me! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once the questions finished, I knew we'd have a chance to ask Richie for autographs and pictures (when the cameras stopped rolling.) They did a quick standby and some woman attacked him for an autograph (not physically, but she sure was forceful lol), and Sophia and the woman next to me joined forces to get me mine next. I remember telling Richie that it was for my boyfriend ("the one I told you about earlier" --LMAO, as opposed to my other boyfriend?!) and that he was his hero, and thank you so much. I don't think he heard me, because he just asked if I had a pen, LOL.

I found my Sharpie and handed it to him, and then he handed it right back to me. I remember staring for a second before I realized it was cap-forward, so he needed me to take the cap off. LOL! I did, and he signed my paper, and I took it with trembling hands, and he smiled and I thanked him, and then...he stole my Sharpie. :p

He signed other autographs with it, but he DID return it, contrary to his reputation! LOL

He signed a bunch of people's papers, CDs, arms, sleeves, etc. and then Sophia reminded me about the picture - so I figured I'd better do it now, while I was on a roll, before I chicken out and lose my chance. I asked him if he wouldn't mind doing any pictures too (I was right in front of him while he signed and talked to other people, so I had complete access to him!), and he said he did have to get somewhere else. I said okay, that was fine, I didn't want to bug him.

I felt slightly put out, though, because of his tone - I wondered if maybe I was bugging him (when I'm nervous I talk a lot, but I didn't think I was THAT bad with him...), but Sophia insisted that wasn't the case, and I'm sure it wasn't. There were a ton of people so I'm sure he was just overwhelmed.

But then someone else asked for a picture a minute later, and he hesitated, but then said "sure, real quick" and posed for the camera. Then someone else asked, and then another, and then I decided I was going to try again! The woman behind me asked me to take the picture of her with Richie, so I did - and then she gave me the opportunity by asking if I wanted one in return.

YAYYYY!!!!! Richie agreed and smiled, and she took the picture....and I forever have an amazing picture of Richie Sambora and me. I've ALWAYS wanted that - never had it!

So by this time, I knew I was done. I didn't want to bug him anymore, but I wanted to stay and soak up the time being so near him before he left, even if I was getting slightly trampled. Finally he had to leave, but he blew us all kisses and then disappeared, leaving me standing there with a stupid smile on my face.

I arranged with the VERY kind woman (who worked for Extra, apparently!) to email me the picture, and if she's reading this - thank you sooooo much again! (Check out her work - http://www.celebmagnet.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Celeb-Magnet/130292956981491)

Then she left too, and Sophia and I were left standing in the middle of the walk, the crowd clearing rapidly, no one but the camera crew and Extra people...and I was holding an autographed piece of paper. I looked down at it and smiled, and then BAWLED.

I didn't cry as hard as I did when I met Jon, but I was too in shock from the whole thing to really comprehend it. So I stood there and cried, and laughed, and jumped up and down, and hugged my autograph, and Sophia hugged me, and I couldn't say anything except "Holy shit, I met Richie Sambora."

Finally. After years of dreaming about it, I never thought in my wildest dreams THIS would happen, but I got to meet Richie Sambora. And I got his autograph. And I got a picture with him, which I can blow up and frame and keep forever. And I got to ask him a question on TV - something very few can say they've done.

And to think - I had been fully prepared this morning to come home empty-handed and disappointed again.

So HUGE thank yous go to TRISH for notifying me about this (because it never would have happened without you!), the camera lady who sent me the picture, the wonderful crew guy who helped me to have that experience, and especially SOPHIA, for standing by me and waiting for three hours while I got the experience of a lifetime, and for documenting it all with so many pictures that I can relive it through them.

And to Richie, for making this young fan's day - my whole year. :)


Apparently he wasn't looking, LOL


(Sophia got this one!)



































































(This was after the part about Bjorn, and when I asked about his solo album. And I didn't realize at the time, but Mario called me sweetheart! AHH!)