BON JOVI: UPDATE
(Monday, February 17, 2003)

To all of you in the Northeast, we hope you're home, safe and warm amidst the blizzard. And we hope you're checking this site for news, 'cause we've got some. On Thursday, FEBRUARY 13th, BON JOVI performed in ATLANTA. Prior to the show, Jon and Richie were interviewed by CNN (their based in Atlanta) - while we don't have specifics on when that footage might air, we ask that you keep your eyes open and should be given advance notice, we'll pass it along to you. Also on Thursday in Atlanta, the local radio station STAR-FM hosted a SOUNDCHECK PARTY, allowing radio winners to attend Bon Jovi Soundcheck at the Phillips Arena. The band used that Soundcheck Party to help surprise someone... this is where the CBS EARLY SHOW crew comes into the story. A serviceman stationed in Kosovo wrote to the EARLY SHOW and wanted to take part in their WEEK OF WISHES (they fulfill wishes for people and for 2003, it's all for military folks.) The serviceman wrote about his wife, how wonderful she was, how much she missed him and how big of a Bon Jovi fan she is. So big that the serviceman got online in Kosovo and was able to buy tickets online to the Bon JOvi show in Atlanta (even though they lived in the Carolinas) so that his wife could drive down to Atlanta to see the show. Some behind the scenes planning and scheming enabled the Early Show to contact the wife and tell her that they were doing a piece on military wives and how difficult it is to be apart... and that they'd follow her at the Atlanta show. What the wife did NOT know what that Jon and the band were in on it. CBS EARLY SHOW ended up running the footage today - we were unable to post this information in advance. Following is the piece that ran about it: Bon Jovi To The Rescue Feb. 18, 2003 June Katsoulakis at a Bon Jovi concert (CBS/The Early Show) (CBS) Life hasn't been easy for June Katsoulakis since her husband, Manny, was sent overseas two years ago on active duty, so The Early Show helped him say thank you, in a very special way. Since Manny, a reservist, was deployed to Kosovo, June has she's been raising 2-year-old Stella and 12-year-old Jamie alone. "Basically you're just a single parent but you're married," she says. "When we first met, he used to say he loved my eyes. I thought he was very cute when I first met him." Married after dating five years, June and Manny always knew their happy, easy life together might be cut short. As a member of the Army National Guard, Manny could be shipped out anytime. Three months after their daughter Stella was born, he got the call. "It's been hard since he left," says June. "I miss just having somebody here." For comfort, she listens to the music of her favorite rock band. "I really like Bon Jovi," she says. Love, is more like it. "It's helped a lot, 'cause if I'm in a bad mood or upset I turn on the CDs or put the headphones on when the kids are asleep and just relax and regroup and think about he'll be home soon, it's going to be over with," she says. But Manny Katsoulakis wouldn't be home in time for their fifth wedding anniversary. He had planned to take June to a Bon Jovi concert but couldn't get back to the U.S. Determined to make the night memorable for his wife, he wrote to The Early Show from Kosovo. Here is his letter: "Hi, I was hoping that my wife could meet Bon Jovi. I have been deployed here in Kosovo since 2000. Is there a way my wife can meet the band for one minute? This is how I can thank her for doing all she has done for myself and my kids. If you could make this day possible, I would really appreciate it. Thanks." So June Katsoulakis, with tickets in hand, got her wish. "I got a letter with a card in the mail that said 'Surprise, honey, you're going to see Bon Jovi.' I think the seats are nose-bleed-section tickets but that's OK, as long as I'm in the building, I'm happy with it," she says. But June was about to get a lot happier when she got invited to a private rehearsal. She was in the first row when Bon Jovi walked onstage. "I'm going to die, I'm not going to make it through this night," she exclaimed when she saw her idol. Being close to her favorite singer would have been enough. "Is June here?" Bon Jovi said as he did the sound check. Bon Jovi told her he got a phone call from somebody named Manny. "He asked if we could have you come up here, [on stage] because he wanted me to play you a song," he said. And there was still one more surprise on stage. On a big video screen behind the band, Manny Katsoulakis sent a loving greeting to his wife and asked a special request. "Hi baby, sorry I can't be home for Valentine's Day or our anniversary. I'm over here in Kosovo, here with the troops, as you can see. Jon, can you do me a favor, can you give June a big hug and a big kiss cause she's the most wonderful and loving woman in the whole world and anybody would be blessed to have her as a wife and just do me one more favor, can you just sing us a song? Thanks," he said. Bon Jovi gladly obliged. And June Katsoulakis had a message of her own for Manny, though she could not contain her tears. "There's no words, I mean, you mean more than anything in the world to me and to even try to do this for me," she said and started crying. And forget the nosebleed seats, Jon Bon Jovi made sure she was front and center. "I just never in a million years thought this would ever happen," she says. And the surprises just keep coming for June. Guess who knocked on the door, just in time for Valentine's Day? Manny says he thanks his bosses for making it possible to be with his family. "I still can't believe that he's here," says June. "The concert itself was wonderful. The sound check, I had no idea about that. But to be called up onstage, I never in a million years dreamed that something like that could happen. And then to have him come home, just topped it off and made it perfect." So what was the best part of this big surprise for her? "My husband coming home. Honestly? Honestly, getting a hug from Jon Bon Jovi. I have to admit that," she says.

Isn't that sweet???

BOUNCE,
Ryan

Find it at bonjovi.com