SLIPPERY WHEN WET
And may the good Lord let him be wet always

There's something about Jon Bon Jovi that just keeps on making me like him. I'm not necessarily a fan, but I do dig the guy. And with this photo of him, what is not to like:

YUMMY! YUMMY! YUMMY!

Now seriously... did you know that Jon Bon Jovi was so freakin' hawt?! This is definitely my new favourite picture.

Anyway, I stood about 2 feet away from him when he walked the red carpet for the grand opening of Planet Hollywood back in the late 90's. I watched him as he spoke to the press. He is short, gracious and has fucking beautiful teeth. He has also been married for a really long time so there must be many other qualities that make this rocker a keeper. Plus, he's really cute. Even Carrie thought so in a fantastic episode of Sex and The City.

Another reason he's just so damn dreamy is that he's got a big heart and was in Detroit today to help build new homes for the city's homeless. Here's the poop from the Detroit Free Press:

Rock star Jon Bon Jovi visited Detroiters this afternoon to meet those who are benefitting from his most recent acts of generosity.

The singer took time before tonight's show at the Palace of Auburn Hills to meet with the Williams family in the Morningside neighborhood of Detroit, who live in a Habitat for Humanity home.

Bon Jovi began working with Habitat for Humanity in 2005 and continues to draw attention to the need for affordable housing nationwide. There are five new Habitat homes scheduled to be built in the neighborhood by November.

Candidates in the Habitat program must attend financial planning classes, maintain a bank account, spend a designated number of hours constructing the home and fulfill a list of other requirements.

The Williams' family finished their list last year and moved into their Detroit home in June 2007.
"Looking at it now, as opposed to then," said James Williams Sr., "if we had to do this by conventional means, there's honestly no telling how long it would've taken."

Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Detroit, among others, Williams and his family are now celebrating their first year in one of many homes popping up in the Motor City, and James said he would do it all over again.

"It was a no-brainer," said Williams. "We get a brand-new house that no one's ever lived in -- newly constructed -- and a zero-interest mortgage."

For this father of four, the security of owning a home is a relief.

"One of my concerns was always,'what happens when I leave?'" said Williams. "Having this house, I know I've got one piece of property... that I can hand down to my children."

Williams and his wife Lisa will attend Bon Jovi's concert tonight.

"We really want to revitalize the neighborhood...so that the kids can play in these streets," said Bon Jovi. "That's what America is all about."

As co-owner of the arena football team, the Philadelphia Soul, Bon Jovi has extended his philanthropy beyond his musical platform into the world of sports.

"The Soul Foundation has really differentiated itself from other sports teams both in Philadelphia and around the nation by making community a huge part of its mission statement," Bon Jovi said.

The Soul Foundation is one of the handful of organizations that are working to erect five new homes in Detroit's Morningside neighborhood by November of this year. Habitat and U-SNAP-BAC are planning to build 100 homes in Detroit in the next couple years, according to Habitat for Humanity Detroit Executive Director Vincent Tilford. The Soul Foundation is joining the effort to give Detroiters an opportunity to not only own a home, but help build it themselves.

As the band's tour nears its end, Bon Jovi told the Free Press he is tired, but "very happy."
"It wasn't meant to be a tour. It was supposed to be 10 shows at home and it turned into 99."

And I'll bet he's happy for the extra publicity, too! But really, this is GREAT work he's doing. I wish more of it could happen to compensate for the tragic shortfall in government response (or lack thereof) to housing crises in inner cities everywhere.

Here's a video of Mr. Bon Jovi talking and looking hot in Detroit Rock City:

Maybe good 'ol Jon will catch wind of how brutal the homeless situation is here in Vancouver and shine a much-needed international spotlight on it.

You can also learn more about Bon Jovi's charitable foundation, Philadelphia Soul.