Reforma- 10.01.2001

Jon rehearses for his role 

Jon Bon Jovi prepares the action scenes for the film 'Vampires: Los Muertos' that will be shot in Mexico.

Mexico city- The rocker Jon Bon Jovi, in company of Diego Luna, rehearses from last Monday the action scenes for the movie Vampires: The Deads, which filming begins in a couple of days.  

 According to sources close to the production he begins work early in one of the living rooms of the hotel Fiesta Americana. However, the singer is the only person that is not put up in this place, but in the hotel Four Seasons, from where he moves in a navy blue color car with polarized windows.

 The producer Screen Gems, pays for the suite of the author of Living on a Prayer and It's my Life, 2 thousand 110 dollars per night. This has two chambers, parabolic antenna and a comfortable room with view to the interior garden of the hotel. 

 The director Tommy Lee Wallace and the producer Jack Lorenz are transported in another car, but of white color. Both vans have localization via satellite to prevent any incident. 

 Before the presence of the press, the production orders to bring elements of security to offer privacy during the rehearsals, although the information of the call was in the notice board (?) located to the entrance of the hotel, in which stand out the events of the day.

In the afternoon, some fans is given appointment to go in but not for the presence of Jon, but that of the Venezuelan group UFF who was put up there.  

 Last Sunday, according to one of the employees that preferred the anonymity, Jon carried out a trip lightning to Boston, where he had some work commitments, but that same day at night return to the City of Mexico to be reinstated to the preparations of the filming. 

 Their work days are quite arduous, almost of 12 hours, for that neither the singer neither the director have had time of leaving to visit the surroundings of the Mexican capital, in alone occasions they leave their respective hotels to eat. 

 Vampires: The Deads- a sequel of John Carpenter film Vampires, will be shot during four weeks in the Ajusco, Satellite and Texcoco and in the studio Churubusco; then they moved for a week to Morelos.

 

Reforma- 12.01.2001 

Second day, the fans grows 

Mexico- On the second day of filming of Vampires: The Deads, the classes in the primary and secondary school in Acapulco were not interrupted, but the interest that has caused the movie was evident between the villagers and dozens of them (housewives and students, mainly) remained for hours bet on the walls of the atrium. 

 From the first hours of Thursday, the onlookers had seen a human head, thanks to the film team for special effects, that left flying from a window and later rotated wrapped in flames by a stairway. 

Since Vampires: The Deads used diverse technological resources to acquire bigger realism and spectacularity, an integrated team from Mexicans and American has appealed to elements that go from painting to small tanks of gas. 

Continuous of good humor 

Besides becoming hunting vampires expert, Bon Jovi was given time to view the surroundings of the location and in the recesses of the production don't avoid the contact with the inhabitants of the place neither with the fanatics that arrived from other places. 

The rocker rehearsed in the beginning of Thursday at least a couple of sequences in place on the left side of the atrium of the church.   

Around the noon, the American walked to the Cultural and Administrative Center that works as high school and after taking some steps toward the basketball court surprised some students who met with the famous one when leaving their classes. 

Although most of them only identify him as  foreigner, they approached to greet him and Bon Jovi responded them with good humor, requesting a pen to give some autographs. 

"Somebody brings one?", he asked in Spanish and after receiving it, dozens of notebooks arrived to his hands.  

Already broken the ice, Bon Jovi accepts to be photographed. 

"I can not believe it, I never imagine that Bon Jovi signed me a sneaker", said one of the singer's followers. 

The artist remained only 10 minutes surrounded by the people without his four bodyguards arrived, before entering the door of the church to film an action scene. 

Dressed with brown leather jacket and yellow shirt, Bon Jovi suddenly transformed into a heroic hunter of vampires that testifies how the character interpreted by Diego Luna suddenly gave death with a lance to one of the creatures from the title of the film. 

After the vampire disappears among flames, Bon Jovi with a gun, arrived to the place of the combat so that the young apprentice received his payment for the night creature's extermination. 

Reforma- 14.01.2001

They consider Jon demoniac entity 

The presence of Jon Bon Jovi in the church of Ocopulco was bothersome for some residents; however others were happy 

 The presence of the singer Jon Bon Jovi in the church of Ocopulco, where during three days was shooting part of the movie Vampires: The Deads, made some residents to think of a entity left of the hell that only looked for appropriate of people's soul. 

In the film, the author of Living on a Prayer personifies a hunter of vampires, and for that reason from last Wednesday, when  the filming began in Mexico, the onlookers have seen bodies burnt, heads cut tragically of the avenging sword and smoke leaving the local temple. 

"I don't know why the priest allowed this: the church should respect that it’s sacred. They will see that now the souls of these that enters there will be taken by the demon", Regina Martinez, inhabitant of the place, said in the name of a small group of followers. 

Luckily, she said, the shooting finished last Friday, and therefore the celebrations of the "40 Hours ", a three days event  in which the Christian jubilee is celebrated,  will be able to be made.

However, the most of the community was shown to be happy of seeing the filming of a movie closely, as well as the "the gringo ", as they called Bon Jovi, and Diego Luna who got the attention of the young boys that photographed him unceasingly. 

" They are very handsome! When I saw them closely, I really wanted to faint", Maria del Carmen Acuca, 41. 

For the use of the church “Nuestra Seсora de la Santa Encarnaciуn”, built in the 18 century  and located in the center of Ocopulco, the production committed to give to the municipal authorities of Chiautla 25 thousand pesos, as well as to not damage in any way the same. 

"People are happy and the great majority agreed that the church was used for the movie. There are unhappy people, of course, but they are the less ones", Marcos Ramirez who is in charge of the church said to name of the Padre Erasto Pacheco who was fixing the parties of the jubilee and could not be found. 

"The money will be used to fix the roof of the church and, if there are more, maybe to buy some painted boats to adorn it", he added. 

During the three days that Vampires remained in the town, the production ordered to remove the original cross of the atrium which was placed carefully in the garden of the temple - as well as to cover the windows with black curtains to give reality because of the scenery. 

"The only thing that was damaged was to break the glasses of a window and to remove a very beautiful door of historical character, but both things will be put in their place and everything will be the same as before", a close to the filming who preferred the anonymity assured. 

In accordance to the source, the rent of the premises settled down with the municipal authorities of Chiautla, but in the Friday afternoon they could not be found to confirm. 

"I don't know exactly which the arrangement of the lease was, but there was not any problem", the spokesman added. 

Vampires: the Deads, continue tomorrow the filming will continue in Mexico City, and after leave toward Morelos where will remain for a week.

 

Reforma-14.01.2001

Indifferent to his fans 

Despite the affection of the Mexicans, Bon Jovi only waved its hand in greeting sign 

More than 80 fans- children, youths and adults remains with unrealized desires to have an autograph and to see closely the blond Bon Jovi during the fourth day of filming of the movie Vampires: The Deads, because the author of "Always" was shown indifferent despite the popular desire, and even not came closer to the place determined for the watching public. 

And it’s because the stay of the rocker in Mexico is no longer a secret as the production of the film planned, and the leader of the band that takes his name was guarded during the whole time of filming contrary to the previous days. 

Coming from Mexico City, Texcoco and cities bordering to Atenguillo, Bon Jovi's admirers arrived prepared with video cameras, notebooks, magazines, disks, cameras and a blanket with the name of the rocker embroidered with the hope of obtaining some memory of the American. 

Nevertheless, the refusal of the security personnel to allowing him at least to sign some notebooks, as soon as they saw him leave a red van, wearing an orange shirt, sunglasses and boots, they began to shout and to applaud him. 

Despite the affection of the Mexicans, Bon Jovi only waved his hand in greeting sign and immediately his fans screamed. 

One of scenes that was part of the filming was when the reborn from the dead slowly and gloomily springs from the saint floor. And the hunters of vampires arrived, interpreted by Bon Jovi and Diego Luna, for seemingly to analyze such an inexplicable situation. 

One of the situations that were commented by the visitors is the number of scenes that had to repeat Bon Jovi. In total they were seven times that the blonde acted the part where he goes to his jeep. Even so, the euphoria and anxiety to see it never decayed. 

 

Reforma-15.01.2000

They film in a gas station 

The film distributed by Screen Gems counts the history of a leader of a vampire hunter group financed by El Vaticano Cd de Mexico ???? ( I don’t understand what this means)

A gas station at 31kilometer of the federal highway Xochimilco-Oaxtepec was the suitable place for beginning the week of the filming of Vampires: The Deads without the fans presence or some onlookers.       

The security was in charge of closing a highway near Santa Ana's town so the automobiles didn't affect the scenes where Jon Bon Jovi meets with Natasha Becknett.  

The distant and uninhabited place that limits with the Mexico City and the security that surrounded it, allowed the leader of one of the most successful rock bands in the world, to find tranquility and appreciated the landscape framed by the volcanoes Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl. 

During the filming that began late this afternoon, they were shooting a couple of scenes where the camera of Tommy Lee Wallace captured the route of an old jeep and the encounter of Natasha with the author of Living on to Prayer and Keep the Faith. 

A kilometer farther all the vehicles were located between the trees and attract the attention of all passing drivers but no one was allowed to stop.   

So a silver car was the one in charge of transferring the American singer to the gas station and this way to carry out its work that would conclude until the 18:00 hours, little before the day end.  

The film distributed by Screen Gems (Sony), in which the Mexican Diego Luna also acts, is counts the history of a leader of a group, but not musical, but of vampires hunters financed by The Vatican (???) to destroy night creatures horde, which took the possession of a relic of the church.  

Now the filming will move to Atizapin of Zaragoza, located to the north of the City. 

 

Reforma- 18 January 2001

Jon Bon Jovi shooted in Texcoco

Mexico City, Mexico. – In front of the amazed looks of the onlookers, the rocker Bon Jovi filmed Wednesday night some of the scenes for “Vampires: Los Murertos”, in the vicinity of the German President Urban Center, located on avenue Felix Cuevas, corner with avenue Coyoacin.  In spite of the excitement that the presence of the singer caused among numerous young people, Enrique Dueсas, the administrator, showed his dissatisfaction: "The truth is that I am very annoyed because they had said that they would finish more earlier and it was not this way". One of the scenes that were shot last night included explosion of a large window and before this owners was assured that the neighbors were annoying for the roar.  Moreover people were angry because they already didn’t find parking place, in spite of the fact that the production offered them one that is very far from the unit.  The production people will remain until Thursday night, in spite of the fact that they assured that would finish Wednesday.  So that the blond rocker could shoot in the residence unit, the producers promised to the administrator of the building to fix the damages and to provide for access to the parking.

 

 Reforma-  23 January 2001

“Hunter” Jon in Santa Monica 

More than 15 monks will be those that meet Jon Bon Jovi warmly in Tlalnepantla

Around 15 monks will meet Jon Bon Jovi who films from this Monday scenes of the movie “Vampires: Los Muertos” in historical Ex Hacienda de Santa Monica, in the colony of that same name, causing annoyances to the neighbors- the parish and the “Cultural Foundation Antonio Haghenbeck y de la Lama”, owner of the place.

Near 14:00 the singer arrived to the place, where 10 of his fans already waited for him and he took care for them immediately, gave them autographs and allowed some pictures, saying: “No kisses, no kisses."

The neighbors of the colony expressed their uneasiness with the filming because it obstructed the vehicular traffic, an old problem, because here were the streets Benito Juarez and Ignacio Manuel Altamirano that took to the peripheral and to the Ex Hacienda.

 "The colonists of the division protest because the streets are closed and with so many trucks they make the life here difficult, we even had a meeting in the assembly hall, but they already grabbed it for dining room and now we don't know where it will be", said Margarita Granados, neighbor. 

Jon Bon Jovi arrived in Mexico and shoot in Ocopulco,  Texcoco, in Calacoaya, and in the colony Del Valle, in Mexico City. The musician and actor play Erek Bliss in “Vampires: Los Muertos” directed by Tommy Lee Wallace.

After the producer left a charity of 25 thousand pesos to the church Nuestra Senora de la Santa Encarnacion in Ocopulco, Texcoco, the priest Alfonso Santos, in charge of the contiguous parish to Ex Hacienda, refused to reveal the conditions to grant permission to shoot in the enclosure.

"I tell them to respect the church, they wanted to make some things but I told them that they not be able to, I don't speak of the amounts for  the bishopric of Tacubaya, and the Foundation of Ex Hacienda ", spit the father, while he closed the grate of the church and apologized because he had to leave. 

For example Salones Mediterráneo, located opposite the Ex Hacienda, get paid not less than 250 thousand pesos for the event, with agreement with personal of the place. 

The sky is blue and the foam from the volcano Popocatepetl which is at distance of 8 kilometers can be seen and with the afternoon advanced, the American singer's followers began to arrive little by little with disks, pictures and the hope of obtaining an autograph, but the wait would be in vain.

Some girls decided to intone songs of the rocker from “Let It Rock", “Raise Your Hands” to “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Without Love", with screams that was heard to the place where Bon Jovi, calmly, ate around around 19:00. 

Hearing the din a boy arrived suddenly, climbed a near tree to the multitude and as he had a good time he requested: "Sing “Tu Mamá no me Quiere”. 

The presents smiled, but the fathers, already annoying, decided to begin conversations with the members of the production who permanently requested the fans to stick to the wall for not to hinder the traffic more in the enough narrow street Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. 

However, this only exacerbated the girls and they sang into a choir “Chupa-ca-braaas, chupa-ca-braaas, chupa-ca-braaas" (I don’t know what this means- the program translator can’t translate it), to the man in charge of production that the whole afternoon asked them for silence.

Reforma- 1 February 2001
Bon Jovi looks for prestige

The vocalist of the rock band Bon Jovi, says that "Vampires: Los Muertos" represents a step more in his actor carier. 

Mexico City- Famous for his work as vocalist of the rock band Bon Jovi, Perth Amboy's native who takes more than four weeks in Mexico City for the filming of the movie "Vampires: Los Muertos", indicates that this movie represents a step more in his search for the prestige, the professional growth and his consolidation as an actor. 
    In a square of the Colonia Roma that recreates an semi abandoned area of Arizona, Bon Jovi adds that his character is not a macho neither a hero that rescues the good ones from the bad ones, but a man who looks for to unite forces between the generations.
    "In the script there is opportunity to see what's the character, I like this movie a lot because I make a fictitious, human, sensitive personage, but in fact I believe that an ideal character would be as that of Dustin Hoffman (in Kramer vs. Kramer)."
    "I would like to find characters that made me to vibrate so much that could be soaked of their life. The one that I am making right now is very well because it is fiction, but to be something against the stereotypes of Hollywood would be phenomenal", the blond actor points out exclusively for REFORMA. 
    Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and co- produced by John Carpenter and Jack Laurence, Bon Jovi detailes that his character has luck to hunt vampires that seeks to eradicate the desires of these mystic beings to become day entities, to imitate the life of the humans. 
    "I loved the character since I read the script. It's a movie that is not in fact of vampires, but of a hunter, but not the classic who is a star, I liked that", Jon adds.
    Bon Jovi says about the work of the producer Lee Wallace that it has been very interesting. 
    "I had never seen something of him, but when they presented him to me I knew everything about his work and I found it very interesting. It's as working with a director that has three eyes, he gives me a lot of trust because he knows what really wants and I don't avoid his opinion, even, he allows us to debate." 
    The artist considers that it's wonderful that the production of "Vampires: Los Muertos" chose Mexico City for shooting. 
    "It's a place full of beauty, the architecture is incredible, I like the atmosphere a lot. For me it represents cultural wealth, tradition and human warmth." 
    With two nominations for the Grammy for the album Crush, Jon enjoys the recognition like singer, and he assures that if he had to choose between the two careers, the music has always been and will be his priority.

 

Jon gains the respect

Film will be released on 31 of October in the United StatesMexico City- The presence of Jon Bon Jovi in Mexico has not only waked up the curiosity of the local inhabitants where the shooting of Vampires: Los Muertos is carried out, but the acting of the vocalist of the rock band Bon Jovi, has more satisfied the director Tommy Lee Wallace, as the rest of the cast.
    The film that will be released on 31 of October in the United States, tells to the adventures of a hunter of vampires that tries to prevent that these enigmatic creatures are able to wake up in the day. 
    "The main history contains a little mystery, a little drama, a terror, by the conflicts of the personages: the fight between humans and vampires. It's very interesting to work with Jon. When I was 15 years old I listened to his music and it drove me crazy and, years later, I am working with him, you never know whom you will meet with."- Cristian de la Fuente, Chilean actor. 
    "We all work in a new team and we all give the best. I believe that in many ways this is new for all. Jon assures that people will want to see the film and as he sells millions of discs, he knows what he speaks about. He respects the work of all and for that reason we respect him"- Diego Luna, Mexican actor.
    "To make the personage of a vampire is not necessarily to speak of badness, but of survival, because as well as a human being looks for to resist to the calamities, the animals and other species do the same and I believe that we do not understand it always. The work with Jon has been brilliant, he's a professional in all the meanings of the word"- Arley Juber.
    "The film is for entertainment, to give a little horror, suspense and diversion. Jon is like a boy, makes his work in so responsible way that it seems that he's suitable for this task, he's professional."- Tommy Lee Wallace, director.