Editors' Notes

Stacy Swim - Co-Editor

I feel I am a very fortunate and blessed person. In the last couple of months, I have been very fortunate and blessed to talk to MiG and see him perform. In this month’s newsletter, my article is about his performance at the I Shall Return Concert to Benefit St. Bernard, Leyte; the devastation caused by the Leyte, Philippines landslide; and how you can help. To see MiG perform a mini-set including songs I had only dreamed of hearing him perform, having some "alone time" with MiG before his performance, and helping my friends in the Philippines still makes me feel fortunate and blessed. Staying with the theme of being fortunate and blessed, I had the opportunity to finally meet Laura (co-owner of Team MiG), her Rocker Momma Karen, and other Team MiGsters last month. We had a MiGtastic time, and I can't wait to do it again! 
Cheers and enjoy! Miggy love and squishes, Stacy

---

Gisele Williams - Co-Editor

Spring has sprung; at least it has in Southern Ontario, Canada! The birds are coming back from their vacation ‘down south’, the trees are budding and the tulips and daffodils are in full bloom.... another winter season conquered!

In the past few years, it seems, there has been a very large demand for charitable assistance to help those who have been devastated by natural phenomena; the Tsunamis of 2004, the flood in New Orleans and the mud/landslide in the Philippines to name but a few. When we have ‘just enough’ for ourselves, we turn to help others and by and large we do what we can to help those who are affected by these natural disasters. But we can’t forget the other organisations that also rely on our financial assistance to ‘get the job done’. It is my pleasure to feature some of the organisations that Team MiG supports through its charitable donation system. The ones that I’ll be looking at over the course of next few months are special to me as they deal with medical issues that affect, by and large, the children of the world. Wouldn’t it be grand if one day medical research were able to completely eradicate disease, especially those that affect our children?

Have a MiGGy day eh! Gisèle 

********

Interviews and MiGbits...

MiG Performs for a Good Cause!
By Stacy Swim

 

When I logged onto the internet on February 17th, one of the first news headlines I read was about the Philippine landslides. I immediately thought of the friends I have made in the Philippines because of MiG and Team MiG. Then I clicked on the story and read about the devastation. According to the I Shall Return website, the landslide buried the village at the bottom of the mountain of Barangay Guinsa-ugon that is in the municipality of St. Bernard in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte. The mud, rock, and debris buried 281 houses and an elementary school with 246 children and teachers. The number of lives lost, as of March 10, is 154 with 972 reported missing including 240 staff members and children from the elementary school. The original population of Guinsaugon was approximately 1500 people. Now there are only 410 survivors. Not only was that village destroyed, but now residents of two other neighboring towns need help because their foundations have been weakened due to the landslide. Collectively, 5,907 people (including 1,691 families) are now sheltered in 10 evacuation centers located in schools in three municipalities. The I Shall Return Concert for the Benefit of St. Bernard, Leyte featured “leading Filipino American artists based in the United States in a concert that would galvanize the community through charity.” 

When the opportunity arose to see MiG perform at the Glendale Civic Auditorium and contribute to this worthy cause on April 15th, I jumped at the chance. MiG performed five songs with a live band about halfway through the concert. The curtain was closed, but the drum beat for “We Will Rock You” was pounding. The curtain flew open and MiG sang WWRY perfectly. He then went to the keyboard and said with a cute smile on his face, “This song went over well on Rock Star, so I thought I’d do it here,” and performed in his soaring tenor voice “Baby, I Love Your Way.” He stayed at the keyboard and sang a song by Filipino artist Gary Valenciano entitled “Take Me Out of the Dark.” I may not have known the song, but it was very moving. He should record it! He went back to his rockin’ ways and did “All Right Now”! After that song MiG said, “Everybody get up out of your chairs,” and the music for “Play That Funky Music White Boy” started. Everybody did get up out of their chairs and the place was electric! During this song there was a technical difficulty: MiG’s microphone went out! He kept trying different microphones during which he entertained us with his goofy, silly side! While the beat to PTFMWB was pulsing, he did the disco dance like John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” along with a myriad of other things! He handled it wonderfully. He did give up for a few minutes and just sat down on the stage. Then a light bulb went off in his head, and he thought to try one more microphone: the one at the podium that the hosts had been using. And it worked! We were back in business! He went into “Superstition” and closed out his set finishing “Play That Funky Music White Boy.” I could feel the energy in the room palpitating while he was performing and just after he was done. As I have said before, he just lights up the stage from within when he performs. I talked to people after he performed, and I think he made a lot of new fans that night!

Of course, I had to ask the ‘old’ fans what they thought! All Jennifer (jagreen on Team MiG) could say to me was, “What to say about finally getting to see MiG...It was absolutely amazing, about a million times better than video.” Carolynn (migslaydee) said, “I knew MiG would give a great performance. What made the biggest impression on me was MiG’s electrifying energy level. It seems to draw everyone into his performance!” Lot (lot) went further than that and said, “His performance was so amazing! People were screaming and singing! MiG rocked the whole auditorium! Even the microphone couldn’t handle his MiGness and rockness!” Marly (keljian), who came all the way from New York to attend this event, could only tell me that, “The whole event was so worth the trip to [Los Angeles]. To see MiG perform live, it was the ultimate! ... MiG was fantabulously amazing!” Donna (“oh...donna”) went a little more in depth with, “His performance was really top-quality in so many ways. He seemed very relaxed and to be enjoying himself, which only made it more enjoyable for us. I love the energy he brings to songs like “We Will Rock You” and “All Right Now,” etc., but there’s something truly magical about watching him do ballads – live– from just a few feet in front of him. The range of expressions that run across his face and through his body make it seem as though there’s no one else in the room. The combination of his beautiful voice and his ability/willingness to throw himself fully into his songs, is a rare thing.” 

This “rare thing” is the reason Jovie Saddul, People of Philippines project director, wanted MiG to be a part of it. He exclusively told me that, “Yes, it’s true that MiG was the first to say yes to being a part of this great project. I wanted MiG to be a part of this because he is a reflection of hope and a source of pride for a country still searching for a better life.” Laura Alber (co-owner of Team MiG) disclosed to me that MiG said, “they were very happy. They sold more tickets then they expected.” MiG is so dedicated to the cause that a portion of the proceeds from the recent Ebay auction of his “Rock Royalty” t-shirt that was worn and torn on Rock Star: INXS will go to the fund. The funds raised will be divided into three major categories: emergency medical assistance, short-term food supplies, and emergency child services. They will keep taking donations until they have reached their goal of $100,000. Right now, they have raised around $25,000, so they will keep taking donations for at least another six months. To help make a better life for the people affected by the St. Bernard, Leyte, Philippines landslide, you can make a contribution through http://www.ishallreturn.org. 

             

---

Our Children ARE the future...............
By Gisèle Williams

Gene Roddenberry’s ‘Star Trek’ television and movie series are set well into the future. If you’ve ever watched the show, you will recall that death was usually attributed to old age or to fatal wounds sustained in battle against alien beings. Disease and other life-threatening ailments were, by and large, a thing of their past. Well in 2006 that is still only our future but the medical community is diligently working on making it a reality. It takes money, however, and lots of it to fund the cost of breakthrough medical research! Those institutions whose goals include eradicating disease need the financial support of not only government and corporate sponsors, but the support of ‘regular people’ like you and me. Of the charities that MiG Ayesa and Team MiG support, two focus on medical research and children. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a leader in breakthrough medical research whose goal is to find cures for childhood diseases. We need to do what we can to protect our children for our children are the future!

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Entertainer and humanitarian, Danny Thomas fulfilled a promise he made to St. Jude, the Roman Catholic patron saint of hopeless causes and opened the doors to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, located in Memphis Tennessee, U.S.A. in 1962. “St. Jude, which is non-sectarian, treats children without regard to race, religion, creed or ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay,” confirmed Ms. Teri Watson Director, Radio & Entertainment Marketing for St. Jude, in a recent interview. 

St. Jude's mission? “Finding cures. Saving children.”

I asked Ms. Watson what she could tell us about the latest, most exciting or significant medical break through St. Jude has enjoyed. “Since its inception,” she told me, “St. Jude has developed protocols that have brought survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to more that 70 percent overall. In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate is 90 percent.” What an accomplishment! Ms. Watson directed me to their website. “There are an estimated 289,000 newly diagnosed cases of childhood cancer worldwide each year. The St. Jude International Outreach Program (IOP) is valiantly striving to address the needs of those countries by helping to improve the survival rates of children with catastrophic illnesses worldwide, through the transfer of knowledge, technology, and organizational skills. This program ensures that our research and treatments benefit sick children no matter where they are.”

The budget for the hospital, research facilities, programmes, and outreach has soared from $150,000 per year in 1962 to a whopping $1million per day today! “We are grateful for all donations to help our kids. We have found that our Partner In Hope campaign works very well - donors become a monthly partner/donor on a credit card at $20 a month,” Ms. Watson stated. Can you imagine the feeling of knowing that by contributing to this cause, you will be helping in the search for the cure for cancer?

Mr. Thomas passed away at the age of 77 in 1991. His legacy lives on with the help of his daughter, actress Marlo Thomas, who serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the extensive and dedicated staff at St. Jude. “We have treated children from all 50 states and more than 70 foreign countries since St. Jude opened in 1962. We are grateful for the tremendous support and generosity from all our donors. We are excited about our relationship with Team MiG and look forward to the opportunity to hear more from MiG's fans, whom we hope are or will become St. Jude Children's Research Hospital fans too!” Ms. Watson told me. You can make a direct donation to St. Jude in MiG’s name through the ‘Fancare’ programme at http://www.stjude.org/celebrities/.

I thank Ms. Watson for taking the time from her very demanding schedule to share with Team MiG a little bit about how the work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital benefits the children of today so that they can enjoy a better tomorrow!

 

Street Teaming and Great Causes~
What a Terrific Combination!
By Gisele Williams and Stacy Swim  

Whether you are driving down the street with your Miggy bumper sticker, wearing your MiG T-shirt out and about, checking your desk calendar for appointments or singing in your Miggy nightshirt at a ‘pajama party’ in front of 400 music convention attendees you are not only street teaming for MiG by keeping his image in the public’s eye, you are supporting worthy causes. At least 30 percent of all proceeds, after expenses, from the sale of all items in the Team MiG ‘store’ will be donated to JDRF, amfAR, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on behalf of MiG and Team MiG! For a complete listing of what merchandise is available for purchase, please go to http://www.cafepress.com/teammig. What a great way to help out!

---

MiGbits...
by Stacy Swim and Gisele Williams

It’s About Time: Part 2!

Laura, her Rocker Momma Karen, Carolynn (migslaydee), Jennifer (jagreen), my Rocker Momma 2 Barbara, and I gathered on Friday, April 28 in Los Angeles at the bar/lounge inside the hotel where Laura and Karen were staying. Laura and Karen had traveled here on vacation and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet a “staff member” (me!) and Team MiGsters. After all the calls, emails, and work, it was wonderful to finally meet the person on the other end ~ Laura! The conversation started with MiG, but the group ended up talking about everything from our families and life experiences to television shows and shoes. But, of course, the conversation always came back around to MiG! Rocker Momma even street teamed: she had on her MiG shirt, people did ask about him, and she informed them; plus, she left a MiG business card on the table before departing! After gabbing for about three hours, we all said goodbye knowing a good time was had by all.

 

In Memory of Paula Kuchen.....

 

Paula Kuchen, a close friend to Marty Casey and the Lovehammers, passed away recently of cancer. On April 19th, Nancy Marver-Ilhan,co-founder of the Team MiG Ayesa Global Fan Site had the pleasure of meeting Mim Hoffman, Paula’s dear friend at Websters Wine Bar in Chicago. Nancy told us recently, “I am proud to say that just over 25 members of Team MiG donated to sponsor Mim and Paula's daughter, Sam, in the 3-Day Cancer Walk in Chicago in September. We raised $622.00!!! I included the names of all the Team MiGsters who donated on the card because Mim and Sam are going to print all the names of those who donated on the shirts they'll be wearing when they walk!!!” She went on to say, “It was an honor to meet her as I found her to be an incredible woman. We talked about Paula and her last days. We talked about Marty and the Lovehammers. We talked about MiG and we talked about our families and friends who have been struck with cancer.” Nancy and Mim are now talking about working together on future fund raising projects!

A big THANK YOU from Nancy, Mim and Sam to all the Team MiG members who participated in this project.


MiG Continues to Give........

A generous but anonymous benefactor scored big with a winning Ebay auction bid of $610 US for the ‘Rock Royalty’ shirt that MiG wore ~ and tore ~ during his one and only performance in the ‘bottom three’ during the RockStar INXS show when he sang a sizzling rendition of “What You Need.” A portion of the proceeds of the sale of that shirt will be donated by MiG to help those people trying to rebuild their lives after the devastating landslide buried their village of St. Bernard, Philippines this past February. Congratulations to the highest bidder!

Monthly Advice Column

How can you tell a totally outstanding man that a ‘tea cozy’ isn’t the only way to go? -Rhonda

Well, if the man is MiG, you don’t, but if he’s say your husband, brother, friend, uncle, nephew or just any average Joe then you must intervene immediately!! Just make him take a good long look at himself in a mirror!!!

How many ways can you use a ‘tea cozy’? Is there a certain etiquette as to time and/or place. With a pom pom or without? –Karen

The only appropriate time/place for a tea cozy is…well…TEA TIME and on a TEA POT!!! The pom pom is a matter of personal preference.

Beside my bed I have four framed pics of MiG. Plus the Team MiG Calendar is hanging beside my bed. It’s a good thing I’m not married or with a boyfriend isn’t it? But, my question: Is it too much? You wouldn’t consider that a shrine, would you? –Anonymous

Nah…not a shrine…it’s just your own personal homage to our ‘SUPERSTAR’!!! Four pictures of MiG? What a lovely site to see every night when you close your eyes to fall asleep and each morning when you open them to greet the day. Now…if you said you had four more pictures in the bathroom by the tub, and more the ‘fridge door…and in your wallet…and as the screensaver on your pc…then we need to talk.

Top 10 Mis-Read And/Or Mis-Heard Items By Obsessed Fangirls With MiG On The Brain: (by Sophia)

10. "MiG-Winter Break" - on school newsletter

9. "MiG-Term" - on syllabus

8. "A MiG-Summer's Night Dream" - in Shakespeare play program

7. "MiG-Evil Ruins" - answer on Jeopardy game show

6. "MiG Saw Puzzle" - at Toys R Us aisle

5. "MiG-Life Crisis" - topic on the next Dr. Phil Show

4. "MiG Newtons" - at grocery store cookie aisle

3. "Aplets & MiGlets" - at confectionery store 

2. "Winny The Pooh and MiGer's Adventure" - at Children's Video aisle

And the #1 mis-read...


1. "Balsamic MiGnaigrette" on Italian restaurant menu

If you don't see your question in this edition...no worries, we're storing them up for the next one!


**The advice given in this column is meant in fun and is not to be taken literally or seriously**

Index

-Editors Notes
-Stories and MiGbits
-Editorials
-Advice Column 
-Interviews
-Concert Dates
-MiGSpeak

 

MiGSpeak

"Treat everyone as you yourself would like to be treated. Be true to yourself. Everyone is equal." ~MiG Ayesa

 

Appearances

This section will also be where you can find current and upcoming concert dates.

5/14: Toronto, CHUM FM presents THE AFTER INXS ROCKSTAR PARTY @ The Guvernment, featuring Tara Slone, Ty Taylor, MiG Ayesa & Suzie McNeil
5/15: North Bay, Ontario, 102 FM The Fox presents Rock Star Party with The Stars from ROCKSTAR:INXS, featuring Tara Slone, Ty Taylor, Mig Ayesa & Suzie McNeil 

Advice Column

To submit your Advice Column Questions, please PM Sunshine, hellola, starstacy, canukfan 

 

 

News Recap

-LATEST NEWS

-MiG in Toronto:
CHUM FM presents THE AFTER INXS ROCKSTAR PARTY @ The Guvernment, featuring Tara Slone, Ty Taylor, MiG Ayesa & Suzie McNeil from the hit TV show ROCKSTAR:INXS with special guest Sean Cotton, Sunday, May 14 after the INXS show at the ACC

-MiG in North Bay, Ontario:
102 FM The Fox presents Rock Star Party with The Stars from ROCKSTAR:INXS, featuring Tara Slone, Ty Taylor, Mig Ayesa & Suzie McNeil

-MiG the Jetsetter:
MiG will be traveling most of this month and next... heading off to London, Canada, Australia, LA, NY... and more! Some for work, some for play!

-Street Team Formed and in Full Swing! Sign Up Here!

-Promote MiG's MySpace, send messages and watch for updates!

 

MiG Nip