The president loves him. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does not.

On the same day that Jon Bon Jovi received an appointment to a White House council, the news leaked that the Perth Amboy-born rocker's band will not be inducted into the hall in 2011.

Rumors of Bon Jovi's exclusion have existed on the internet for several days. Last night, the New York Times reported that the band isn't on the list of inductees.

Representatives from the hall would not confirm the Times' report. The Times also reported Darlene Love and Alice Cooper among the inductees; Love's publicist confirmed that she is on the list, and Cooper told the Arizona Republic newspaper he has been informed that he will be inducted as well.

The official announcement comes this morning at 10 a.m.

Bon Jovi’s nomination to the hall was controversial. The band has never been a critical favorite. Detractors called the group a “hair metal” band, and pointed out that song doctor Desmond Child contributed to their biggest hits, including “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The band’s supporters cited Bon Jovi’s enduring worldwide popularity.

This doesn’t spell doom for Bon Jovi’s hall chances. Bands such as Black Sabbath and Genesis were rejected many times before making the final cut.

Bon Jovi can take comfort in the company it is keeping. According to the Times report, several stellar acts that were nominated for the hall won’t be chosen, either. Hip-hop heartthrob L.L. Cool J, disco singer Donna Summer and rap-rock pioneers the Beastie Boys will also be on the outside looking in.

Instead, long-running singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, sensational New Orleans pianist Dr. John and gravel-voiced Tom Waits will join Love and Cooper on the inductees’ list.

The selection of Waits ought to be particularly galling for Bon Jovi’s supporters. The singer-songwriter is everything Bon Jovi is not: arty, difficult, experimental, critically lauded and not particularly popular. Waits, who has been making music since the early ’70s, has never had a hit song.

The hall’s selection committee, which consists of musicians, industry executives and music journalists, continues to snub popular rock bands from the ’80s. Def Leppard, the British equivalent of Bon Jovi, didn’t even get a nomination.

The day wasn’t a total loss for Bon Jovi. He’s got fans who are much more powerful than rock critics: prominent members of the Obama administration.

Yesterday, he discovered just how deep their appreciation goes.

The president appointed the rocker to his White House Council for Community Solutions. Jon Bon Jovi joins a team of activists and philanthropists on the board of the council, which will attempt to generate ideas about partnerships between nonprofits, corporations and grassroots organizations.

Hopefully, he won’t give the White House a bad name.

David Axelrod, President Obama’s chief strategist and right-hand man, has reportedly posted a copy of the lyrics of Bon Jovi’s “Work For the Working Man” near his desk; Bon Jovi himself has spoken proudly about this fan in the White House. Axelrod considers the lyrics an inspiration — a reminder of the Obama administration’s responsibility to blue-collar Americans. The song, released on “The Circle,” Bon Jovi’s 2009 release, is narrated by a hard-working American laborer who has lost his pension and been laid off.

But Bon Jovi won’t be joining the Council as a poet. He’ll be there because of his long record of activism.

The rocker’s Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has paired with Habitat for Humanity and Project H.O.M.E. to provide housing for low-income families in Philadelphia, Camden, Brooklyn and Newark. Bon Jovi has also worked on behalf of the American Red Cross, Live Earth, the Special Olympics, AIDS research and Haiti earthquake relief.

Bon Jovi, a Democrat, sang the civil rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come” at Obama’s inauguration. He also was a vocal supporter of John Kerry’s candidacy, and played a high-profile benefit for then-governor Jon Corzine’s re-election campaign.