Looks like Bo’s been hitting the jewelry store – hope he doesn’t throw his back out again with that thing.

Bo Bice will perform a special live concert from his own studio on October 13th, exclusively broadcast on Justin.tv (www.justin.tv/bobice) at 5:00pm PST / 7:00pm CST / 8:00pm EST. Not just a concert, the event gives fans the unprecedented opportunity to interact directly with Bo, where they can request favorite songs, ask him questions and chat with the charismatic musician. Fans can also submit questions in advance via Justin.TV (www.justin.tv/bobice) to be answered during the show. Several will be selected to receive special prizes including copies of 3, autographed memorabilia and other exciting items. The performance will include selections from his latest album, 3, and a special version of his radio hit “You Take Yourself With You.”

Justin.tv is a website that broadcasts live video streams. If you watched Bo’s stickam chats or the ustream songwriting session with Billy Dean the other day, you get the idea. You don’t need an account with the site to watch a channel but you do need to sign up in order to chat. You might want to wander over and get familiar with the setup before the show.

I’m already thinking about which song to request, and making a list of the inevitable questions that will make me puff up like an indignant turkey. (The Kid. Anything about American Idol, his hair, his beard, or the meaning of 3.) How about you? What do and don’t you want to hear from Bo next week?

What a great idea! Did I say that already?

He drank way too much and didn’t take care of his health. Add in the fact that Bice suffered from intussusception, an intestinal condition he’s had since birth that worsens under stress, and Bice was on a collision course. “I knew liquor wasn’t good for the body, but I liked it.”

This philanthropic, spiritual man is a far cry from the party boy who was once arrested for cocaine and marijuana possessions (charges were dropped) and who has been in and out of hospitals. His doctors have given him a clean bill of health, his career is once again going in the right direction and he’s a happy husband and dad. So if you ever see him eating pizza, let him enjoy it.

In an interview on the Larry King Live Blog , Bo is pretty forthcoming about the music snobs he’s run into:

…because every year I get to go back to the finale and just like to see my friends. I mean there’s some people that kind of run from that. I’ve had so many people talk about me and my ego. Everything from a sell-out to a has been or ‘never was’ I’ve been called.

And I’ll tell you something, when people ask advice for this business I say have thick skin and I say work hard. Practice all the time. It’s just people being critical. But I think at the same time when you love what you do you really enjoy it and you put your best foot forward and you’re proud of the product you’re putting out – that’s what “Idol” has been for me.

People can bash it and they can bash people from it. I see people bash it and bash it and bash it and then they go on and perform. I love those hypocrites because at least I stand firm in the fact that I’ve always loved that show. I love what it’s given me. I’ll never turn my back on the show because they provided a career for me. I’m really proud to be a part of its alumni. That’s why I continue to keep up with the show.

Here, he tells LimeWire that his family isn’t impressed with that crazy rock music:

“One of my bucket lists was to sing that song with Vince Gill. The Lord blesses me more and more each day, because I didn’t get up there and sing it with just him, but there were a wealth of heroes on that stage from Keb’ Mo and Alison Krauss. There were so many incredible talents. I count my blessings each day.” Singing with Gill also impressed one of his longtime fans, as well. “My granddaddy had been telling me for years, ‘Bogart, you need to quit rock and rollin’ in them nightclubs, and make an album that sounds like Vince Gill or Travis Tritt.’ I think I made an album that he’d be proud of, and I don’t think he could ever be happier to see me on stage with anybody other than Vince Gill. That was a true honor.

Finally, a grab bag of tv and radio interview links if you’re really jonesing for some Bo -

Radio interviews:
Mornings with Cubby
The Bert Show
Christine in the Morning
My925 Sacramento
Y98/Paul Cook

TV interviews:
Bo predicts (Good Day Philadelphia)
Bo talks to Good Day LA
Final night preview
Bo dishes on season 9 (WITI Milwaukee)
Finale – what to expect (KDVR Denver)

Bo told the Huffington Post why 3 is so diverse -

There’s never one day that we sat down and we said, “Okay, let’s try and write something. We’re going to get it on rock radio or country radio.” For me, I think, it’s just where the music’s going. When you have all these different pieces of what Bo Bice is, I think it makes it a lot more intense for the listener. It’s like giving them a concept album without there being a concept.

In this one with American Idol Net, Bo talks about the inspiration behind some of his songs.

Ash: On your album you have song called “Different Shades of Blue” and it seems to me to be about overcoming challenges and so many people can relate to that. Was that what you were thinking about when writing the song?

BB: Oh very much so. Number one I wrote that song with Greg Barnhill, he’s a friend of mine and an incredible writer and I don’t know how I got hooked up writing with Greg Barnhill, he’s just incredible and has had so many hits and so many people have sung songs of his. To be quite candid there’s people who do know I struggled with drugs and alcohol when I was a younger guy. Really that’s how a lot of us songwriters do, we delve into ourselves and into the things that made us who we are and a lot of the time it’s tragedy that’s made you who you are because you learn from those style of things.

So for me it just kind of paints that picture you know the brokenness of a man sitting in the glare of the neon smoke in a bar with that neon sign shining down. It’s just from the first verse to the second verse, my inspiration on the second verse might have been different from Greg’s but my inspiration was when my Grandmother passed away, talking about the “cold dark pewter of the casket rail, there’s not too much these eyes ain’t seen between the yellow and the green.” That’s very much digging in to the heart of what’s made me who I am and like I said, I can’t take credit for all the song but I’m throwing out what MY inspiration was and my side of how things arrived for the song. But I think that’s probably the best way to sum it up just picking little pieces of moments in my life and it’s very therapeutic to be able to look back and to delve into those things that were times you hurt. You know relationships or like I said, struggling with dependency or struggling with family passing. These are ways that you can reach in and you pull that out of your soul and it’s almost like you’ve made the amends to yourself and in some ways I think we also help people who might struggle with those kinds of situations and that’s what music does.

Here, Bo tells The Boot how he keeps his career and family in perspective –

You’ve said that losing to Carrie Underwood on ‘Idol’ actually worked in your favor. How so?

Nobody’s ever laying on their death bed going, “Man I wish I would’ve worked one more day” or “I wish I would have gone to school one more day.” They look at their kids and they look at their family, and for me that’s what’s driving me. I wouldn’t relive a single day of my life. I think that the Lord’s put me exactly where He wants me to be. I’m just grateful that I got to see my dreams and hers come true, too, because Carrie’s a close friend and I love her. So I got the best of both worlds in this situation, because I got to see her succeed and I got to see success for myself, so I don’t need really a whole bunch of accolades to surround myself with to know that I’m a good man and that I love music and my fans. So for me that’s the accolades. Whenever I walk in that door from a hard day of work or being on the road, I’ve got three beautiful sons and wife that come running into my arms. That’s the kind of goal that you just can’t melt down and make into a trophy.

What’s your favorite part about being a dad?

To be honest with you, my wife is the best part of being a dad. I’m in awe of her strength and her dedication to our family every day. It’s hard enough just living in the business and being a part of this business. My rules I try to live by: you never miss a birthday or an anniversary, you always make sure that they know that you love them, and you never read your own press. I try to stick to those and I’ve done pretty good so far. I haven’t missed any major holidays or birthdays. I think the best part of being a dad is wrapped up in just being a family man and being a husband and kind of knowing my place. She wears the pants, I just buy ‘em.

Bo’s never been a shrinking violet, but he seems to be more talkative and open these days than ever before. Maybe it’s the haircut?

And Long Road Back:

Just for good measure, here’s Bo’s appearance on Geraldo at Large from this past Sunday.

Nicely done all around, Bo. Are you enjoying this as much as your fans are?

Bo will be making several appearances on the Fox Television Network – starting with Sunday, May 16th when he makes an appearance on Geraldo at 10 PM (EST) / 9 PM (CST).

Check out these other appearances on the Fox Network:

Bo will be doing Fox & Friends on May 18th

He will also make an appearance on Scoreboard with David Asman on the Fox Business Network on May 19th at 7 pm EST.

The Business Network? Interesting.

WSMV-TV Channel 4 will broadcast Working 4 You: Flood Relief with Vince Gill & Friends on Thursday, May 6, in prime time from 7 to 10 p.m.

Nashville and the surrounding middle Tennessee communities have been devastated by floodwaters after the area received 15 inches of rain within a 48-hour time period. Thousands of middle Tennesseans have been evacuated from their homes with many losing everything to the flood. Many of the victims do not have flood insurance, and the demands on relief agencies are stretched to the limit.

“These are our friends and family; we always take care of our friends and family,” said Meredith Senior Vice President and WSMV-TV General Manager Elden Hale Jr. “It’s unfortunate that we’re called upon to do this again for our neighbors, but we are very proud to have the ability to reach out to so many people with Nashville’s flood relief telethon.”

All proceeds from Working 4 You: Flood Relief with Vince Gill & Friends will benefit The Salvation Army, The Red Cross and The Second Harvest Food Bank.

Others involved include Naomi Judd, Phil Vassar, Bo Bice, Lee Roy Parnell, Darius Rucker.

The telethon will also be streamed live on WSMV.com.

ETA: Saguaro Road Records reports that the telethon will also be shown on CNN -

We’re proud of both Bo Bice and Lonestar taking the initiative to raise money for Working 4 You: Flood Relief With Vince Gill & Friends tonight from 8-11 PM, ET. All the proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army, Red Cross and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The telethon will broadcast online on wsmv.com and on WSMV-TV.

CNN will also be capturing the event: you can expect to see a special performance from Bo from his new record on Larry King Live.

Bucky Covington and fellow former American Idol finalists will be volunteering at Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Bank on Wed., April 14 as part of the “Idol Gives Back” episode. He will be joined by Melinda Doolittle, Bo Bice, Phil Stacey, and Mandissa. The program airs Wed., April 21 on FOX.

Good cause, and a good group of people.

This is part of a nationwide turnout at food banks by Idol alums this week. You can see the complete schedule of who and where here. It’s very cool thatAI is taking advantage of the generosity of so many Idols this year, rather than just bringing in a few of the more succesful ones to perform. (Though they’ll do that too, of course.) The show tends to overlook how much so many of the former contestants have to offer.

Bo talks about past problems and a new attitude -

In the last few years, it seems like you retreated somewhat. Was the transition from “Idol” back to a normal life difficult for you?

When I got sick after “Idol” and after getting dropped from RCA, I intentionally wanted to take time to be a dad. With “See The Light,” I became a guy wearing three different hats: trying to be the artist, a producer, and the record label guy, and also a dad and a husband. So I think I kind of sunk back into just trying to figure out who I was again. I knew who I was before “Idol,” and I’ve always worked and dreamed of being the rock star, and then in the same year, I had that dream come true and I also became a husband and a father. At the time, I didn’t know how to equate those, so I took a little time off and really dedicated myself to getting healthy. Now I’ve had a clean bill of health for three years, I have three kids, a beautiful wife, I’m able to do the music that I love and produce…. I’m happier. And this new album is almost like the blossoming of the flower. Not to be cheesy but, first you have to plant the seed, and no one knew me until “Idol” planted that seed and put me in front of 35 million people, then I grew through RCA both in business and songwriting, and now my career is finally blossoming, or maybe this is just the next phase, but I hope that people dig this album. I’m in a lot better place than I was about two years ago.

And reveals how he’s still haunted by a tragic mistake –

Are you still scarred by the flat iron?

I am scarred. I don’t even let my wife use a flat iron. I don’t allow them in my house! One of my friends said to me the other day, “You got highlights in your hair?” And I said, “No, those are occupational enhancements.” He was, like, “Whatever you gotta tell yourself.”

It’s a fun article. This is my favorite quote –

Again, not to be cheesy, but it was almost like shedding a little bit of the old to really embrace the new, and I mean that in every aspect. I would say I’m jumping back into what I love, but I’m not really jumping into or coming back from anything. I’m really just approaching the next phase of my career openly and whatever comes with it and the hair was part of that.

We’ve all noticed a new attitude from Bo lately, a new dedication. He’s still just having fun, but there’s been a purposefulness too that hasn’t been evident for a while. Bo has jumped back into his career with both feet, and is it ever a joy to watch.