Bo Bice had his fourth child, his first daughter, Merrin Elizabeth Joy Bice, in April.

Bo Bice, season four “Idol” runner up, last fall realized his life wasn’t in order. Blame it on the alcohol.

On September 25, he had his last drink and entered rehab. He said in an interview last week that he has remained sober ever since.

Under the influence (Heineken was the standard though he did love whiskey),  “I tend to sometimes act like an idiot,” he said.  At age 36 at the time, he said it was time for him to grow up.

“Being a dad and a husband and trying to keep alive in the music business is enough of a challenge,” he said. “I didn’t need to be drunk.”

“I don’t think I was doing the best I could do with my career or my music,” he added. “Those things start to suffer. Or family starts to suffer. I wasn’t living up to my full potential.”

Bice said there was no official intervention. “You have to come to the realization yourself,” he said. “There were no thunder bolts from the sky.”

Soon after, he, his pregnant wife Caroline and their three sons moved to Cumming from Nashville to be closer to family. Bice spent part of his childhood in metro Atlanta so this was a bit of a homecoming. In fact, his parents and brother live near his new home, reminiscent of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” “We have a family compound out here,” he said.

He said he is now able to focus more on his immediate family. “I’m looking at my phone and email less than I used to,” he said. “I’m slowly edging toward achieving a purpose.”

But leaving Nashville doesn’t mean he’s divesting himself from his career as a rock musician.

“I’ve got so many friends and contacts there,” he said. “We still have a house there we’ve leased out for a couple of years. I run my business out of there. I feel I’m more productive when I’m in Nashville. I’m there to work, to write songs.”

Besides music, he paints and takes photography (check out his work on bobice.com). He has been doing speaking engagements to talk about entertainment, the music business and his life experiences. Though he doesn’t get a lot of national exposure anymore, he is still making a living and is doing fine financially, he said.

“I have life lessons I can pass along,” he said. “I”ve had to learn to be more flexible.” I pressed for an example. He said early on, he refused gigs if they required him to lip synch, such as a major parade. (He wouldn’t say which one but it was probably the Thanksgiving Day Macy’s Parade in New York City.)

His latest musical focus in Southern gospel and contemporary Christian, an arena several “Idol’ contestants have excelled in, especially Chris Sligh and Mandisa.

He will tour this summer, including a run in Branson, Mo. with other “Idol” contestants. “Just staying busy, blessed to have traction seven years removed from ‘Idol,’ ” he said. “I’m surprised people still give a damn. I’m grateful they do.”

“What’s made me happiest,” he continued, “is my beautiful wife Caroline and the family she helped provide. She provides for me every day. And now with my family here, I’m in the best place in my life.”

In April, his first daughter Merrin was born. “A treasure,” he said.

I called him after reports of Phillip Phillips’ medical travails on the show with kidney stones. Bice had serious digestion issues while he competed on the program. The difference: at the time, Bice said he had no clue what the problem was. It wasn’t until after the program was over that he learned what his issues were. He had three surgeries to deal with his digestive issues after doctors said he had an intestinal condition called Intussusception.

“I wasn’t exactly the healthiest living person there,” he said. “I liked to drink and party and have fun. Stress didn’t help.”

Fortunately, he said the surgeries solved the problems and he’s been okay on that front for years.

Bice still follows “Idol.” Of the final three, he said he liked Joshua Ledet the best. “Very different, very soulful,” he said. He said he can’t call who’s going to win tonight. “A close call,” he said. “It reminds me of the year with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Very different singers.”

- Tonight’s finale will feature tributes to Robin Gibb and Donna Summer, according to Hollywood Reporter. SPOILER ALERT: If you want to be surprised, skip the next graf. Nelly Furtado, Shelia E, Jennifer Holliday, Atlanta native Gladys Knight and Gloria Gaynor will honor Summer with Chaka Khan joining in later. Kristin Chenoweth will pair off with Jessica Sanchez to sing “Enough is Enough.” John Fogerty, Reba McEntire, Neil Diamond, Jordin Sparks and Fantasia will perform, too. “Idol” has already announced Rihanna and Aerosmith as performers.

-As we regulars know, many “Idol” contestants end up having to make a living outside of music because there are only so many jobs out there for musicians. The Daily Beast managed to get a hold of 70 former “Idol” contestants to see what they’re up to.

Among the findings:

Sanjaya Malakar tends bar in the East Village. Camile Velasco worked at a Subway in Los Angeles. A.J. Gil became homeless. Vonzell Solomon sings in a casino in China. Corey Clark is going to college. Didi Benami is a waitress. David Hernandez is jobless. Jim Verraros is a fashion show planner. Carmen Rasmussen does what I do: entertainment blogging! Alexis Grace is a morning host on a top 40 station in Memphis. Chris Sligh is a pastor. Julia DeMato was a hairdresser before “Idol’ and remains so now. Christina Christian is an IT company account manager.

Check out the photo of Sanjaya here, with his hair mostly cut off. Let’s just say he isn’t just in a career recession.

- MJ had some amusing superstitions that could help predict who will win. For instance, the person whose name starts later in the alphabet has won ever year.  And the strangest one is the Kristy Lee Cook shadow. She finished 7th in season 7. That year, David COOK won. Next year, KRIS Allen won. Then LEE DeWyze. And in season 10, ScotTY McCreery helped finish her name in full. And just to annoy us, note that Phillip Phillips is from Leesburg in Lee County.  Most of the superstitions she listed benefit Phillip.

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk