Family Ties

Ever since Bo Bice made it to the “American Idol” finals, I have been trying to trace the family connection. Let’s face it… Bice is not a common last name, and he’s from the same general area in Alabama where all my Bices are from, and there might be a little family resemblance. Maybe the musical talent doesn’t so much run in the “family,” but still…

My cousin Gef did a little research, and the closest possibility he could come up with was that Bo might be our third cousin. Maybe, just maybe, Bo’s grandfather and my grandfather might have been first cousins, meaning Bo’s great-grandfather Bice and my great-grandfather Bice might have been brothers. That’s a lot of maybes, but I believe it. It’s my one little claim to fame, so let me have it.

Anyways, my point with this is that my Grandma called yesterday and said she met somebody at the nursing home there (she’s in Decatur, Ala.) that lives next door to Bo’s grandmother. Hello! If that’s not a small world, I don’t know what is!

I saw Bo Bice in concert at Riverfest in Vicksburg the year he was on “Idol.” I had a lot of fun – maybe a little too much fun. I vaguely remember making a bit of a scene. I’m not sure if it was because it was a great show or because I was just excited to be seeing my “cousin,” but it didn’t matter. I won’t mention how desperately I tried to get a backstage pass to meet him. I had no luck, which in hindsight was probably a good thing. He probably would have disowned me as a Bice that night.

Tonight “Idol” starts Hollywood week. I said I wasn’t going to watch it again this year, but I lied. It’s hard not to watch when it’s on two to three nights a week. I doubt anymore long-lost family members will come out of the woodwork and make it to the top 12, but you never know. I’ll be on the lookout just in case...