If you thought the American Idol assault case was the weirdest piece of news related to our favorite show today... you're very right.

But this one gives it a run for its money, albeit in a less violent way. American Idol Worship Stumbled upon an interesting bit of Bo Bice news, which has been out there a while but somehow we've missed until now.

The rocker, who recently underwent surgery, is performing a version of the 1968 Chambers Brothers classic "Time Has Come Today" in ads and promotions for Hasbro's new version of the venerable board game, Monopoly.

The new version, called Monopoly Here and Now, is being given considerable marketing by the company, which has owned the game for decades. The song is also available at iTunes and other online outlets, and will be available as a free digital download at the online Sony Music Store if you purchase Bo's hit album, The Real Thing.

We're big fans of Bo Bice, don't get us wrong. But we're a little disappointed in him for failing to get a property named after him. Come on, Bo. You're worthy of Connecticut Avenue at the very least! It's all about investing in real estate.

It may not have been easy to take the calamari-phobic gal from Albemarle, N.C., seriously, at first, but Kellie Pickler has won us over.

Her debut single, "Red High Heels," has been out for just a few days now, and already, having heard it streaming over Internet radio stations, it made us wonder how we ever doubted her... or why we don't listen to more country!

"Red High Heels" is a terrific little ditty about a small-town gal who's finally finished with a ne'er-do-well man. The song comes complete with lyrics about putting a barbed wire fence around her heart, and kickin' his broke behind to the curb.

In short, it's vintage Kellie Pickler. Great stuff, sung with a natural exuberance that has me ready to grab a marker and a piece of poster-board and write "Pick Pickler!"

Sorry, that was lame. But we're excited to add her upcoming CD to our collection of American Idol albums! Is it November yet?

American Idol is meant to inspire future singers, not future felons.

Someone forgot to tell Cory Favreau of that, however.

The 25-year old, from Plattsburgh, New York pleaded guilty to third-degree assault recently. He also pleaded guilty to a contempt charge for violating a court order to stay away from his mother.

The charges stemmed from an ugly incident this past spring. Favreau hit his mother with a novelty bike chain in May after she expressed praise for Katherine McPhee. The mother was treated for a cut on her head and released, police reported.

Needless to say, we hope this is the last violent act we need to relay based on the show or anyone involved in it.

American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry is back in Los Angeles finishing his upcoming album, sources tell AIW. A decision on the first single release is yet to be made, but when it is, it'll be released to radio soon after.

According to Chris's MySpace page, his band (named simply Daughtry -- how Bon Jovi-esque) has been assembled... but he can't reveal who made the cut just yet.

We've heard some or all of the members of his pre-American Idol ensemble, Absent Element, were in the running, but nothing has been confirmed.

The band has completed photo shoots for the forthcoming album and website, and are currently rehearsing.

Daughtry (the singer) will step back into the limelight when he sings the the National Anthem on Monday, October 16, prior to the Arizona Cardinals game in Phoenix.

Daughtry (the band) is scheduled to perform on Good Morning America's fall concert series November 21.

Also, here's a tidbit from Chris' MySpace page:

"Daughtry will be performing a 25-30 minute set this Friday night @ 8pm at The Viper Room here in L.A. We're playing ALL new material from the upcoming album!! Hope to see ya'll there."

Road trip, anyone?

Ace Young and Kimberley Locke (pictured) will appear in Denver, Colo., on November 5 for Operation Holiday Spirit, a fundraiser that strives to raise money to send "packages stuffed with holiday treats plus personal messages from the stars and gifts like portable DVD players and iPods" to troops overseas.

The group aims to raise at least $100,000 at the event. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Rosie O'Donnell and Cher have already donated items for a silent auction.

Red carpet begins at 5:30 p.m. outside Denver's Paramount Theater. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale through TicketMaster and the Paramount box office. Tickets range from $65-85 and include parking.

Meanwhile, two time zones away, another American Idol finalist from this past season will be a presenter at the Long Island Music Hall of Fame's first annual Induction Gala.

Chicken Little, a.k.a. Kevin Covais, will be on hand and performing at the Patchogue Theatre on October 15. Some of the inductees include Billy Joel, Joan Jett, Twisted Sister, Little Anthony, Leslie West and Mountain, and Peter Criss of KISS.

Justin Timberlake may be bringing SexyBack, but our own Katharine McPhee is bringing us some SexyHair. Katharine is the new spokeswoman for SexyHair, a line of shampoos, conditioners and hair styling products that strive to make hair look great -- whatever style you choose! This picture we found from her promotional campaign is a fine addition to our American Idol Picture of the Day feature.

The commercial verdict is in on this year's American Idol tour, and in a word, it would be "smash." Thanks to USA Today and Billboard, we have the official statistics for you, and here's the summary:

• Total gross: $35.2 million on 59 dates
• Total attendance: 645,782
• Total sellouts: 19 (32 percent of the shows)
• Percentage of seats sold, overall: 96 percent
• Top-grossing show: New York (East Rutherford, N.J.), about $890,000 each for two shows, July 13 and 14
• Top attendance: Greensboro, N.C., 15,337, July 30
• Lowest percentage of seats sold: Austin, 80 percent, September 10

Industry insiders predict that the tour, led by winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katherine McPhee, could be among the top 10 of the year, even without the high ticket prices that Madonna and other top individual acts command (the top ticket price for the American Idol tour was $72.50, but only at several venues).

We don't have the equivalent results for previous tours at our fingertips (please post them in a comment if you do), but we'd be surprised if this weren't the most successful American Idol tour yet. Which isn't that surprising, since it featured contestants such as Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry -- who weren't even among the final pairing.

This hasn't been the best of weeks for our Idols, health-wise.

Earlier in the week, we learned of the emergency surgery Bo Bice needed, and how the Season 4 runner-up has endured a history of intestinal issues.

Now, sources tell American Idol Worship that a Season 5 finalist, Melissa McGhee, had surgery Monday to remove polyps from her vocal cords.

McGhee, who turned 22 last month, is a native of Tampa, Fla., and was the 12th-place finisher this spring in the competition ultimately won by Taylor Hicks.

That's expected to knock her out of action for between two and three months, and all of us would like to wish our American Idol friends a full recovery.

American Idol Worship has learned that this season's runner-up, Katharine McPhee, will be appearing in a CBS Primetime Special called "A Home for the Holidays." Sounds like a great way to spend the holidays to us!

The show will air on December 22 and has been confirmed by McPhee's label, RCA Records. November has three notable dates of its own involving McPhee:

• Tuesday, November 7: Bocelli album will be released, featuring a duet with Katharine
• Tuesday, November 28: Katharine's debut album is scheduled to be released by RCA and 19 Recordings Limited.
• Thursday, November 30: McPhee will appear on the Today show to promote the record.

Katharine is also featured in the November issue of Cosmopolitan with her friend Rachel Bilson on the cover. The article is about Bilson, but in it, there is a section titled "Five Things You Don't Know About Rachel," one of them being that she is a high school friend of Katharine's.

We already knew that, of course, but it's still cool. The magazine also has a picture of the two from American Idol Top 7 night. We'll have it as soon as we can get our hands on it!

With his third album set to drop next week, Ruben Studdard is making the rounds and giving fans a number of opportunities to catch him on TV. Here is where the man who won the second season of American Idol, and who is affectionately known as the Velvet Teddy Bear, can be seen for the next week and a half:

• Thursday, October 12: Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Thursday, October 12: Megan Mullally Show
• Monday, October 16: The View
• Tuesday, October 17: Good Morning America
• Wednesday, October 18: Charlotte Walmart Signing
• Wednesday, October 18: Rachael Ray Show (New)
• Friday, October 20: Martha Stewart Show
• Saturday, October 21: CBS Early Show

AIW's sources tell us that Ruben's forthcoming CD, aptly titled The Return, can also be previewed on VH1. We're eagerly anticipating getting our hands on the disc and uploading the lyrics for all to enjoy. We'll have our exclusive review ASAP as well.