In addition to her current single, "Your Love is Taking Me Higher," Bruno is working on her sophomore solo album, meeting with Hollywood execs about a film based on her drama-filled life, and establishing herself as a serious contender for a spot on a little show called American Idol. Though the conversations have received notice in cyberspace blogs (including the online pages of Entertainment Weekly), whether she's the heir apparent to Paula Abdul's shaky throne remains to be seen.

"I can't talk a lot about it," is Bruno's canny response to the Idol issue. "But there's positive movement. What my involvement will be is yet to be seen. There are a lot of options: A, B, C, D, or All of the Above." Naturally, Bruno's ambition and optimism are her greatest asset. "I'm shooting for All of the Above."

Besides her chart-topping success, Bruno's founding of a performing arts school certainly gives her resume added heft for a position on Idol. "I had 450 students at one time, kids and adults that were just driven [to succeed]. I mean, I got lucky. I was singing in a club and had a fairy tale opportunity handed to me: ‘Hey, you want a record deal?' So I respect those kids that are out there busting their ass just to get to an audition. Whether they fly to Kalamazoo or wherever to get there, I respect that. So I think they deserve respect back."

While they're waiting for her Idol making moment, Bruno's fans can enjoy the reunited Expose trio on a future tour stop. Indeed, despite some self-deprecating humor (during their Mohegan performance, Jurado laughs off being labeled a "vintage group" at a recent gig), Expose's audience is still filled with the same rabid fans that clamored in the clubs twenty years ago.

"I drove 2 hours for this!" explains one beer-guzzling dude in the audience, miffed that his buddies would rather catch a New England Patriots game.

"I don't care if it takes all night, I'm going to meet them!" yells a blonde twenty-something into her cell phone, as she makes a post-concert beeline for the Meet ‘N Greet table.

Bruno, for one, isn't surprised that her fans' interest has never waned.  "Everyone has an Expose story," says Gioia of the group's lasting impact. "A high school story, a college story, or an ‘Oh my God, I came out to that one! story" she laughs. "I should write a coffee table book."

But with her voice back in rare form, it seems Gioia already has plenty to say, all on her own.

Gioia On…

... the downside of being upbeat.

"Positive people are tested longer, harder, and more brutally. If you go out there and do something really crappy, it's newsworthy. But if you do something good, it's [feigning boredom] ‘Ehhh. So what? She pulled some little kid out from under a bus? She's out in the Pacific saving the whales?' [suddenly feigning excitement] ‘Ooh! She wasn't wearing panties? Let's write about it!' [laughs] I guess I understand it. Morbid curiosity."

… praying for her recovery.

"I talk to God every day. Whatever you want God to be: the Universe, the Planet or the Ozone Layer! To me, God is God. I talk to Him, I ask Him for strength, I thank Him for keeping me in His favor. And I move on. Every day."

... why she'd be a great addition to the American Idol team.

"I have a gift, and the ability to say what's on my mind with no holds barred. I don't want to hurt people's feelings, and I know sometimes on television they want you to hurt people's feelings. They want you to be crass and rude and ‘press-worthy' and all. There's still a way so get your point across and do some good with somebody. That's what the show was about at the beginning: giving someone the opportunity to reach their goal, their dream. A lot of the time it just turns into a "fuck you" fest, and I think it's ridiculous."

… the decision to reunite with Expose.

"Everybody decided they could really put the time and effort into it. We've tried to do this before, but there was always one or two of us who couldn't pull it together, who were too busy with their life, work or families. That stuff happens, and we all believe that family should come first, absolutely. At this point, we can manage to keep our families first and still put our best foot forward, united. Because in the past, we weren't always united, honestly. It was just a mess. Three girls, three managers, three attorneys, three completely different lives going on. This one wanted it for this reason. This one wanted it for that reason. This one didn't really want it, maybe? But now we're all united. It's all working out differently. Every day we have to deal with new stuff: past, present, future. But we handle it really well. We work through it as adults… With time comes maturity, which I certainly needed. I'll be the first to say it!"

… the power of ambition.

"So many people sit around on their butt and waste time. But every single minute of every single day is an opportunity! I want every single minute of every single day to work for me. Because tomorrow I could be gone, and I want to make sure that while I'm here I do something positive. I don't know what it's going to be. I don't know if it'll be Idol, a record, or me as President… But I better get with it to make sure it happens! I'm not going to sit idly while life floats on by."

… being a Diva.

"I normally say I'm the anti-Diva. I don't act like one at all! To me, a diva is someone who's untouchable. I'm extremely touchable. I'm a little girl who can fill the room, but my attitude is more like, ‘Hey… what's up!' I believe a true diva is a person with a huge heart and a huge voice, whether singing or some other platform, who does something really great and is respected for it. That's what I'd like to be."

Trivia…

Though she's previously married (and currently dating a male personal trainer), Gioia admitted in a 2006 television interview that she's also dated women in the past.

One of Gioia's biggest dreams? A variety show in the vein of Carol Burnett.

This fall, Gioia went back to school… Sort of. She's enrolled in an online Harvard course: Crisis Management. "It's basically, ‘How to Deal with Assholes,'" says Gioia. Good for the music biz!

Forget chart-topping success. Gioia says managing her performing arts school was "the most amazing time of my life!" Except, she says, for two little words: Stage Moms.

Though she's best known for her current club hits, look for Gioia's next album to highlight her full spectrum of songwriting: pop, R&B, ballads… and possibly a little country!