Top 7: Song Predictions- Songs from Cinema

It is “Songs from Cinema” week in Idol-land, and I’m extremely excited about it. As most of you know, I have a borderline obsession with movies, so the music in movies is equally important to me. It was hard to pick just 2-3 songs for everyone because I love SO many songs used in cinema. It is practically a wide open show tonight, because the theme is so broad. On weeks like this, I never expect to get many picks right. But, I still enjoy a good challenge! Here goes nothing…

Adam Lambert- Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (Rocky) or The Bee Gees “Staying Alive” (Saturday Night Fever) or Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” (The Dead Pool/Death Race)

I know I picked “Eye of the Tiger” for Adam last week, but I REALLY want to hear him sing it. He would absolutely kill it. It’s one of the most popular songs from one of the biggest movie franchises ever. It seems like it would be a no-brainer, but he has dodged my advice up to this point and has still done very well. If anyone were to try “Staying Alive,” it would be Adam. Again, he’s the only one in the competition who could hit the notes, it has plenty of attitude, and he could express himself in it. The only problem is the line “I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk.” That could be a conflict of interests with his personal preference. I’ve said before that I think he would smash “Welcome to the Jungle” as well, but I’d rather hear one of the first two songs more. He’s gone mellow the past two weeks, so expect him to liven it up a bit. Hollywood and acting are his bag, so expect him to do well…again.

Danny Gokey- Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Armageddon) or Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (City of Angels)

I bet Danny is wishing that he saved Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” for tonight! I really wanted to pick “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” for Adam, but there are just too many songs out there that he would sound good on, so I gave it to Danny. He won’t be able to hit all the notes that Steven Tyler can, but I think that he could do a serviceable job with this song. Especially with some heavy strings (you know I love them). “Iris” would also be a good choice. Musically, it is one of my favorite songs. The way the song crescendos into the instrumental section is phenomenal. It’s not crazy out of his range and he can put some passion into it. He needs to step it up, because Adam is beating him week in and week out right now. He needs to get people’s interest in him up again.

Kris Allen- Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) or Ewan McGregor “Come What May” (Moulin Rouge!) or "When You Wish Upon A Star" (Pinocchio)

So, part of me hopes that Kris doesn’t do Bryan Adams, but part of me hopes that he does. It’s terribly cliché for a guitar player to do this song, but he would sound very good on it, especially if he added a pop spin to it with the vocals. I think he will tone it down a little this week after poor feedback from the judges the last-go-round. I would personally like to hear him sing “Come What May.” This is one of my favorite songs from a movie, and it’d be one that I’d DEFINITELY want to sing if I were on the show. This would be an opportunity for Kris to showcase more than just the pop side of his voice, but open it up to reveal a richer, more haunting side, if he has it. Click on the song title above to see the video. Last minute add was the Pinocchio song. I think he could do an awesome SOLELY acoustic version of that song.

Allison Iraheta- Evanescence “Bring Me to Life” (Daredevil) or Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Beaches)

For some reason, I can hear Allison singing “Bring Me to Life”…and singing it well! That would be no easy task, but I think her rock edge would sound really good on it. She has a big enough voice to sing Amy Lee, but it would sound so original that the judges would not get caught up on the “karaoke” train they get on so much. I wanted to hear Allison tone it down a bit, and she did last week, but only a bit. I would love to here her back off even further and sing “Wind Beneath My Wings.” We all now that she can sing rock. But can she sing anything else? Her voice would sound great on this and I think she would have an idol moment. I doubt, however, that she is mature enough to pick this song. She needs to do well this week to show that she is capable of being a rival to the crown.

Matt Giraud- Elton John “Tiny Dancer” (Almost Famous) or Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band “Old Time Rock and Roll” (Risky Business)

Both of these songs are piano driven. Both are extremely popular. Both are very good for Matt to sing. They are not bluesy, R&B songs, but I still think he could do well singing either. The judges seem to want to put him in a box with his style, but I think he should branch out and show all aspects of his artistry. I liked “You Found Me” better than most did, but I liked the fact that he didn’t try to oversell his runs on the audience. I think he should do that again. “Tiny Dancer” would allow him to use the falsetto that the judges keep asking him to bring, and “Old Time” would allow him to have some crazy fun on the piano. I’m sure both of these songs are popular picks at the Piano Bar, so he should be fine.

Lil Rounds- Whiney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (The Bodyguard) or Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (The Replacements) or Mary J. Blige “Not Gon Cry” (Waiting to Exhale)

I really have no idea what to expect from Lil this week. The judges have suggested Whitney before. They INCESSENTLY suggest Mary J. Will she finally follow their advice? I think it’d be wise for her to. I’d rather hear the latter two songs than Whitney. All that will happen there is that she will be called a second rate Whitney, which is true. She can’t sing that song like Leona Lewis did here. I can hear her singing “I Will Survive” and doing it well, but I think Mary J. is the way to go here. It’s more modern, and she can show her relevancy. I still don’t think that she’s an artist, but she better try to be one this week or she’ll be in the bottom 2.

Anoop Desai- Boyz II Men “A Song for Mama” (Soul Food) or R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly” (Space Jam) or Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (Ghost)

Anoop is going to stay with the slow songs for the rest of the time he’s on the show, which might not be too much longer. He doesn’t have the chops to really pull off a fast one, so he needs to pluck the heart strings a little. We know he loves Boyz II Men, so I expect him to pull that out this week. This would also have all of the sentimental types dialing in his number, since everyone loves their Mama, right?! I feel like R. Kelly is just a TAD too cheesy, but it would fit with his range and he can show off his runs. I am really hoping he doesn’t do “Unchained Melody,” because that is MY song, and I would want to sing that on the show. I would be severely disappointed if he chose this one, but I can definitely hear him sounding decent on it.

Group Song- Rent “Seasons of Love” (RENT)

There you have it, folks. My predictions for “Songs of Cinema” week. This might have been harder than last week’s “Year They Were Born,” seeing as there are SO many good songs that have been featured in SO many movies. Hopefully, I’ll get one right so this wasn’t a complete waste of time!

How are you all feeling about the show right now? Is it turning out to be a good season, in your opinion? Or do you feel like contestants from seasons past would wipe the floor with most of the singers this year? Let me know!

Your American Idol Junkie,

Billy