We’re less than 36 hours away from week 4 of the American Idol finals, with Tony Bennett coaching the contestants as they perform "American Classics." Last week’s booted contestant, Chris Sligh, told EW’s Jessica Shaw he was planning on covering "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" (nice!), but until those online spoilers start kicking in tomorrow, I thought it might be fun to debate what cherished tunes the nine remaining contestants should sing. Feel free to put your requests in the comments section below — or if you want to be part of Tuesday’s Idolatry Webcast, e-mail your most inspired song choices (along with your name and contact phone number) to idolatry@ew.com before 10:30 a.m. EDT on Monday. Quick! Phil Stacey’s future could depend on it!
LaKisha Jones, "That’s Life"
Gina Glocksen, "Blue Moon"
Melinda Doolittle, "I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good"
Haley Scarnato, "Makin’ Whoopee"
Jordin Sparks, "You’ve Changed"
Phil Stacey, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
Blake Lewis, "You Do Something to Me"
Chris Richardson, "Don’t Fence Me In"
Sanjaya Malakar, "Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off"
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Michael, I love your choice for Sans-jyna, right on the mark!
I watched the boob tube all weekend and I can’t believe how much publicity Sans is getting. The Soup has its own Sans-jyna section. They interviewed the crying girl on Today even. When is the madness going to stop?!
Jordin- You belong to me
Blake- Steppin Out
Haley- Makin’ Whoppee
Lakisha- Anything by Koko Taylor
Melinda- I would personally like to hear some Ruth Brown in the mix since most of the American Jazz standards have been done.
Chris R. Life Can be a dream or Ain’t that a kick in the head.
Sanjaya- Mr. Blue
Phil- Crazy
I would love it if Sanjaya shocked everyone with a flawless, Melinda-at-her-best caliber performance.
Michael, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is way too low on the register for Phil’s voice. Now I would love to hear Jordin sing it, though!
Melinda – You’re My Thrill
Jordin – I Don’t Know Enough About You
Lakisha – If I Loved You
Blake – Nature Boy
Gina – Fever
Haley – I’ll Be Seeing You
Phil – I’ll Never Smile Again
Chris – Accentuate the Positive
Sanjaya – Be Careful, It’s My Heart
Blake is not particularly my favorite, but I’d love to see what he’d do with Nature Boy!
LaKisha – “At Last”
Gina – “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
Melinda – “Every Time We Say Goodbye”
Haley – “Dream a Little Dream”
Jordin – “Mack the Knife”
Phil – “Nice ‘n Easy”
Blake – “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”
Chris – “It Had to Be You”
Sanjaya – “Fly Me to the Moon” (I would also request that he stay there.)
Chris R. could convince me he actually can sing if he would do “When I Fall in Love.” For LaKisha–what about “Accentuate the Positive?” It would give her a chance to bring the funk a little bit. Sanjaya–”I’ll be seeing you.” Melinda can do anything, but after “My Funny Valentine,” I’d love to see what she could do with “Moon River.” I think Haley might be able to do okay with “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
So in other words, another dull evening designed to give Melinda and LaKisha excuses to sing songs older than dirt itself and for the other contestants to be told how much worse they are compared to the divas. :rollseyes: Last week may not have been the best, but at least it was relevant. This season is on the fast track to complete boredom, and the “Sanjaya Conspiracy” is about the only thing keeping it afloat. Romer got the boot from TAR, it’s not as interesting any more. Now if Snajaya gets the boot, it won’t be as interesting. Especially if they keep up with this. I am hoping for disco night just to get all the contestants to sing something up-tempo (Lord knows Melinda and LaKisha will find loopholes and bore us to death on Latin night with more sappy ballands).
I just wanna see Sanjaya with corn rolls.
Dude, I don’t know what it is about her, but Gina is freaking hot to me.
And I still think Sanjaya should do a Ravi Shankar song. And LaKisha should do a David Allan Coe song.
I am SO impressed with the comment suggestions! Blake singing “Nature Boy”? BRILLIANT! Phil, “Nice and Easy”? SUPERB! Melinda and “Moon River”? OH MY GOD! Chills. Kudos to ya’ll.
Everytime I see Sanjaya I see Johnny Mathis. Sans Chances Are Sanj should sing a Johnny mathis song.
As for the others – I think this is going to be a tough week with the classics and I think they’re going to screw it up.
Great suggestions. I hope this is a good week for everyone!
Hey, didja all see the Sanjaya version of Swing Low on You Tube?
Dude knocks it out. The questions I have are:
1)What has happened to him on the Idol stage to make him lose his mojo?
2) Listen to the choir director encouraging him from the piano. That guy is brilliant. Why can’t he be a vocal coach on one of the shows?
Very good suggestions on the songs, y’all – especially K!
I wanna see someone do Cry Me a River (the original Julie London version). Jordin? Gina?
Mindy Doo – “Is you is or is you ain’t my baby”
Jordin Sparks – “I only have eyes for you”
Chris Richardson – “The way you look tonight”
Haley – “They can’t take that away from me”
Blake – “Blue skies”
LaKisha – “I’ve got rhythm”
Gina – “Blow gabriel blow!”
Sanjaya – “Making whoopee”
Ok this is really getting ridiculous! Sanjaya needs to go already. So it is a voting competition and not a singing competition some say. For the contestans on there that can sing this is an insult to them. they r working off their butts and Sanjaya is just doing hair commercials basically. Get him off an d get on with the show and let the rest of the contestants concentrate on giving us the reason we atch American Idol. To see how they improve or NOT every week and how good they are.
Sanjaya should stay on the moon. lol! I’d like to see Gina do “Mess Around”, she can have so much fun with that song.
Melinda: “As Time Goes By” (The standard of standards. Mindy could hit this one out of the park.)
Lakisha: “Cry Me A River” (Nat King Cole’s not Justin Timberlake’s. Because Kiki is never so good as when she’s a woman scorned.)
Blake: “I’ve Got Rhythm” (Because he does. But no beatboxing!)
Gina: “Down In the Depths” (The “rocker’s” best hope: a dim-the-lights, lean-on-the-piano torch song.)
Chris: “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” (He needs to reclaim his dreamboat status.)
Jordin: “I’m Beginning to See the Light” (Sweet and fun and peppy, just like her.)
Phil: “One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)” (No reason; I just like this song.)
Haley: “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” (I’m not sure if this actuall is a standard, but as far as this future trophy wife is concerned it might as well be.)
Sanjaya: “Mack the Knife” (Somehow, this just kind of feels inevitable.)
Melinda – Moon River
LaKisha – Fly Me to the Moon (a capella just like Tony Bennett does it)
Phil – I’m Beginning to See the Light
Blake – With Plenty of Money and You
Jordin – Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Gina – Crazy (Patsy Cline)
Chris – The Lady is a Tramp
Haley – I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Sanjaya – My Way
Does anyone consider Michael Jackson’s songs ‘American Classics’?
Because I think Sanjaya singing “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” or “The Way You Make Me Feel” would be golden – but only if you have like fifteen Macauly Culkin look-a-likes on stage with him.
I don’t think that would be too much of a stretch for ol’ San-gina!
Love the suggestion that LaKisha should sing “At Last,” but I’d actually love to hear what Gina could do with it.
id love to see what gina could do with my schwantz.
Not Again,
American classics is going to be the same thing as was last year with Rod Stewart. Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney, Louis Prima and Keeley Shae. I don’t think that MJ counts as American standard classics. To be honest, it is a good thing that they have it because blues and jazz standards require a deep focus on the vocal and extreme discipline. It is like ballet. If Sanjaya can’t balance on toe shoes, hopefully he will be out of the game.
LaKisha – “Moonlight in Vermont”
Melinda – “I Got Rhythm”
Haley – “Stranger on the Shore”
Jordin – “Tenderly”
Phil – “The most beautiful girl in the world”
Blake – “This Can’t be Love”
Chris – “It Had to Be You”
Sanjaya – “I get a kick out of you”
Jordin: “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
Blake: “Nature Boy” would be great. How about “Old Devil Moon”?
Haley: “I Won’t Dance”
Lakisha: “Love and the Weather”
Melinda: “They All Laughed” or “I Get a Kick Out of You” Something uptempo and fun. We’re all expecting another “My Funny Valentine” so turn our expectations on their head before it’s too late. “Blow Gabriel, Blow” would knock me over.
Chris R.: “Cry Me A River” It would be HILARIOUS for him to go for it with the title nod to JT, but honestly I think he’d really rock it. I hope someone sings this one, but I think it would be more surprising from one of the guys.
Sanjaya: “Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend” or “Just In Time”
Phil: “Fever”
I want Melinda or KiKi to sing “AT LAST” ala Etta James. It doesn’t matter what the rest of them do. I hope Sanjaya comes out on stage and just stands there mute. I’d like to see how many votes he gets for it.
Oh, no, Steph. I was being facetious. Sorry. I know that Michael doesn’t quite qualify as an American Classic (or Standard or whatever).
I guess I was just reaching in an attempt to take another gratuitous shot at San-gina. Sorry my sarcasm didn’t translate.
melinda — “a house is not a home”. i’m crying already just thinking about it.
Get ready for another disappointing night.
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