American Idol Duets Tonight: Picking the Performances

I knew that Jamie Foxx's dulcet American Idol mentoring skills would lull me into catatonia tonight, but now I can count on a full coma. Turns out this is also "Duets" week on Idol, meaning we're poised to get sappy, sappy sap on our good Sunday clothes. Reports are surfacing that Crystal and Lee will duet, as well as Michael and Casey. Let's take a look at the song list and pick which hits best work for both duos.

First, the entire available song list, as brought to you by MJ's Big Blog:

"Songs of the Cinema" Week

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams

(I've Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

A Whole New World - Brad Kane & Lea Salonga

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension

Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross

Beauty and the Beast - Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Can I Have This Dance - Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron & the Cast of HS Musical

Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John & London Community Gospel Choir

Can't Fight the Moonlight - LeAnn Rimes

Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins

Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds

Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross

Evergreen - Barbra Streisand

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Flashdance (What a Feeling) - Irene Cara

Footloose - Kenny Loggins

Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio

Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.

Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) - Bill Conti

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman - Bryan Adams

I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack) - Kenny Loggins

Into the West - Howard Shore and Annie Lennox

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

It Might Be You (from Tootsie) - Stephen Bishop

Jai Ho - A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah et al

Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

Kiss From a Rose - Seal

Let the River Run - Carly Simon

Live and Let Die - Wings

Lose Yourself - Eminem

Moon River (from Moon River) - Audrey Hepburn & Henry Mancini

Mrs Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel

My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

One Night Only - Jennifer Hudson, Deena Jones & The Dreams

Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland

Purple Rain - Prince & the Revolution

Separate Lives - Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin

Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Superfly - Curtis Mayfield

Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from Top Gun) - Berlin

Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) - Tina Turner

Will You Be There - Michael Jackson

You'll Be in My Heart - Glenn Close & Phil Collins

First of all, couldn't they have separated "Songs from the Cinema" week and "Duets" week? I'd rather hear Crystal and Lee sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" than something from, uh, Dreamgirls.

Crystal and Lee do share certain timbres with Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley. But I hope they forsake "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" in favor of a more soulful or soaring number. "Falling Slowly," the Oscar-winner from Once, would be perfect except that Kris Allen nailed it last season. Accordingly, they should divide up "Purple Rain," the only listed song that combines Lee's croons with Crystal's cool factor.

For Michael and Casey, the best choice on that list is "Mrs. Robinson," full stop. It works for both of their voices, and it would force Mike to go subtle -- much like his winning "In the Ghetto" rendition during Elvis week. Velveeta may ooze out of your TV if Mike cheeses up the "deed-a-deed-a-DEE-DEE-dee-a-dee" part, but for the most part I'm not worried for either of them. Which is some kind of miracle.