Welcome to Fantasy Idol!

Yeah, it's a rumor, but a pretty well-repeated one, so I'm going to play my weekly game of Fantasy Idol. So far I've gotten three wishes. Bo sang Time in a Bottle, even though I would have never dreamed him singing it, and, last week, he took my suggestion and performed Free Bird, even though some thought it boring and predictable. And Vonzell took to the Bo stage and belted Let's Hear it for the Boy, just as I recommended she do. Thanks Vonzell.

This week, most of the "word on the street," or the message boards, seems to be songs from the 1970s, the best, in my biased opinion, decade of music ever recorded. Until, at least, the dreaded sparkly ball of disco invaded the airwaves just as poison ivy invades the garden.

Now some people enjoyed the disco era, and that's just peachy, so if it turns out to be the decade of choice, the kids are more than invited to scour the Bee Gees' catalog or steal from Donna Summer. I, however, am avoiding those songs with every nerve cell in my body. And, since there are myriad songs that I've begged for already from this decade, my pleading still stands, but I'm not going to repeat myself.

But what to choose from this beautiful buffet? I'll do the work; all they need to do is provide the microphone.

Although I must admit Vonzell fits the disco queen mold to a tee, I think she might do well to slow it down a tad this week. A nice choice might be Gladys Knight and the Pips' Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye), from 1973. (Gladys is always a good selection for those who can handle it.) Or she might consider the lesser known, but still lovely, Don't Say You Don't Remember, by Beverly Bremers from 1971. But, if she insists on keeping it up tempo, there's always Want Ads, a 1971 hit by Honey Cone.

Scott is under the gun this week, so he needs a home run and last week he proved how much he struggles with his lower register, so one of my goals was to try to limit his choices to the ones which won't put him in that dilemma. And, who better than the Stylistics? They had two terrific hits in 1971, You Are Everything (And Everything is You) and Break Up to Make Up. And they made a hit of the beautiful Betcha By Golly Wow in 1972.

Now Bo's biggest challenge is to put his whole soul into his next performance, because it appears the judges, and perhaps the voters, are seeing a Bo who appears less commited to this competition than the others. He might consider You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, by Bachman Turner Overdrive, a hit from 1975. Or, as a message to his non-voting fans, how about Cold as Ice, a 1976 song by Foreigner? My suggestion, though? Reminiscing, a 1978 hit by Little River Band.

Constantine merely needs to keep up with what he's been doing to stay safe in this game. And, considering this is the man who has brought to the Idol stage both The Partridge Family and Queen, he's likely to sing Donny Osmond. (Which, by the way, if he chose to do, not only would I throw panties, I would throw the panty drawer and the dresser too!) So I tossed a dart at the top songs and came upwith Lady, a 1975 hit by Styx. Second dart? Take It to the Limit, by the Eagles in 1976. Third dart? Love Her Madly, by The Doors in 1971.

Anthony needs to build on the great performance he had last week. Some 1970s songs that might suit him well include Hooked On a Feeling, made into hits by both B.J. Thomas and Blue Swede in 1974. But Anthony screams Kenny Nolan, and Kenny Nolan sang some great songs, including I Like Dreaming in 1976. But Anthony could do quite well with the Hollies' The Air That I Breathe, a 1974 hit.

If I were advising Carrie, I would suggest that she kind of crawl a bit back into her country dress this week, after her rock outing last time. It's a corny little song, but Lynn Anderson's 1971 Rose Garden is catchy. And Rita Coolidge's We're All Alone would be a nice selection. And, since Carrie missed this during Musicals week, she could always tackle I Don't Know How To Love Him, from Jesus Christ Superstar, a hit for both Yvonne Elliman and Helen Reddy in 1971.

And Anwar, you've been safe the past few weeks after your little trip to center stage, so best be tightening up those vocals and choosing a song which will make everyone want to trample pets and small children to get to the nearest phone. My suggestion for you, Baby Come Back, a 1978 hit by Player. Or try Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now, from 1972. Or, my favorite idea, reach back into the classic mode like you did with Moon River, and choose It's Impossible, a 1971 hit for Perry Como. You do that and I promise I will raid the panty drawer that's been sitting untouched since What a Wonderful World.

Well, so much for my fantasy. Got a 70s fantasy?