"If I Rise" to compete with 41 contenders for Oscar's Best Original Song

We are only two months away from the Oscars, and members of the Academy are hard at work trying to decide who best deserves one of those five nomination slots.

Today, they released their shortlist for Best Original Song which tops out at an impressive 41 songs.

But we can already make an educated guess as to which five will be competition on Oscar night based on who the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards favored, and none of them involve Justin Bieber or Debbie Gibson.

“I See the Light” from “Tangled” earned a Best Song nod from both, as did “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” and “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque.” Randy Newman’s “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ also seems a lock, since all of Newman’s songs for Disney/Pixar have scored nominations over the years.

But, there are a lot of good songs to consider and the Academy often breaks from what the other award shows have selected. There’s always a surprise or two in their final nominations. Which of the following 41 will it be?

Below is the complete list of possible nominees:

“Alice,” Avril Lavigne (“Alice in Wonderland”)
“Forever One Love,” Natalie Cole (“Black Tulip”)
“Freedom Song,” Natalie Cole (“Black Tulip”)
“Bound to You,” Christina Aguilera (“Burlesque”)
“Welcome to Burlesque,” Cher (“Burlesque”)
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” Cher (“Burlesque”)
“There’s a Place for Us,” Carrie Underwood (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”)
“Coming Home,” Gwyneth Paltrow (“Country Strong”)
“Me and Tennessee,” Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw (“Country Strong”)
“Despicable Me,” Pharrell (“Despicable Me”)
“Prettiest Girls,” Pharrell (“Despicable Me”)
“Dear Laughing Doubters,” Sondra Lerche (“Dinner for Schmucks”)
“Better Days,” Eddie Vedder (“Eat Pray Love”)
“If You Run,” The Boxer Rebellion (“Going the Distance”)
“Darkness before the Dawn,” M. J. Mynarski and Paul Comasky (“Holy Rollers”)
“Sticks & Stones, ” Jonsi (“How to Train Your Dragon”)
“Le Gris,” Nicole Renaud (“Idiots and Angels”)
“Chanson Illusionist,” Sylvain Chomet, (“The Illusionist”)
“Never Say Never,” Justin Bieber (“The Karate Kid”)
“To the Sky,” Owl City (“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”)
“What If,” Colbie Caillat (“Letters to Juliet”)
“Life During Wartime,” Beck and Devindra Banhart (“Life During Wartime”)
“Made in Dagenham,” Sandie Shaw (“Made in Dagenham”)
“Little One,” Lucy Schwartz (“Mother and Child”)
“Be the One,” Moby (“The Next Three Days”)
“If I Rise,” AR Rahman and Dido (“127 Hours”)
“When You See Forever,” Kendra Law (“The Perfect Game”)
“I Remain,” Alanis Morissette (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”)
“Dream Big,” Katrina Elam (“Pure Country 2: The Gift”)
“How I Love You,” Michael Frant and Spearhead (“Ramona and Beezus”)
“Darling I Do,” Lucy Schwartz and Landon Pigg (“Shrek Forever After”)
“Noka Oi,” Eddie Wakes (“Six Days in Paradise”)
“This Is a Low,” Swipe (“Tamara Drewe”)
“I See the Light,” Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi (“Tangled”)
“Rise,” Debbie Gibson (“3 Billion and Counting”)
“We Belong Together,” Randy Newman (“Toy Story 3″)
“Eclipse: All Yours,” Metric (“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”)
“Nothing,” Janet Jackson (“Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too”)
“A Better Life,” Clint Black (“Unbeaten”)
“Shine,” John Legend (“Waiting for Superman”)
“The Reasons Why,” J. Ralph (“Wretches & Jabberers”)