Okay – am I the only who thinks that Diana Ross is getting a lot of free publicity thanks to Dreamgirls?  The Oscars have already come and gone…yet thanks to American Idol, we’ll still be talking about her after tonight’s ‘theme’ show.

Yes, yes, yes…Diana Ross and The Supremes were a great group.  But are we really prepared to hear male interpretations of their songs?  And more importantly, we will have to endure Sanjaya singing Baby Love?

As always, Week 1 tends to start off a shaky note.  Read on to see if Season 6 was the exception:

BRANDON ROGERS
SONG:  “You Can’t Hurry Love”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Started off very weak.  Brandon’s already proving how hard this music library will probably be for all the men.  But you can only blame the song so much—he’s the one putting out the bland performance.  Note to those still waiting in the wings:  It also helps when you know the words to your song…and can dance.  I have to wonder if singing the Phil Collins would have helped.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said he reverted to being a backup singer.  Paula predictably defended the first performer of the season despite all his flaws.  Simon thought his performance was a complete let down.

MELINDA DOOLITTLE
SONG:  “Home” (from The Wiz)
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  She’s only sung five notes and already put Brandon in his place.  I’ve never heard this song before but I’m already sold.  That lady can do no wrong!  And on a completely random note—does she have the whitest teeth around or what??
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said it was really, really strong.  Paula only made it two songs in before she started crying.  Simon said that she made a very boring song sound fantastic.  Melinda reminds him of a young Gladys Knight.

CHRIS SLIGH
SONG:  “Endless Love”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Wow.  He wasn’t the singer I had predicted for this song.  He’s not only changed up a few chords…he’s completely changed the whole tone of the song.  As cheesy as the original song can be, it’s a classic.  He may have a smooth voice, but he won’t win any fans by destroying a much beloved tune.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said it was a weird thing to do with the song.  It was a mess.  Paula said that he tried ultra-hard to be ultra-hip.  Simon felt that he murdered the arrangement.  It was unemotional and uninspiring.

GINA GLOCKSEN
SONG:  “Love Child”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  The songs starts a bit rough but definitely picks up.  I’m so excited that she’s picked a song closest to her style.  Rock it out, girl!
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said that he didn’t feel any excitement from her.  Paula thought that Gina was much better than her song.  She felt a bit of shouting coming from her.  Simon said it wasn’t terrible nor was it fantastic.

SANJAYA MALAKAR
SONG:  “Aint No Mountain High Enough”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Omigawd.  Is that a perm??  I thought that was a lost haidresser art.  Sadly, I’d rather tranfix my eyes on his coif than listen to what he is doing.  To anyone out there who can hear me:  Please don’t vote him back next week!!
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy was thankful for the backup singers because the rest of it was unlistenable.  Paula doesn’t feel that Sanjaya ‘grabbed’ the audience.  Simon said that somewhere out there Diana is freaking out.

HALEY SCARNATO
SONG:  “Missing You”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Someone help buy this girl some soul—stat!!  Omigawd, she never should have stood up.  I think she left half the lyrics behind on that stool.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy thought she gave it a ‘valiant’ but pitchy effort.  Paula finally criticized someone and agreed with Randy.  Simon—of all people—was actually the complimentary one!  He said he could actually remember who she was this time.  Probably because it was

bad…

PHIL STACEY
SONG:  “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  I’ll admit it right now:  I’m not a huge fan of Phil’s.  But he actually did pretty well tonight.  Of course, anything can sound good compared to Haley’s last performance.  But I really do think he held his own.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy thought he won the vocal performance of the night.  Paula said he sounded well but thought the song should have been a little more upbeat.  Simon thought it was the right tempo but said the performance was only okay.  He thought Phil had a tendency to shout a bit.

LAKISHA JONES
SONG:  “God Bless The Child”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Lakisha looks absolutely beautiful in that flowy white dress tonight.  As for her vocals?  Wow.  Wow.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said it was a perfect song choice for her.  She didn’t oversell it.  Paula was predictably in awe.  Simon said that she’s simply ‘got it’.

BLAKE LEWIS
SONG:  “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Another person trying to make a song ‘his own’.  I hope that doesn’t mean it’ll come off sounding as bad as Chris’ did.  Considering the resemblance to the Kim Wilde version, I can’t exactly say it was original.  I can’t exactly say it was good either. But then again, it wasn’t the worst I’ve heard this evening.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy didn’t hate it.  Paula also thought the song had potential.  Simon, though, simply didn’t get it.  They all agreed that Motown classics don’t really need changing.

STEPHANIE EDWARDS
SONG:  “Love Hangover”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  She’s looking funky and sounding funky.  That was probably the smoothest performance of the evening.  I’ve never heard it before (so sue me)—but it sounded good to me!
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy thought it was a good vocal, though not her best.  Paula really missed the upbeat portion of the song (I didn’t know there was supposed to be one).  Simon thought it was a strange arrangement because she only ‘teased’ the portion that was missing.  Damn!  I gotta download the original now…

CHRIS RICHARDSON
SONG:  “The Boss”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  I know he’s supposed to be rip-off of Justin Timberlake…but I’m really starting to think that he looks like Britney’s other ex:  K-Fed!  Again, another song I don’t know.  All I do know is that he continually comes off as very whiny to me.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy said it wasn’t his favorite performance of his.  Paula thought he successfully made the song contemporary.  Simon thought it was dreadful.

JORDIN SPARKS
SONG:  “If We Hold On Together”
MY FIRST IMPRESSION:  Definitely not someone who looks or sounds like she’s only 17.  I think this was a great song choice for her. She closed it off a little shakily (is that even a word?) but was overall amazing.
JUDGES’ NOTES:  Randy was ‘so impressed’ with her.  Paula thought that she was a breath of fresh air.  Simon thought the song was a bit gooey but that her vocals were great.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Sanjaya undoubtedly needs to go, but I think some kind (and deaf) folks out there will save him this week.  Therefore, I predict Week 1’s ax will go to Hayley Scarnato.

(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)