'American Idol' disqualifies Joanna Pacitti from eighth season competition

By Steve Rogers, 02/12/2009

Fox has announced that controversial American Idol contestant Joanna Pacitti has been disqualified from the show's eighth season competition.

"It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition," Fox announced in a late Wednesday night statement released shortly after the conclusion of the West Coast broadcast of American Idol's pre-filmed "Final Judgement" episode in which Pacitti was shown advancing into the competition's semifinals.

Felicia Barton, a 26-year-old wife and mother from Virginia Beach, VA, will replace Pacitti in the season's Top 36 semifinals, according to the network.

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Fox's statement didn't specify why Pacitti, a an unemployed 23-year-old who is originally from Philadelphia, PA, was deemed to be ineligible and a network spokesperson was not immediately reachable for comment. However last week, Star magazine had reported that Pacitti -- who had already previously made headlines for her extensive professional music industry experience, which included a 2006 debut album with Geffen Records -- allegedly had "connections" to two executives at American Idol's 19 Entertainment production company,

According to Star, Pacitti had "very personal connections" to Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, two executives that work in 19 Entertainment's Los Angeles office. In addition to living in the same apartment complex as the 19 Entertainment executives for several years, Pacitti had also allegedly called Young her "manager" and "best friend" and credited Widynowski with "helping me get where I am today," according to the tabloid report.

Unlike last season's similar situation in which the show hadn't disclosed Carly Smithson's prior major label recording deal during its seventh-season audition and Hollywood Week broadcasts, American Idol had openly acknowledged Pacitti's professional experience during the show's broadcasts.

(American Idol only requires contestants to not have any current recording or talent management agreements when they audition -- not that they never have signed a professional agreement.)

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