Uprooted

First the headline: Joanna Pacitti, one of the top 36 contestants for American Idol Season 8, was disqualified today from the competition, Fox announced. Fox did not give details as to why. However, an unnamed source told the LA Times that it was to "avoid the appearance of impropriety."

As most of you who read this blog or watch the show know, Pacitti once had a record deal with Geffen/A&M Records, which lead to accusations that she was inserted as a ringer by the Idol producers. These accusations gained some traction after Pacitti made it to the Top 36 even after performing poorly during Hollywood Week. What may have finally led to her ouster, though, was the revelation in Star Magazine last week that Pacitti had ties with two producers at 19 Entertainment, the outfit that produces Idol for Fox. One of them in fact was her producer when she was under contract with Geffen and is credited in Pacitti's 2006 album for Geffen that sold all of 16,000 copies.

What is interesting to me here is not that Pacitti had a record deal or ties to the Idol producers, both of which had been known for some time, but the fact that she was disqualified one day after she was shown being in the Top 36. If Fox or 19 Entertainment were concerned about giving the appearance of impropriety then why was Pacitti allowed to stay as long as she did? The "controversy" surrounding Pacitti's past experience has been going on since she first appeared in Louisville, so what led the Idol producers to change their minds now? It is not as if she was the first contestant who once had a record deal or had ties to someone on the show.

One possible explanation for the sudden change of thinking may be that the Idol producers had been planning to dump her for some time, but they didn't want to embarrass Joanna by dumping her during Hollywood Week. So instead they allowed her to be awarded a Top 36 spot and then had her leave without having to appear on the live shows. That's my best guess anyway.

There are some, including myself, who believe that the Idol producers have more say into who gets on the show than they want us to believe. Joanna is but one piece of evidence to reinforce this line of thinking. The producers wanted Joanna in the Top 36 and despite an awful Hollywood Week there she was. It would also explain why Tatiana Del Toro is still on the show. Ken Warwick, the chief Idol producer, stated in the press previews that they wanted to present more drama and more character on the show this year to make up for last season's snoozefest, and if there is anything that Tatiana has it is plenty of drama and character.

Taking Joanna's place in the Top 36 is Felicia Barton, a 26 year old bar singer from Virginia Beach, VA. Felicia was at the Louisville auditions and had about 10 seconds of airtime then and no screen time on the Hollywood Week shows. And here again we see potential evidence of producer involvement. No explanation was given as to why Felicia was chosen as opposed to one of the four who lost their "sing-off" on the chair show or for that matter Jamar Rodgers, who still has a lot of supporters if the blogs are any indication.

I guess for the Idol producers that old adage (and Chris Daughtry song lyric) about being careful about what you wish for may be becoming a realty, and the vote rigging hasn't even started yet.