Early “American Idol” favorite Joanna Pacitti was disqualified from the top 36 of the Fox singing competition even though she was included in the top bunch on Wednesday’s episode, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to an unnamed source close to the show, Pacitti was let go in order “to avoid the appearance of impropriety,” the newspaper says. After Pacitti’s appearance on the show, reports of her previously failed attempts at music stardom surfaced, as did her connections to some of the show’s producers, the Times said. “Idol” will bring in eliminated contestant Felicia Barton to take her place, the newspaper notes.
—Sergio Ibarra