Joanna Pacitti

Joanna Pacitti may have been disqualified from this season of American Idol.

But she's permitted into the bed of Mark Ballas any night of the week!

Indeed, the aspiring singer and the Dancing with the Stars professional have gone public with a relationship that reportedly began eight months ago.

The two most popular reality shows on the planet are colliding as Mark Ballas and Joanna Pacitti come out as a couple.

“She is the most supportive person in my life and she’s been great,” Ballas told People Magazine at yesterday's premiere of Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. “We get to spend a lot of time together [and] we do pretty much everything together.”

Pacitti agrees.

“I think we have the perfect situation. We both get each other and understand schedules and even on a musical level, I’ve never met someone that’s so passionate about music…that’s what I live for so it’s amazing to be with someone who gets it.”

Ballas previously dated his former Dancing with the Stars partner, Sabrina Bryan.

First, Tom Daschle.

Now, Joanna Pacitti.

Both Barack Obama and American Idol learned this month that you need to conduct research before nominating someone as Secretary of U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and/or a season eight contestant.

Despite her name originally being included on Idol's list of top 36 contestants - which was officially announced last night - Pacitti has been disqualified from the competition.

It looks like this singer's past connections to 19 Entertainment executives, as well as a previous deal with A&M records, have finally caught up with her. Fox sent out a press release this morning that read:

“It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition."

Do you think it's fair that Pacitti got the boot? Fox announced that Felicia Barton has taken her place.

Compared to season eight contestants such as Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey, aspiring singer Joanna Pacitti has scarcely been seen so far on American Idol.

But early spoilers indicate this crooner reaches the round of 36, which may create quite a stir across the Internet.

As previously reported, Pacitti has already enjoyed a career in the spotlight: she starred in a production of Annie, appeared on an MTV series and released an album under A&M Records.

To critics, this ought to disqualify Pacitti from the competition. With that in mind, we can't wait to see how they react to the following news!

Long-time music fans may have done a double take when they saw Joanna Pacitti auditioning for American Idol this week.

While the singer received a ticket to Hollywood, it came with a cloud of controversy.

After all, this is the same Joanna Pacitti that has enjoyed a decade-long career - or attempt at a career, at least - in the music industry.

Here's a timeline of her pre-Idol life:
1996: Pacitti wins the role of Annie and performs on a national tour of the musical. But she's fired before the Broadway opening and her mother sues for millions. The sides reach an undisclosed settlement.

1997: The youngster appears on the Rosie O’Donnell Show and Good Morning America, among other programs, to discuss her firing (sample quote: "I just have to remember that…I’m the real Annie…and the sun will come out tomorrow”). Pacitti is offered sitcoms and a book deal.

2006: She releases an album, This Crazy Life. It hits #31 on the Heatseekers chart. A song ("Out From Under," later covered by Britney Spears) from the CD appears on the Bratz soundtrack, but she’s dropped in late 2007.

You tell us: Does Joanna Pacitti have too much experience to try out for American Idol?

Joanna Pacitti. Remember the name.

This former member of the Geffen Records team is one of the rumored contestants to have made it through to Hollywood on season eight of American Idol.

Here's a bit of background information on this potential finalist:

• Pacitti was signed to Geffen Records in 2006;
• Her debut album "This Crazy Life," was released on August 15 of that year;
• In 1996, at the age of six, the singer was fired from a Broadway revival of Annie prior to its opening. Her parents sued the producers for $50 million and the case was eventually settled out of court;
• In 2003, she appeared on MTV’s True Life, which followed a trio of kids trying to break into the music business.

So, could Joanna Pacitti be your next American Idol? Watch the video for her first single, "Let It Slide," and let us know:

Let It Slide Video