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Joanna Pacitti: ‘Idol’ contender Joanna Pacitti under fire

Posted on January 23, 2009

Joanna Pacitti has starred on Broadway, recorded an album for Geffen records and has dated a former professional winner of “Dancing With the Stars,” but Joanna Pacitti still felt she needed to give her career a boost by auditioning for season eight of “American Idol.”

Joanna Pacitti came under fire when it was revealed she was allowed to audition and was put through to “Idol’s” Hollywood round on Wednesday night’s show.

The 24-year-old joined the cast of Broadway’s “Annie” at the age of 11. But Joanna Pacitti and her family ended up suing producers after Joanna Pacitti was replaced in the show after she became sick with bronchitis. Joanna Pacitti’s mother filed suit for $50 million, but settled with producers out of court.

joanna-pacittiJoanna Pacitti’s already been covered by Britney Spears, kicked off of a label and featured on ‘20/20.’

Striking good looks, a past history with a major label that ended badly, Irish heritage and a shot at redemption. No, Carly Smithson isn’t going for it again on “American Idol,” Joanna Pacitti is.

With her model-worthy looks, the 24-year-old singer got her first big break when she joined the cast of “Annie” on Broadway at age 11 and played 106 performances in the iconic title role. But that experience led to her first brush with career disappointment, when, according to her IMDb bio, she was cut from the 20th-anniversary edition of the show by directors because she’d developed bronchitis. Her mother sued producers for $50 million over the firing, reportedly settling out of court. Barbara Walters covered the controversy on “20/20″ in 1996, and it became fodder for a skit on “Saturday Night Live” the next year, with Cheri Oteri playing the role of Pacitti.

After moving to Los Angeles at age 16 to try her luck in the industry, Pacitti dusted herself off and got signed to A&M Records by Ron Fair — who also signed Christina Aguilera and Vanessa Carlton — and made appearances on the soundtracks to “Legally Blonde” (”Watch Me Shine”), “First Daughter” (”Fall”), the “Nancy Drew” movie (”Pretty Much Amazing”) and “Bratz” (”Out From Under”). In fact, Britney Spears recorded a cover of “Out From Under” on her Circus album.

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