Idol Worship: Joanna Pacitti Makes First Public Appearance

Four days after news broke of her disqualification from season 8 of American Idol, Top 36 hopeful Joanna Pacitti rejoined the real world, coming out to L.A.'s the Roxy to cheer on Ballas Hough Band, the pop-rock five-piece featuring her boyfriend (and Dancing with the Stars regular) Mark Ballas.

Looking upbeat and ready to get her rock on, Pacitti was surrounded by Dancing alums like Lance Bass, Shannon Elizabeth and Kristi Yamaguchi in what was a decidedly jovial scene in the club's VIP area. But halfway through the show, Pacitti darted into the crowd (with Ballas' mother) and made her way to the front where all kinds of PDA transpired. First, Ballas serenaded his girlfriend with the band's first single, "Do It For You," then he intro'd the song "Longing For" with, "This one's for you, Jo," and proceeded to plant one on Pacitti for all to see! (His mom later got a peck, too.) It was all very sweet and, dare we say, heartwarming.

After the show, we cornered the happy couple and were glad to see their giddiness wasn't limited to the stage. Still, American Idol was like a dark cloud hanging above, and we just had to ask Pacitti: how are you doing? "OK," she replied with a smile. "The first couple of days, I was really positive and fine about it. Like, everything happens for a reason. But it kind of hit me on Valentine's Day."

We can't imagine the emotional roller-coaster ride that she (and replacement Felicia Barton) must be on right now, but we were impressed by Pacitti's optimism. It seemed that she really wasn't looking back anymore at this point, she's honed in on the present. And having been through the ringer a few times, she knows what to expect of the future. "Humbled" was a word she used repeatedly, before declaring, "It was the best experience I've ever been through."         -- Shirley Halperin