Randy Jackson: There Will Be Fewer Mentors Plus More on Joanna Pacitti

Shirley Halperin, as she often does, posted a couple of interesting items in her Billboard Jaded Insider blog this morning.

She spoke with Randy Jackson who said there might be fewer Idol mentors this year:

We asked Randy Jackson, who had little insight, but did say there would be fewer mentors this time around. “There have been a bunch of names bandied about, but I really don’t know who they are yet, ” he said. “I do think we’re going to have less of them because it’s hard to get people to really chime in with all of these contestants. Not everyone is that vocal. Plus, it takes quite a bit of time.”

Randy says Season 8 is all about “switching things up” and hints there may be big changes coming to genre nights.   “We gotta keep it real and interesting, right?” he says….

Plus, Shirley attended the Ballas Hough Band concert in Los Angeles.   Disqualified Idol contestant, Joanna Pacitti was there to cheer her boyfriend, Dancing with the Stars pro Mark Ballas on.

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.

A big show for the press. Ick.   Shirley got a few minutes with Joanna and Mark after the show:

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.”

I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last from Joanna.

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!