Joaquin Phoenix Shocks on Letterman; Joanna Pacitti Gets the Axe on 'Idol'

Also: "So You Think You Can Dance?" Alumnae Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Martin Pros on DWTS

Sarah F. Sullivan, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Feb 12, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

We close the week with the kind of "American Idol" drama that is expected and unexpected, as well as some drama from Joaquin Phoenix that people can't figure out. Finally, the pairings have been made for the new "Dancing With the Stars." Who are the two pros representing "So You Think You Can Dance?"

So Long Joanna Pacitti!

Last night, the drama of choosing the top 36 was of course, dramatic. But what happened the morning after was even worse. Fox announced that Joanna Pacitti, who originally made the top 36, has been disqualified from "Idol" citing that she is "ineligible to continue." The Los Angeles Times reported that she was kicked off because of some "impropriety" on Pacitti's part. She has been replaced with Felicia Barton.

I can't say that I'm upset about that.

Pacitti drew fire from the get-go when fans found out that she had already had a record contract with Geffen/A&M and had several songs appear on soundtracks, including Legally Blonde, First Daughter and Bratz.

When Pacitti made it to the top 36 despite the fact that she biffed her lyrics repeatedly during Hollywood week, I nearly stopped watching. I realize that there are "plants" on "Idol." I know things aren't always what they seem. But Pacitti and her past simply annoyed me. Hats off to Pacitti for her "impropriety."

Joaquin Phoenix's Bizarre Letterman Appearance

Over the past several weeks, Joaquin Phoenix has been insisting that his rap career is for real. He has grown a shaggy beard, constantly wears sunglasses and gets defensive at any question asked, especially regarding his music career. But that was nothing compared to his appearance on Letterman last night.

The 34-year-old two-time Oscar nominee stuttered and stammered his way through the interview, looking lost and irritated a great deal of the time. Letterman, well known for his humor, made cracks at Phoenix's beard and the fact that he was chewing gum, all in an attempt to coax the actor to speak.

Apparently, brother-in-law Casey Affleck was on hand to film the interview, giving skeptics further reason to suspect that Phoenix's recent insane antics are part of an elaborate hoax. It's either that or Phoenix is heading down a bad road. We'll wait and see.

"Dancing With the Stars" Matchups

The most recent pro-dancers announced for the new DWTS season are Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower. While both have their qualifications as pro-dancers (Chaplin was a 2006 U.S. Nationalist finalist, Hightower was a 10 Dance Youth National Champion) both are also "So You Think You Can Dance?" (Season 2 and 4) alumnae.

Here are the official couples:

Belinda Carlisle & Jonathan Roberts

David Alan Grier& Kym Johnson

Jewel & Dmitry Chaplin

Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas

Lil' Kim & Derek Hough

Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke

Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower

Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer

Nancy O'Dell & Tony Dovolani

Denise Richards & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska