'Idol' contestant 'already has career'

American Idol has come under fire for allowing an 'established' artist to audition for the eighth season.

Viewers have complained that contestant Joanna Pacitti should not have been put through to the Hollywood round because she has previously landed a record deal.

Fans on the show's website forum are now calling for her to be disqualified. "The point is that because she is a ‘semi-pro’… she already has a built in fan base and voting block. That skews the competition in her favour, especially in the early rounds," poster Marcdamon wrote.

24-year-old Pacitti signed to A&M records and released an album, This Crazy Life, in 2006. She also starred in the MTV documentary True Life and has contributed songs to the Legally Blonde and Bratz soundtracks. Her song 'Out From Under' was recently covered on Britney Spears' album Circus.

"They need to change the rules to only allow for untapped talent. Joanna has already been on 2 major labels, has had a cover done by Britney and 3 songs on 3 different movie soundtracks," another viewer wrote.

"She is taking valuable space away from somebody who hasn’t already had 5-6 chances."

American Idol airs Thursdays and Fridays on ITV2.