American Idol

As TMZ first reported, Pia and Mark went out on a date Friday night and it went real well ... so say our spies.

So here's how it went down. Pia and Mark both shoot their respective shows -- "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" -- on the CBS Television City lot in L.A.

We're told Pia had her eye on Mark for several weeks, but needed an introduction. So Pia -- who turns out is pretty resourceful -- has a friend who is friends with Jericho, a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars," Pia gave her friend a piece of paper with her phone number on it, who then passed it along to Jericho, who then passed it on to Mark.

Mark, we're told, was more than receptive. Even though he has an album coming out Tuesday -- he rescheduled a music video shoot so he could go on his big date on Friday.

They were both gussied up as they left Gulfstream restaurant in Century City, as Pia told us she -- like everyone else -- was surprised she got the "A.I." heave-ho.

Until Pia got the boot, they were both rehearsing and shooting their shows next to each other at CBS Television City in L.A.

The private gated 15,000 square foot home sits on a 2-acre compound -- and features a giant pool, one especially large room with a 28-foot ceiling ... basically marble everything ... and a "motor court" with enough room to park 100 CARS.

"Everyone was sobbing" after the show, says one of our "Idol" spies. We're told Pia was probably the most popular contestant among the contestants, and, "They were totally bummed out she was leaving."

The contestants -- sans Pia -- showed up for the "Kiss Off Dinner" at a restaurant in L.A. Pia made her entrance after everyone was seated ... followed by tears, more tears, and then one of the producers put it in perspective to make it all better, saying, "The point of 'Idol' is to launch careers. Pia, you're launched."

We're told Pia didn't check out of the "Idol" hotel last night, but she'll be out of there today.

UPDATE: Apparently, Pia ran out of tears, because earlier today she was seen out in L.A. with a big, fat smile on her face.

Question is ...

Multiple sources tell TMZ, former “Idol” contestants Chris Medina, Rob Bolin and Tim Halperin are hitting the road on a 5-city tour, spanning 4 states -- starting off in Toledo and ending in Chicago -- and the majority of the profits will go to benefit Medina's disabled fiancée.

According to sources, 95% of the money generated by the tour will be set aside for the Juliana Recovery Fund -- a charity set up to cover medical expenses for Medina’s fiancée Juliana ... who suffered severe brain damage after a horrific car accident in 2009.

As we previously reported, the ghost seekers contacted people at "Idol" to investigate the mansion ... after the contestants living there claimed the place was haunted -- but we're told, the owner of the house quickly shut down the whole operation.

Zak Bagans -- lead paranormal investigator -- tells us, the owner was worried about all the ghost-infestation publicity ... and wanted to ward off any more possibly negative attention.

Taylor gave us the blow-by-blow when he got off his Delta flight from Atlanta to NYC on Friday -- telling us, "They wouldn't let me in so I had to call the higher-ups. We banged on the door to the plane as it was leaving."

Hicks -- the oldest 'Idol' winner ever -- might be exaggerating his pull with the airline just a bit. Officials at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta tell us they have no record of Hicks' flight being held up ... and they suspect he merely knocked on the jetway door shortly after it closed.

If you saw the show, James Durbin told Ryan Seacrest after his performance, "I have a lot of hairspray in my hair to keep it from jumping around -- so much so, the one thing I was worried about was having a 'Pepsi moment.'"

The "Pepsi moment" is a reference to the 1984 incident where Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial, severely burning his scalp -- an injury that triggered an addiction to prescription drugs that may have ultimately taken his life.

A Jackson family rep tells TMZ, "We were shocked to see this. It's nothing to make light of and everybody should be focusing on who was responsible for Michael's death."

Cafe Aroma in Casey's hometown of Idyllwild, CA just renamed a section of the joint ... the "Casey Abrams American Idol Lounge."

Employees tell us, Casey's such a big shot at the restaurant -- which features belly dancers -- they've even put his name on his favorite dish ... "Casey Abrams Gnocchi Alfredo" ... 6 meatballs included.

Zak Bagans -- lead investigator of the "Ghost Adventures Crew" -- insists the alleged paranormal activity inside the Beverly Hills mansion where the "A.I." finalists were staying sounds LEGIT and "possibly demonic."

As TMZ first reported, the "Idol" gang MOVED OUT of the place last week after several spooky incidents -- including flickering lights, mysterious spider infestations, and a FLOATING WHITE SHEET!!

Zak tells us he feels the best way to investigate the supernatural situation would be to bring the "Idol" finalists BACK to the house so he can use them as "trigger objects."

Zak explains, "If there are spirits or demonic entities present they may have had a connection with one of them ... hence all the activity."

We're told the "Ghost Adventures Crew" has already been in touch with the people at "Idol."

We're told "A.I." staffers helped Casey up and put him in a chair so he could calm down.

Ironically, his song choice Thursday was "I Don't Need No Doctor."

Our "Idol" spies tell us ... Casey felt horrible that the judges used their save for him, saying "I feel really bad that other [contestants] might have to go home now because they [the judges] used the save on me."

A super-slimmed down Hudson was at LAX yesterday -- when she told photogs she just hasn't had time to watch the show that launched her career this season.

The supernatural drama began after contestants complained about bizarre flickering lights inside the house ... followed by a spooky spider infestation.

But the paranormal activity that sent the contestants over the edge happened last week -- when several wannabes claim they watched a bed sheet suddenly take on a life of its own and FLOAT down an empty hallway!!!

And as if the ghosts weren't enough, Sunday's torrential rains caused the roof to leak like a mutha.

Sources connected with the production tell us ... the contestants FREAKED OUT and demanded to move ... and "Idol" producers obliged.