American Idol: Kristy Lee Cook Sings On

Can we just say how glad we are that Hollywood week is finally here!? Ten minutes into the first auditions show, we'd had enough of American Idol auditions, with all their gratuitous fun-poking at less-than stellar singers and people not blessed with good looks. But, we stuck with it, looking for a Seattleite (or anyone, really) worth getting excited about. The closest thing, you may remember, was Selma, Ore., horse girl Kristy Lee Cook.

She has pretty hair.

She can also sing like nobody's business. So, we tuned in last night to Hollywood Week, at long last, thank God. Kristy Lee brought the goods, reprised her version of "Amazing Grace" that gave us chills way back when at the Phily auditions. And, she's through to the next round.

In case you make a point of not ever watching Idol (if that's the case, why are you reading this?), the "next round" is on tonight. What happens in the next round is this: the 50 remaining contestants load into an elevator one at a time, where a tiny security camera films the breakdown they'll inevitably have, and then recover from, on their way to find out if they've made it to the Top 24, or whether they're going back to wait tables. They'll then make a very drawn-out, dramatic walk into a giant boardroom where the three judges are seated behind a table. They'll sit in a lone wooden uncomfortable-looking chair, where they will proceed to be stared down by their fate. The judges will say yay or nay, and the contestant will then leave the room, either jubilant and giddy, smiling or crying tears of joy. Or, they'll have another breakdown in the elevator, for the world to see.

Good luck, Kristy Lee Cook! You're our only hope.

For more pictures of the lovely Kristy Lee Cook, visit AmericanIdol.com