43 hopefuls cut in Hollywood on "American Idol"

"American Idol" season 7 winner David Cook (C) celebrates his win on the show in this April 15, 2008 file photo.

"American Idol" cut 43 hopefuls on Tuesday during the first round of Hollywood Week.

The 147 contestants plucked from nationwide auditions performed an a cappella song of their choosing on the Kodak Theatre stage with 104 singers advancing to the next step in the Fox singing competition.

Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell briefly sparred when hopeful Erika Wesley pleaded with the judges to give her a second chance. Abdul told Wesley she wanted her to advance, but the other three judges voted against her.

Cowell called Abdul out, noting that she had actually written down a "no" vote. Abdul claimed he could not read her handwriting.

"Idol" David Cook to hit colleges on U.S. tour

"American Idol" champ David Cook is going back to school, announcing a U.S. tour on Friday that will take him to colleges around the nation.

Cook's 37-date tour will begin on February 13 at Florida State University in Tallahassee and end on April 25 at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, AOL music Web site www.PopEater.com said.

Most of the concerts will take place at colleges, including the University of Mississippi and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. But Cook will also play at Seneca Niagara Casino in New York State and Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Missouri.

Cook worked as a bartender while trying to make it in the business before winning "American Idol" in May 2008. He said he was keen to get back to his roots and promote the tradition of college tours.

"There's something inherently nostalgic about playing college shows. So many amazing acts used to do it, so it's nice to be able to bring that ideal back, in some small way," Cook said.

"Besides, touring on a bus beats what we used to do, which was cram five guys into a 7 passenger van for one show, 13 hours away," he added.

The rock singer's self-titled debut album came out in November and won the No. 3 spot on the Billboard charts. It is holding at No. 10 this week.

Cook said the inspiration behind the tour is superstar Irish rock band U2, whom he saw perform at the Super Bowl in 2002. "It was just very poignant," Cook said. "Not overdone, but definitely powerful."