We're not really sure what we expected from "Kristen," but when we learned that she was a fresh-faced, seemingly earnest 22-year-old, we realized it wasn't that. We sort of thought the Emperor's Club prostitute that brought down Governor Eliot Spitzer would be some over-made-up 35-year-old with pounds worth of hair extensions and a laugh that sounded like a whinny. But the real "Kristen," a.k.a. Ashley Youmans, is nothing like that. In fact, we kind of like her. Here's what we learned about her, starting last night with a big report in the Times:

• She's from the Jersey Shore, and left when she was 17. And she comes from a "broken home."
• She lives in the Flatiron district. [Ed: That explains everything! And nothing.]
• She's an aspiring singer-songwriter. Her demo, which the Times says uses "dated slang," can be found on her still-live MySpace page.

• She doesn't "want to be thought of as a monster," she says. Two of her friends who were on the Today show this morning (we missed their names, but so we'll call them "Sketch" and "Sketchmaster Flex") explained that she's "a good person" and once took food home from a concert to give to her favorite homeless person.
• Her MySpace profile also reveals this unfortunately awkward anecdote: "She started singing professionally after a musician she was living with heard her singing the Aretha Franklin hit 'Respect' in the shower and burst into the bathroom with his lead guitarist."
• Her mother was "shell-shocked" when she heard the recent news of her daughter's job and trouble with the law and Spitzer. [Ed: That's pretty good. If our mother found out that we were a high-price hooker sleeping with governors, she'd probably be something a little more akin to "dead."]
• She's also, in not-unrelated news, a really cute girl. Gawker has a photo gallery.
• Going into a relationship, Youmans likes to ask herself, "Will this person be an asset?" She's quick to add: "Doesn't have to be financial!"

For an Aspiring Singer, a Harsher Spotlight [NYT]

For our exhaustive coverage of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, click here.