American Idol - week 2

Well, another strong week of preliminary auditions on American Idol. At first I was shocked and dismayed that I was only afforded one hour a night for two nights - where are my two-hour specials? But I quickly got used to that and caught up on some sleep instead.
Overall I think that this year they are doing a much better job of getting glimpses at the freak show without so obviously ridiculing those freaks through constant filming. There have been a few freaks, but you never really got the sense that they were self-aware, and we didn't spend so much time with them that we began to genuinely feel sorry for how they were being exploited.
Let's face it: All reality television programming is in fact exploitative. It only then becomes an issue or question of degrees. I feel like American Idol is in the right balance this season between freakshow and talent audition.
I also thought this week that Kara, the new judge, earned major credibility points by instantly recognizing and knowing by name the girl who had previously been signed to A&M. I realize that that could have been faked and there's no reason why Kara wouldn't have known already who was coming through the door, but I bought the honesty of the moment, and for her to recognize her in this sea of humanity and point her out, that was pretty cool.
But I'm ready for Hollywood - let's go!