THE TOP 3 THINGS THAT DESERVE THE HYPE THAT THEY'RE GETTING RIGHT NOW...

3. NAS: SELF-TITLED (new album)

worth the wait. lil' wayne's "carter III," which dropped only a couple weeks earlier, set the bar high...but nas came back with some incredible lyrics, content, beats, and passion. he's always a little controversial, and i don't always agree with his opinions, but the album is one of his best, which automatically puts it head and shoulders over the competition. check out: "black president," "sly fox," and "hero."

2. THE iPHONE

even in spite of the fact that the push email takes a few minutes to "push," and owners still have to sign up with lame-ass AT&T (most dropped calls ever), this gadget is still one of the most amazing things to come out since the iPod. based on personal tests with my friends, it's fast--twice as fast as the edge network phone...plus the new applications are amazing. my favorite apps: aurora feint, morocco, evernote, phone saber, and texas hold 'em.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT

there was so much hype around the new batman movie, it wasn't cynical to say it probably wouldn't be able to live up to it. it's playing on every screen in town at every hour, and all the shows are sold out. now, having seen it, i can testify. this is not just the best batman movie. not just the best movie of the month. not just a movie that lives up to the tremendous hype. this film is an absolute triumph. "the dark knight" is almost three hours long and at every moment i found myself completely immersed in the magic. director chris nolan, write bob kane, and the incredible cast and crew made something very special.

it would be neglectful not to mention that heath ledger's "joker" was tremendous. taking on a character with so much history (part of which was defined by jack nicholson's incredible performance in the first film) would be a daunting task; but ledger completely redefines the role. he absolutely rules every scene.

the only downside to this film is that it could possibly make every other movie i see this summer feel slow, unimaginative, and undercooked.

the dark knight is the total package, and is 100% deserving of every ounce of hype around it. go see it NOW.

mike