I was as amped about the beginning of Generation Kill as every other Wire-obsessed dork, but so far I haven't made it through more than one episode, and even that was a chore. I really don't need David Simon to tell me for the billionth time how fucked up the Iraq War is, you know? We all know it's fucked up, and I'm not going to learn a whole lot more by having every cynical war-movie cliche thrown at me simultaneously. HBO has Three Kings On Demand right now, and that's Generation Kill with jokes that are actually funny. And: James Ransome? The entire Wire cast is out there, most of them doing commercials for Honey Nut Cheerios and shit like that, and Simon brings back motherfucking Ziggy? The worst character in the entire history of that show? He should just write in Steve Earle and the rat-whisker psychiatrist from season four to keep all his worst actors working.

Everyone's already seen it twice, so it's almost pointless to comment about The Dark Knight anymore, but holy shit that movie ruled. The last half-hour didn't make any sense, but that might've just been because my brain completely short-circuited. If you're one of these contrarians who's making a point about not seeing it yet, seriously, just go see it. Best part is that eerie soundtrack whine that comes on whenever Joker's about to do something particularly heinous. Second-best part is Deebo from Friday's great fleeting moment.

I could be herbing myself out here, but I really like that new Diplo/Santogold mixtape, which is making me wish Piracy Funds Terrorism, Volume 2 had had a chance to happen. This one is more of an omnivorous mess than an aesthetic roadmap, but it's a really fun and inventive and surprising omnivorous mess. I hope the Girl Talk guy takes note: it's really not enough just to make room for all these quick little Pavlovian bursts of great pop songs past. You have to remind everyone what was great about those pop songs in the first place, which usually means letting them ride for a minute or so before you completely molest them.

Also great: the new ABN album. How many people actually knew that thing was out? Someone needs to wake up Rap-A-Lot's promo department. This is exactly what I want to hear from Z-Ro and Trae: rapid-fire verses about being depressed and fucking people up over fogged-out slow synth-beats, barely any guests anywhere. The downtuned metal guitars from the first couple of songs are new, and they're a welcome addition to that cheap cinematic house style. And it's great to know that there are still a few rappers left who understand completely what they're good at. Give me a little more time with this thing and I might tell you it's the non-Carter rap album of the year.