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This'll run in next week's paper, but since it's kinda, you know, an event movie, here's David Koon's glowing review of "Dark Knight."

There are comic book movies, and then there’s “The Dark Knight.” The sequel to director Christopher Nolan’s series-rebooting “Batman Begins,” this is a sleeker, meaner, even darker Batman. Freed of all the self-important Origin Story business that weighed down the first installment and more than willing to delve deep into the Caped Crusader’s convoluted, one-moral-click-north-of-the-criminals-he-pursues psyche, I feel fairly confident in saying: “The Dark Knight” is the best comic book-based movie ever made.

The third installment of the Oxford American's "Best of" series is on newsstands now. You can pick it up at Wordsworth, the Cox Center and Barnes and Noble.

I haven't had a chance to read much of the issue, though from the few things I've thumbed through, Paul Reyes' ode to a cat shelter, a cat-house, in Memphis, particularly stood out. But I can wholeheartedly recommend the companion DVD, assembled by Times contributor Derek Jenkins. It's a mixture of skewed takes on famous Southerners (rehearsal footage from Elvis' comeback special; young Johnny Cash playing a villain in scene from a B-movie), weird, old slapstick (an amazing Betty Boop cartoon and an early scene from a terrifically trippy Mary Pickford movie), Southern indies (the scenes from Kentucker Audler's mumblecore-ish "Team Picture" are incredibly promising). Plus, there's unseen Big Star footage, compiled here for a music video for "Thank You Friends." Even the familiar material, the Renaud brothers' "Off to War" and "The Rough South of Larry Brown" works incredibly well in the context of this DVD mix.

Other plugs: NY Times "Paper Cuts" blog and USA Today's "Pop Candy."

STELLA FANCY
9 p.m., Gallery 26. Free.

Some years ago, Jerry and Jeremy Colburn, AKA the rockin'-est father-son musicians in town and two-thirds of the Bloodless Cooties, played in a band with Jen Shaw and Mark Lewis (Moving Front) called New Jazz Assassins. The band called its music “garage jazz,” which was probably a cool way of saying it sounded a little ramshackle. With Shaw singing breathily, occasional whistle solos and dirty cocktail grooves, NJA sounded like they should've been house band for a speakeasy happy hour. Maybe they were. But now they're taking a new, expansive direction. Re-formed as Stella Fancy, the band's added three members — Damian Thompson on congas, Dan Huff on various percussion and Jen Finley on backing vocals — and worked up new originals and lounge covers of B-52s and Dead Kennedys songs. They're debuting the new project with two sets at Gallery 26, an early acoustic one and a later electric jam.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 7/19 and 7/20

'JUMP!'
6 p.m., Wildwood. $50.

“Jump!,” which will be staged in Wildwood's 600-seat Lucy Lockett Cabe Festival Theatre, follows the story of Jordan as told by “himself” (with the help of several Jordanettes, the performer's backup singers) at different stages in his career, Koch says. An all-star cast and crew comes together to put it on. Cliff Fanin Baker, the park's director, co-wrote the play with Koch and directs. The Rep's decorated set designer Mike Nichols contributes. Lawrence Hamilton, the renowned Arkansas performer, stars as Jordan. And Tawanna Campbell, one of Little Rock's most impressive R&B singers, is also featured. A five-man “jump” band also factors in, featuring noteworthy locals like Stratsimir Pavlov and Joe Vick. And video, featuring archival footage of Jordan, will also be included. More here.

SUNDAY 7/20

TNA WRESTLING
4 p.m., Alltel Arena. $21.75-$51.75.

Get it? That's right, Total Nonstop Action. What, you had other ideas? For shame. This is wrasslin' for a new generation, set in a hexagonal ring (more opportunity for ropes bouncing) and featuring some of the baddest brawlers in the “sport.” Like Kurt Angle, a former Olympic gold medalist, who's become the face of TNA. Or Awesome Kong, a nearly 300-pound female wrestler, whose signature move is the Awesome Bomb, a standing neck scissors drop maneuver. Or LAX, short for the Latin Xchange, the Hispanic tag team made up of “high-flying” brawlers Hernandez and Homicide, whose signature moves are the Border Toss and the Gringo Killer, respectively. Also on the bill are Christian Cage, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Motor City Machineguns, “Cowboy” James Storm, Scott Steiner, Tomko, ODB, Jay Lethal, Petey Williams, Shark Boy, Roxxi Lauveaux, Eric Young and Jackie Moore. More than likely, too, there'll be a few “Knockouts,” the full-figured, spandex-wearing, female division of TNA. Say it again: Total Nonstop Action.

 "I'm doing a lot of things that are all over the place . . . so I don't get kind of bogged down in what could otherwise be a pretty depressing angle of the industry." Upcoming is a remake of Suspiria ("The way that horror is going, I think we're losing sight of the artistry and the complexity and the kind of strange, surreal, emotional element"), a John Grisham true-crime adaptation, and "a cartoon TV series." ("That doesn't include all the weirdo projects— little, bizarre, personal, intimate portraits and things that I try to develop on the side.")

In about ten minutes, the FOCAL book sale in the basement of the main library opens up. Paperbacks go for 50 cents and hardcovers for a dollar. There are always bargains to be had.

MICHAEL BURKS
8:30 p.m., Sticky Fingerz. $10.

Michael Burks was born into the blues. His grandfather played Delta style in Camden, and his father played bass alongside harmonica legend Sonny Boy Williamson II. Like any good, probably partly apocryphal blues bio, Burks' has him playing alongside his father by the time he was five. Skip ahead a decade or two and Burks' father has moved the family to Camden and opened the Bradley Ferry Country Club, a 300-seat juke joint, where he installs the younger Burks as the leader of the house band. When the club closed in the mid-'80s, Burks put the blues to the side and worked for a time as a mechanical technician. It wasn't until 1997, when Burks was 40, that he released his debut album. It drew rave reviews. Ever since, he's been steadily grinding it out on the road. For his tireless touring and long, feverish sets, he's earned the nickname “Iron Man,” which is also the title of his latest album. Look out for a fiery guitar attack. Northwest Arkansas's blues group the Eoff Brothers opens the show.

'THE FEMININE FREAKSHOW'
10 p.m., Public Theater. $12.

Nearly naked ladies! That's right, it's time again for Little Rock's Finest Assettes to present its take on burlesque, which is sure to mean plenty of corsets, bustiers, fishnets and heavy eye shadow. And if past installments are any predictor — this is the troupe's fourth production — look for a hearty dose of feminism informing the production. The only act I was able to confirm before press time involves everyone's favorite Whore of Babylon, Sophira N Brimstone, who reports she'll play some variation of the wild woman who can't be restrained. In the past, shows have sold out pretty quickly. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, when the show repeats.

Tonight, KUAR and Arkansongs present a special hour-long broadcast,  "The Louis Jordan Story." KOKY DJ Billy St. James stars as Jordan. 7 p.m.

Read more about this weekend's Jordan centennial happenings here.

Set your TiVos, Little Rockers. Next Thursday, part three of CNN's "Black in America" airs at 8 p.m. This one's called "The Black Man," and the narrative, best I can tell from fast-forwarding, focuses on two graduates of Central in 1968 (the year MLK was assassinated), James "Butch" Warren, who's an assistant superintendent for the Pulaski County Special School District and lives in Maumelle or Pleasant Valley or somewhere that looks affluent, and Akono Ekundayo, who's name used to be Kenneth Allen and who's a former crack addict and bank robber.

From the little that I saw, both men seem to have good stories, but CNN editors and host Soledad O'Brien, who's absolutely insufferable, shmaltz it up so much that's it's almost unwatchable.

BUT: Halfway through, the editor of Essence weighs in on the sorry state of commercial rap music and then, BAM, there's 607 leading a session at Hip-Hop School. His narrative arc doesn't last more than five minutes, though within that there's about 10 shots of 607 on the scene. Like: 607 at hip-hop school, 607 in the studio, 607 in concert, 607 getting kicked out of his apartment, 607 somewhere dark wearing fingerless gloves, 607 talking about his friend who was murdered when they were teenagers and how that pushed him down the right path.

That kind of compression is frustrating. 607's story needs more room to breath and no help from CNN's sentimentality. But all his quotes sound good and, as far as national exposure goes, this a great look. He and Lupe Fiasco, who's interview splices two 607 segments, are the only rappers presented in wholly positive lights and, in the broader hip-hop segment, you've got people like Michael Eric Dyson and Russell Simmons weighing in. So, it's pretty cool Six got to be the focus of that.

Look out also for interviews with Lil' JD and Young LS from hip-hop school and appearances by Epiphany, g-force, TJ Deeter, Chach Bursey, J-Dubb, Maxx, the back of G-Sizz's head, SJ and, briefly, anyone who caught 607's Vino's show way back when in the first couple of rows.

So far, the critics, save David Edelstein of New York, who's generally pretty on point, and David Denby of the New Yorker, who's generally not,  love "The Dark Knight." (Edelstein thinks its oppressively dark and Denby thinks it's poorly plotted.) But even those detractors agree, it's awesome in IMAX. Or at least better than regular.

So, who's got their tickets? Anyone planning on going anytime tomorrow but 9:15 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. is SOL. Ditto for anyone hoping to see it anytime but 9:15 in the morn on Saturday. Sunday's wide open, but I bet it won't be tomorrow.

Via MovieTickets.com.

Episode 1: The first half hour was all meet and greet and shit-talking to the camera (ever a hallmark of the competitive reality show). There is an unfashionable-looking middle-aged father; several, hipsterish young ladies; a Joan Jett stand-in, who designs leathery clothes for rockstars that seem to always either be assless or crotchless; an obsessive tanner named Layne, whose fashion must is "Neon anything!" and who says "Holla at your boy!" way too much and a young Marc Jacobs designer who favors short dress shorts with dress shoes. And Korto (!), who we immediately forgave for saying, "I've been in every magazine in Little Rock. Now it's time for me to conquer the real market!"

The second half hour went to the challenge, a repeat from season one, where everyone has a limited amount of cash to buy materials from a supermarket, from which they're to fashion a dress. So there's some frenzied shopping spree shots and a lot of sewing and gluing and talking. This, to someone with only a passing interest in fashion, is surprisingly compelling stuff. Obviously, creativity abounds. One dude, the MacGyver of the class, puts together a pretty cool looking cocktail number solely with blue solo cups. But most people just use tableclothes, including Korto, which, we quickly learn, is tre boring. Oh how exciting it is to see egos, so big and bursting for the cameras before, deflate from critical jabs and in fits of self-doubts.

In the judging, Korto, whose dress is above, apparently comes in third. The judges say things like, "I love the fresh produce!" and "This was the right dress for the right girl and the right [something else I can't remember]!"

Next week's previews show her freaking out. I think she says, "I'm freaking out!" So I'll be waiting breathlessly for that.

THE TED LUDWIG TRIO
8 p.m., Afterthought. $5.

Local jazz fans know Thursday night is always there if they need a fix. That's when 12-string' seven-string phenom Ted Ludwig leads a jazz trio, which includes Joe Cripps on standing bass and Brian Brown on drums, that delivers the best of the genre Little Rock has to offer.  But that kind of regularity can breed complacency — there's always next week. Don't make that mistake on Thursday. Shared roots bring two New Orleans standouts to town. Saxophonist Tony Dagradi has performed with just about everyone who's anyone in New Orleans — Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis, Allen Toussaint — but he's most famous as the bandleader of the renowned improvisational jazz group Astral Project. Pianist and composer Michael Pellera is an instructor at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts and has performed with the likes of Chet Baker, Wynton Marsalis and Buddy Rich. Dagradi and Pellera are in town to record with Ludwig, who's currently at work on his sophomore release.

'D'oh!