First of all, let me offer the warmest of welcomes to all of you who were directed here by Batman on Film, and big thanks to my good friend Jett for linking to the article. If you love Batman, you need to be reading Jett’s website daily and often.

And don’t forget to read Stephanie’s coverage, which is better than mine, and please feel free to contribute to the Whatever if you’d like.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s never been a better time to be a Batman fan.

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Why am I still up after midnight?

Because I just watched Aaron Eckhart’s appearance on Jay Leno.

So did my beautiful friend and ace reporter Stephanie, who provides a much better play-by-play here.

Eckhart is playing Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent — who becomes the tragic but spectacularly deranged Harvey Two-Face after a mob-dispatched acid splash — in The Dark Knight, which will melt the theater near you with its awesomeness on July 18, which is just days away.

Days!

First of all, Leno very sincerely called The Dark Knight the best film of the year.

And, as always, Eckhart was hilarious and charming. He told fun stories about his first acting role (as Charlie Brown in a Peanuts play when he was 14), he spoke highly and lovingly of the way Heath Ledger energized the crew with his amazing performance as The Joker, and then he was accused by Jay of hoarding grocery bags.

Anyway, they showed a clip from the film.

I won’t say anything specific about the contents out of respect for those of you who are avoiding spoilers.

I’ll simply say that we saw Harvey giving a speech.

And it was jaw-droppingly mesmerizing and inspiring.

Not just to me watching the clip from my couch, but to the audience in the film.

Which, by the way, just happened to include Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.

I BELIEVE this guy is Harvey Dent.

And thanks to Aaron Eckhart, I’m going to have no problems BELIEVING IN Harvey Dent.

This movie can’t come fast enough.

And!

Check your local listing for the rest of these publicity appearances by the cast.

And go see The Dark Knight on July 18.

And I’m a very happy man right now.