After a prolonged hiatus due to the collective bargaining lockout, the 2011-2012 NBA Season is back in full glory, and so are the dunks. In just over a month, there’s already an extensive reel of highlights that transcend into the realm of athletic and artistic perfection. Even though it’s early, here are the best dunks made so far:

10. Corey Maggette of the Charlotte Bobcats started the season with a bang after an alley-oop slam dunk in a match against the Milwaukee Bucks. As Maggette soared through the air, he reached slightly behind his body to grab the ball, and then lurched forward to throw the ball down on the rim.

9. Vince Carter of the Dallas Mavericks predictably comes in the top ten with his master slam dunk skills. In one of the most in-your-face dunks of the season, Carter gracefully weaved around the seemingly stunned Hornets defense to stuff the ball in the net.

8. JaVaie McGee may have been benched by the Washington Wizards coach shortly after a showboating slam, but by all accounts it was worth it. He made for a fast break down court and bounced the ball of the glass before he nailed the dunk.

7. No list of best dunks of the season would be complete without LeBron James. In a late December game against the Timberwolves, James made three sky-high dunks. Then again, it’s just Lebron being Lebron.

It was a decade of variety in music, as American Idol became popular and younger generations became famous, while older artists still turned out albums for their fans. Here is a list of ten most popular albums from that decade.

The College Dropout

This was the debut album of Kanye West, the beginning of an incredible career. He took rap to a whole new level and introduced a new group of fans. He combined hip hop and R&B with rap to create a new sound that was unique and popular.

Stankonia

This album by Outkast was released in 2000. The album was their edgiest, and it gave a fresh look to hip hop. The music was fun while the lyrics could often be serious.

Modern Times

With this album, Bob Dylan showed that he was still a force to be reckoned with. The songs kept with his unique style and could have been hits from any part of his career. It proved that if something is great, it doesn’t matter what else is popular.

The Grammys were memorable this year as they always are, and two names were on the forefront for two very different reasons.  There were also plenty of other highlights throughout the show, along with entertaining performances.

Whitney Houston

The tragic news of the death of Whitney Houston came just the day before the Grammys.  A tribute was quickly put together and performed by Jennifer Hudson.  She sang “I Will Always Love You”, the masterpiece of Houston’s career.  It was a memorable moment for an unforgettable icon.  Whitney had won 6 Grammys throughout her career.

Adele

The British songstress took home six awards and gave an outstanding performance.  She won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Rolling in the Deep, which she also sang live.  The powerful performance showed fans that she had recovered from her surgery.

These are the eleven books that had reviewers buzzing, authors signing copies and accepting awards, and readers reading in 2011:

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Some books by celebrities can be a little lacking, but this book by comedic writer and actor Tina Fey is not lacking at all. Tina Fey made the rounds to promote the book on TV shows, including her visit with former SNL co-star Jimmy Fallon on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King

Jake Epping time travels to the past to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy, save the family of one of his students, and along the way he may even find love. If you are a true Stephen King fan, you will notice previous character (and even new character) “Easter eggs.” 

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Baseball fans and fans of fiction alike will love this book. The book tells the story of what happens to five characters after a meaningless play in a baseball game. Chad Harbach discusses the book further with Baseball Nation.

Just one year after the Miami Heat acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh to become the NBA's first super team, the Lakers seem poised to do the same. There is buzz that the Lakers may try to acquire both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Rumors have been swirling around both of these players since the Lakers early end to the season last year, but there is new buzz that the team will go after both players instead of just one player. Added to this is the news that the lockout is about to reach a close, meaning that teams could start making deals and trades in earnest. This is a deal that has the media all abuzz, including Chris Broussard for ESPN.

So why are these two players getting all the hype and not some of the other amazing stars in the NBA? Do they really warrant all the hype? They may not be the magic bullet for the Lakers, but these two players have the perfect blend of skill, experience, and youth that could help lead the Lakers to several more championships. 

Chris Paul was the 2006 Rookie of the year, has been on the All-Star team four times, and won an Olympic Gold Medal with the U.S. basketball team. He is known as one of the best scorers and ball distributers in the NBA. Off the court, Paul is an accomplished bowler and he heads the CP3 Foundation. 

If you're looking for a good laugh, you don't need to find a comedy club or go to a funny movie. Your computer is full of hilarious content that is available 24/7. Here are five websites that will have you in stitches. 

The Onion

The Onion is a fake news empire. The content found at theonion.com is consistently hilarious and deviously clever. The Onion publishes a newspaper, two television shows, and a plethora of web content including video podcasts. The Onion's scathing satire spans nearly every topic from national politics to local sports. 

Funny or Die

Funnyordie.com is like the YouTube for funny videos. It was started by Will Ferrell's production company in 2007, and has produced some of the funniest viral videos in the last few years. Some of the videos are user-generated, while others are created by the Funny or Die comedy team; often consisting of celebrity guests such as Judd Apatow and James Franco.