10. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. I’m a Street Fighter fan, but I can’t help but feel that this movie’s not going to top 2006’s DOA: Dead or Alive. See, DOA was an eye-candy from start to finish, and that’s just what this movie’s promising; unfortunately, Kristin Kreuk’s era was over by the end of Smallville’s first season and Moon Bloodgood just ain’t that bloody good-looking. Sorry, but I’m picking Holly Valance over the two of them at the same time, any time.

I’m guessing, too, that Michael Clarke Duncan being casted as Balrog is a smart, smart move. The Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo as Vega, really, not so much.

9. Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? on Sony PSP. Having played the last two Disgaea games on three platforms (PS2, PSP, and Nintendo DS), I wonder how this new side-scroller would fare on the PSP. The Prinnies, Etna’s easily-exploding wooden-legged penguins, are in the middle of heavy action; how’d they work the game mechanics out given the fragile nature of these creatures?

And also, it doesn’t follow that only because it doesn’t get enough hype means it’s a dud, dood, as it showcases pretty good visuals and very detailed art.

You get 1000 lives for this kind of shit!

8. Chelsea Visits Liverpool. Sure, they already met last October and Liverpool edged Chelsea 1-0, but the rivalry’s renewed what with the Gerrard saga off-the-pitch and Didier Drogba starting to fall out of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s favor (not to mention a rumored move by the striker back to Marseille). I’m not sure if the latter would play, as up to this date I believe he’s still bothered by injuries, but it doesn’t matter: Blues and Reds never fail to entertain.

7. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Nintendo DS. I don’t know, it looks great on screenshots, but it’s a remake of a Japanese classic, and you know what remakes usually mean: outdated gameplay. Should DQV somehow get that out of the way, then I see no reason why this item should not be ranked higher on this list.

6. Blue Dragon Plus on Nintendo DS. What do you get when you put Hironobu Sakaguchi, Nobuio Uematsu, and the team responsible for Chrono Trigger in a mix? Another instant classic RPG that packs a lot of promise this early.

5. The Fray’s Self-Titled Album. With a lot of pressure on the band following their hits How to Save a Life and Look After You, The Fray sets out on a new musical venture. Can they deliver what’s expected of them? I don’t know. I do know, though, that I love their music more than I like Keane’s.

Self-titling an album means the music *is* them.

4. UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 (airs on February 1 here in Manila). Three matches to look forward to here: the main event between BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre, the fight between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva, and Karo Parisyan meeting the undefeated Dong Hyun Kim.

3. Coraline. Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling book hits the U.S. theaters next month, and though I don’t know when it’ll show here in local theaters, I’m going to try my best to watch it ahead of everyone. Forget about Confessions of a Shopaholic, Coraline is the movie to watch next month.

2. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? More from Gaiman. How will it unfold? The two-part story will pick up where Batman R.I.P. (where the Bat endures severe psychological trauma) and Final Crisis (where he dies at the hands of Darkseid). It will be divided into the “last” issues of the series Batman and Detective Comics. Definitely one for the classic rack, there’s no going wrong here with Gaiman on the story wheel (Andy Kubert pencils and Scott Williams inks). A single volume collecting the two issues is said to be slated for a July 2009 release, but for a story this big, it’s just not worth the wait.

1. The NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, AZ. Hands down, the number one event on my calendar next month. The highlight is a given, and no longer promises a lopsided game in favor of the West. One of the things I’m looking forward to, though, is Rudy Fernandez challenging for the Slam Dunk contest. “Daboy” will be going up against Rudy Gay, Nate Robinson (the little guy’s back!), and last year’s Superchamp, Dwight Howard.

Rudy's saying he will dunk with his feet. (Photo by Thomas Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)