Three things we’ll be talking about this week

1. Mel Gibson returns to the big screen this weekend for his first starring role since 2003’s “The Singing Detective.” He plays a police detective investigating the death of his daughter in “Edge of Darkness.” The film is directed by Martin Campbell, who helped kick-start the most recent incarnation of the Bond franchise with “Casino Royale.”

2. It’s been rumored for months.This week, the world will know whether Apple is going to release a so-called “tablet.” How hot is this rumor? So hot that the Gizmodo Web site has created an “Exhaustive Guide to the Apple Tablet Rumors.” Among them: The product will look like an “iPhone on steroids” and will offer gaming and e-reader capabilities.

3. The hard-court version of the Apple Cup, Seattle edition, tips off Saturday, when the WSU men’s basketball team heads west for a matchup against cross-state rivals the UW Huskies. Neither team has been tearing up the Pac-10; the Cougs are 4-4 while the Huskies are 3-5. The Huskies will head this way to Pullman in late February.