TOP PICK
Prince of Persia
(Ubisoft)
This next-gen rethink of the videogame classic (for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) opens up an expansive playing field, taking gamers on different paths to various adventures. All your favorite moves are here: the punching, the climbing, the jumping from one decaying ledge to another. Also, the new tagalong pal really comes in handy during the puzzles and fights.
DVD
American Teen
(Paramount Vantage)
One of last year's best documentaries follows four Indiana teenagers through their senior year in high school. There's a nerd, a jock, a popular girl and an artsy chick. Not so surprisingly, their lives often converge and collide, with intersecting problems. And, also not so surprisingly, their parents are often the root of their angst.
DVD
The Day the Earth Stood Still Special Edition
(Twentieth Century Fox)
Keanu Reeves' dreadful remake of the 1951 classic should be disintegrated with a ray gun. The smart, subtle original - one of the best sci-fi movies ever - still resonates 50-plus years later. This two-disc set features historical and making-of docs, plus commentary by director Robert Wise (who also helmed West Side Story and The Sound of Music!).
BOOK
Don't Stop Believin': How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life
(Da Capo)
Writer Brian Raftery's look at karaoke culture is part history lesson (he travels from Japan to the United States in search of the planet's best sing-along joints), part confessional (he really, really likes belting out cheesy tunes in public). It's an amusing and often enlightening journey, highlighted by lists of the all-time best and worst karaoke songs.
VIDEOGAME
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
(THQ)
Everyone's here for the beatdowns: Triple H, Undertaker, John Cena. You can even make your own wrestler and follow him through a storyline that'll leave you bloody and bruised. Best is tag-team mode, in which you pair up with a friend, build your strengths and then administer some proper ass-kickings. (The game is available for pretty much every platform.)
