This just in — Engadget and MacStories and Ars Technica reporting that Apple has sent out invitations for the rumored January 27th event. Let the wild speculation begin:

What do you think the paint splats mean? Obviously the Tablet will support 3D gestures — you'll be able to throw paint at it.
[via MacStories via Engadget and Ars Technica]
Update: The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 27th. It will begin at 10 AM Pacific Time. And there could be other things too, according to Ars Technica:
That’s about the only semi-solid piece of information about the Apple tablet, though—other rumors have included the possibility of Verizon being involved, a new SDK and tablet “simulator” for developers, “unexpected” UI features, and more. Some expect the tablet to be heavily aimed at promoting the publishing industry and e-books, though others suspect that it will be more geared towards visual artists and music/video consumption.
And gdgt has a liveblog set up and ready to go.
Update 2: And this tablet thing has been going on since at least June.
Update 3: Here’s the full invite.