Monitor Picks

Carson city

Will the 9-0 Indianapolis Colts go undefeated this season? A big test comes Sunday in Cincinnati against the upstart 7-2 Bengals. It's a fantasy- leaguer's dream matchup between high-flying quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer. The pigskin will spend so much time in the air it should be eligible for frequent-flier miles.

Don't risk arrest sneaking onto the set of King Kong to catch a glimpse behind the scenes. Through his weekly video diary on kongisking.net, director Peter Jackson has given movie fans unprecedented access to the remaking of a Hollywood classic. With only five weeks to go until the film's Dec. 14 release, watch digital wizards take the giant ape from Skull Island to the top of the Empire State Building.

Last week, the San Diego Zoo named its new baby panda Su Lin. The name, which means "a little bit of something very cute" in Chinese, was one of five options available in an online poll. You can monitor the little ball of cuddliness in her den via "pandacam" at sandiego zoo.org/zoo/ex_panda_station.html

The current issue of ESPN the Magazine tears the rawhide cover off the steroid scandal that's plagued baseball for two decades. Through more than 150 interviews with players, coaches, and trainers, Special Report: Who Knew? reveals no shortage of blame for the sport's blind eye when home runs were flying out of the yard faster than you could say Babe Ruth. Kudos for this week's agreement to toughen penalities for drug use.

Rediscover the raw emotion and energy of a skinny young Bruce Springsteen with his E Street Band in Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition. The set includes a remastered CD of the rock masterpiece, DVDs with live footage from his first concert in London, and a documentary on the making of the album that launched his career into the stratosphere.