On Panthers, Oscars and "Smoke"

A couple of notes on another gray January day:

1) Looks like the Panthers are getting busy vetting Auburn DT Nick Fairley, according to our own Joe Person who is on the Senior Bowl scene in Mobile, Ala. I know Fairley has a rep as a dirty player, but it will be hard to not pick him at No.1 (if Carolina keeps the pick, that is) after that unbelievable performance in the national title-game win over Oregon. Fairley was ridiculously good in that game. Check out the "Inside the Panthers" blog for more of Joe's reports from Mobile.

With a No.1 pick, though, I really prefer in general terms a QB or RB -- someone you can give the ball to a whole lot without the other team dictating anything. Not sure anyone on the board is worth No.1 money, though, now that Stanford's Andrew Luck has decided to stay in school.

2) My column today was about NASCAR driver Tony "Smoke" Stewart, who had his latest altercation in Australia but still seems to be carving out a bit of a role as an elder statesman in the sport these days. Stewart turns 40 in May -- does that make you feel old? It does me.

3) How many of the best-picture nominees of 2010 have you seen? They were announced today. I'm also wondering which of them you would put on a "can't-miss" list.

I'm just looking for personal recommendations here, as I've only seen 3 of the 10("Inception," "The Kids Are all Right" and "Toy Story 3".) Here's the full list of the 10 best-picture nominees for 2010. I know I'm going to see "The Fighter," but does anyone else have thoughts on this list as to whether the movies have generally been overrated or underrated?

Best Picture Nominees
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone