Joss Whedon will direct ‘Avengers’; much ado about ‘Inception’ and ‘Mad Men’; celebrity stalkers; more: leftover links

Every week my browser gets cluttered up with tabs for stuff that I stumble across and figure I might be able to use as a Question of the Day or a WTF Thought for the Day or grist for some other post. And inevitably, I end the week with most of that material unused. But there’s no reason to let this stuff go to waste: I can still share it with you, for your amusement, and start the new week with a clean slate.

Herewith this week’s leftover links, in no particular order:
In a World of Online News, Burnout Starts Younger

Design Within Reach Launches Mad Men Contest

Jeff Bezos: “Kindle Format Has Now Overtaken the Hardcover Format”

Amazon and that old fudging figures manoeuvre

‘Inception,’ that ending, and where critics go wrong

Much Ado About Rachel Maddow’s Smokin’ Hotness

The ‘Decision’ dilemma: By ceding control to Team LeBron, ESPN raised ethical issues, damaged its credibility

Writers Explain What It’s Like Toiling on the Content Farm

UK independent films facing tough times

Brad Pitt to play lead role in World War Z

Girl With Dragon Tattoo: Final Five for Lisbeth Salander

Is Mad Men The New Sex and the City?

Joss Whedon confirms he will direct “Avengers”

Man decked out in Darth Vader mask robs NY bank

Celebrity Stalkers Have A Type

Dear Drapers: A letter to ‘Mad Men’s’ first family from the Black maid

The Return Of I Spit On Your Grave’s Rape And Revenge Fantasies

Where Are the Darias?

Hollywood fears the 3D bubble has already burst

Del Toro to fans: ‘If you see me…accost me’

Why does Michelle Rodriguez always get killed off? We asked her

Marion Cotillard in ‘Inception’: Is she the good wife? Or the bad? Does she even have a personality?

Star Trek Sequel to Shoot in January, or not Until Summer 2011?

Scientologists Take Anti-Anderson Cooper Fight to Google

How Inception proves the art of baffling films does make sense