Now, entertainment!

So Aussies are "taking over Hollywood" again. While I totally recognise this is part of the Australian "we cannot believe something we made is good unless it is validated in England or the USA" cultural cringe... I still feel it too. I love it when our actors or sportspeople or musicians do well overseas. Geez, even when Savage Garden had a couple of top 10 US hits I was like "nice work, Savage Garden".

All that said, the article makes some interesting points about Australian masculinity.

Di Bonaventura says the pool of US actors who radiate genuine toughness is drying up, so he and other producers and directors are forced to look globally, particularly Australia.

"I think there is something that is going on in American culture which is interesting - the toughness is getting a little bit eliminated from the culture," said di Bonaventura, while doing the promotional rounds for Red.

It might not be true, but I'll take the compliment. I'm wearing a flannie right now, so yeah, we tough.

Speaking of masculinity, this blog from Sam de Brito was great.

"Civilians balk at recognizing that one of the most traumatic things about combat is having to give it up," writes Junger, "and yet throughout history, men like ... O'Byrne have come home to find themselves desperately missing what should have been the worst experience of their lives.

"To a combat vet, the civilian world can seem frivolous and dull, with very little at stake and all the wrong people in power. When men say they miss combat, it's not that they actually miss getting shot at - you'd have to be deranged - it's that they miss being in a world where everything is important and nothing is taken for granted.

- In praise of Inception. Yes, it really was great. This article points out how the film mirrors the issues involved in making films. A really good reading of the movie.

- Kanye on Twitter. He used to hate it, now he's the best thing on it.

- Someone hatin' on Mad Men. I get where he's coming from. I find it hard to articulate why the show is so great. But I find it really good to watch. It's adult and complex and morally ambiguous.

- Want to take down the world's cyber structures? Spend two years and $100 million and you can do it.

- The Bedroom Philosopher coming back to Burnie, with his Awkwardstra. Great name.

- Is Eat Pray Love just more "white girl problems"?

- The journo who wrote Black Hawk Down talks about writing.

- An amazing account of a guy who entered rehab for sex addiction. This one is a bit graphic in terms of some of the things he talks about (no pictures, obv). Most pertinent was this quote:

My therapist said the fact I was aroused by **** and ****** **** meant I had brain damage, simple as that. His conclusion took a couple of days to sink in. Essentially, the part of my mind responsible for rational decision-making has been overridden by a huge desire for more pleasure chemicals, and I do stupid, dangerous things to get those chemicals no matter the consequences. That's addiction.

- Here is an interview with someone who has overcome sex addiction - Russell Brand talks to weekend television's most attractive presenter, Samantha Armytage.

Yes, they flirt. He is a terrible flirt.