We first saw this series of famous black and white photographs made new with a little recoloring over at Thaeger. While the concept isn’t earth-shattering, the results are pretty amazing — taking moments from the history books and reinventing them for a new generation. How else are we to fully appreciate Albert Einstein’s smart sweater, or Charlie Chaplin’s baby face, sans mustache? The portraits in Sanna Dullaway’s series have that reach out and touch quality, and the iconic “event” pictures breathe new life into each memorable moment. Margaret Bourke-White’s photo of the breadline during the Louisville flood in 1937 has been reprinted in blurry black and white so many times, it’s refreshing to actually see the expressions on each person’s face. Meanwhile, Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square circa 1945 proves that making out is always better in color. Click through for a closer look at select photos from the series.

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1. The nominees for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards have been announced, and Kanye West leads the pack with seven nods; hot on his heels are Adele, Bruno Mars, and the Foo Fighters, who each scored six nominations. View the full list of nominees here.

2. Nicholas Cage’s rare copy of “Action Comics” No. 1 — which was stolen from his house in 2000, and later recovered — has been sold at auction for a record-setting $2.1 million. Knowing Cage, he’s sure to spend the money wisely, perhaps on a second pyramid tomb or another castle. [via MTV]

3. Here is your first look at Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, snapped while the actor was having some lunch while on location in Richmond, Virginia. Looks like Steven Spielberg made a good choice. There’s a rather striking resemblance, wouldn’t you say?

4. A Colombian court has ruled against Miguel Reyes Palencia, a man who claimed that Gabriel García Márquez used his life story as the inspiration for the main character in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and as a result, wanted 50% of the royalties and a co-author credit. [via Guardian]

5. Film critic Roger Ebert says that the recently-revived version of his show At the Movies will be going on an indefinite hiatus in the new year due to financial issues. Funding the project through Kickstarter is one option being considered, but in the meantime Ebert asks, “Please have faith in us as we sort through the possibilities.” [via ArtsBeat]

Bonus Buzz: Modern-Day Garbage Pail Kids

1. Word is that Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook is planning to unveil its latest iPhone on October 4, and that the new device will go on sale in the weeks to follow. [via The Daily Beast]

2. This sounds promising: Jeremy Renner has signed on to star in King of Heists, an adaptation of J. North Conway’s book about one of the greatest bank robberies in American history; he’d be playing George Leslie, the man who spearheaded the 1878 heist. [via Deadline]

3. Gordon Ramsay is going to have another Fox reality series. Hotel Hell will be a makeover show along the lines of Kitchen Nightmares, but not necessarily cooking-centric. “These are stories that everyone can relate to, because virtually all of us have had a bad hotel experience that’s turned a holiday or business trip into a total disaster,” says Ramsay. “It’s time to put the hospitality industry to the test.” [via Inside TV]

4. Thom Yorke has confirmed to BBC Radio 1′s Giles Peterson that Radiohead will be on the road throughout next year; he’s also busy finishing up an album from his supergroup side project Atoms for Peace. [via NME]

5. Steven Spielberg is delaying the release of his forthcoming Abraham Lincoln biopic until after next year’s election, because he says that he doesn’t want the movie to “become political fodder.” The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis alongside Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and John Hawkes. [via Movieline]

Bonus Buzz: Embryonic Superheroes

Before pocket-sized puppies became the norm amongst the rich and famous, alligators and drunken deer could be found mingling at gatherings of noblemen and politicians. These strange pets were quirky sidekicks rather than illegal domestic beasts, providing unlikely friendship to some of history’s most influential figures. And that tradition isn’t entirely in the past — even now, celebrities will occasionally defy the teacup-poodle norm to join the ranks of our bizarre pet-owning forefathers (and raise their Los Angeles neighbors’ eyebrows in the process). Check out some lions, tigers, and bears after the jump.

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The Associated Press just blew our minds: a complete nitrate film reel dating from a century ago. Featuring a dramatized version of Abraham Lincoln. Directed by and starring the older brother of legendary director John Ford. Found intact in a New Hampshire barn. Francis Ford’s silent film When Lincoln Paid will debut at Keene State College after a yearlong restoration project by the National Film Preservation Foundation. This story comes from so far out in left field that we have to wonder if Banksy had anything to do with it. But nevermind us, watch two whole clips for yourself! Without further adieu:

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A death mask, as the name suggests, is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. While the Ancient Egyptians used them as part of the mummification process, Westerners adopted the tradition as a way to document what a person looked like, before photography became more popular. Life Magazine just posted a slideshow of 12 rather famous ones, and we’ve picked five of our favorites for you to ID after the jump. But don’t get cocky. Thanks to slight distortions caused by the weight of the plaster during the making of the mold, subjects can sometimes be hard to recognize. So we’ll give you a few hints. There are two famous poets (one Italian, one English), one American president, an Austrian painter, and one playwright who you probably read in high school more than once. Good luck!

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