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. Ben Affleck is in early negotiations to direct Argo, an adaptation of Joshuah Bearman’s April 2007 Wired magazine article about the Tehran hostage crisis. George Clooney is co-producing the political thriller. [via THR]

2. Ted Williams is planning to auction off the cardboard sign from the YouTube video that launched his 15 minutes of fame, as well as his camouflage jacket. The proceeds from the sale will go toward the Ted Williams Second Chance Foundation, which was created to help talented people who need “a hand up and not a hand out.” [via TMZ]

3. “This year, when the Black Eyed Peas perform, I’m planning on doing my own little ‘Boom Boom Pow’ just to show ‘em that this ol’ cheerleader still has some shake in her.” – Paula Deen’s musings on Super Bowl XLV

4. At the beginning of last night’s episode of The Daily Show, Justin Bieber was in Jon Stewart’s seat because they’d swapped bodies, Freaky Friday-style. Watch the clip — which was apparently a promo for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never — here.

5. Lady Gaga has already confirmed that she will premiere her new single “Born This Way” at this year’s Grammy Awards, but now there’s a rumor floating around she’ll do a duet with Muse as well. (PS: Check out her out on the cover of the March issue of Vogue above.) [via Digital Spy]

1. The nominations for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced last night. Eminem is up for ten awards, Bruno Mars has seven nods, and Lady Gaga has six. We were also happy to see Robyn, Janelle Monáe, and Cee Lo Green get recognized.

2. NBC has bought a new comedy from Steve Carell that “centers on a small-town post office frequented by a quirky but tight-knit group of local twentysomethings” and is based on his own experience working as a mail carrier in Littleton, Massachusetts. He plans to both write and executive produce the project. [via Deadline]

3. At last night’s Friars Club Roast for Quentin Tarantino, both he and Uma Thurman drank wine out of a pair of her Christian Louboutin heels. [via Page Six]

4. Big news for the New York dance scene: Yesterday the boards of Dance Theater Workshop and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company voted unanimously to merge their organizations, forming a combination producing and presenting entity to be called New York Live Arts. [via NYT]

5. Taylor Swift is Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of the Year — the youngest ever honoree in the magazine’s 20 year history. Check out the cover here.

Bonus link: How a Betrayed Boyfriend Took Revenge On His Cheating Girlfriend, Using Netflix

1. A record exec from Taylor Swift‘s label tries to defend her lackluster Grammy duet with Stevie Nicks, and only makes things worse. [via ArtsBeat]
2. Why was Martin Scorsese‘s new Leonardo DiCaprio thriller Shelter Island pushed back to the dead of winter? [via E!]
3. The dates for the fifth annual Pitchfork Music Festival have been announced; look for ticket sales and a lineup announcement tomorrow. [via Pitchfork]
4. Lincoln Center is building a new black box space on top of the Vivian Beaumont Theater; it will feature work by emerging artists, with all seats priced at $20. [via NYT]
5. Bruce Springsteen is suing a bar in midtown Manhattan for copyright infringement. [via NYDN]

Bonus link: The Internet Meme Hall of Fame: The Venn Diagram

The 52nd annual Grammy Awards came and went last night and, as usual, music’s “biggest night” was pretty tame. Unlike the MTV Video Music Awards, the Grammys are when we’re supposed to take music seriously. Madonna can’t kiss Britney on stage or writhe around seductively in a wedding dress. Diana Ross can’t grab ‘Lil Kim’s boob. Kanye West definitely can’t interrupt Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech.

So while the Grammys are sort of like the nerdy older sister of music awards shows, we did notice a theme running through many of the evening’s theatrical performances: Blame it on Glee if you want, but musicals are suddenly cool again — and it’s clear most of the artists who performed last night were inspired by some of the Great White Way’s best. Here, we list our fave five performances from the Grammys and the big, brash musical numbers that may have inspired them.

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If you haven’t already heard, it looks like America’s favorite performance artist Lady Gaga — she of the fashion envelope pushing — is definitely ineligible to for a Best New Artist Grammy when the nominees for 2009 are announced early next year despite reports to the contrary. Why, you ask? Because she was already nominated last year for “Just Dance” back when her only fans were clubgoers and the gays. Gaga lost then to Daft Punk, but she’s poised to be a major contender this year in other categories if not a shoo-in for the category she lost in 2008.

As for the gaping hole in the Best New Artist category that she leaves behind? Here’s a look at the acts we’ll be rooting for when nominations are announced.

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