Retouching is getting a very bad name in the media these days, and photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino is fighting back against a possible law in France that would require any Photoshop image to clearly mention its changes via a warning label. While instances of bad airbrushing and tampering have become extremely apparent as of late, he’s out to show that not all alterations are bad. In fact, he wants to prove that they’re more commonplace than anyone realizes. This weekend, he published a photo of a woman Photoshopped in Libération’s Next magazine, but instead of giving her skinnier hips, he enhanced her curves (reminiscent of Beth Dittos’ Love cover).

Check it: Nike special-edition Air Max sneaks, featuring Andy Warhol’s iconic pop art imagery of Marilyn Monroe. [Inventor Spot]

The first time I played paintball, I discovered that it really hurt when those suckers hit you and decided it just wasn’t for me. But I am pretty amused by these enterprising paintballers who got together and plotted to craft a pop-art Marilyn Monroe by shooting their paintball guns. Kind of cool, no?

Someone wanted to be on top of Marilyn Monroe really, really badly. Earlier this month, the crypt above Marilyn was emptied out to make room for a new “resident.” The grave space was auctioned off on eBay, and it’s sold for a modest ... $4.6 million. In my opinion, that’s too much money to kick it with someone who is already dead, but apparently others didn’t share my sentiments. The spot in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village Memorial Park got 21 bids. I wonder if the winner of the spot in LA knows they have to share Marilyn with Hugh Hefner, who has dibs on the vault next to her. [eBay.com] 

Septuagenarian Elsie Poncher is removing her late husband’s remains from his resting place so that she can sell his graveyard crypt on eBay, and the bidding starts at $500,000. Why is this plot such hot property? Richard Poncher’s crypt is directly above the one that belongs to bombshell icon Marilyn Monroe.

On this day some 47 years ago, the world lost one hell of a saucy minx. We’re talking, of course, about Marilyn Monroe, the buxom blonde icon to end all icons who shagged movie stars, baseball players and presidents alike. (Allegedly, of course.) In an effort to bring out that little bit of Marilyn in all of us, here’s how we suggest paying your respects, sartorially, at least. Lindsay Lohan, we know you’ve already got your notepad out.

It’s quite obvious Lindsay Lohan thinks of herself as the second coming of Marilyn Monroe. Lindz has donned Marilyn-inspired looks for not one, but two expensive photo shoots. She even has a quote from “Some Like It Hot” tattooed on her wrist. Now she wants to take her obsession to the next level by playing Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in “Some Like It Hot,” a role Marilyn made famous. Director Brett Ratner, however, isn’t having any of that.

In a bizarre move that makes me think Lindsay Lohan and the editors of Vogue suffer from amnesia and severe blindness, LiLo is on the August cover of Spanish Vogue in a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot. In the image, she dons a blond, Marilyn-ish wig, and on her dress is a ginormous black-and-white print of Marilyn’s face.

Sound familiar? Yep, it should. Last year, she did a photo shoot for New York where she recreated shot-for-shot Marilyn’s last images. Two expensive photo shoots later, I still fail to see any similarities between Monroe, the voluptuous ‘50s sex goddess turned American icon, and alarmingly-thin LiLo.

Marilyn Monroe’s old underwear is going up for auction this weekend and her bra alone is expected to fetch up to £2,000 (about $3,285). And you thought your bras were expensive! This is no ordinary bra though, of course. In addition to being worn by one of the most famous and arguably sexiest women of all time, it is considered to be a sort of early “Wonderbra” with all sorts of special pockets, cups, straps and ribbons that helped give the illusion that Marilyn was even bustier than she really was. Auctioneer Richard Davie said: “The bra looks very complicated at first glance and it actually has four cups inside it - sort of like an early Wonderbra. There’s an inner cup which it almost hidden, which would support her chest as normal. But then there’s an another larger cup about an inch further out, to give the impression she had a bigger chest.”

Last Friday, these ladies competed in the Hollywood Casino of Cincinnati’s Marilyn Monroe Look-A-Like Contest and the winner took home 500 clams. Dang, forget these other weird beauty pageants, this one seems like pretty generous odds with a big payola, especially for a casino. So, if you want to cash in, see how much you can stomach at their next “Freaky Friday” event, The Coney Eating Contest, on July 24th. [Cincinnati,OH, 6/26/09]

Pop artist Ron English and vinyl toy manufacturer Garage Works teamed up to create “Marilyn Mickies,” limited-edition fiberglass statues of Marilyn Monroe with Mickey Mouse’s face as her breasts. If art is meant to be interpreted, what the heck do you think this means? [Garage Works Industries via Highsnobiety]

Her acting career may be in the crapper, but Lindsay Lohan’s fashion line is a hit. She’s kicking ass with her fast-selling debut legwear line, created through her company, 6126 (a name inspired by Lohan’s idol, Marilyn Monroe, whose birthday was June 1, 1926). Despite a price tag that rivals that of some designer jeans, Lohan’s line of leggings is selling like hotcakes in high-end stores like Henri Bendel, Nordstrom, Intermix, and Lisa Kline. “They’re blowing off the shelves,” says Jill Lowe, publicist for upscale Hollywood boutique Intuition. There are 35 styles in various colors and patterns, but the best-seller is the Mr. President, which at $132 is also the most expensive. “The leggings are made of top quality materials,” says 6126 publicist Ali Brubaker. “Many have accents like 100 percent leather patches and 100 percent cashmere leggings which also contribute to the price range.” (We’re betting the high price has more to do with the line’s famous designer than leather accents.) Lucky for Lohan, her fashion foray might turn into an entire brand. “We are building a lifestyle brand that represents timeless glamour,” Brubaker says. “Our hope is to organically [roll] out additional product categories over the next several years.” Lohan may not be able to score plum movie roles (or any movie roles, for that matter), but at least she’s got a future in “timeless glamour.” Who knew? [NY Daily News]

Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to be a singer or band’s muse? Some of the most recognizable songs ever are written about some of the most famous people ever—after the jump, the inside story behind eight great tunes, from “Sweet Caroline” to “Cry Me A River.” Some of them are not so nice…

What’s a woman who has been dead for over 40 years doing on the cover of this month’s Vanity Fair? Well, when the lady in question is Marilyn Monroe, it’s no wonder the ultimate sex symbol is still making it as a cover girl from the grave. Her case has been reopened—or rather, her filing cabinets. After Frank Sinatra insisted she keep her affairs in order, Miss Monroe began storing her mementos in two not-so-glamourous metal office drawers which have just been recovered. And both the business and company she keep are fascinating! More info on what was inside, after the jump…

While we’re still not sure how we feel about men in tights, couture designers like John Galliano, Comme des Garçons, and Etro are putting men in skirts and sending them down the runway.  And we’re not talking tribal Scottish kilts here either—a woman could easily wear these duds for dudes.  The designer taste makers claim the look of a skirt for men has been catching on all over Europe this past season and now they have been showing off the menswear trend during the Spring/Summer 2009 Fashion Week in New York.