Monster Mash: Breaking arts news and headlines

• Broadway's "Spamalot" has posted a closing notice. The Tony-winning musical based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" will end its run on Jan. 18. 

• Some of the nation's largest art museums are implementing cost-cutting measures in anticipation of a downturn in revenue and funding. New York's Museum of Modern Art has already put in place a hiring freeze and a 10% cut in its operating budget.

• Collectors at this year's Frieze Art Fair in London took a conservative approach to buying on fears of a global recession.  Major auctions in the coming months could also feel the effects of the economic fallout.

• Americans for the Arts, a lobbying organization, has issued a summary of the presidential candidates' stance on key arts issues. The report lauds the Obama-Biden ticket for being a consistent arts backer.

• UCLA finds itself in the middle of a controversy over possible censorship. An artist said curators of a university exhibition removed part of her installation without her permission. The offending portion of the work was interpreted by some to resemble a swastika.

• The Juilliard String Quartet has named a new first violinist. Nicholas Eanet, one of the Metropolitan Opera’s two concertmasters, will join the quartet at the end of the season, after he recovers from a broken wrist.

• Lyric Opera San Diego saw a 20% drop in donations last quarter, prompting its leaders to consider budget cuts and other drastic measures.

• The Bowers Museum reported that "Terra Cotta Warriors" was its most popular exhibition ever, with 209,797 visitors during a five-month run that ended Thursday.

— David Ng

Photo: Tim Curry and Michael McGrath in "Spamalot."

Photo credit: Ari Mintz / Newsday