Monster Mash: Breaking news and headlines

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-- Spike Lee’s documentary film of the Broadway musical ‘Passing Strange’ will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

-- The National Academy quietly deaccessions major artworks by Frederic Edwin Church and Sanford Robinson Gifford.

-- Rachel Dratch of ‘Saturday Light Live’ and George Wendt, best known for ‘Cheers,’ will be part of the cast in the upcoming production of ‘Minsky’s’ at the Ahmanson Theatre.

-- The global economic crisis brings Dubai building boom to a halt.

-- Las Vegas Art Museum director abruptly resigns, leaving museum board in a daze.

-- Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight discusses the situation at the Museum of Contemporary Art with John Rabe on KPCC’s ‘Off-Ramp’ Saturday at noon. Knight, artist Lari Pittman, Orange County Museum of Art Director Dennis Szakacs and former MOCA board member Dean Valentine discussed the crisis at the museum on KCRW this week.

-- Sonic Youth is collaborating with bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and composer Takehisa Kosugi on a dance production with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company that will have its premiere at BAM in the spring.

-- UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, plans to sell paintings by Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Jean-Honore Fragonard and Max Liebermann that it received from a German doctor who devoted his life to helping children in Africa.

-- Sotheby’s cuts employees this week as demand for high-priced art follows real estate and financial markets south.

-- Disney’s ‘Kids Go Free’ promotion on Broadway brings in $1 million in ticket sales over three days.

-- A new performing arts center opens in Fountain Valley.

-- Lisa Fung

Caption: Stew and Daniel Breaker in ‘Passing Strange.’ Credit: Carol Rosegg