Monster Mash: Breaking news and headlines

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Silenced: Tenor Rolando Villazon, left, has canceled his remaining 2009 performances to undergo surgery for a cyst on his vocal cords.

Ruling: A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed one of two class action lawsuits filed by Clint Arthur against MOCA and Luis Vuitton North America.

100 days: The Smithsonian is honoring President Obama’s first 100 days in office with a new exhibition of photographs from his inauguration.

Parked: Cirque du Soleil is settling in New York City; plans for a permanent space are off for now.

Making history: L.A. sculptor and painter Artis Lane unveils her bust of Sojourner Truth at the U.S. Capitol building. It is the first sculpture of a black woman in the U.S. Capitol.

Endangered building: Politicians begin weighing in on the proposed demolition of the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. (Read the entire list of endangered buildings published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.)

To strike or not to strike: The possibility of a strike at New York City Opera looks increasingly likely, if a recent memo is to be believed.

Opera politics: A group of prominent Belgium Jews has criticized an Antwerp production of the opera ‘Samson and Delilah’ for being anti-Israeli.

Dismissed: The Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale has fired executive director Tony Sertich.

Passing: L.A. Philharmonic principal trombonist Steven Witser died unexpectedly Monday night at age 48. The orchestra will dedicate Thursday’s concert in his honor.

Another passing: Ernie Barnes, the football player turned painter, was the official artist for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He was 70.

— David Ng

Photo: Tenor Rolando Villazon. Credit: Uwe Lein / Associated Press