Monster Mash: Sarah Palin inspires new opera; LACMA names curator; a DVD of Liza at the Palace

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-- You betcha: Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate and erstwhile governor of Alaska, has inspired a new operatic work titled ‘Say It Ain’t So, Joe.’

-- Old masterpiece: A Rembrandt portrait is expected to fetch $29.7 million to $41 million when it hits the auction block in December.

-- S/he’s back: Dame Edna is scheduled to return to Broadway in a new show opening in March.

-- Appointment: LACMA names Franklin Sirmans as its new chief curator for contemporary art.

-- Musical pioneer: Composer Leon Kirchner dies at age 90 at his home in New York.

-- Change of heart: Artist Bill Viola changes his mind and now plans to attend a cultural conference organized by the pope.

-- Theatrical drama: Work on the Minnesota Shubert Center is slated to begin this fall after extensive delays.

-- Ready for her close-up: ‘Liza’s at the Palace’ will be filmed in Las Vegas for television broadcast and a DVD release.

-- Courting controversy: An artist serves cocaine during a performance and gets in trouble with the law.

-- Stage star: Tony-winning South African actor Zakes Mokae has died at age 75.

-- David Ng