Monster Mash: Paintings seized at Art Basel Miami; Serra sculpture saved; Chinese authorities close ‘M. Butterfly’

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-- Legal battle: U.S. Marshals have seized paintings at Art Basel Miami as part of an insurance dispute between two dealers. (Bloomberg)

-- Saved: A township in Canada has decided to grant heritage status to a large-scale outdoor sculpture by Richard Serra, pictured. (Globe and Mail)

-- Gender-bender: Chinese authorities have closed a Shanghai production of David Henry Hwang’s ‘M. Butterfly’ on the grounds that the production didn’t have a proper license. (Playbill)

-- Theatrical innovation: A London theater has launched a social networking site that allows playwrights to post their manuscripts online. (The Stage)

-- Not giving in: The French museum strike has widened to include the Louvre and the Versailles palace, both of which have shut their doors. (Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg)

-- More labor unrest: A looming musicians strike threatens the opening night at Chicago’s Lyric Opera. (Chicago Tribune)

-- Honored: The cast albums for Broadway’s ‘9 to 5,’ ‘Hair,’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’,’ ‘Shrek the Musical’ and ‘West Side Story’ received Grammy nominations in the best musical show album category. (Playbill)

-- In with the old: Hong Kong artists are trying to preserve the once popular art of Cantonese Opera. (Reuters)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Film composer Thomas Newman pens a new work for the L.A. Philharmonic; theater critic Charles McNulty reviews ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ starring Cate Blanchett; an artist weighs in on the healthcare debate with a sculpture.

-- David Ng