Monster Mash: Iran cuts ties with British Museum; Olivier Award nominations; Vilar sentenced to jail

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-- Diplomatic stand-off: Iran has cut ties with the British Museum following repeated delays surrounding the loan of the Cyrus Cylinder. (Agence France Presse)

-- Stage honors: The Olivier Award nominations in London have been announced. Actors up for awards include Jude Law, James Earl Jones and Rachel Weisz. (Playbill)

-- Jail time: Opera patron Alberto Vilar has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing from his investors. (Bloomberg)

-- Major gift: The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art has announced a promised gift of 29 works by impressionist masters from the collection of Henry and Marion Bloch. (Kansas City Star)

-- Cutting back: The Aspen Music Festival has shortened its 2010 program by one week. (Denver Post)

-- Familiar face: The Metropolitan Opera has brought back its former head Joseph Volpe to participate in union negotiations. (The New York Times)

-- Monetary gift: The Plains Art Museum in Fargo, N.D., has received an anonymous donation that will allow it to complete its commission of a $1.2-million mural by artist James Rosenquist. (Inforum via Art Forum)

-- And in the L.A. Times: A final curtain for the Pasadena Playhouse, for now; President Obama makes appointments to advisory committee on arts and humanities.

-- David Ng