Monster Mash: Gustavo Dudamel hurt at concert; Eli Broad sees merits to downtown museum site; Italy’s opera houses go silent

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--Sidelined: Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel pulled a neck muscle while conducting the first half of a concert on Thursday at Walt Disney Concert Hall. After intermission, associate conductor Lionel Bringuier took the podium to complete the program. (Los Angeles Times)

--Grand plan: Although he says he hasn’t decided between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles, Eli Broad says that if his new art museum were on Grand Avenue, it would draw a bigger audience and help fulfill his vision of downtown as an economic and cultural magnet. (Los Angeles Times)

-- Offstage drama: Opera houses across Italy have been silenced by artists’ protests and wildcat strikes after the government passed emergency austerity measures aimed at the 14 state-supported theaters. (Associated Press)

--Happy feet: ‘Come Fly Away,’ ‘Fela!’ and ‘Memphis’ are among the shows earning multiple nominations for this year’s Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, which honor achievement in dance on Broadway and in film. (Broadway.com)

--Bright prospects: Even in this rocky economy, the Brooklyn Academy of Music has reason to feel optimistic. The performing arts and cinema center is about to break ground on a $45-million theater and education facility -- a project that is almost entirely paid for. (Wall Street Journal)

--Connected: Finland’s Savonlinna Opera Festival has invited the public to help it create an opera--including libretto, score, sets and costumes -- based on online submissions. (Reuters)

Also in the Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles County will spend $350,000 to consider ways to upgrade the John Anson Ford Theatres in Hollywood; music critic Mark Swed reviews ‘Party for Betty!’ at REDCAT.

-- Karen Wada