Monster Mash: Banksy sightings in L.A. this week; St. Louis Art Museum sues over mummy mask

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Stealthy: Was the street artist known as Banksy -- nominated for an Academy Award for the movie ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ -- in Los Angeles this week, creating work on walls and billboards in the lead-up to the Oscar ceremony? (Los Angeles Times)

Legal battle: The St. Louis Art Museum has filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to order that the U.S. government has no claim on a 3,200-year-old mummy mask that officials in Egypt say was stolen from their country two decades ago. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Controversial move: Republican lawmakers in Iowa are moving forward with their plan to sell a Jackson Pollock painting at the University of Iowa valued at $140 million, despite cries of opposition. (WQAD News)

New face: South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa has named a new artistic leader. (Los Angeles Times)

Airing differences: Students and faculty at Gainesville State College met to debate the removal of a controversial artwork that depicted a Confederate flag with hooded Klansmen, a lynching and an angry woman. (Gainesville Times)

SOS: The makers of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ are reportedly bringing in playwright and comic author Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to revise the musical. (Los Angeles Times)

Cash problems: The planned U.S. National Slavery Museum in Virginia is behind schedule as it deals with financial difficulties. (Washington Post)

Operatic legend: Prince Charles was one of the attendees at a memorial for the late singer Joan Sutherland at Westminster Abbey. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Iconic figure: ‘Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,’ a tribute to the legendary Broadway choreographer, will bow on Broadway at Studio 54 in the fall as part of the Roundabout’s new season. (Broadway.com)

Also in the L.A. Times: a review of ‘Rock of Ages’ at the Pantages Theatre; music critic Mark Swed reviews the English National Opera’s production of ‘Lucrezia Borgia’ directed by Mike Figgis; a review of rock star Sting in ‘Twin Spirits’ at the Mark Taper Forum; the Metropolitan Opera announces its 2011-12 season, including a 3-D ‘Siegfried.’

-- David Ng