Monster Mash: Russell Crowe joins Hugh Jackman in ‘Les Miz’ film

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Manly musical: Russell Crowe has signed on to the big-screen adaptation of ‘Les Miserables,’ joining Hugh Jackman in the Tom Hooper film. Jackman is to play the hero, Jean Valjean, with Crowe as his nemesis, Inspector Javert. (Entertainment Weekly)

Lights out: A blackout shut down San Diego’s cultural life as theaters, music venues and museums went dark. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Surprise: A giant mural by street artists Risk and Retna for Heal the Bay was unveiled in a residential Santa Monica neighborhood. (Curbed L.A.)

Bigger surprise: The city of Santa Monica levied a $5,000-a-day fine against the mural. (L.A. Taco)

Vote now: Playwrights Neil LaBute and Theresa Rebeck are to write a play -– live -– on a plot picked by readers. (Los Angeles Times)

Big move: The Center Theatre Group’s production of ‘Clybourne Park’ at the Mark Taper Forum is looking to move to Broadway in the spring. (New York Times)

New work: The Los Angeles Opera has commissioned ‘Jonah and the Whale,’ an opera by composer Alexander Prior and playwright Velina Hasu Houston. (LA Opera)

Please give: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is planning a gala, featuring Clint Eastwood and John Baldessari, to raise money for the museum’s film program. (Los Angeles Times)

And give: In New York, the Museum of Modern Art’s film-program fundraiser is to honor Pedro Almodovar, with Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. (Variety)

And give: The UCLA Hammer Museum’s Gala in the Garden is to feature Bruno Mars, Neil Patrick Harris and Matt Groening. (Hammer)

Architectural honor: Design Miami awarded its Designer of the Year honors to David Adjaye, who is designing the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American Culture and History on the National Mall. (Huffington Post)

Tribute: Broadway stars are marking 9/11 by joining tonight to sing Kander & Ebb’s ‘New York, New York.’ (Broadway League)

Ownership dispute: The Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science in Florida is caught in the middle of an investigation concerning a painting believed to have been stolen by Nazis. (USA Today)

Whew: Workers canceled strike plans at La Scala, allowing a performance of Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ to go on as scheduled. (New York Times)

Crossing the pond?: The National Theatre’s ‘One Man, Two Guvnors,’ directed by Nicholas Hytner, may transfer to Broadway. (New York Post)

Cheaper than a plane ticket: But you can see ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ in a movie theater near you. (National Theatre)

Singing alter ego: Sorry, but even as an evil dolphin, Neil Patrick Harris is charming. (Us)

And in the Los Angeles Times: Charles McNulty reviews ‘The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity’ at the Geffen Playhouse, and David C. Nichols reviews ‘Milk Like Sugar’ at the LaJolla Playhouse.

-- Lisa Fung
Twitter.com/lfung