Monster Mash: Michael Jackson art donated to children’s hospital

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Celebrity art: Sketches by Michael Jackson as well as a signed portrait of the entertainer have been donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by the late pop star’s family. (Associated Press)

Blockbuster: New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art reported that its recent Alexander McQueen fashion exhibition drew 661,509 visitors, making it the eighth-most-visited show in the museum’s history. (Wall Street Journal)

Unwound: Thieves took off with ‘yarn bombs’ displayed at Laguna Beach’s Sawdust Arts Festival. (Coastline Pilot)

Sacrilege?: Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos has added her voice to a protest against an art exhibit in Manila that combines religious images with phallic symbols. (Voice of America)

Don’t cry for him: Actor Michael Cerveris will join the cast of the upcoming Broadway revival of ‘Evita,’ starring Elena Roger and Ricky Martin. (Broadway World)

Musical genius: Marquette University has established the Stephen Sondheim Research Collection after acquiring materials relating to the works of the composer. (Washington Post)

Robbery: Two gunmen stole more than $120,000 in catering proceeds Friday during a lunchtime holdup at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Hard times: The Alliance for the Arts is transferring its primary activities to the Municipal Art Society and to WNET, in response to the difficult economic environment. (New York Times)

Coming soon: Athol Fugard’s ‘The Road to Mecca’ will open on Broadway in January with a cast including Rosemary Harris and Carla Gugino. (Theatermania)

Reverent: A new art exhibition in Rome is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination. (The Art Newspaper)

Anachronistic: An unlikely mix of country music and William Shakespeare at L.A.’s Independent Shakespeare Co. (Los Angeles Times)

Also in the L.A. Times: Theater critic Charles McNulty reviews ‘This,’ by Melissa James Gibson, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

-- David Ng