Monster Mash: France’s cultural scandal; Irving Penn remembered; Brian Wilson’s new gig

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

-- Center of controversy: France’s cultural minister Frédéric Mitterrand faces pressure to resign over an admission in his 2005 autobiography that he had sex with boys. (Guardian and Le Monde)

-- Legendary artist: Irving Penn, the photographer who blurred the line between the artistic and commercial, has died at age 92 in New York. (Associated Press and Los Angeles Times)

-- Together again: David Mamet will direct the new stage show by Ricky Jay set to open at the Geffen Playhouse on Dec. 29 for a two-week run before transferring to New York. (Playbill)

-- ‘Phantom,’ the next generation: Andrew Lloyd Webber announces dates for the follow-up to ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ (Los Angeles Times)

-- Legally binding: A court has ruled that the Cleveland Museum of Art can use restricted endowment income for a construction project. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

-- Taking the initiative: Musicians of the Utah Symphony voluntarily propose their own pay cuts. (Salt Lake Tribune)

-- Expanding its horizons: The China National Symphony Orchestra has chosen a foreign music director for the first time. (Washington Post)

-- Tough diplomacy: Egypt has cut off ties with the Louvre Museum in Paris over a dispute concerning the return of certain artifacts. (Associated Press)

-- Cultural feud: Iran could sever ties with the British Museum unless an ancient artifact called the Cyrus Cylinder is loaned to the National Museum of Iran. (Bloomberg)

-- And from the L.A Times: Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson will finish songs penned by George Gershwin. (Los Angeles Times)

-- David Ng