Monster Mash: Dance film to open Venice Film Festival; ‘Animal Farm’ musical; Carreras at La Scala

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--Big premiere: Darren Aronofsky’s ballet thriller ‘Black Swan,’ starring Natalie Portman as an on-the-rise dancer dealing with a new rival, played by Mila Kunis, will open the Venice Film Festival. (Huffington Post)

--Speaking of Aronofsky: Takashi Murakami, Shirin Neshat, Animal Collective, Laurie Anderson and Aronofsky are among the just-announced jury members for the Guggenheim’s YouTube competition. (Guggenheim)

--Long-awaited comeback: Jose Carreras is to perform at La Scala for the first time in 14 years. (BBC)

--New project: Elton John and Lee Hall, who teamed on the musical ‘Billy Elliot,’ will reunite to create a musical based on George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm.’ (Daily Mail)

--Not a dream: Did Dom Cobb’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) house in ‘Inception’ look familiar to you? That could be because it’s the USC-owned Freeman A. Ford House, completed by Greene & Greene in 1908. (Curbed LA)

--But will it happen?: ‘Anchorman’ costar Steve Carell says he backs plans for a Broadway stage version of the Will Ferrell comedy. (Digitalspy)

--First viewing: The Vatican prepares to open a room devoted to large-scale drawings by Matisse. (The Art Newspaper)

--For sale: Dennis Hopper’s Venice home, designed by architect Brian Murphy, is on the market for $6.245 million.The actor died in May, just before an exhibition of his art opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art. (Reuters)

--New role: Opera singer Deborah Voight takes on the title role in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ in a Glimmerglass Opera Festival production. (New York Times)

--Nudity for art’s sake: Painter Will Cotton’s album cover for singer Katy Perry’s new album is unveiled. (New York Daily News)

--For betting readers: Odds-makers favor Zaha Hadid to win the Stirling Prize for architecture. (Guardian)

--Helping one of their own: Broadway rallies to raise money for young ‘Lion King’ actress with leukemia. (Playbill)

-- Lisa Fung