Don't let declining animation revenues and skyrocketing unemployment get you down; your Japanese knight in candy-colored armor will soon trot into town on his bug-eyed steed with succor for all. Or at least a more entertaining environment to enjoy whatever hallucinogens you turn to as the recession deepens: The iconic Japanese artist/animator/sculptor/merchandiser Takashi Murakami is opening an L.A. studio in 2009.The LAT reports today that Murakami, the "Japanese Warhol" and low-culture recycler who was received like a rock star at last year's MOCA retrospective, is leasing 9,000 square feet on N. Highland Ave. for his West Coast outpost. He and about 30 employees will commence blowing your mind with variations on Murakami's celebrated cheer-mutants KaiKai and Kiki, who will reportedly receive a feature-length treatment as the artist's housewarming gift to himself:

When America was gripped by an outbreak of Brokeback Mountain spotted fever a few years ago—a rare condition characterized by an onset of involuntary gay-cowboy jokes and acute rose-stemming—more than a few of the afflicted (ourselves included) were visited by visions of high-kicking chorus-boys in a Brokeback musical. Now, reports Variety, our rhinestone-studded delusions are not only coming to pass, but they've even gone one gayer, with the commissioning of Brokeback—The Opera:

The Whitney Museum here in New York is presenting an exhibit entitled Television Delivers People. It takes its title from the 1973 Richard Serra video piece that is featured in the collection of both new and old work. Video collages of Wonder Woman's spinning! Snarky commentary on Dynasty! Skewing of the Whitney Houston debacle! Celebrity muckraking and media commentary as High Art? Maybe these blog things are in fact onto something. What's on the Art Box? Spins, Satire and Camp [NYT]