Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

PEOPLE WATCH

Troubles Mount: Oscar-winning actor George C. Scott, 68, was hit this week with a $3.1-million sexual harassment suit from his former personal assistant, but a New York judge has spared him from testifying in the case to allow him to undergo surgery for what his doctors described as a life-threatening aortic aneurysm. Julie Wright, 26, filed the suit in Manhattan Thursday, but in a hearing Friday, Scott’s lawyer said that the actor had already left for California in preparation for the surgery. Scott, whose previously unexplained illness had caused the opening of his Broadway play, “Inherit the Wind,” to be delayed by two weeks earlier this year, had left the play in mid-performance one night last month because of what was then described as a “flu-like ailment.” He also missed Thursday’s show, reportedly because he was distraught over the lawsuit, in which Wright claims she was subjected to offensive remarks and groping during her $1,500-a-week job, which ended last week. Through his spokesman, Scott called the charges “absurd and completely untrue.” Tony Randall, who has filled in for Scott in the past and is producer of the show, will take over the rest of “Inherit the Wind’s” run.

Bo Derek Responds: Actress Bo Derek has responded to WarnerVision Entertainment’s lawsuit alleging that she backed out of a deal to appear in a pay-per-view TV movie, saying that she declined the project because the distributor demanded she act out “raging uninhibited nymphomania” and lesbian sex. In an interview with the New York Post, Derek said she had agreed to appear naked in at least part of the 60-minute show, but was shocked when WarnerVision began suggesting much more graphic ideas that she found “completely offensive.” A WarnerVision executive refused to comment.

PERFORMING ARTS

Opera House Update: The fire that broke out at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House Thursday did not significantly damage the 74-year-old structure, which is in the midst of an $89.5-million earthquake renovation. According to Alex Mamak, a city official connected to the project, “Nothing that was irreplaceable or structural was damaged,” and contractors remain committed to completing the renovations on schedule by June 1997. However, he said, costs of the damage, as well as the precise impact on the construction schedule, have not been determined. The fire’s exact cause is also still unknown, but it was apparently the result of sparks flying from a cutting torch. Flames broke out on the mezzanine level of the hall’s north side, and primarily affected box-seat architectural finishes. Water and smoke affected a wider area, but damage was minimal and will mostly involve cleanup, Amak said. Renovations began in January, after the close of the San Franciso Opera and the San Francisco Ballet seasons. Both companies will present their ‘96-97 seasons in a variety of other theaters around the Bay Area, including Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and the Orpheum Theatre.

TELEVISION

Black and White in Color: The divide between TV viewing patterns in black and white households continues to grow. According to the 1996 BBDO Report on Black Television Viewing, which examined Nielsen ratings data for the first half of the 1995-96 season, only two of the 20 most popular shows among African American viewers--ABC’s “NFL Monday Night Football” and NBC’s “ER”--are also among the top 20 programs with white viewers. By comparison, 15 of the top 20 shows for blacks were also among the top 20 for whites 10 years ago. Among viewing discrepancies detailed in the report, NBC’s “Seinfeld,” the No. 2 program among white viewers, ranked a lowly 89th with black viewers, while the favorite show of blacks, Fox’s police drama “New York Undercover,” sank to 122nd with whites. “ER,” which was the No. 1 program among whites (and held on to No. 1 when viewing preferences of all races were considered) ranked 20th among black households. The most unity between black and white viewers appears to be among teenagers age 12 to 17. Eleven of the top 20 shows were shared by both groups.

Power of ‘Pulp’: “Pulp Fiction,” the 1994 movie that made Quentin Tarantino a household name and renewed John Travolta’s movie star power, has apparently become the highest grossing pay-per-view film in history. The movie, which premiered on pay-per-view last October, has posted record gross revenues of $4 million, according to distributor Buena Vista Pay Television. That just surpasses the grosses of “True Lies,”no which debuted on pay-per-view in March 1995.

QUICK TAKES

The touring version of Broadway’s revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” starring Ralph Macchio, will visit the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, Sept. 17-29; Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Oct. 29-Nov. 3; and McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert Dec. 10-15. . . . Alfre Woodard, Tim Curry, Michael York, Ed Asner, Mark Harmon and Peter Strauss are among the actors signed on so far to lend their voices to PBS’ upcoming animated TV series “Adventures From the Book of Virtues,” an adaptation of William J. Bennett’s bestseller set to premiere in September. . . . Fox Searchlight Pictures has announced plans to produce a movie on the life of famed fashion designer Halston, based on Steven Gaines’ book “Simply Halston.” Production is expected to begin in the fall.