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

THE ARTS

Schoenberg Collection Austria Bound: The Arnold Schoenberg collection and archives, currently housed at USC, appears to be moving to Vienna in early 1998. Lawrence Schoenberg, youngest son of the 20th century composer, confirmed Monday that the city of Vienna, in cooperation with the country of Austria, has offered to devote one floor of Vienna’s Palais Fanto, located near the center of the city where the composer was born, to the creation of a Schoenberg Institute. Lawrence Schoenberg said Vienna offered more than three times the $300,000-per-year annual support USC has given to the archives, which the family had donated to the university in 1973. “It was our best offer,” he said. Last May, USC and the composer’s heirs reached an agreement to remove the collection from its current home because the university could no longer meet the family’s demands that the Schoenberg Institute building be restricted to activities and concerts directly related to the composer. The Austrian agreement is expected to be completed in late January.

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UCLA Arts School Boost: UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture has received a $500,000 donation from Beverly Hills businessman Albert Peskin that will be used to endow the Ruth Peskin Distinguished Artist Fund, in honor of his late wife, who had a particular interest in women in the arts. The gift is one of the school’s largest ever from a single individual. This year, funds from the Peskin endowment will go toward UCLA Center for the Performing Arts shows, including a performance by Leslie Uggams.

RADIO

Classical Fortunes Increase: KUSC-FM (91.5) has raised $410,640 in 10 days of pledge drives since its return to classical music in October. The period covers an eight-day drive on Dec. 13-20, a daylong effort on Election Day (Nov. 5) and half-day pushes on Halloween (Oct. 31) and Nov. 23 (mounted around the Saturday morning opera). During a 10-day drive last February while still airing its eclectic musical format, KUSC raised $236,874. “We’re ecstatic,” said Stephen Lama, the station’s acting general manager. “The overwhelming support indicates there is an audience for noncommercial classical radio.” Altogether, including a telephone campaign in November to bring lapsed subscribers back into the fold, KUSC’s current drive has brought in $503,606.

PEOPLE WATCH

Watching Over Houdini: Illusionist David Copperfield has contributed $15,000 to restore the desecrated grave site of his profession’s best-known forefather, Harry Houdini. “It was a tragedy. They damaged the whole thing,” Copperfield said while visiting the refurbished New York grave with relatives of the legendary escape artist, whose real name was Ehrich Weiss. The Weiss family grave site has been vandalized and robbed repeatedly since Houdini’s death in 1926, with Gothic stone benches defaced, ornate headstones wrecked or removed and marble Houdini busts stolen. Copperfield, who has a collection of Houdini memorabilia and writings, said Houdini was known for visiting the graves of past magicians and often paid to restore neglected sites, so he wanted to carry on the tradition. “I wanted to do it right,” he said. “Maybe some day someone will do it for me.”

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Mitchell Searching for Lost Child: Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is searching for the love child she gave up three decades ago for adoption. Mitchell, 53, told the New York Post that she’s in a desperate race against time to meet the daughter she delivered at a Toronto hospital in 1965 so that her elderly parents will be able to meet their granddaughter. Mitchell said she bore a daughter, whom she named Kelly, out of wedlock 31 years ago shortly after dropping out of art school. She didn’t tell her parents until years later. She said she wants to warn her daughter about potential inherited health threats, but has so far been blocked in her quest by those holding the paperwork about the adoption.

POP/ROCK

Spider From Mars Hits 50: David Bowie will soon have more to celebrate than just the New Year. To mark his 50th birthday, he’ll host a star-studded concert on Jan. 9 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, benefiting the charity Save the Children. Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan has just been added to the lineup, joining Frank Black, Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth and Robert Smith of the Cure. The performers will all join Bowie onstage to perform songs from throughout his career. Oh, and in case you want to get your cards off, he actually hits the half-century mark the day before the concert, on Jan. 8.

HOLIDAY CHEER

Free Christmas Dinners: The Laugh Factory on Sunset Boulevard will serve its annual free Christmas Day dinner for struggling and/or lonely comics, actors and others in the entertainment industry, with four seatings on Wednesday at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. The menu includes turkey and all the trimmings, plus on-stage comedy. Reservations are required: (213) 656-1336.

QUICK TAKES

As expected, NBC News on Monday named newscaster Matt Lauer to replace Bryant Gumbel as co-anchor of the “Today” show. He’ll start the new job on Jan. 6. . . . Former MTV host and “Melrose Place” star Dan Cortese will guest in at least six upcoming episodes of NBC’s “The Single Guy.” His character is described as “a white-collar professional who is ‘the ultimate good-time guy.’ ” . . . Singer Lionel Richie, 49, married his longtime girlfriend, clothing designer Diane Alexander, 29, on Saturday in New York. The couple has a 2-year-old son, Miles Brockman Richie.