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

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Vienna Stance Defended: Concerned about a planned demonstration over the exclusion of women and minorities by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County has written thousands of subscribers and donors defending its decision to bring the orchestra to Costa Mesa in March. The society notes in the letter that it offers “the best of world cultures to our audiences” and presents “artists without scrutinizing their personal beliefs or political affiliations.” The orchestra’s March 4-5 concerts at the Orange County Performing Arts Center are sold out, and although the Philharmonic Society says it has received about a dozen phone calls objecting to the orchestra’s upcoming appearances, no refunds have been requested.

TV & MOVIES

Conflict of Interest?: Barbara Walters should have divulged a financial connection to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber when she profiled him on “20/20” last December, an ABC spokeswoman said Wednesday. Walters invested $100,000 in Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” three years ago, according to ABC’s Eileen Murphy, and though she advised viewers that ABC’s parent, the Walt Disney Co, produced Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” she made no mention of her own investment. However, Murphy called Walters’ profile of Lloyd Webber “valid and fair,” and said the newswoman had not broken any network rules. The piece, with scant mention of “Sunset,” was about Lloyd Webber’s “Whistle Down the Wind,” which has since folded without reaching Broadway.

Mel Takes the Pudding: Mel Gibson ate canned dog food, bit into a doggie biscuit and opened his tuxedo to reveal a leopard-skin bra while receiving Harvard University’s madcap Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Award Tuesday. Previous honorees, who have donned bad dresses and wigs to collect their laurels, include Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford.

QUICK TAKES

“ID4,” an “arcade-style flying adventure” video game based on the hit film “Independence Day,” will be released March 11 for Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Windows 95. . . . Elizabeth Taylor’s surgery to remove a benign brain tumor is scheduled for today, and Taylor is expected to be hospitalized three to five days following the surgery. . . . The American Film Institute--which presents its Life Achievement Award to Martin Scorsese tonight--also will honor director John McTiernan (“Die Hard,” “Red October”) with its 1997 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Award. Previous recipients include directors David Lynch, Ed Zwick, Randa Haines and Jon Avnet.