That from Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, where, says spokeswoman Christa Jankoski, the cast of Christmas Carol spent about 15 minutes after every show singing in the lobby and collecting donations.

        The Beehive cast, running simultaneously in the Shelterhouse, collected donations, too, but didn't sing — singing onstage for two hours tires the voice, you know.

        Both casts collected in full costume, and both made a bundle.

        Carol carolers collected $10,000; the four Beehive ladies walked away with $11,057. All money goes to Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS, which will share with AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati.

        Holiday hello: On a completely different musical note, if the voices singing ABC (Channel 9) promotional jingles over the holidays sounded familiar it's because they were.

        Sound Images, a downtown recording studio, has been doing promotional jingles for ABC since 1998, about 35 in all. It had four of them running the last week in December, says Jack Streitmarter, executive producer on all four.

        • Two were sung by local folkie favorite Katie Reider, Cammy winner and daughter of former Bob Braun regular Rob Reider.One was a sultry version of “Let Me Entertain You” used to promote ABC comedies. The other was an ethereal “Let There Be Peace on Earth” on a generic spot.

        • Local guitar fave Rob Fetters (psychodots, the Raisins) sang on a spot promoting A Charlie Brown Christmas. He also arranged all four.

        • And the ever-so-moody “What Are You Doing New Year's?” was by local vocalist Howard Cohen.

        Party bucks: In other news of people giving away money, the Rockettes threw themselves a party when they were here over Christmas and did a split-the-pot.

        They made $700, then gave $350 of it to Positively Positive People, a nonprofit that promotes nonviolence and support for teens, says organizer Patricia Bowling.

        The money is used to finance Positively's programs. It's most interesting program right now, don't you know, is a thumbprint flag. A work in progress since shortly after 9-11, it's just what it sounds like: You press your thumb in red, white or blue ink and then press it against the flag in an area Positively has already masked off.

        Lots of thumbs, here, because the flag is 3-foot by 5-foot.

        “We take it to public outings, wherever we think there'll be a lot of people, and get the prints,” Bowling says.

        “I'd say it's about 75 percent finished,” Bowling says. “When it's 100 percent, it will be sent to the New York fire commissioner.”
        Contact Jim Knippenberg by phone: 768-8513; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jknippenberg@enquirer.com.

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