SHORT TAKES : Concerts to Benefit Red Cross

Simultaneous benefit concerts featuring major musical and comedy acts will be staged in Los Angeles and Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 17 to replenish the American Red Cross disaster relief fund exhausted by Hurricane Hugo and the Northern California earthquake.

Red Cross and entertainment industry representatives announced plans in Charlotte and Los Angeles on Wednesday for the performances to be taped before live audiences and shown in a two-hour Christmas special airing nationwide Dec. 26 on CBS.

The concerts sponsored by the Disaster Relief Fund are being endorsed by the American Red Cross, the first time the charitable organization has used the medium to solicit funds for its disaster relief efforts.