Barry writes the songs and sells the soap

Since detergent giant Procter & Gamble is sponsoring BarryManilow's latest concert tour, does that make the singer'sperfomances soap operas?

"Barry Manilow has a strong, broad-based appeal and a wide rangeof people support our products," P&G spokeswoman Jennifer Bailey saidlast week. "So, sponsoring his tour is a natural link."

Manilow is in the middle of an 18-city tour that reprises hisBroadway show that ran for eight weeks this spring, and added abenefit concert for victims of Hurricane Hugo at the company'srequest, Bailey said.

The crooner of "Mandy," "I Write the Songs" and other balladsperformed in P&G's home city of Cincinnati on Saturday.

Manilow was a successful jingle writer for Pepsi, Kentucky FriedChicken, and State Farm Insurance and others before making it as anentertainer -