KNO

VILLE, Tenn. -- Martin Luther King III said that the nation should observe the holiday honoring his father but that it's too soon to celebrate it.
Thirty-three years after his father's assassination in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr.'s goal of eliminating racism, poverty and violence remains a dream, his son said.
"In our minds, a celebration is when we kind of kick back, eat barbecue, chill and not really do anything. That is what a holiday is," he told a King holiday forum sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority on Wednesday.
"But we have not reached the point, in my personal judgment, of having a holiday or a celebration."
The holiday is today. King, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, would have been 73 this past Tuesday.
His son said his father's holiday should be observed by "doing something that will uplift the dream and make the dream become a reality."
Hip-hop group takesstage at concert hall
NEW YORK -- A concert hall better known for its classical performances became a rap stage as the acoustic hip-hop band the Roots took over Avery Fisher Hall.
"Throw your fists in the air!" the group shouted as about 2,700 eager fans obliged, rushing toward the stage for a better glimpse. The Grammy-winning band, best known for hits such as "You Got Me," sold out the venue for Thursday night's event.
The Roots also paid tribute to hip-hop's past, bringing out old-school rapper Kool G. Rap for a song and the dance group the Rock Steady Crew.
Publicists for the band said the Roots were the first hip-hop group to perform at the concert hall in Lincoln Center, but representatives for the performing arts complex said they could not confirm that.
Authors come to aidof audio book reader
NEW YORK -- Stephen King, John Grisham and Pat Conroy will be among those appearing next month at a benefit for Frank Muller, an award-winning audio book reader severely injured in a motorcycle crash last November.
The benefit will be Feb. 2 at Town Hall in Manhattan.
Muller's audio book credits include everything from works by King and John le Carre to Shakespeare and Herman Melville. Conroy has called him a "prince of language" and a Chicago Tribune critic labeled him the "Laurence Olivier of the [audio book] medium."
Sonny Bono's memorylives on in Calif., D.C.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- The beat goes on for late Congressman Sonny Bono.
Bono, who died in a skiing accident in 1998, has a statue of his likeness in downtown Palm Springs, a wildlife refuge named for him at the Salton Sea, a freeway interchange in Moreno Valley, and a small park maintained in his memory in Washington, D.C.
Now, there's a 40-mile stretch of desert freeway named in his honor.
Interstate 10 through the Coachella Valley is now the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway.
'Blue's Clues' change
Big changes are in store for Nickelodeon's "Blue's Clues," a particular favorite among preschoolers.
In May, the host of the show -- Steve (Steve Burns) -- will leave to "go off to college." He will be replaced by his brother Joe (Donovan Patton), who will be introduced in a series of episodes in late April so there's no shock to kiddies' psyches.
Today's birthdays
Actor Paul Scofield is 80. Blues singer-musician Snooks Eaglin is 66. Golfer Jack Nicklaus is 62. Opera singer Placido Domingo is 61. Singer Richie Havens is 61. Singer Mac Davis is 60. Actress Jill Eikenberry is 55. Singer-songwriter Billy Ocean is 52. Actor Robby Benson is 46. Actress Geena Davis is 45. Basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon is 39. Rap DJ Jam Master Jay (Run-DMC) is 37. Rock DJ Chris Kilmore (Incubus) is 29. Singer Emma Bunton (Spice Girls) is 26. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nokio (Dru Hill) is 23.