Singer Hoku Ho, daughter of the late entertainer Don Ho, will be the opening act when Gwen Stefani brings her Sweet Escape Tour to Blaisdell Arena, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24 and 25.

Hoku, who had been working on an EP release at the time of her father's death April 14, has now completed the mini-CD, which is entitled "Listen Up," and hopes to have the release available by concert time.

Tickets: $27.50-$67.50, at Ticketmaster locations, including the Blaisdell and Times Supermarket locations.

Reservations: 877-750-4400 or www.ticketmaster.com.

SIMIC NEW U.S. POET LAUREATE

CONCORD, N.H. — Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Charles Simic, who learned English as a teenage immigrant, will be the new U.S. poet laureate, the Library of Congress announced Thursday.

Simic, who lives in Strafford, will replace another New Hampshire poet, Donald Hall of Wilmot.

The poet laureate program promotes poetry across the nation.

"I'm overwhelmed," he said.

Simic taught at the University of New Hampshire for 34 years before moving to emeritus status. He won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1990 for his book of prose poems, "The World Doesn't End." He also is an essayist, translator, editor and professor emeritus of creative writing and literature.

Simic was born in Yugoslavia in 1938, and his childhood was disrupted by World War II. He moved to Paris with his mother when he was 15 and joined his father in New York a year later, in 1954. He has been a U.S. citizen for 36 years.

MURPHY ADMITS HE'S THE FATHER

LOS ANGELES — Eddie Murphy acknowledged he is the father of Melanie Brown's young daughter yesterday, a day after the former Spice Girl took legal action to establish him as the child's parent.

Murphy, 46, "always has and will continue to honor his responsibilities as a father," according to a statement released through his publicist, Arnold Robinson.

RHAMES' MASTIFFS APPARENT KILLERS

LOS ANGELES — Two mastiffs at the home of Ving Rhames apparently mauled a 40-year-old man to death yesterday, authorities said.

The victim, who hasn't been identified, had worked at the actor's home for about two years and was responsible for caring for the dogs, said Los Angeles police officer Sandra Gonzalez. Animal services seized four mastiffs, she said.

"Two of those dogs appeared to be responsible for the tragic death," Officer Jason Lee said. Several more dogs were left at the property.