By Paul V.

Lenny Kravitz is the latest rocker making the jump to the big screen. He'll star in the drama Iced, which focuses on a musician whose promising career spirals after he gets addicted to crack cocaine. No word on whether Whitney Houston will be cast as his love interest (and/or dealer).

The Red Hot + Blue compilation featuring the music of Cole Porter was a popular set in the mid-'80s, and now Shout Factory has updated the collection for release. The new offering finds the CD packaged with a new DVD featuring music videos of the tracks. Each of the clips address the effect of AIDS on society, with such noted directors as Wim Wenders, Jonathan Demme, Neil Jordan, and Jim Jarmusch lending their visions to the clips. The DVD portion also features a live performance by Annie Lennox, as well as interviews with Roland Gift, Richard Gere, and John Malkovich. Those contributing to the compilation and videos include U2, Neneh Cherry, Tom Waits, Erasure, David Byrne, Aztec Camera, and Sinead O'Connor. Look for an April 25 release.

Speaking of Sinead, reggae favorite Lee "Scratch" Perry has snagged O'Connor along with George Clinton for duets on his latest record. Panic In Babylon, due May 16, also features remixes done by Moby and TV On The Radio.

The Grammy Awards have been dished out, but now some musicians are dishing some of the winners. Green Day may be beloved, but not everyone is a fan. Sex Pistols' vocalist Johnny "Rotten" Lydon was quoted as saying, "Don't try and tell me that Green Day are punk. They're not. They're plonk and they're bandwagoning on something they didn't come up with themselves." Uh, note to Lydon -- lest we forget your band didn't invent punk rock either -- that would be The Ramones. Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, himself a nominee, dissed the awards in general, stating via his Web site, "The Grammys make me hate music, and certainly everyone in the ass-licking music industry."

The Killers enjoyed unbridled success with their debut disc, but the band has been ready for a while to start work on their second release. Singer Brandon Flowers told Rolling Stone that they hit the studio this week to begin the sessions. "People called us the best English band to come from America and all that shit. That's cool, and English rock is great, but it's forced me to listen to American music and see what I was missing." The Killers have tapped Depeche Mode producers Flood and Alan Moulder to tweak the effort.

And finally, Melbourne, Australia, theatergoers are enjoying a new cabaret show, Seriously: Pet Shop Boys Reinterpreted. The concept features five vocalists and a string quartet, which sing PSB songs from alternating gay and straight points of view.