Lenny Kravitz

Audiences have seen musician and fashion plate Lenny Kravitz through many styles since 1989, tonsorially (the straight hair was weird, we dug the long dreads) and sartorially (love the bell-bottoms, please no more fringe). Yet musically, Kravitz has stayed mostly the same, save for some funky variations. He's been a cocky rocker and a swaggering, crooning balladeer whose lyrics were plain but passably anthemic. At his start, his sound was like John Lennon-meets-Elvis Costello, and ever since he's done some psychedelic shacking up a la Sly & the Family Hendrix.

Long before his debut album, "Let Love Rule" (Virgin), hit the streets three weeks ago, music-industry gossips were buzzing about Lenny Kravitz - and for more reason than one. A diamond-in-the-rough singer/songwriter espousing honest musical values and forthright lyrics about brotherhood and peace, Kravitz has been anointed "a black John Lennon" or "the male Tracy Chapman. " Tastes of progressive soul rockers Sly Stone and Prince also color this 25-year-old's chameleon-like musical personality.

Love beads, clogs and flowing dresses. Bell-bottoms, velvet vests and rose- colored glasses. No, it wasn't a '70s fashion show. Hey, man, it was a leap back to the 1970s with retro-king Lenny Kravitz leading the way. His Tower Theater show on Saturday was the hottest ticket in town, selling out in less than an hour. The vibe at the smoke-free show was mellow. Peace. Smile on your brother. In town to promote his third album, the platinum-selling Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Conan (11 p.m., TBS) Actor Atticus Shaffer; Steve Martin performs. Late Show With David Letterman (11:35 p.m., CBS3) Alec Baldwin; Joe Namath; Lenny Kravitz performs. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (11:35 p.m., NBC10) Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi; Jeff Bridges performs. Jimmy Kimmel Live (midnight, 6ABC) Jesse Eisenberg; Jerry Springer; Incubus performs.

Lenny Kravitz is positioning his current tour, dubbed "Electric Church: One Night Only," as a rare opportunity to catch him in smaller venues for - per the tag line - one night only. That's a creative spin job. Domestically at least, Kravitz normally does one-night stands in 3,000-seaters like the Electric Factory. On Saturday, he dropped the messianic pop star/Target pitchman pose he adopted in the late '90s and got back to his roots as the funk-soul brother who skillfully turned the retro triptych of Sly Stone, Lennon and Hendrix into a lo-fi bell-bottomed brew on his earlier albums.

Conan (11 p.m., TBS) - Tom Hanks; BBQ chef Myron Mixon. Late Show With David Letterman (11:35 p.m., CBS3) - Katie Holmes; stupid human tricks; Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas); Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (11:35 p.m., NBC10) - Dana Carvey; Jason Reitman; Lenny Kravitz. Jimmy Kimmel Live (midnight, 6ABC) - Regis Philbin; Paul Anka performs.

Audiences have seen musician and fashion plate Lenny Kravitz through many styles since 1989, tonsorially (the straight hair was weird, we dug the long dreads) and sartorially (love the bell-bottoms, please no more fringe). Yet musically, Kravitz has stayed mostly the same, save for some funky variations. He's been a cocky rocker and a swaggering, crooning balladeer whose lyrics were plain but passably anthemic. At his start, his sound was like John Lennon-meets-Elvis Costello, and ever since he's done some psychedelic shacking up a la Sly & the Family Hendrix.

AH, LOVE - or some Hollywood version of it, is in the air. We've reported previously on Halle Berry's pledge to Oprah that if there's no serious love in her life this August when she turns 40, she'll ask whomever she's dating, "Hey, would you like to have a baby?" While the front-runner (after the People Paper's ethics policy forced us to pull out of the running) looked to be boyfriend actor Michael Ealy, the New York Daily News' Rush & Molloy say Berry has recently been spotted with blond Versace model Gabriel Aubry.

Lenny Kravitz is positioning his current tour, dubbed "Electric Church: One Night Only," as a rare opportunity to catch him in smaller venues for - per the tag line - one night only. That's a creative spin job. Domestically at least, Kravitz normally does one-night stands in 3,000-seaters like the Electric Factory. On Saturday, he dropped the messianic pop star/Target pitchman pose he adopted in the late '90s and got back to his roots as the funk-soul brother who skillfully turned the retro triptych of Sly Stone, Lennon and Hendrix into a lo-fi bell-bottomed brew on his earlier albums.

As if President Bush wasn't a big enough foe, the Dixie Chicks are in hot water again, possibly with a more formidable foe - PETA. Actually, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals doesn't have a beef with the band, but with its management company, which nixed an ad the Texas-based trio did as part of PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. The ad featured Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire posing in a field of flowers clad in nothing more than a few strategically placed instruments.