North Texas' reputation as a hothouse for budding jazz talent blossoms a little wider this weekend at the Third Annual North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison, a three-day event mixing established national artists with the best of the next generation. Focused around the renowned jazz program at the University of North Texas, the festival spotlights jazz education and includes performances by the UNT Faculty Sextet, the UNT Jazz Singers, the Two O'Clock Lab Band and the One O'Clock Lab Band, a 20-piece ensemble known for its annual albums and august list of alumni. After dark, the pros take the stage, including headliners: (Friday) The New York Voices, Grammy-winners who combine jazz, Brazilian, R&B and pop influences; (Saturday) the Kenny Garrett Quartet, featuring the former Miles Davis sideman; and (Sunday brunch) The Marchel Ivery Quartet, featuring Dallas' pre-eminent tenor saxophonist. Bands from schools around the country will compete for the first Leon Breeden Award, honoring the former director of the UNT Lab Band program. Hotel Inter-Continental Dallas, 15201 Dallas Parkway. Call 972-450-6232. --Thomas Korosec
Bowled Over
4/6
Let's get a couple of things straight: Sunday's pet bowl-a-thon is not about dishing out Fancy Feast and Puppy Chow, not directly anyway. And the event's edgy title, Pins for Pets, does not in any way imply that bowling pins and pets are interchangeable. Ten Fluffys equal a strike, nine miniature Fidos a spare...Get it all out of your head, sicko! Operation Kindness' Pins for Pets Bowl-A-Thon is a fund-raiser for Operation Kindness, the area's oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter, which cares for an average of 180 to 210 animals daily. More than 2,800 cats and dogs are adopted from the shelter annually. So pull that favorite old bowling shirt out of the closet, but leave the four-legged cheerleaders at home. Operation Kindness' Pins for Pets Bowl-A-Thon takes place Sunday at the Plano Super Bowl, 2521 Avenue K, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is $15 per person, plus $35 per participant in collected sponsorship donations. The cost includes three games, shoe rental, refreshments and a T-shirt. Bowlers can enter as individuals or in teams. Call 972-418-PAWS, ext. 227. --Cheryl Smith
Kosher Kettle
4/6
Bet you never thought "a bowl of red" could be sinless enough to adhere to the strict dietary laws set forth in Leviticus. It can, and Tiferet Israel will prove it. The congregation is gearing up for the biggest Kosher Chili Cook-off in its illustrious 10-year history. Open to the community, the chili contest will feature more than 40 teams representing local nonprofit Jewish agencies preparing tastes of outrageous kosher chili to benefit the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry and Food Assistance program. It's 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Tiferet Israel at Royal Lane and Hillcrest Avenue. Call 214-691-3611. --Mark Stuertz
Burnin' Rubber
4/5
Your mom gave them away. You smashed them with a hammer. You torched them. Buy them back and do it again. Thousands of Hot Wheels are in Dallas this weekend, and some are only 50 cents. If you look under 12, you get one free. Entrance is $1 and free for 6 and under. The Hot Wheels/Die Cast Show is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sterling Hotel, 1055 Regal Row. Call 972-240-2928. --Charles Siderius
Everything and More
Deep Ellum Arts Festival takes it to the street
4/4
The organizers of the Ninth Annual Deep Ellum Arts Festival are a boastful bunch. Not only are they promising "the hippest party of the year," they swear the fest will showcase everything that "makes Deep Ellum the most interesting neighborhood in the metroplex." Imagine the carnival barker for that show: "See exotic panhandlers hit lunchtime crowds up for 'spare' change! Be amazed as parking-lot sirens defy death as they lure dazed drivers to their overpriced lairs! Take the hepatitis test of courage at one of our 300 tattoo parlors! Visit the haunted lofts of doomed dot-coms!" OK, so maybe it's a bit much to ask for everything Deep Ellum has to offer in one show. Instead, the three-day arts festival will focus on that other Deep Ellum, the one with food and drink and artists and poets and the best live music in Dallas. Better still, admission is free, and the fest has three outdoor stages of live music and fashion shows, with more than 65 bands and singers, among them Seven Channels, OHNO and The Chemistry Set. Prefer the visual arts? The party also features works by artists William Tortorici, Frank Campagna and Michelle Casarietti, among others. A "poetry circus corner" offers performances by local poets and an open mike for all comers. (So come anyway. You don't have to listen.) There's also an art-car exhibition of vehicles from across the country--assuming they can find parking--a pet parade and, of course, more. Always more. The adult-oriented festival runs 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Main Street in Deep Ellum. For a complete schedule, visit www.meifestivals.com. --Patrick Williams
Katarina Preserved
4/4
We really wish that Smucker's Stars on Ice at American Airlines Center involved a slew of skaters triple-axeling into a large vat of grape jelly. For now, Witt and cohorts such as Todd Eldredge and Tara Lipinski busting their salchows sans jam will have to suffice. Tickets are $35 to $58. Call 214-373-8000. --Merritt Martin
This Bud's For You
Living flowers make for better living
4/4
Having finally staggered past St. Patrick's Day, it's wise now to lay low, recuperate and prepare to pounce on the next mirth-making opportunity. In the meantime, trade in the alcohol for annuals, as The Better Living Flower and Outdoor Show blooms this weekend. With more than 37,000 feet of horticultural goodness, scheduled events range from outdoor cooking to interactive demonstrations and retail exhibits. Boasting a veritable who's who of the inflorescent industry, perennial pointers will be aplenty. Whether you have a natural green thumb or just want to whip the landscaping pants off of those snooty neighbors, nip any other plans in the bud and smell the flowers while you can. The Dallas Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St. Festivities begin at 10 a.m. Call 214-939-2700. --Matt Hursh
Hungry Eyes
4/4
What's the statute of limitations on thanking someone for inspiration? Take that film prof or school adviser to Dinner and a Movie at the Palace Theatre, 300 S. Main St., Grapevine. Following a feast by Ravioli Ristorante at 6 p.m., an Italian boy visits the place and the memory of someone who changed his life in Cinema Paradiso. Tickets are $20. Call 817-410-3100. --Merritt Martin
