Pre-weekend Weekend Lunch Invite 69. Battle of Puebla Biennial Anniversary

Yet another busy week ... too busy.

Coming in the near future, the Lilac Festival runs from May 12 to the 21st.

Also, Jimmie "JJ" Walker (you know, from Good Times) will be doing his stand-up comedy at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Pl.) on May 17.

M O V I E S	The Basket - The World War I weary northwest United States sets the stage for a story of pain and prejudice. Gladiator - Half-naked men fight animals and eachother in this quasi-historical retelling of Rome after the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. I Dreamed of Africa - Wildlife preservationist/advocate Kuki Gallmann went to Africa and saw green alligators and long necked geese, some humpy back camels and chimpanzees, some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born she never did see no unicorns. The Virgin Suicides - Boys discover the non-ickyiness of girls.
T H U R S D A Y	In a rare double-suggestion, the excellent Ska band 5Head will be playing at the excellent venue Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) In the mean time, Milestones (170 East Ave.) is hosting Freetime Magazine's Most Popular Band Contest with Comatose versus Up From Crash.
F R I D A Y	Cinco de Mayo First up, din-din once again at California Rollin' The RIT Carnival will be at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr.) today and tomorrow. In synch with the Mexican Holiday, Milestones (170 East Ave.) will have Latin Vibes, The Mambo Kings, Tijuana Al, and The Mix starting at 5. Seems a bit quiet for Cinco de Mayo ... too quiet. Concurrently at Blue Sunday (3118 E. Henrietta Rd.) is The Storytelling Guild of Rochester's Story Swap. It could be good or bad ... and it might even make a good story. Meanwhile, WXXI's Spring Marketplace 2000 (aka The WXXI Auction) is going on today from 7pm to midnight, tomorrow and Sunday from 2pm until midnight. It's also online, but who knows how well that will work out -- maybe you'll get a good deal or two dozen. I've been curious for a couple/three weeks about Estrofest at School of the Arts (45 Prince St.) It's a female-oriented sketch comedy show. Karaoke with Sugar Bear at Boston Brew Company (251 Exchange Blvd.) Also, the pop-rock cover band Better Days will be at what is named like a quality venue, Slammers Bar & Grill (4650 Dewey Ave.)
S A T U R D A Y	O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. If you think you're man enough, Club Vibes (150 Andrews St.) is hosting an Arm Wrestling Tournament at 11:00am. Later at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is Mungbeandemon and Burnt by the Sun. Meanwhile, on the other middle of town, The Buddhahood will be at Milestones (170 East Ave.) WBER night at Red (171 St. Paul.)
S U N D A Y	You may want to ixnay the elevisiontay tonight to see Weird Al at the Auditorium Center (875 Main St E.) starting at 7. Of course, you'll probably want to get tickets beforehand and stuff. Futurama: My Problem With Popplers - Earthlings rave about an addictive new delicacy pioneered by the crew of Planet Express. King of the Hill: Flush With Power - A drought in Arlen, Texas, forces Hank to install inefficient toilets. Simpsons: The Last Tap Dance in Springfield - Lisa enrolls in a dance school run by a former child star; Bart and Milhouse camp out at a shopping mall for a week. Malcolm in the Middle: The Bots and the Bees - Chaos ensues when Malcolm invites his Krelboyne classmates over to his house to build a robot for a competition. If you're not up for The Simpsons, Weekend at Bernie's II will be on USA at 8.
M O N D A Y	Trivia Quiz (with its new name) is at The Old Toad (277 Alexander St.) as part of their 10th birthday celebration.
T U E S D A Y	Starting tonight for a couple weeks is Paul Zaloom in Velvetville, a one-man puppet show, at Geva's NextStage (75 Woodbury Blvd.) Sugar Bear's karaoke will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) Open mic comedy at the Colosseum Caffe (262 Park Ave.) starting around 9:30. Open mic poetry at Java's (16 Gibb Street) starting around 9:30.
W E D N E S D A Y	The Nuts & Bolts Improv Troupe will again be at Club Vibes (150 Andrews St.) at 8:00 p.m. It's $5 to get in and it's way totally worth it. Dueling with them is Ellen DeGeneres at Auditorium Center (875 Main St E.) tonight at 7:30. You'll probably need advance tickets for this too. Dan Liberto hosts his Open Mic Comedy Night at Froggy's Bar & Grill (1129 Empire Blvd.) Attempting to beat the comedy into submission, the Rochester International Film Festival begins tonight at the Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) and continues through Saturday evening.