THREE-DAY FORECAST

DANCE

Ailey troupe will be busy in Southland

Celebrating its 45th anniversary this season, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings three programs to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Included are the West Coast premieres of works by Alonzo King (“Heart Song”) and Robert Battle (“Juba”), along with new productions of Ailey artistic director Judith Jamison’s 1993 “Hymn,” Elisa Monte’s 1979 “Treading” and Donald McKayle’s classic “Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder” from 1959. Plus, of course, a selection of choreography by Ailey himself -- and, in particular, five (count ‘em, five) more chances to see “Revelations.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Tonight and Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. $25 to $75. (213) 365-3500.

JAZZ

Top violinist visiting O.C.

Rated top jazz violinist in Down Beat’s critics poll for five years running, Detroit-born Regina Carter comes from a classical background and possesses a seemingly endless musical imagination. She released her debut CD in 1995.

Her latest CD is 2003’s

“Paganini: After a Dream,” on which she performed on Paganini’s legendary

Guarneri violin (nicknamed “the Canon”) in Genoa, Italy.

Regina Carter, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $49-$56. (714) 556-2787.

POP MUSIC

Emerging rockers on the ranch

Those hard rockers might look scary, but a lot of them apparently have a soft spot for animals. A stellar lineup of up-and-coming acts including the Used, Story of the Year, Sugarcult, S.T.U.N., My Chemical Romance, A Static Lullaby and members of Good Charlotte, is gathering at the “Concert for Compassion” to benefit an animal rights group.

“Concert for Compassion,” Oak Canyon Ranch, 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Irvine, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

ART

B&W;, red all over

Robert Motherwell: Red is as much a statement about the power of color as an artist’s tool as it is an exhibit. The 18 prints by the Abstract Expressionist rely on manipulation of hue, density, texture and placement. The artist once wrote that “any red is rooted in blood, glass, wine, hunters’ caps and a thousand other concrete phenomena.” But red isn’t the only color on his palette; there are black and white, and his choices always insinuate their way into viewers’ emotions.

Red: An Exhibition of Prints by Robert Motherwell, Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., B-6, Santa Monica. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends, April 24. (310) 264-0640.

EVENT

It’s out of this world

If you’re a sci-fi fan, you might want to transport yourself to Pasadena this weekend for Grand Slam XII, a convention for fans of “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Stargate” and other TV and movie sci-fi franchises. Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Kenny Baker, John Rhys-Davies, Anthony Michael Hall and Ron Perlman are among the celebrities scheduled to appear. To make sure you don’t miss your favorite, check the complete schedule at www.creationent.com

Grand Slam XII, Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Friday to

Sunday, noon-6 p.m. $20-$35;

6 and younger, free.

(818) 409-0960.

MUSIC

Composed of a shift in ideology

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, composed in 1960, was “Dedicated to the Memory of the Victims of Fascism.” The title eminently fit in with Soviet propaganda of the time, but in his later memoir, “Testimony,” the composer added that fascism comes in all kinds of brands, including a communist one. The St. Lawrence String Quartet plays the work as part of a UCLA Live program that also includes Osvaldo Golijov’s “Yiddishbbuk” and Ravel’s Quartet in F.

St. Lawrence String Quartet, Schoenberg Hall, UCLA. Today, 8 p.m. $30-$45. (310) 825-2101.

MUSEUMS

Visions of California

He has been called the California Impressionist. Joseph Raphael conjured up scenes right out of the real world -- open fields, common laborers, flowers -- and transformed all into painterly and painstaking visions in oils on canvas. The artist’s work references the masters of Europe. Joseph Raphael: American Expatriate -- Impressionist Paintings comprises 70 pieces, curated by Mary Murray, and are from the collection of Oscar and Trudy Lemer.

Joseph Raphael: American Expatriate -- Impressionist Paintings, Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free from 5-9 p.m. the first Thursday of every month; ends July 11. $5-$7; 11 and younger, free. (949) 494-8971.

THEATER

From the distaff half

“Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival: Out of the Box,” a rotating multicultural bill of dance, storytelling, comedy, performance art, music, poetry and theater events by and with women, opens today with a gala awards ceremony hosted by Hattie Winston and Marla Gibbs, honoring Lily Tomlin, Linda Hopkins, Dyana Ortelli, Lillian Burkenheim and Jude Narita. A performance of “Movement, Blues and Growing Up,” which features Linda Hopkins, Edie McClurg and Lisa K. Lock, follows.

“Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival: Out of the Box,” Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Festival kickoff gala, today, 7 p.m.; shows Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m., 3 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon, 3 and 7 p.m.; ends Sun. $20; opening night gala, $40-$50; Sun. noon concert, free; all-show festival VIP pass, $120. Call (818) 760-0408 or go to www.lawtf.com for schedule.

MOVIES

Brotherly love, like oil and water

Harbour and Wilbur are Glasgow brothers who are as different as night and day. Harbour is the ultimate optimist while Wilbur is the pessimist’s pessimist. In “Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself,” the English-language debut of “Italian for Beginners” director Lone Scherfig, Wilbur is so inept at trying to do away with himself that his suicide support group gives him the boot. After the umpteenth failed attempt, Harbour lets Wilbur move into his flat and things are looking up until the two men discover they are in love with the same woman -- who happens to be Harbour’s new bride. Did we mention that it’s a comedy? Adrian Rawlins, Jamie Sives and Shirley Henderson star.

“Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself,” R for language and some disturbing images, opens Friday in selected theaters.