Going out

DanceSport: The Cincinnati DanceSport extravaganza swings into action at 7 p.m. today at the Westin Hotel with a ballroom dance competition/exhibition followed by open dancing, Fifth and Vine streets, downtown, $25. 281-5500.

Johnny Rutherford: The Indy racing legend roars into Barnes & Noble Newport to sign and discuss his memoir Lone Star J.R., full of behind-the-scenes stories of the racing world. 7 p.m. today, Newport on the Levee. (859) 581-2000.

Guitar masters: Area bluesman Greg Schaber and thumbpicker extraordinaire Eddie Pennington play the Behringer-Crawford Museum's Coffee Cup Concert Series. 7-9 p.m. today, Devou Park, Covington, $10 (series discounts). (859) 491-4003.

Jazz series: The free "It's Commonly Jazz" series continues with sounds from the Mario Abney Sextet, full of up-and-coming musicians from Cincinnati and Dayton. 6-8 p.m. today, Jordan's Crossing, Reading Road and Seymour Avenue, Bond Hill. 531-8970.

On TV

Top pick: Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy men are all over sister channel NBC, with a repeat of their one-hour show helping John Bargeman propose to his girlfriend in the ER time slot (10 p.m., Channels 5, 22). Then Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez give Jay Leno a makeover on The Tonight Show (11:35 p.m., Channels 5, 22).

• TV critic John Kiesewetter also says Biography profiles author Tom Clancy (8 p.m. and midnight, A&E).

The goods

Say what???: It's not exactly like having Dr. Doolittle around, but maybe the Bow-Lingual Dog Translator is the next best thing. Maybe. It's a bark analyzer, which determines emotions based on the dog's bark. Capable of translating six emotions into an assortment of phrases, it recognizes happy, sad, frustrated, on-guard, assertive and needy. It then converts the bark to an appropriate phrase so you know what the pup is "saying." It's $99.99 at JCPenny stores.

Planning ahead

24 hours out: The northern suburbs rock at the super-sized Symmesfest, with food from restaurants such as Pizza Tower, Black Forest and the Seafood & Grille at Harper's Station plus music by Robin Lacy, Ooh La La and the Greasers and the Procter & Gamble Big Band. 6-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Symmes Park, 11600 Lebanon Road, Symmes Township. 683-6644.

48 hours out: The Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion Celebration R&B concert lineup offers Avant, Tamia and the Temptations Review starring Dennis Edwards. 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sawyer Point, downtown, free. 742-9378.

Also 48 hours out: Children's book author/illustrator Will Hillenbrand signs and reads from his new book Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore, 3054 Madison Road, Oakley. 731-2665.

Jim Knippenberg

E-mail: jknippenberg@enquirer.com; fax: 768-8330