USCCB Movie Reviews The above link will connect you to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's movie and video reviews. They contain a brief overview of many movies with the USCCB's classification and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating. They may have a comment on any inappropriate language or violence in the film. You may also want to check out the Catholic News Service capsule movie reviews.

Media/Arts Briefs

MADISON -- Students from Verona High School will perform a free concert of big band music at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center on Wednesday, May 8, at 6 p.m.

The band will appear as part of the "School Showcase" concert series and play a mixture of instrumental and vocal jazz.

Monona Terrace is located at One John Nolen Dr. Parking is available in the Monona Terrace parking ramp for a nominal fee. For further information call 608-261-4000.

'Sunday Afternoon Live'

MADISON -- "Sunday Afternoon Live from the Elvehjem" welcomes back the Lawrence Chamber Players Sunday, May 5, at 12:30 p.m. in Brittingham Gallery III.

Faculty members from the Lawrence Conservatory will perform the Sonate Pour Violin et Piano by Claude Debussy and the Solo Violin Sonata, Sz. 117 by Bela Bartok. The concert will conclude with the Piano Trio in C Major, op. 87 of Johannes Brahms.

There will be a reception after the performance; a free docent-led tour of the Elvehjem Museum begins at 2 p.m.

"Sunday Afternoon Live from the Elvehjem" is a free weekly chamber music series presented by the Elvehjem Museum of Art and Wisconsin Public Radio, with the cooperation of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music. The series, hosted by music commentator Lori Skelton, is broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio stations, including WERN, 88.7, Madison.

TV Programs of Note

Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m., Inspiration Channel (cable) -- "Catholic Mass."

Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m., EWTN (cable) - "Daily Mass." No 6 p.m. showing on Sunday.

Sunday, May 5, 7 a.m., WISC (CBS) - "Mass." Celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Campion, sponsored by Apostolate to the Handicapped.

Sunday, May 5, 12:30 p.m., EWTN (cable) - "Haydn: The Creation." Joseph Haydn's masterwork depicts each day of creation and praises God the Creator. The text is based on the book of Genesis and John Milton's Paradise Lost with soloists singing the parts of Archangels Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, and the pinnacles of God's work of creation, Adam and Eve. Repeats 2 a.m. May 11.

Sunday, May 5, 6 p.m., Discovery (cable) - "Seasonal Seas." From the "Blue Planet: Seas of Life" series, this episode travels across the globe to feature such rich habitats as the forests of giant kelp, the fastest growing plant in the world, with its sea otters, anemones, squid, and leafy sea dragons.

Sunday, May 5, 6 p.m., WKOW (ABC) - "Stuart Little" (1999). Fetching live-action fantasy in which a talking white mouse (voice of Michael J. Fox) is happily adopted as the son of a human family (led by matriarch Geena Davis) only to be targeted as a meal by mean neighborhood alley cats. As loosely adapted from E.B. White's 1945 classic by director Rob Minkoff, the cheery tale has ample visual appeal although purists may find the neatly happy ending a copout to the author's more probing tale of self-discovery. Scenes of menace and a few cuss words. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification of the theatrical version was A-II - adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG - parental guidance suggested.

Sunday, May 5, 7 p.m., WHA (PBS) - "Temple of the Tigers." A "Nature: The Living Edens" special explores one of Asia's most important tiger habitats, once a preserve for Indian maharajas, where an abandoned palace is home to tigers, bats, birds, cobras, and monkeys.

Tuesday, May 7, 8 p.m., WHA (PBS) - "Fire Wars." A "Nova" program looking back at a century of fire policy and tracking the efforts of firefighters to contain annual wildfires in the American West that threaten wilderness areas and communities.

Thursday, May 9, 7 p.m., WMSN (Fox) - "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace'' (1999). Disappointing prequel to the "Star Wars" trilogy in which two Jedi knights (Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor) out to save the planet Naboo from Federation invaders enlist the help of a young boy (Jake Lloyd) who will eventually become the evil Darth Vader. By emphasizing fantastical creatures and myriad special effects, writer-director George Lucas loses the movie's human dimension, achieving only visual spectacle. Sci-fi swordfights and battle sequences. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification of the theatrical version was A-II - adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG - parental guidance suggested.

Radio Programs of Note

Monday, May 6-Sunday, May 12, 4 p.m., WHFA (1240 AM) - Bishop Bullock's weekly Catholic Herald column: "'Read the signs of our times'."

Friday, May 3, 5 p.m., WHFA (1240 AM) - "Catholic Answers Live: The Salvation Controversy." With Senior Apologist James Akin.

Tuesday, May 7, 10 a.m., WHFA (1240 AM) - "Reasons For Faith (live)." With Tim Staples and Jesse Romero.

Wednesday, May 8, 9 a.m., WHFA (1240 AM) - "The Journey Home." With Karl Keating, founder of Catholic Answers.