MOVIES, TELEVISION AND CELEBS

The latest local and national television, movie and celebrity news from New Orleans and beyond

Running away to join the circus is a tempting idea when life gets too complicated, but few act on the impulse.

Nonetheless, that's precisely what happens in "The First of May, " a low-budget family film with a stellar cast and a heartwarming story.

MURRAY CLOSE / DISNEY-WALDEN MEDIABen Barnes, center, as Prince Caspian, leads the Pevensie children -- from left, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes -- on their return to Narnia in 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.'

First off, let's get the whole timeline thing straight: Two and a half years have passed since the previous "Narnia" adventure hit theaters, but only one year of London time has passed for the Pevensie children -- who return to that magical land in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" to find that more than 1,300 years have passed on that side of the looking glass.

Yeesh. Talk about your jet lag.

Or wardrobe lag. Or whatever.

No surprise, then, that a whole lot has changed at the start of "Prince Caspian," the largely satisfying second chapter in Disney's effects-heavy, big-screen adaptation of British author C.S. Lewis' popular seven-book fantasy cycle.

COURTESY OF THINKFILMColin Firth and Helen Hunt in a scene from 'Then She Found Me.'

Helen Hunt is nothing if not honest.

Her alive-and-well-in-syndication "Mad About You" -- the 1992- '99 TV show that brought her a rare brand of four-Emmy fame -- was as enjoyable for its standard sitcom silliness as it was for its not-so-standard and refreshingly unvarnished look at the ups-and-downs of married life.

Now, in her feature directorial debut, the actress -- who also owns an Oscar, for her role in 1998's "As Good as It Gets" -- brings that same rooted-in-reality sensibility to her film "Then She Found Me."

In the never-ending quest for cinematic gems hidden in the weekly TV listings, here's what I'll be watching (or at least recording) this week:

What: "Sergeants 3" (1962), starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.

When: Wednesday, 9:15 p.m.

Where: Turner Classic Movies cable channel.

Why: Even Sinatra said that none of the Rat Pack movies can be considered "great, " but this one -- a tongue-in-cheek, Westernized version of the 1939 classic "Gunga Din" -- is interesting because it rarely has been shown since its original theatrical run. And for those who can't get enough Sinatra, TCM is showing the film as part of a monthlong tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes. Find out more at www.tcm.com/2008/sinatra.

Gas prices? What gas prices?

A spate of screenings -- some free, others for just a fistful of euros -- will give local movie-goers a chance to go global without going broke. Next week, films focusing on Romania, Vietnam, France, Latin America, Senegal and India are scheduled to screen at venues around town.

Here's a quick rundown of some of what's in store. Find details on each in the movie listings in Friday's (May 16) Lagniappe section of The Times-Picayune.

Jerry O'Connell joins the Fox line-up in "Do Not Disturb" a comedy set in a New York Hotel.

The Fox network, broadcast TV's lone ratings bright spot during the current strike-tainted season, on Thursday unveiled a schedule for 2008-09 that will employ some of the medium's most celebrated production talent, including J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") and Mitchell Hurwitz ("Arrested Development").

Abrams' new show for Fox, the science fiction drama "Fringe," will launch in the fall.

The only other new series joining Fox's lineup in the fall will be "Do Not Disturb," a comedy set in a New York hotel, starring Jerry O'Connell ("Crossing Jordan") and Niecy Nash ("Reno 911!").

Too new to make the food-on-radio roundup in Thursday's Living section, "The Gumbo Guys" began airing just a couple of weeks ago at 1 p.m. Saturday on WGSO AM-990.

The hosts are Jimmy Delery, a community activist and proponent of local food purveyors, and restaurateur Jimmy Collins.

Jennifer Zdon/The Times-Picayune Photo IllustrationIn New Orleans, food chatter is booming on local radio.

Discussions about restaurants and recipes comprise 62 percent of all local conversations -- a statistic I just made up, but close enough -- so it's no surprise that food chatter is booming on local radio.

The venerable voice of Tom Fitzmorris has been doing it -- and doing it and doing it -- for almost two decades, but suddenly it's got company.

What follows are profiles of some of the cuisine-casters who've lately made radio channel surfing such an appetizing endeavor.

Nintendo's "Mario Kart Wii" is fun and whimsical.

My brother Brad used to race cars, and he once gave me some good advice I use all the time in driving games like Mario Kart Wii.

Brad said if you see cars wreck in front of you, drive toward the spot of the accident, because by the time you reach that point, the ruined cars will be crashing someplace else. And you don't want to be at that "someplace else."

Crashing is, obviously, an integral part of driving fast. But in "Mario Kart Wii," it's constant and whimsical. This is another cutesy Nintendo Wii adventure set in a colorful land of deep-blue cartoon skies and puffy faced, comical characters.