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BY JACQUELINE CUTLER There's always camaraderie when people gather around a table with chef Lidia Bastianich. The PBS special, "Lidia Celebrates America: Freedom and Independence" Friday, June 28 (check local listings), demonstrates that the camaraderie runs deeper than food – it is one of ideals. In the third of her specials, Bastianich travels to chef Jacques Pepin's Connecticut home, where they discuss Bastille Day. In Galveston, Texas, actress Anna Deavere Smith accompanies Bastianich as she learns about Juneteenth, the celebration of Galveston's slaves being freed two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And in New York, she celebrates Philippines Independence Day with actor Alec Mapa. All, of course, are done with food as a central theme, and Bastianich tries new dishes, including Filipino banana ketchup. When she learns that it's put on pasta, the celebrated Italian chef jokingly says, "That's sacrilegious." Bastianich visits Monticello in Virginia, where a naturalization ceremony is held on Independence Day. "We followed one young lady who was Persian, and she never had an opportunity to vote," Bastianich says. The moment she's a citizen, the woman registers to vote. Bastianich, an immigrant from the former Istria, spent two years in a political refugee camp, then came here with her family when she was 12. She completely relates to wanting to exercise the privilege of casting a ballot. "When I came to America, we finally found a place to call home," she says. "When I was 18, I wanted to become part of this country." Bastianich cherishes the freedoms here and, like so many immigrants, remembers what she was once denied. "I was small, but I knew I could not go to church," she says. "I knew my grandmother had to sneak me in. I know what it means to gain freedom. I realized this is an opportunity and I took it. "And there is so much that one can do that America offers," she continues. "I want to tell everyone how wonderful America is, and how great and how much it does for all different ethnicities and still allows us to be ourselves." What did you have for dinner last night? "It was ... my grandson's birthday. To begin, we had prosciutto melon and tomatoes bruschetta. Then we had tortellini, stuffed dumplings in chicken broth, then roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, grilled mushrooms and peppers, and salad from my garden. We had a rainbow cookie cake and a big bowl of cherries." What is your next project? "A book coming out, 'Lidia's Wisdom in the Kitchen.' " When was the last vacation you took – where and why? "I just came back yesterday with my youngest grandchildren from Orlando. My special gift is to take them to travel because they learn. For Thanksgiving, I took them to Vienna. When school finishes, I am leaving with the two older boys to Spain." Lidia Bastianich toasts freedom in PBS special BEST TELEVISION HELP Conchata Ferrell Jean Marsh Christopher Hewett 8 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • June 24-30, 2013 Alfred (Alan Napier, "Batman," ABC, 196668) Always ready to assist boss Bruce Wayne (Adam West), alias the Caped Crusader, Alfred sometimes went into the field to help. Giles French (Sebastian Cabot, "Family Affair," CBS, 1966-71) Though he was as unprepared to welcome three children into the household as his employer, Bill Davis (Brian Keith), gentleman's gentleman "Mr. French" quickly warmed to the youths. Alice (Ann B. Davis, "The Brady Bunch," ABC, 1969-74) Whatever else may have plagued the blended family – more-popular sisters, footballdamaged noses, green hair, etc. – they always could count on housekeeper Alice for wisdom and a really good home-cooked meal. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle, "Maude," CBS, 1972-74) In maintaining her dignity and sense of irony, Florida offered perfect counterpoint to liberal, sometimes unaware Maude (Beatrice Arthur) ... thus earning her own spinoff, "Good Times." BY JAY BOBBIN Rose Buck (Jean Marsh, "Upstairs Downstairs," PBS, 1974-77, 2011-12) In portraying the chief maid of a Victorian England household, Emmy winner Marsh was more qualified than most for the part, since she also co-created the series (with actress friend Eileen Atkins). Benson (Robert Guillaume, "Soap," ABC, 1977-79; "Benson," ABC, 1979-86) It's a good thing Benson was so effective as a manservant, since with his frequently caustic wisecracks to his employers, he might not have kept his job otherwise. Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett, "Mr. Belvedere," ABC, 1985-90) Another servant in the Mr. French mold (though this character was created in the 1940s), ultra-British Belvedere brought a sense of order to a sportswriter's (Bob Uecker) Pennsylvania household. Berta (Conchata Ferrell, "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 2003-present) Good for a laugh every time she shows up, this sassy, no-nonsense housekeeper has her bosses' number. Clearly.

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