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Food is so important to Joe Gatto of "Impractical Jokers" – airing Thursdays on truTV – that he includes it in his biography: "Joe spends his spare time eating with his big Italian family and mastering his role as the world's greatest uncle." So much for career highlights and school honors. "My mother had an open-door policy," he says. "She always had enough food a friend could stay for dinner. Absolutely my favorite memories are around the table. The meal is an event. "One of my favorite stories is about my little nephew," Gatto continues. "He's 15 and now bigger than me – and he was the first kid in the family. He had one mini cannoli in one hand, and one in the other; he was in his high chair. One top (of the cannoli) fell off. He looked around and didn't want to put down the cannoli and planted his face right on the table. He was a true Gatto." A decade ago, Gatto was learning to make pasta, but he has since graduated to teriyaki salmon. He always stocks lemonade, cheese, crackers, and bread-and-butter pickles. "Every sandwich I make has to have bread-and-butter pickles," he says. "It makes every sandwich go from good to absolutely delicious." Gatto and his best friends from Staten Island's Monsignor Farrell High formed the Tenderloins, a comedy troupe that made up a goofy "Candid Camera"-type dare show. They often do food jokes, including a memorable one at Redd's at the Meadowlands, where Gatto flung mashed potatoes on unsuspecting diners' plates. He calls it "scoopsi potatahs." He recalls intending to "try something that might get us in trouble." Given that New Jersey diners tend to take less flak than people elsewhere, it's a wonder no one slapped him down as he flung spuds with abandon. "We were trying to embarrass each other," he says. "The best reaction we hope for is when people look and say, 'That guy is crazy!' I felt like that family (who bore the most spattered potatoes) is in for fun and needed potatoes thrown in their world. It felt like a superhero power – throw potatoes and not get punched." What are you currently reading? "I don't really read. I watch movies. The last thing I read was GQ with James Gandolfini on the cover." What did you have for dinner last night? "I had a home-cooked meal, meatloaf with roasted vegetables, a side of pasta with ground beef, and a spinach and artichoke dip and tiramisu." What is your next project? "We're actually working on a second show for truTV, "The After Party," a variety show that will incorporate some studio work." When was the last vacation you took – where and why? "My honeymoon to Bora Bora. Tahiti was absolutely gorgeous. It was like walking on a postcard." BY JACQUELINE CUTLER Funny food for funny guy Joe Gatto BEST 'GIRL' MOVIES Omar Sharif and Barbra Streisand of "Funny Girl" Melanie Griffith of "Working Girl" 8 Anna Chlumsky of "My Girl" The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • January 13-19, 2014 BY JAY BOBBIN "His Girl Friday" (1940) The classic newspaper tale "The Front Page" becomes a battle of the sexes – and a classic in its own right – as Howard Hawks directs Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy in a romantic triangle. "Funny Girl" (1968) Barbra Streisand made a stunning movie debut, and earned an Oscar, by re-creating her stage role as entertainer Fanny Brice. "The Goodbye Girl" (1977) Marsha Mason plays the "girl" of the title in then-husband Neil Simon's script, but Richard Dreyfuss won an Academy Award as her struggling actor roommate. "Gregory's Girl" (1981) Writer-director Bill Forsyth's charming comedy stars Gordon John Sinclair as a student greatly impressed with a female football player (Dee Hepburn). "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985) A classic among those who love it, this comedy gave early starring roles to Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt. "Working Girl" (1988) Director Mike Nichols' great comedy gives Melanie Griffith an ideal part as a secretary in over her head by stepping into her incapacitated boss's (Sigourney Weaver) lifestyle. "My Girl" (1991) Now a regular on "Veep," Anna Chlumsky had an affecting child-star showcase as a youngster who isn't happy when her widower father (Dan Aykroyd) finds love again. "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) Winona Ryder gets top billing, but Oscar winner Angelina Jolie steals this drama about a mental facility's patients and staff. "The Good Girl" (2002) In one of Jennifer Aniston's best movies to date, she plays a married checkout clerk who takes up with a younger store employee (Jake Gyllenhaal). "Mean Girls" (2004) Tina Fey spread her creative wings with her screenplay for this popular comedy about a school newcomer (Lindsay Lohan) who unwittingly makes enemies fast. "The Girl Next Door" (2004) Elisha Cuthbert ("24") does smart, underrated work as a porn movie veteran who has a big impact on her impressionable new neighbor (Emile Hirsch). "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) The Swedish version has its devotees, but the remake offers excellent work by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

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