Today's Entertainment

As well-versed as she clearly is in kitchens, Rachael Ray also knows what it takes to get food to a customer's table. Heading toward the ninth season of her syndicated weekday show, the popular personality rewards waiters and waitresses in Food Network's "The Big Tip With Rachael Ray" Sunday, June 8. The first in a projected series of specials, it fulfills what Ray says was her aim of doing "a show that incorporated food-service professionals. Food Network approached me about doing a show about extraordinary people who happened to wait tables for a living but also were great parents or children or community service providers who have a great tale to tell." The subjects believe they're involved in a different sort of show that showcases restaurants throughout America. "Then, unbeknownst to them, I come into town," Ray explains. "I chat with them a bit, then I give away a lot of money. Two people get $1,000, then one person gets $10,000 in cash." Since her family owned and managed restaurants, Ray is reminded strongly of her own roots by her "Big Tip" experiences. "I remember, when I was a kid waiting on tables, how much it meant to me when you'd give someone a $3 check and they'd leave you five bucks. Or when a bunch of construction guys would come in and leave you a 20. It was a big deal, not only for your confidence level, but it really made you feel special and valued. "It's very humbling to work in the service industry in general," notes Ray, "and I've said many times that everyone should have to do that. It teaches you humility and the importance and integrity of physical labor, and it's memory skill, juggling timetables and schedules. It's actually very mentally taxing to be a very good waiter or waitress." Rachael Ray and Food Network offer food servers a 'Big Tip' Rachael Ray BY JAY BOBBIN What are you currently reading? "John le Carre's 'A Most Wanted Man.' It's going to come out over the summer as a film ... one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's last films. I love John le Carre, and I've been wanting to read it for a while." What did you have for dinner last night? "I made slow-smoked Tuscan rosemary chicken with a Vin Santo glaze and Italian potato salad, and some berries for dessert." What is your next project? "I just printed my 22nd book, and it was 640- something pages, single-spaced. It's called 'Everyone Is Italian on Sundays' ... and it may not come out until next year, because I think I overwhelmed the publisher a bit with how large it got!" When was the last vacation you took – where and why? "It's not really vacation, but in March, there was the South by Southwest Festival where we throw a big music, food and drink party every year." BEST ROBERT DE NIRO MOVIES "Mean Streets" (1973) De Niro cemented his union with director Martin Scorsese with this gritty drama of a cut-rate mobster in New York's Little Italy. "The Godfather: Part II" (1974) De Niro moved into the movie mainstream, and earned his first Academy Award, as the younger Vito Corleone in flashbacks. "Taxi Driver" (1976) Reteaming with Scorsese for a truly iconic performance, De Niro stars as Travis Bickle, malcontent cabbie and self-appointed protector of a young prostitute. "The Deer Hunter" (1978) His part was the film's least showy, but De Niro did much for this drama of several steel-town friends who go to war in Vietnam. "Raging Bull" (1980) With his physical transformation and a brilliant performance for director Scorsese, De Niro was not to be denied another Oscar as boxer Jake La Motta. "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) Working for another renowned director, Sergio Leone, De Niro played a gangster reflecting on earlier experiences. "The Untouchables" (1987) Though his actual screen time is limited, De Niro casts a long shadow as underworld legend Al Capone. "Goodfellas" (1990) De Niro's quiet confidence cloaks an inner rage as fatherly mob leader Jimmy Conway. "Cape Fear" (1991) The role of vengeful ex-con Max Cady lets De Niro put his own shocking twists on a part originated almost 30 years earlier by Robert Mitchum. "Heat" (1995) Both on his own and in his moments with Al Pacino, De Niro is superb as a master bank robber who ultimately pulls one job too many. "Analyze This" (1999) De Niro smartly sent up many of his previous roles as a mobster seeking therapy from a nervous psychiatrist (Billy Crystal). "Meet the Parents" (2000) In the start of a franchise that's still going strong with "Little Fockers," De Niro played an ex-CIA man who didn't make things easy for his prospective son-in-law (Ben Stiller) during an eventful visit. "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) Not only did De Niro earn another Oscar nomination for playing Bradley Cooper's father, there's subtext to the performance since the actors are close in real life. BY JAY BOBBIN "Cape Fear" "Taxi Driver" "Raging Bull" 8 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • June 9 - 15, 2014

• Cover