Today's Entertainment

A lot of adult children struggle to get their parents out of the house. Vinny Guadagnino created a TV show that did just that with his mother. In his Tuesday Cooking Channel food and travel series "Vinny & Ma Eat America," the former "Jersey Shore" star and his mom, Paola, traverse the country, stopping in locales such as San Francisco, Colorado, New Orleans and Nashville to try new foods and experiences and have a few laughs along the way. The twist is that while Vinny is game for just about anything, Paolo has rarely set foot outside of her adopted homeland of Staten Island since emigrating there from Sicily at the age of 10, and she isn't all that thrilled about trying new things. So dishes like sushi, worm tacos and Rocky Mountain oysters – aka deep- fried bull testicles – would leave her at loose ends. Justifiably so, one might say. "It shows a fun way of getting her out there, getting her to try new things, which she hates," the younger Guadagnino explains. "But also each episode, we kind of get her in the kitchen because that's where she shines and that's where she thrives. So we go into all these different kitchens across the country and they do like a little lesson and teach us, and my mom actually teaches them a thing or two." And Mom can cook. Vinny recalls being well-stocked with food and goodies as a child even though his family didn't have a lot of money. Her lovingly made Italian meals gave him a lifelong love of and appreciation for food. Their relationship is clearly what makes the series go and it's what viewers responded to when Vinny and Paola appeared together on an episode of Food Channel's "The Great Food Truck Race" in September. "I got all these messages from people that were like, 'Oh my God, thank you. My mom passed away and this really reminded me of her and brought back memories,' " he says. "And every time, all my tweets and stuff were all like, 'I feel like this is with my mom,' 'I feel like this,' whatever. "So I had no idea," he continues. "I didn't think of that when I was watching the show, that people were going to actually feel like they were in the car with us and having these experiences with their own family. And that makes it extra-cool because then it's just more than about the food." Vinny and Paola Guadagnino BY GEORGE DICKIE 'Vinny & Ma' take a road trip of discovery on Cooking Channel What book are you currently reading? "I'm re-reading 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle." What did you have for dinner last night? "Yesterday was Sunday so that was my cheat meal because I usually eat healthy during the week. I had margarita pizza and my mom's fried chicken cutlets. ... It was great." What is your next project? "My next project is this – 'Vinny & Ma Eat America.' We hope to see how the premiere does. Hopefully we can go out there and film more episodes. But I'm also coming out with my podcast and stand-up comedy and I do improv as well." When was your last vacation, where and why? "I don't really go on many vacations. I feel like I have to be productive on vacation so I would say this show was kind of like a vacation because we traveled around the whole country. One place that we went before we started filming this show on 'The Great Food Truck Race' was Catalina Island off of the coast of California. And I'll tell you, it was beautiful. I've heard about it but it felt like you were in Greece or something, like it's straight out of a postcard." Page 8 February 13 - 19, 2017 Center in Buffalo, N.Y. (N Subject to Blackout) 9:00 p.m. CSNCH NHL Philadelphia Flyers at Edmonton Oilers. From Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. (N) FRIDAY 7:30 p.m. NBCSN College Hockey Providence at No- tre Dame. From Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind. (N) SATURDAY 2:00 p.m. CSNCH NHL Washington Capitals at De- troit Red Wings. From Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. (N) 7:00 p.m. NBCSN College Hockey Providence at No- tre Dame. 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