An Evening With ‘Cougar Town’ at the Paley Festival

Last week I attended the Cougar Town panel at the Paley Festival, a two-week long celebration of television.

After a clip from The Lucy Show from the Paley Center’s archives and a quick introduction by Bill Lawrence, the lights dimmed for a preview of an upcoming episode of Cougar Town, much to the audience’s delight. Not wanting to spoil the episode, suffice it to say, it caused much laughter with references to blumpy blankets, cat fish, gay-traps, and provided a very funny take on whether men and woman can be friends.

Attending the Cougar Town panel were cast members Courtney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Christa Miller, as well a co-creator/writer Bill Lawrence, co-creator/writer Kevin Biegel, and moderator John Griffiths of US Weekly. Explaining the absence of Busy Philipps, Bill Lawrence humorously said, “It’s a spoiler – but Busy’s been let go!” But before there could be a roar of outrage from the audience, he hastily added that Busy was actually in Hawaii on vacation. Imagine the chaos that would have caused!

As the evening’s moderator John Griffith’s noted, Cougar Town is credited with reinvigorating the story of a single mom raising a teenager – in spite of the show’s outrageous and somewhat misleading name. In an attempt to clarify how the show fits into the television landscape, Kevin Biegel explained that Cougar Town is actually an “adult family show.” It is a successful blend of both family issues and provocative adult situation comedy.

Explaining the genesis of the show and how its lead Courtney Cox came to be involved, Bill Lawrence shared, “The one thing we were afraid about was the show would only work if you can buy into it being completely self-deprecating and have no vanity whatsoever — you will let people see you in your most embarrassing situations right from the start — and I think [Courtney] is the one actress at her level in Hollywood that was immediately like, ‘Yeah, who gives a sh*t.’” She was the perfect choice to cast for the lead of the series as they needed someone who had no vanity and yet had vulnerability. They really wanted Courtney because as Bill noted, “It starts from the top, [Courtney] has allowed the writers to make fun and jokes about anything.” Despite an initial hesitation to tell her the name of the show, it was Courtney’s fearless attitude about portraying a single mom in her 40’s, daring to embrace life to the fullest and on her own terms without regard to what anyone else would think, that was crucial in making the show the success that it is.

As to how they decided to select the venue of the show, because both Bill and Kevin are from Florida they felt it brought a distinct and refreshing venue to portray and explore. Trying to tie in her own southern roots, Courtney volunteered, “My family lives in Florida, but I’m from Alabama,” which prompted Brian Van Holt to happily toss out his own southern ancestry, “I’m from the south as well — Southern California!”

Turning back to the inspiration of the show, because the message of the show is to have fun and make no apologies, Bill admitted that he took the opening scene of the pilot episode right out of his own life after he caught his wife, Christa Miller (Ellie on the show), who had just had their 3rd child standing in front of the bathroom mirror, opening her robe and then exclaiming with a profane expletive. He also emphasized that they did not use a body double for that scene in the pilot. It was all 100% Courteney Cox. He noted that because Courteney is so brave and fearless – she is not just a star, but a true leader of the ensemble. When asked about what it was like to play a woman in her 40’s on television, Courteney optimistically said, “I don’t have that many more good years, but the ones I have I’m pretty psyched about!”

As far as other sources of inspiration, Bill Lawrence apparently has the memory of an elephant and can remember conversations nearly verbatim, which frequently turns up as the inspiration for or storyline fodder in future episodes. For example, Josh shared that one day he was playing his guitar outside of his trailer when Bill was driving by in his golf cart, which promptly came to a screeching halt, and Bill told him, “You know, that’s going to be in the next episode!” and next thing Josh knew, in the very next episode Grayson was playing a guitar. When asked if she contributes to the writing on the show, Christa quickly pointed out, “I don’t come up with ideas, I think that’s why our marriage works.” To which Bill smirked and happily said “I’m so glad you said our marriage works!”

Commenting on whether or not either Christa or Courtney are anything like their characters, Bill said that, while Courtney is nicer than her character, Christa is slightly meaner than her character. To which Christa immediately exclaimed, “I am!” and everyone laughed. This was obviously in a spirit of fun and got laughter all around, also prompting Ian to tell Bill that he is welcome to his couch for the night if he needs it! Commenting further about Christa’s friendship with Courtney, Bill said, “The coolest thing is the way that these two have developed a relationship in real life that we can all kind of feed off of and steal from.”

Turning back to the show which has a rather brash sense of humor, Bill acknowledged that it was a balance of naughtiness with family matters mixed in. He also noted that because it is on at the 9:30 p.m. timeslot they have a bit more freedom. Kevin also added that because of that they could write more freely with the dialogue and that they were “blessed to talk how people actually talk.” Kevin then sheepishly admitted that there has been a bit more Standards & Practices scrutiny because they follow Modern Family. But clarifying that Bill noted, “I love Modern Family Fantastic show. I’m a fan, I watch it — but they can have … two guys’ butts touching, but our show is so policed now because it’s Cougar Town.” From his viewpoint it was absurd that anything on Cougar Town was any more risqué than what was already being shown on Modern Family and he felt that the name Cougar Town tends to garner
more strict scrutiny than the show really warrants.

Bill also emphasized that in creating Cougar Town he felt it was important for the audience to have an “emotional connection” with the characters. He shared how when he called his parents to see if they were going to watch the show, his dad’s response was, “If I’m gonna spend a half an hour watching TV, I want to care about someone.” Thus, in his mind, this is the most important element because if the audience cares about the characters, they will want to spend time with them. Bill also explained, “I see people really responding to characters that they care about. The biggest lie in television comedy is that Seinfeld was a show about nothing, because the reason some people wanted the finale to be different is because they loved all those people.” Therefore, the show must offer characters the viewers will tune in for and will want to spend time with. He also noted that he is always tickled when people say they are touched by the show because it is both sweet and tart.

Bill’s own background was working on Friends and Scrubs, two of the most cherished comedies in recent memory. He shared a funny story about how he first met Courtney Cox: “She walked up to me and she said, ‘You know I know this show is really working right now, and that’s just a great thing for everybody. But I’m one of the first people to tell everybody it’s about the writing first, and I just wanted to tell you it’s a joy to work on this show and thanks so much for your hard work — Chris.’” Chris?! Who was Chris? Courtney tried to defend herself by explaining, “I thought [Bill] was Marta [Kauffman]’s assistant!” Apparently they worked out this embarrassing gaff for after Friends, Courtney appeared on Bill’s new show Scrubs.

As to how he became involved with the show, Brian Van Holt said that he got the part because he had previously worked with Bill on Spin City. Brian had since been doing a lot of dramatic work and really wanted to take a break from it and decided to pursue comedy roles. So when he ran into Bill and Christa at a charity event, he made sure to let them know that he would love to work with him again, and lo and behold, Bill called him the very next day! He ruefully admitted that he had the worst on-camera audition for the part of Grayson, but then luckily he nailed the part of Bobby. He is clearly fond of his television family as he happily shared, “I think we’re a functioning, dysfunctional crew and band of people.” When asked why Bobby lives on a land-boat, Bill explained, “I thought we were making a joke when we decided to have Brian’s character live in a land boat – but my uncle Bob, who is a great fishing guy, sent me an e-mail saying here are 5 pictures of my friends living in their land boats.” And apparently this little bit of comedy actually touched a nerve of authenticity.

Dan, who plays Courtney and Brian’s son on the show, is the straight man to the crazy antics of the adults on the show and, as Travis, is oftentimes the most sane in an insane world. “Dan as an actor never seems like a victim. Sometimes he seems like the smartest character on the show,” Bill observed prompting Van Holt to proudly shout-out, “that’s my boy!” Dan was also noted to have a kind of “Tom Hanks” kind of vibe with a “Running With Scissors” kind of twist, but with an undercurrent of love and, throughout the zaniness of all these adults rediscovering their youth, it is actually Dan’s character that is the heart of the show.

Also referring to the familial atmosphere, Ian Gomez shared that, “It’s like we’re a bunch of kids.” He also commented that one of things he loves about he and Christa’s characters is, “I’m not just a hen pecked husband and she’s not just a raging bitch” and he feels drawn to the deeper aspects of the relationship between his and Christa’s characters. Ian said, “I like the fact that we have really a sexy relationship on the show –” prompting Christa to yell out, “ — and in real life!” Which prompted a funny mock expression by Ian and a bunch of laughs from the audience. Clearly Ian and Christa have a lot of fun playing their characters and they performed a funny skit on how they get ready for “make out” scenes by pretending to not be able to check with their respective spouses due to various technical difficulties with their email and cell phones. After that humorous re-enactment, Bill noted that Ellie and Andy actually do have the sweetest relationship on the show which is something they purposely cultivate and highlight.

Kevin Biegel, whose background included writing for South Park and Grounded For Life, admitted he has learned a lot from Bill while working with him on both Cougar Town and Scrubs. He described it like a father-son relations – or he hastily amended, an older-brother/younger-brother kind of relationship after he saw Bill’s look of mock-horror. Kevin also shared a funny story about how when he first interviewed with Bill he knew that Bill was a basketball freak, so he naturally told Bill that he could play basketball, but in truth Kevin is the most uncoordinated person – which fortunately, Bill did not find out until after he hired him.

As for the direction of the show, Courtney reiterated that she is game for anything. Bill, however, unequivocally stated that unlike many popular television shows, they will not be dragging out the “will they or wont they” storylines. So as to the future of Jules-Grayson relationship, Bill explained, “I think most shows set up expectations – will they or won’t they, and stuff like that and drag them on forever. I like blowing that stuff up immediately. . . . and so we’re not going to drag that stuff out. So the end of this year it gets naughty and fun for Courtney and Josh.”

As for Josh, it was noted that after Travis’ fake coming-out to Grayson that it seemed like Grayson had become more a part of the family. Bill noted it was by sheer force of Jules’ will that Grayson has become a part of the family. He personally loved the scene which highlighted Grayson’s’ capitulation and acceptance when Jules threw her arms around Grayson in a bear-hug and refused to let go until he relaxed into it and agreed to come to dinner. Just watching Josh initially freeze up and then melt into her arms was relatable to Bill who confided that he hates to be touched and unfortunately Courtney is a toucher. So for him that scene was the epitome of one of Courtney’s key characteristics which he incorporated into Jules.

Finally, when it was his turn to share a bit about his role on the show Josh caught a glimpse of himself on the big screen behind him and exclaimed, “God, I’m good looking! Why didn’t you tell me?” Christa then sweetly said, “But Josh, you make us tell you every single day!” Despite this comedic exchange, Josh was quick to compliment his co-star by saying of Courtney, “It’s like working with a comedy ninja. She’s so good– and quick and funny!”

In summing up, Bill was also generous in noting that, “Great actors in television take possession of their characters quickly” and they “make C+ material A+ material.” And after watching how verbally quick each of them were on stage, it is clear this cast not only has fun working together, they bring their A-game to the show and it shows.

Cougar Town airs on Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.

Nice Boy of the Week: Tom Schanley

This week’s Nice Boy fell into our laps as a very pleasant surprise. Tom Schanley is scheduled to appear in the next episode of Castle entitled The Mistress Always Spanks Twice. In this epsidoe, William Carraway, played by Schanley, becomes a suspect when one of his known sexual “turn-ons” matches the evidence in the homicide of a New York dominatrix.

As an Actor, Tom Schanley is known mostly for his work in television, on shows like Criminal Minds, Dexter and the CSI’s, but he has also had the privilege of working with some of the cinematic icons of our time:  Academy Award winning director Ed Zwick and Denzel Washington in Courage Under Fire,  Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts in Conspiracy Theory among others.   Along with his writing partner Jon Lindstrom, Tom wrote and executive produced the feature film The Hard Easy, starring David Boreanaz, Bruce Dern and Vera Farmiga.

Watch Tom on Castle, Monday, Mar. 8, 10/9 central, on ABC.

New Dancing With the Stars Cast Announced; Nice Girl Finally Lured Into Watching

When the latest round of Dancing With the Stars competitors were announced, I went to skim through as usual, expecting to draw a blank on most of them, a chuckle on a couple, then shrug and not think about the show again until the next cast list was announced.

I’ve never watched a single episode of DWTS, but ABC got me this time. Here’s pretty much how it went down: Oh look, Kate Gosselin, that should be terrible. Pamela Anderson? Ew. Who is Jake Pavelka? Buzz Aldrin, that’s pretty cool, but can he dance? Evan Lysa…WHAT?!?!? <censored for non-Nice Girl language>

That’s right, the ABC juggernaut snagged my Olympic boyfriend, Evan Lysacek, for this round of dancing. And you know he’s got the moves, so he’ll probably be around for a while. If they’d announced this in another week or so, I probably would have been able to shrug it off, but this soon after the Olympics? Still crushing on the gold medal winner? Well played, ABC, well played. DWTS will get a season pass on my DVR, but just so you know, I’ll be fast forwarding to Evan’s performances and skipping everything else. Except maybe Buzz Aldrin. A Nice Girl’s gotta have standards, after all.

DWTS premieres Monday, March 22. Watch Chuck first, then feel free to join me in cheering for Evan and/or mock my crush.

Below, Evan Lysacek presents the Top 10 list on last night’s Late Show With David Letterman:

An Evening with “Modern Family” at the Paley Festival

An evening with the cast and creative team of ABC’s Modern Family produces plenty of laughs.

As one would expect attending an evening with one of the most ridiculously talented bunch of comedians currently on television, the Paley Festival presentation in honor of Modern Family was filled with laughter. Riding high off of their recent wins for Best Episodic Comedy and Best New Series from the Writer’s Guild and for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series from the Director’s Guild, as well as nominations for Outstanding Performance by Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild, Best Television Series – Comedy by the Golden Globes, and Best Comedy by the Writer’s Guild, Modern Family has lived up to its reputation as the best new show on television. Critically lauded as the “must watch” show of the fall season, Modern Family has consistently won its time-slot with viewers and only continues to garner more and more attention, not to mention rave reviews.

Watching a clip from the pilot episode of Married . . . With Children, the show credited with launching the as yet unknown comedy actor Ed O’Neill, it was startling to see how young he looked. But it was also clear where he perfected his comedic skills. With that blast from the past setting up the evening, and after quick introductions by co-creator Steven Levitan, those of us in attendance were lucky enough to see a yet unaired episode of Modern Family entitled, “Fears.” Without spoiling too much, the fears addressed included: buried treasure, roller coasters and a driving test. Trust me when I say, this will all make sense once you have seen the show! As a fan of show, this was a wonderful treat. It was also perhaps the best episode to date and the entire auditorium was soon holding their sides with laughter.

Once the episode ended and the laughter died down, introductions were made and the cast was brought out. Moderating the Q&A portion of the event was Billy Bush from Access Hollywood. Understanding that we were all anxious to see the real stars of the show, he quickly introduced Steven Levitan, Jason Winer, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. It should be noted that, besides being one of the co-creators of the show, Steven Levitan also wrote the episode “Fears,” and Jason Winer is one of the series’ directors. Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet make up the adult cast members on the show, but, sadly, the younger cast could not attend and were sorely missed.

To start the moderated Q&A portion of the evening, Billy threw out a softball question by asking the cast if any of them do not like seeing themselves on screen. To get things rolling, Ty Burrell volunteered, “I don’t ever like to see my Franken-brow.” His candor and willingness to poke fun at himself earned a round of laughter and, with the ice broken, it became an evening where they tried to one up one another and played to the audience for laughs.

In response to the comment that Modern Family has been called the savior of sitcom, Steven Levitan merely grinned and modestly said that, while a high compliment, he simply had no idea when he was creating the show that it was going to be as big a hit as it is. He added that, while there is no way to gauge what is going to be the next big hit, he is extremely honored by the warm reception and hopes they can live up to the bar now set for themselves. As he said, “This is so far one of those rare cases where it just felt right as soon as we started bringing these people together. It just felt good pretty immediately. And you can’t predict this. It’s impossible. . . .We’re just happy to be happy – we’re so thrilled – we’re so happy to be even in the game that we’re just embracing every minute of it.”

When asked about the genesis of the series, Steven shared that, after their prior television series had been cancelled, Modern Family was born of a sit-down meeting he had with co-creator Christopher Lloyd. They had been sitting around brainstorming ideas for a television show when they discovered that all they wanted to talk about were the funny things going on in their lives –and it was those funny stories that laid the foundation for Modern Family. Steven summed it up with, “I think when you start from a place like that, which is real and honest, good things tend to happen.” And because of the show’s success, Steven admitted that he just keeps pinching himself and now he’s black and blue all over. “We walk around hugging each other, then we’re terrified we can’t keep it up.”

Turning to casting, each cast member shared a bit about how they came to be involved with the show. Ed O’Neill shared that initially he had no intention of ever doing another half-hour comedy after the monumental success and long run of Married . . . With Children, but after reading the script for Modern Family, he immediately thought, “Oh my God, I’ve gotta go back to work.” Plus, he tossed out with aplomb that there was the added bonus of being cast to play the husband of Sofia Vergara. He also shared that, “Then when I started to work with these guys, I thought ‘my god, where did they these find these people’ – I mean it was just joy – it is, I have to pinch myself.”

According to Eric Stonestreet, who plays one half of the married gay couple on the show, he said that this was his dream show with a dream cast and a dream writer. As far as playing a gay character, while he himself is not, he humorously clarified, “I’m appreciative of all my fans, no matter how much hair they have on their back.” Though in his personal life, he admitted, “I have a little bit of a hole to dig myself out of with the ladies.” He also confirmed that, as perhaps a tribute to his own wonderful mother, he incorporates some of his mother’s characteristics when playing Cameron. He explained that, “She’s very passionate. She’s a real person — she’s just excitable.” Eric also shared a bit about the now famous “moon landing” scene and how a friend of his actually flew in to watch the filming just so that he could witness Eric film the “moon landing” with Ed O’Neill. So, as Eric nonchalantly said, “You know, work hard, believe in yourself — and maybe one day you too can touch asses with a television icon.”

The other half of the Cameron-Mitchell couple is played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson who shared from his own personal experience what it was like trying out for the role of Mitchell. While auditioning, Jesse never thought he would actually get the part, but it was in the forefront of his mind that he wanted this role badly: “I got this script and it was just one of those things where it just falls in your lap and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’” So when he and Eric tested together for the studio to see if they had any chemistry, he threw himself into it with determination and gusto. So much so in fact that he was completely oblivious to the fact that when he and Eric had set up to meet at a nearby coffee shop for a script read through that it was Valentine’s Day. It was a funny moment like their characters would have had and it immediately set the tone for them working together as their characters. Jesse also shared that he loves working with the darling baby who plays Lily, Cam and Mitchell’s adopted daughter – despite the fact it is nearly impossible to make her cry which meant they had to bring in a teenager on the studio lot with the wildest hair just to get her to cry. But other than having a baby that likes to smile more than she likes to cry, Jesse was clearly ecstatic to be a part of both his fictional and real-life studio families.

No less delighted to be working on the show, Sofia Vergara was beaming with pride and happiness as well. When asked what drew her to the show, Sofia slyly announced, “I never thought I would be married to Al Bundy!” Stemming from her deeply rooted admiration for Ed, Sofia also loves working with him because they have the same work ethic and tend to work the same way. Their motto is, “Let’s do this fast and then go home.” While they love working together, they also value their time with their families. Sofia also commented that as far as the relationship between Gloria and Jay, “You start understanding perfectly why they are perfect for each other because they do get something out of each other — I mean, it’s obvious what he gets from me!” Then as if that comment was not outrageous enough, Ed shared a story how on the Ellen Show when Sofia was asked the question of when she learned she was beautiful, she responded with a mischievous glint in her eye, “I always knew it!” Sofia summed up her happiness with the the show by saying, “I love the character. It’s fantastic. . . I have so much fun on the set. . . It’s a pleasure. I love everybody on the show and we really like each other, so I think it is like a dream come true to be part of something that everybody loves.”

Next, sharing from his own experience, Ty Burrell said as far as his character Phil is concerned, it is like he is playing a happy puppy dog and it feels like a nice vacation from his own neurotic life. For Phil is one of those people who wears you down with his relentless, militant positive attitude. He explained that Phil may not appeal to people who meet him just once, but those kind of people will eventually worm their way into your good graces. “They annoy the crap out of you, but they wear you down.” Plus, as Steven pointed out, he based Phil upon himself and, as a result, “I have a warm place in my heart for the dorky dad who scores a hot wife.” (Steven made sure to point out his own very lovely wife as he said this and he is clearly a very happily married man who scored his own hot wife!) When asked about what it is like to now be recognized everywhere he goes, Ty shared an anecdotal story about a homeless guy in Central Park who
stopped him to talk to him about the show — clearly, you know you have made it when the homeless have seen your show! He also said it is the biggest compliment when people stop to tell him that they love to watch the show as a family.

As for Julie Bowen, she was simply astonished to hear that during this current pilot season she is the most requested type during auditions, for apparently all the casting directors want a “Julie Bowen” for their show. But, as for how she came to be attached to Modern Family, she shared that for her the primary appeal was the fact that the show was a half-hour comedy. Coming off of working on hour-long dramas like Ed and Boston Legal, she was ready for an easier work day – particularly as at the time they filmed the pilot episode, she was nine months pregnant. In fact, in order to hide her pregnancy, they worked really hard to use all the kids to the best strategic advantage and that the actor who plays Claire’s son, Luke, was just the right height to help conceal her baby-bump. Another key factor for Julie is that working on a fast-paced show makes her performance fresher and more interesting, “You don’t get to the end of the day feeling you’ve beaten the scene to death, looking for the jokes over and over again. . . [On Modern Family] we just find it very quickly and we’re done. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had.” So Julie likes both the freedom and refreshing change of pace. Then, responding to the question as to why women are not perceived as funny and before Julie could respond, Sofia laughed and said, “I think it’s important not to be afraid to look like a fool,” prompting Julie to look at her incredulously and retort, “When do mean ‘you look like a fool?’ Does ‘fool’ in English mean the same thing in Spanish? [Mimicking Sofia’s accent] ‘Fool’ is a beautiful lady!” As the laughter subsided, Julie Bowen also let it slip that in one of the upcoming episodes her character has an all-out brawl with a security guard, which she had enormous fun filming. It was a chance to just go all out and she just loved it.

Shedding some light on the character of Claire, Steven noted that Claire needs Phil to balance out her wild-side. As for the kids on the show, Julie shared that they are constantly full of surprises and are a delight to them all, for the kids are a very “gifty” bunch and are constantly making gifts for everyone. Thus, it is especially fun to have them all together, which is rare, like at table reads. Because they are so happy to see each other and because of the familial atmosphere, it makes it such a joy to be there.

When asked how much of the show really is based on experiences in his own life, Steven shared that like in a prior episode, he one day came home to find the television remote in a million pieces by the front door and that one time he walked into his daughter’s room in his underwear while she was on a video conference with friends on her computer. He also shared that Barkley the Dog Butler has been relocated into their writing offices and it is constantly scaring or startling people who are not aware that it is there or who have forgotten about it. He also sheepishly confessed to writing the lyrics to the infamous “I just want to do you” song that the character Dylan sang on the show. He explained that he felt the lyrics needed to be shocking yet believable as it had to be something that Dylan felt was okay in his mind. He also noted that Reed, who plays Dylan, wrote the music for the song.

Steven also made sure to emphasize that all the jokes in each episode are actually written into each script. “It’s 100% the script. We start with nice solid script and then we start playing with it and fortunately we’ve cast people who are very smart and very funny. Your worst nightmare as a writer is ‘let’s improv a little bit’ and then you watch what they do and then it’s ‘let’s go back to the script.’ Instead, what we have here are people making things funnier and quite often we get in a situation where that doesn’t quite work, we’ll just start playing, and they do – and they make it better and we discover moments – and I think we have a lot of fun doing it.” Jason Winer said that, while they do have some improvisation, he feels that greater improv comes from knowing the characters better, particularly as the show is still so new. However, they did like the one scene in which Jay apologized for running his model airplane into Phil’s face and Julie Bowen instinctively kissed Ed on the top of the head at the end of the episode and said, “Thanks, Dad,” which surprised Ed greatly as it was not in the script. But it felt so natural. One reason the show is written with such a fast pace is to keep the scenes moving quickly so that everyone is not so exhausted and helps keep the viewer engaged.

Steven also clarified that Modern Family is a family show told documentary-style, rather than a show that is pretending to be a real documentary. Levitan said, “The simple reason is that I love these characters. I’m very protective of these characters and, if these characters allowed cameras into their homes and into their children’s rooms and into their bathroom, I wouldn’t like them.” As for the role of the camera on Modern Family, Ty Burrell said “I like that we don’t explain it.” He noted that only the family typically acknowledges the camera, so this is like inviting the audience to be a family member – more intimate that way. And what a marvelous family it is to be a part of – it shines like a beacon on Wednesday nights and it is a joy to tune-in and share in their exuberant antics for awhile.

Modern Family airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Spotlight On: Ana Ortiz

Seemingly coming out of nowhere in the early 2000’s, Ana Ortiz was soon outshining her bigger name co-stars, Kristin Chenoweth (“Pushing Daisies”) and Jon Tenny (“The Closer”) in the television series “Kristin.” It was quickly apparent that the theatrically trained starlet was bound and determined to make a name for herself in television, particularly after her initial attempts to make an entrance only landed a few nameless roles in shows such as “Condition Red” and “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.” So when the opportunity arose to demonstrate her comedic chops and screen presence, Ana rose to the occasion. While the role on “Kristin” was short-lived because the series lasted only 11 episodes, Ana was off and running, and quickly moved on to a series of guest appearances on shows like “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Greetings from Tucson,” “NYPD Blue” “Strong Medicine,” “ER,” “A.U.S.A.,” “North Shore,” “Blind Justice,” and “Freddie.” Along the way she also took the time to appear in the films “Mr. St. Nick” with Kelsey Grammer and “Carolina” with Julia Stiles and Shirley MacLaine.

Finally after four years of persistence, Ana’s unique ability to bring a light comedic touch to dramatic roles landed her a seven episode arc on the Iraq war drama “Over There” alongside Sprague Grayden (known for her roles in cult favorites “John Doe” and “Jericho”) and Luke MacFarlane (who now plays Scotty on “Brothers & Sisters”). Once her story arc concluded, Ana quickly snagged a plum guest appearance role
as a tenacious ADA on the David E. Kelley legal drama, “Boston Legal.”

But these were but stepping stones to the role of a lifetime as immediately afterward Ana landed the role of Hilda Suarez, Betty’s sister in the ABC fashion sensation “Ugly Betty.” Playing a young mother struggling to provide for her precocious son, Ana’s natural grace and razor-sharp delivery of side-splitting one-liners was
captivating. She managed to bring warmth and poignancy to a role that could have easily been a caricature. Instead she brought to life a character that many young women could identify with and even aspire to.

During “Ugly Betty’s” four year run, Ana also found the time to work on a few film projects as well, such as “Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story” with A. Martinez and “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan. Clearly, Ana is not one to sit still and moves with apparent effortless ease between comedy and drama.

It has been a privilege to watch Ana blossom into the captivating actress she is today and we can only hope to see her in other such unique and inspiring roles in the future.

“Ugly Betty” airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.

So Long, Betty: ABC Cancels Ugly Betty

Darn it! Ugly Betty’s fab fourth season will be i’s last, per a joint announcement from ABC prez Steve McPherson and Ugly Betty’s excec producer Silvio Horta.

“We’ve mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty’s final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell.”

I suppose the silver lining is that the writers will have enough time to write a series finale, tying up all the storylines. Shall we start speculating now about who will end up with whom and where? I can see Betty breaking off on her own to start a new magazine or taking control of a floundering mag and turning it around. Willie runs off with Connor (finally) and Marc takes over her job at Mode. Amanda gets a fashion editor position (finally). Do Hilda and Bobby end up together? Which of Betty’s many admirers does she end up with, or does she end up with any of them? What’s in Daniel’s future?

Nice Boy of the Week: Matt Long

Matt Long has the honor of being the first Nice Boy of 2010! Matt is going to be appearing in an upcoming new series on ABC, The Deep End. This show looks like it could be a lot of fun and I hope it does well, because it’s good to see Matt back on our TV screens.

Matt’s previous television series, Jack & Bobby, ended five years ago (although you can still watch episodes on theWB.com), but he’s kept busy, appearing in Ghost Rider as the young Johnny Blaze, and playing Tyler Prince in Sydney White, a film based on the Snow White story and starring Amanda Bynes.

Catch Matt in The Deep End, premiering January 21, on ABC.

Catch Nice Girl’s Faves on Late Night and Daytime

I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching talent from some of our favorite television shows playing around with talk show hosts. In an effort to organize my DVR settings, I’m going to attempt to post a listing, when available, of late night and daytime talk show appearances. I hope this will aid you as well.

Nathan Fillion (Castle) – Regis & Kelly Monday, Jan. 11

Matt Bomer (White Collar) – Regis & Kelly Friday, Jan. 15

Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) – Regis & Kelly Monday, Jan. 18

That’s it for a start. Am I missing one of your faves?

Digital Noise: FlashForward Hits Pause; Cougar Town Stops, Starts

ABC sure doesn’t balk at putting production on hiatus, does it? Last Thursday came word that production on Cougar Town would go on hiatus while star Courteney Cox handled some “family issues”. Yesterday it was confirmed that while the show did miss a day of production last week, they’ll resume production on November 29 after the already-planned hiatus for Thanksgiving this week. Confused? In short: everyone got to break for Thanksgiving a day early.

Meanwhile, ABC halted production on FlashForward for six days, but says it’s no big deal. “They started production early so that they could have the luxury to do this,”a rep tells EW’s Ausiello. “They want to maintain the high quality of the show, and this gives the writers the opportunity to do so.” In other words, FlashForward gets a Thanksgiving break, too.

After pulling all of this information together, I have to ask: Is any of this truly newsworthy? Heaps of drama over “production shut downs” that end up pretty much coinciding with what the rest of the U.S. is doing this week – taking a break for Thanksgiving. What do you think, worth reporting or much ado about nothing?

Spotlight on: Elizabeth Mitchell

First gracing the television screen in 1993 on the television series Dangerous Curves, Elizabeth Mitchell quickly began an ascent that has taken her to starring in two of the most buzzed about series currently on television: V and Lost.

While few watched her debut into the television arena, she has proven over the years to be an actress who naturally stands-out and makes her presence felt. Not content with a mere wallflower role, she began getting noticed for her steely resistance and stunning good looks. Then, in 1998, she was cast in a ground-breaking role as the lover of Angelina Jolie in  Gia. That was quickly followed by a role in the short-lived TV series Significant Others, in which she co-starred with Jennifer Garner (Alias) and Michael Weatherly (NCIS).

Fortunately, her next project was a feature film Frequency, a sci-fi film starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. Alas, being cast as Dennis Quaid’s wife was not enough to keep her on the big screen and Elizabeth was soon back on television appearing in another short-lived series Time of Your Life, which coincidentally co-starred Jennifer Garner, Pauley Perrette (NCIS), and Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer).

Still not finding a secure niche, Elizabeth tackled the role of Dr. Kim Legaspi, the lover of Dr. Kerry Weaver in the hit drama ER. It was during this time period that she fine-tuned her comedic skills by co-starring in the films The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3 with comedian Tim Allen. She also balanced her comedic forays by working in the short-lived legal drama The Lyon’s Den which starred Rob Lowe. Bouncing between serious, comedic and earnest 20-something roles, Elizabeth built a fine resume of solid work experience showing off not only her versatility, but her strong work ethic and willingness to step-outside the box to portray strong yet vulnerable women.

It was that more than anything that perhaps brought her to the attention of Lost, where she scored the role of a lifetime, playing the ambiguous, resilient and astoundingly lethal Juliet Burke – and, for the first time, stole the limelight from a popular co-star and claimed the heart of the bad-boy with a heart of gold, James “Sawyer” Ford. Over the course of four seasons, Elizabeth not only stole scenes and attention, she carved out a fanatic fan-base and managed to become the heart and hero of the show. So much so that in May 2009, she literally ended the season with a bang and created one of the biggest cliff-hangers of the series.

Simultaneously, not being one to sit still, Elizabeth managed to sneak off and score one of the most coveted roles of sci-fi television, the part of Erica Evans, the FBI agent in the new hit sci-fi series V. Unlike the morally ambiguous Juliet she plays on Lost, on V Elizabeth is clearly the moral center and is fighting to save the human race. This is ironic, given that she did virtually the same thing on Lost – she may have saved the world by setting off a nuclear bomb and resetting the fractured timeline.

So with the final season of Lost looming on the horizon and a bright and shiny future beckoning with the series V, Elizabeth seems destined for greatness. With her luminous, poignant and steely portrayals, she has embraced difficult roles and made them her own and won the admiration of the television audience forever.

Elizabeth Mitchell stars in V which airs Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. on ABC. However, V will be on hiatus until March 2010 due the holidays and the winter Olympics. Be sure to tune back in March! Lost returns February 2 at 9/8c on ABC; when V returns in March it will be the lead-in for Lost.

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