An Early Look at NBC’s Minute To Win It

In the press kit for their new game show, Minute To Win It, NBC wisely included relevant items from the show: Oreos, M&Ms, golf balls, playing cards, etc. All of these items are part of the various challenges the contestants undertake in hopes of winning that elusive million dollar prize. But after the Oreos have been eaten and the golf balls are in the water hazard, what’s left? A hot mess, that’s what.

Bless Guy Fieri’s heart, he is a likable host and does his best with the incredibly cheesy dialogue he’s given, but he’s also an example of what’s wrong with the show. It’s a mish-mash of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Deal Or No Deal, Stupid Human Tricks, and James Bond. The tone lurches from serious to suspenseful to tongue-in-cheek to trying-too-hard-to-be-clever. There are three different voices – Guy as the host, the British woman who explains the challenges and counts down to the beginning of each game, and the male announcer. It’s all very distracting.

The challenges are fun, though, and although the actress contestant in the episode we were sent was a lot to take in the beginning (she’s certainly energetic), as she gets deeper into the game you begin to root for her. The challenges are surprisingly suspenseful and inspire the viewer to attempt them at home. Fortunately NBC anticipated this and posted instructions on their website for potential contestants to practice on their own.

With an engaging host and fun competitions, Minute To Win It has the potential to be a hit. However, the show needs to find a cohesive theme and a unique voice to truly stand out from the pack instead of feeling like it was made by someone with ADD.

Minute To Win It premieres Sunday, March 14 at 7/6c on NBC.

Psych’s Thrilling Season Finale

Tonight is the thrilling season finale of Psych and it promises to leave you spellbound. In tonight’s episode, a killer targets Shawn using scenarios from classic Hitchcock films. Clues left at the crime scene point to Mr. Yang, but could it be a copycat? Find out tonight as Psych concludes this season with Mr. Yin Presents, featuring the return of guest star Ally Sheedy. Airing tonight at 10/9 central, on USA, you won’t want to miss this.

Check out this chilling preview.

Read our Spotlight on Maggie Lawson, and after the show, come back and enter our giveaway to win an awesome Psych goodie bag, which includes the entire season three DVD set.

What a night!

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.

Spotlight On: Psych’s Maggie Lawson

Working steadily since landing her first television appearance in the mid-1990’s, Maggie Lawson has been slyly scene-stealing for the past 15 years. After a string of guest appearances in shows like “Unhappily Ever After,” “Step by Step,” Cybill,” “Boy Meets World,” and “Home Improvement,” she began testing the feature film waters with appearances in the films “I’ve Been Waiting for You” with Sarah Chalke and Markie Post and “Pleasantville” with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon.

Working around some top notch comedians and drama film stars only continued to shape Maggie into the engaging actress she is today. With a few more quick stops to appear in the cult favorite “Felicity” and the dramatic juggernaut “ER,” Maggie next landed a seven episode arc on the series “Party of Five” starring Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Scott Wolf (“V”), as well as a role alongside Justin Timberlake in the film “Model Behavior.” With an eye for cool leading men, Maggie continued her lightening streak working on the television series “Inside Schwartz” with Breckin Meyer and a brief appearance in the series “Smallville” with Tom Welling.

Then, in 2002, after landing the lead role in the film “Nancy Drew,” Maggie went on to star in the films “Winter Break” with Milo Ventimiglia, “Spellbound” with Dave Annable and “Love Rules” with Joey Lawrence. She also managed to score the leading role on the comedy series “It’s All Relative.” Then, once it ended, she appeared briefly on the cult series “Tru Calling” which starred Eliza Dushku (“Dollhouse”) and Matt Bomer (“White Collar”), and the series “Crumbs” which starred Fred Savage and Eddie McClintock (“Warehouse 13”).

After her role on “Crumbs” wrapped, Maggie’s career hit the jackpot when she was cast as Detective Juliet O’Hara in the comedy series “Psych” alongside James Roday and Dule Hill. On “Psych,” Maggie constantly walks a tight-rope of playing both straight-guy to James Roday and Dule Hill’s hysterical antics and funny-guy to Omundson’s by-the-book Detective Carlton Lassiter. But it is a role she clearly relishes and plays with aplomb and humor. With “Psych” entering its 5th season, the show continues to dabble with the backstories of the characters and the slow dance to see if Shawn and Juliet will end up together.

In the meantime, Maggie has taken the opportunity to use her hiatus breaks to pursue a few film projects and starred in the 2-part Lifetime film series “Killer Hair” and “Hostile Makeover” based on the “Crime of Fashion” mystery books by Ellen Byerrum. Playing fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian with a nose for rooting out murder, Maggie stepped outside the shadow of her comedic co-stars on “Psych” and has shown once again that she can light up the screen with both charm and witty repartee. Maggie is a rare gem that makes any television show or film for which she graces with her presence much more fun and fascinating to watch.

Watch our interview with Maggie at last year’s Comic Con, and catch Maggie in the season finale of “Psych”, tonight at 10/9c on USA Network. (“Psych” returns for its 5th season next summer.)

White Collar Season Finale – Tonight!

The entire season has been leading up to this final episode of White Collar on USA. Are you ready for it?

In the premiere of “Out of the Box,” Neal teams up with Alex in order to retrieve the ever-elusive music box at an Italian Consulate. Meanwhile, Peter enlists the help of Diana to help take down Fowler. Don’t miss the explosive Season One Finale tonight at 10/9C! Take a look:

Also, check out the Live Chat with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay as they answer your questions!

Psych Finale Giveaway

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE THREE WINNERS, NAKKI, AMBER McCRAW AND LINDSEY FRIEDBERG.**

This season of Psych will come to its dramatic conclusion with the return of Ally Sheedy in an episode directed by James Roday. The episode is called Mr. Yin Presents and will air Wednesday, March 10, at 10/9 central on USA. How will we celebrate a fantastic season? The only way Nice Girls can: by giving something away!

Beginning today, you can enter to win a Psych Prize Bag filled with:
–        Psych Season 3 DVD Set     
–        Psych Talking Bobbleheads
–        Psych Book: Call of the Mild
–        Psych Pineapple T-Shirt
–        Psych Pineapple Stress Toy

How to Enter:

• in the comments below, tell us what episode from this season was your favorite
• one (1) entry per person
• open to anyone, anywhere
• enter by 11:59 p.m. central time on March 10
• prize courtesy of USA Network
• prize valued at $135
• be sure to use a valid email address when you comment.
• three (3) names will be drawn from eligible entries and notified via email

Don’t miss the most shocking PSYCH finale ever as a killer targets Shawn using scenarios from classic Hitchcock films. Ally Sheedy guest-stars in Psych’s season finale, directed by James Roday — “Mr. Yin Presents” — premiering Wednesday at 10/9C!

Good luck!

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.

“White Collar” Webchat Tonight!

White Collar’s Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay will participate in a Live Chat Q & A with fans tonight. Ustream and USA Network teamed up to bring you the opportunity to ask Matt and Tim your questions about the show and their characters.

Join in tonight at 7/6 p.m. central for this one hour long special event. Just go to USA Network for White Collar. Don’t be late!

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.

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