Modern Family - Nominated in 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards

[Photo: ABC]

Yes, "Modern Family" fans!  Our very loved comedy show is nominated in the New Series, Comedy Series category for the 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards.  In addition, the "Pilot" episode is also nominated for an Episodic Comedy Award.  Winners will be announced on Feb. 20, 2010.  Series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are surely delighted by these nominations.  We all are.  Here are some of the nominees:

DRAMA SERIES

Breaking Bad
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Lost
Mad Men

COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

NEW SERIES

Glee
The Good Wife
Hung
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie

EPISODIC DRAMA

"Broken, Part 1 and Part 2," House
"Come, Ye Saints," Big Love
"The Grown Ups," Mad Men
"Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency," Mad Men
"I Will Rise Up," True Blood
"Phoenix," Breaking Bad

EPISODIC COMEDY

"Apollo, Apollo," 30 Rock
"Broke," The Office
"Chapter 1," Eastbound & Down
"Gossip," The Office
"Pilot," Modern Family
"Reunion," 30 Rock

COMEDY/VARIETY

Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien

LONG FORM—ORIGINAL

Georgia O’Keefe
Grey Gardens
Pedro

LONG FORM—ADAPTATION

America
Taking Chance

ANIMATION

"The Burns and the Bees," The Simpsons
"Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe," The Simpsons
"Gone Maggie Gone," The Simpsons
"Take My Life, Please," The Simpsons
"Wedding for Disaster," The Simpsons

COMEDY/VARIETY—MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES

Film Independent's 2009 Spirit Awards
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

DAYTIME SERIAL

All My Children
As the World Turns
One Life to Live
The Young and the Restless

(Source: WGAW)

Latest from TV Guide's Fall TV Premiere

[Photo: ABC]

I'm excited right now, because tonight is the start of Modern Family.  I'm so anxious to see the next episodes to come.  When you've seen the Pilot episode, come back and tell me what do you think about the show?  TV Guide shares with us their thoughts:


Modern Family
9/8c ABC
"Family. Redefined." That's an old tagline for The Sopranos, but TV familial units have been evolving since the beginning, and this new comedy is living proof. Shot mockumentary-style, the series follows the unusual kinship of the Pritchett clan, led by patriarch Jay (Ed O'Neill), whose much younger wife (Sofía Vergara) has a son of her own. Revealing more would spoil the fun of peeling back the layers one at a time, and the undercurrent of warmth at work here makes it one of the season's most promising sitcoms. — Joe Friedrich

(Source: TV Guide)


See the full story here.

Modern Family - Episode 1.01 - "Pilot" Press Release

[Photo: ABC]

Here is the official press release of Modern Family's Pilot episode on Wednesday Sept. 23 on ABC.

Modern Family - Episode 1.01 - Pilot - Press Release

GET READY TO SEE FAMILY IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT IN THE MUCH-BUZZED ABOUT NEW COMEDY, "MODERN FAMILY," PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 ON ABC

Ed O'Neill ("Married... with Children") and Julie Bowen ("Boston Legal")

Star Alongside a Talented Ensemble Cast

"Modern Family," a new half-hour comedy that takes an honest and often hilarious look at the complexities of modern day families, premieres WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (This program will repeat Friday, Sept. 25, from 9:00-9:30 p.m.)

"Pilot" -- Today's families come in all shapes and sizes, and that is very evident in Jay Pritchett's very full and very blended family. Jay and his new gorgeous and much younger wife, Gloria, are happily married and getting accustomed to their new life together. But when her pre-teen son develops a crush on a 16-year-old girl, it becomes apparent that Jay and Gloria may have some generational and cultural gaps to bridge. Jay's grown daughter, Claire, has a family of her own -- three kids and a husband, Phil, who is practically a giant kid himself. Things get a little tense when their teenage daughter, Haley, brings a boy home and Phil tries to adopt the cool, hip dad approach. Then son Luke misuses of his BB gun, which results in Phil and Claire turning it right back on to him. Jay's other grown son, Mitchell, is in a committed relationship and has just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam with his life partner, Cameron. They're going through the joys and anxieties of bringing a baby home for the first time, but Mitchell still has the daunting task of introducing their new addition to the whole family.

"Modern Family" stars Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett, Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Sof’a Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy, Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy and Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado.

Guest cast include Reid Ewing as Dylan, Hayley Erin as Brenda Feldman, Lillian Adams as passenger #1, Duane Shepard Sr. as passenger #2, Heather Lee as passenger #3, Jenica Bergere as soccer mom, Matt Corboy as Josh, aka soccer dad, and Marcus Brown as security guard.

"Pilot" was written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, and directed by Jason Winer.

(Source: ABC)

On Edward Norton and Shelley Long

TV Guide Magazine caught Julie Bowen at the PaleyFest Fall Preview Party for ABC.  She shared how Edward Norton got into guesting on the show.  She also said that Shelley Long will play her mother and her role will be recurring, which is good news for everyone.  Long is an award-winning actress for a comedy show in Cheers during the 80's.  Read on for the full story. 


Modern Family has already received rave reviews from TV critics, but the raves that have made the cast and crew of the ABC sitcom happiest are those of Edward Norton. In fact, the Oscar nominated actor was so excited about the pilot that he agreed to guest star on the show. “Edward Norton is a friend of Ty [Burrell]’s and he apparently really, really loves the pilot, so we said ‘Well, if you love it so much, come and do an episode’ – and he was on board,” executive producer Steven Levitan told TV Guide Magazine at the PaleyFest Fall Preview Party for ABC on September 15. 

Norton will play the anniversary present gone wrong in an episode where Julie Bowen’s character, Claire, tries impress her husband. “Julie Bowen’s character is really bad at giving gifts. It’s her and Phil’s anniversary, so he gives her these amazing gifts and her gift is just terrible, so she feels the need to outdo him,” says Levitan. “She brings in what she thinks is the lead guitarist and the lead vocalist from a famous band, but it turns out to be the bass player and all he can do is play bass lines. And he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”

Also joining the Modern Family for a guest stint is Shelley Long as the matriarch of the wacky clan. “She’s a woman, like her daughter played by me, who perhaps likes a party a little too much and is trying to clean up a few messes she’s made in the past,” Julie Bowen tells us.

“She’s supposed to be playing this fragile woman who is barely hanging on and Shelley plays that really beautifully. It’s different than other characters that I’ve seen her play,” adds Ty Burrell who plays Phil. “She does it wonderfully. I felt like I was learning a lot watching her.”

And Bowen tells us the Long’s role could be recurring. “We just did one episode with her, but I’m sure she’ll be back.”

(Source: TV Guide Magazine)