Modern Family 1.12 “Fifteen Percent”
THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM, ON ABC’S “MODERN FAMILY”
Guest starring Chazz Palminteri (“The Usual Suspects,” “Analyze This”) as Shorty.
“Fifteen Percent” – Mitchell plants the seed in Jay’s head that he thinks one of Jay’s old buddies, Shorty, might be secretly gay. Jay doesn’t believe it for a second… except for all the questionable signs he now keeps noticing. Meanwhile Gloria gives Manny’s date a makeover and Claire faces off with Phil’s universal remote, on “Modern Family,” WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.
“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 Chazz Palminteri as Shorty, Kristen Schaal as Whitney and Reid Ewing as Reid.
Source: TV Over Mind
Best Actors 2009
- Image via Wikipedia
Modern Family actors were some of the 18 actors who truly stand out in 2009 according to the SF Gate:
Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family,” ABC. Don’t look now, Alec Baldwin, but your Emmy streak is in danger. On this season’s best new sitcom, there are at least five people who may get nominated for their work, but these three are absolute, must-have nominees. Burrell’s clueless dad/friend plus Ferguson and Stonestreet as the gay couple are comic gold from episode to episode.
A Perfect Addition to Modern Family
“Modern Family” got a “Cheers” from TV Guide for an early Christmas present: the spot-on guest casting of Fred Willard as Phil’s father. Though he was only (mostly half-)seen on a computer screen as he admired via video-conferencing the corny Christmas sweaters he’d sent as gifts, Willard fit right in with Family’s heartwarmingly oddball tone. He’s played endearing dorks in everything from the groundbreaking talk-show spoof Fernwood 2-Night to the pet satire Best in Show. It doens’t take a DNA test to figure out he’s the comic forefather of his super-dufus TV son, Ty Burrell (who also costarred with Willard in the short-lived Fox sitcom Back to You). We just hope Phil’s dad comes for a visit—maybe in time for Feburary sweeps?
Sneak Peeks – Modern Family Episode 10 (1.10) “Undeck the Halls”
CHRISTMAS CHEER IS A LITTLE MIXED AS EACH HOUSEHOLD GETS READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS, ON ABC’S “MODERN FAMILY”
Guest starring Fred Willard (“Best in Show,” “Waiting for Guffman”) as Phil’s dad.
“Undeck the Halls” – Christmas is in full swing at the Dunphy house until the kids get in some trouble and Phil and Claire threaten to take away Christmas until one of them fesses up. Meanwhile, Jay struggles with wanting to stick to his holiday traditions while Gloria and Manny want to incorporate some of their Colombian practices, and Mitchell and Cameron take Lily to the mall for her first picture with Santa — but end up with a disgruntled mall Santa on their hands — on “Modern Family,” WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.
“Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Sofía 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 Fred Willard as Phil’s dad, Brian T. Finney as Scott and Jeremy Scott Johnson as Andrew.
Read more: 3 Sneak Peeks – Modern Family 1.10 “Undeck the Halls” « TVOvermind
Actor Ty Burrell: From Grants Pass to ABC’s hit comedy ‘Modern Family’
For a young man who grows up in Ashland, getting the acting bug must be as easy as falling off a log. Right? After all, the Southern Oregon town is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, known for its world-class productions and top-flight casts.
But for Ty Burrell, the Oregon native who co-stars on the ABC comedy, “Modern Family,” the whole acting thing took a while.
“What do they say about not taking advantage of things in your hometown?” Burrell says, calling from Los Angeles. “You know, if you’re in Paris, you never go see the Eiffel Tower? I didn’t go to see a play at the festival until I was in my early 20s.”
But fans of “Modern Family” — the show averages 10.6 million viewers weekly — know Burrell has become a gifted actor, moving easily between drama and comedy. Burrell, 42, has performed onstage in New York and London; in movies (“The Incredible Hulk,” “Black Hawk Down”); and on TV (“Back to You”).
Oregon Live spoke with Burrell about his own family, acting and his Oregon roots. Here are some of the Q&As:
Q: How much of the character of Phil is based on you or your family?
A: I mainly just drew on myself — sadly (laughs). Phil’s inability to see how he’s goofing and messing things up comes directly from my own delusional, oblivious existence. It’s magnified with people that I’ve met over the years, people who I’ve really liked because I think that type of person is just so full of life.
Q: What were your younger days in Oregon like?
A: I was born in Grants Pass and grew up in Ashland. We also spent about eight years in Applegate, where my family owned a little country store. That was an amazing time, lots of lazy summer days, floating down the Applegate River on inner tubes. In many ways, it was absurd because we had no business being out in the country because we were extremely soft! I graduated from Hidden Valley High School.
Q: When did you get interested in acting? Was that something others in your family had done?
A: Nobody in my family, at any level, had ever had any connection to performing or show business. I will say, though, that there’s a long history of raconteurs in my family. My grandfather was a great storyteller, and my dad and his brother would get going and were very funny together. My younger brother, Duncan, and I really watched that a lot and admired it. The official term would be we got into comedy when we were young. But we really just got into goofing off when we were kids.
Read the rest of the story Oregon Live
First Look: Fred Willard on Modern Family
The funniest new sitcom of the season will then take a week off and return on December 9 with a new installment. On that episode, “Modern Family” episode 10, Fred Willard comes aboard as Phil’s dad, as the Dunphy kids face the possibility of no Christmas this year.
TV Fanatic uncovered a photo of Willard in the role:
New Comedy Throwdown: Community vs. Modern Family
TV.com has both Community and Modern Family has the best new comedies of the season, but they are trying to decide which one of them is the best. Here are some of their thoughts:
Cast: This critical category is a tight one. Community boasts Chevy Chase, the man who once played Fletch, and Joel McHale, the man who could play him today. Add fall’s freshest faces—Danny Pudi and Donald Glover—and you’re looking at TV’s most surprising new motley crew of a cast. But Modern Family has Ed O’Neill, who is looking like an Emmy candidate right now, and adding Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sofia Vergara, and a bushel of funny child actors only seals the deal. Point: Modern Family.
Guests/Recurring Actors: Like sexually frustrated couples, comedies need to throw others into the mix to spice things up. Shelley Long in ModFam’s “The Incident” was hilarious. It was nice to see Diane Chambers get absolutely lubed on booze and destroy a wedding. Unfortunately, Ed Norton’s appearance as Spandau Ballet’s bass player was a disaster, despite the “Fandau” gag. Elizabeth Banks was so-so, but just reminded us how much we’d rather watch Cam and Mitchell instead. On Community, John Oliver’s portrayal as Jeff’s nemesis/friend (frienemesis?) is hysterical, and I don’t care what anyone says, Ken Jeong as Senor Chang is muy awesomo. Fred Willard’s upcoming role as Phil’s dad in Modern Family could change our minds, but for now, it’s Point: Community.
The Winner: Just a second as I count the votes… it’s Modern Family by the official score of three to two! But let’s face it, we’re all winners here! Except for Community, which is slightly less of a winner. But in this race, there’s no shame in second place. Let’s just be happy we actually have “best new comedy” candidates this season. Modern Family, stop by the TV.com offices anytime to pick up your trophy.
Modern Family – Great Expectations
We hope you enjoyed last night’s episode 8 of Modern Family; here are some clips for you:
Worth sticking with ‘Modern Family’?
Maureen Ryan has her mid-season review of the TV shows, and this is what she has to say about ‘Modern Family’:
“Modern Family,” 7 p.m. Central Wednesday, ABC: This sterling comedy is still the season’s best new show. Sure, not every episode is as gut-busting and perfectly crafted as “Modern Family’s” best outings, but then, very few comedies on the air now can match “Modern Family” at its best. This show unites sharp-eyed observations about family life with characters who still seem believable (and believably flawed, not sitcom-fake). The best part? I can’t pick my favorite character. Some weeks it’s the dorky Phil (Ty Burrell), other weeks, I’m in stitches thanks to guest stars such as Shelley Long (Edward Norton and Fred Willard are among the upcoming guest stars). But it must be said that the delightful Cameron (Eric Stonestreet, pictured at left) steals every single scene he’s in. (My original review of “Modern Family” is here.)
Will I stick with it? Absolutely
Grade: A
Fred Willard joins ‘Modern Family’ tree
Another guest star on “Modern Family”: Fred Willard, who played on “Back To You” with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, will be welcomed to “Modern Family” by “Back To You” executive producers Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd on December 9th.
ABC confirms that the comedic actor has been cast as Phil (Ty Burrell)’s father, though he’ll appear just briefly on a computer screen as he and Phil chat online during the show’s Christmas episode.
[Source: Zap2It]