visiting Modern Family

Thanks to my friend Eric Stonestreet, I visited a Modern Family location shoot yesterday.  Here are just a few pictures.   I thought it was very nice of Eric and co-stars to pose for photos with me.  These people are geniunely nice, and yes, I was paid to write that, but it's still true. 

Here's Eric, looking dapper. 

Modern Family's kitchen includes a seemingly endless supply of Ricola cough drops.

Here's Reid Ewing, who plays Dylan. We were heading in two different directions, but still, he stopped and posed for this picture, which enraged me. 

Here's Eric's other half on the show, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who is simply hilarious as Mitchell, and often insists on photos that feature antenna.  For the record, Eric is also hilarious as Cam.  Seriously, Stonestreet. 

This is not the chair I sat in, but I did sit in one like this.  This one is reserved for heads of state, such as Vladimir Putin.

Since the shoot was inside a tiny restaurant, I was able to watch a live rehearsal, but then retreated to a shaded video coccoon where I was able to see this multi-camera view and listen remotely to the scene using at headset at any volume I desired.   It was very cool to just be a fly on the wall next to Executive Producer Steve Levitan and writer Jeff Richmond  (until someone swatted me.*)  But even that was done very nicely.  
(*It was the assistant in charge of the Ricola - apparently it is a finite supply).

And of course it was a thrill to meet Nathan Lane, and to watch him work.  These guys make wearing lavender look easy. 

I also met star of the show Ed O'Neill and he was very kind to pose for a photo too, but for some reason the shot didn't come out (but I'm not blaming anyone, okay).  I just look forward to a future opportunity to visit the set of Modern Family.