Modern Family to Jump Space and Time à la Lost (or Maybe Just Go to Hawaii)

Could it be that Phil and Cameron are the new Man in Black and Jacob?

By Kristin Dos Santos, Jenna Mullins Mar 10, 2010 7:11 PMTags
Modern Family, CastMathew Imaging/Getty Images

This just in from our bat phone/conch shell: The Modern Family cast is in Hawaii right this second, filming their big "family vacation" episode.

But wait a minute, isn't Lost also in Hawaii, shooting the very end of the whole series? Could it be that the end of Lost reveals Phil and Cameron as the new Man in Black and Jacob?

We just met up with the whole Modern Family cast and creator, and you aren't going to believe this:

"What we're trying to do is plant several modern families in several different times and then jump all around," executive producer Steve Levitan told me. "And then we have a fully underwater episode, too. We're really gonna embrace it. Why not?"

Clearly, he's kidding. But so great that he's a Lost fan! Levitan, who tweeted that this picture was "a good Hawaiian omen for our first day of shooting," also fesses up his real motivations for taking the cast to Hawaii. "We're just gonna try to just live up to the Brady Bunch Hawaii episode. It's not a ratings ploy. Frankly, I'm tired and wanted to go to Hawaii."

We recently met up with the cast at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents An Evening with Modern Family, and Ty Burrell hinted that the Hawaii vacation doesn't really go exactly as planned.

"Wouldn't that be the worst script ever for Modern Family?" laughs Burrell (Phil). "Like, 'I love you, too. Things are going great. Let's get another drink.'" Rest easy, viewers. The trip will most definitely not be smooth sailing for the fam. Or as Ty so eloquently puts it, "Things go awry."

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays one half of "Camtchell," spilled that in Hawaii Mitchell has an "unhealthy obsession with getting to a lavender ranch. It's a place where you can have lavender tea, lavender scones, while looking at lavender...Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) is not thrilled with that idea." More importantly, does he have enough protection for his fair skin? "It's a lot of SPF 70," Jesse says. "At that point it's like a glue or paste that sits on your skin."

And how awesome is this? Jesse dished that he has reached out to a very Precious star for a guest role. "I've approached Gabourey Sidibe about being our nanny. I think she would be hilarious and sweet and awesome," he confesses hopefully.

The kids also jumped in to talk about the family vacation, and they all confirmed our suspicions that it would not be easy on any of the vacationers. "I get to fight with Luke," Rico Rodriguez (Manny) excitedly spills. "Jay pushes us in the pool. And everything kind of goes good and then goes wrong.

"Haley does some bad things. Not unusual," Ariel Winter, who plays the bright but exhausting Alex Dunphy, says. "Alex doesn't save her butt, but rats her out."

So what else is going down other than the tropical disaster? "I just sang 'Ave Maria' at a wedding," Eric Stonestreet tells us before belting out a long, loud note as a preview.

We can also look forward to Mitchell versus...pigeon? "I basically spent a whole afternoon with a pigeon...I'm alone with Lily, and Cameron's not there to help me. It took all afternoon to shoot, but it is an epic, epic scene," says Jesse, who seemed really excited to share that tidbit.

Cowabunga, TV watchers! What storyline are you anxious to see play out? Personally, we can't wait for the Mitchell/pigeon throwdown. Agreed? Comment away, and don't forget to watch Modern Family tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC...

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Follow Kristin Dos Santos on Twitter, @kristinalert.