Brian Damage
05-12-2010, 09:24 PM
If a little love from a Facebook campaign can land Betty White a gig hosting 'SNL,' then why can't it help Cam and Mitchell -- our favorite couple on TV -- lock lips? That's the idea behind a new Facebook group hoping to influence the producers of ABC's 'Modern Family.'
The group -- called 'Let Cam & Mitchell kiss on Modern Family!' -- was launched because Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the delightful gay couple on the hit sitcom, have never kissed, yet Mitchell's sister Claire (Julie Bowen) and her hubby Phil (Ty Burrell) have.
The Facebook group bemoans that Cam and Mitchell "have not been shown sharing even a brief kiss throughout the series' first hit season. ABC isn't afraid of gay characters, so why won't they let them show some love." It's already garnered more than 5,000 supporters, including one particularly important patron, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who tweeted his support with a reposting of the link, telling his fans, "I will sign it if you do too!"
After getting hammered by fans of the show eager to see some guy-guy PDA, the show's producers shot back, telling fans to "chillax" and be patient.
"Cameron and Mitchell are a loving, grounded, committed and demonstrably affectionate couple and have been from the beginning of the series," 'Modern Family' producers said in a statement. "It happens that we have an episode in the works that addresses Mitchell's slight discomfort with public displays of affection. It will air in the fall and until then, as Phil Dunphy would say, everyone please chillax."
Responding to the producers' missive, Brian J. Heck, creator of the Facebook campaign said, "I would agree that Cameron and Mitchell are a 'loving, grounded, committed' couple. Have they been 'demonstrably affectionate'? I feel that's up for debate ... I think that exploring Mitchell's issue with PDA is a wonderful idea for an episode, and I hope that it is handled tactfully and hysterically. It is also my fervent hope that he can get past his issues and we can see these two act as more of a 'demonstrably affectionate' couple in the future."
Heck also seems to be taking the producers' request to "chillax" as a personal affront. "While I appreciate the producers' humor in asking everyone to 'chillax,' I hope that I'm incorrect in reading it as a request to STFU," he said on the group's Facebook page. "I started this Facebook page because the lack of kissing was starting to become glaring. It didn't sit well with me, and I thought that others would agree (so far, over 5,000 do!). I did not start this out of anger, and I am not up in arms or even upset with what is one of my favorite shows on television. I just wanted to show the producers that the fans are taking notice, and that we do want more affection, within what is appropriate for the characters."
That the producers of 'Modern Family' saw fit to even comment on the still-relatively-small group only further reveals the influence these fan-driven campaigns can have.
http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/12/facebook-modern-family-kiss/
The group -- called 'Let Cam & Mitchell kiss on Modern Family!' -- was launched because Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the delightful gay couple on the hit sitcom, have never kissed, yet Mitchell's sister Claire (Julie Bowen) and her hubby Phil (Ty Burrell) have.
The Facebook group bemoans that Cam and Mitchell "have not been shown sharing even a brief kiss throughout the series' first hit season. ABC isn't afraid of gay characters, so why won't they let them show some love." It's already garnered more than 5,000 supporters, including one particularly important patron, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who tweeted his support with a reposting of the link, telling his fans, "I will sign it if you do too!"
After getting hammered by fans of the show eager to see some guy-guy PDA, the show's producers shot back, telling fans to "chillax" and be patient.
"Cameron and Mitchell are a loving, grounded, committed and demonstrably affectionate couple and have been from the beginning of the series," 'Modern Family' producers said in a statement. "It happens that we have an episode in the works that addresses Mitchell's slight discomfort with public displays of affection. It will air in the fall and until then, as Phil Dunphy would say, everyone please chillax."
Responding to the producers' missive, Brian J. Heck, creator of the Facebook campaign said, "I would agree that Cameron and Mitchell are a 'loving, grounded, committed' couple. Have they been 'demonstrably affectionate'? I feel that's up for debate ... I think that exploring Mitchell's issue with PDA is a wonderful idea for an episode, and I hope that it is handled tactfully and hysterically. It is also my fervent hope that he can get past his issues and we can see these two act as more of a 'demonstrably affectionate' couple in the future."
Heck also seems to be taking the producers' request to "chillax" as a personal affront. "While I appreciate the producers' humor in asking everyone to 'chillax,' I hope that I'm incorrect in reading it as a request to STFU," he said on the group's Facebook page. "I started this Facebook page because the lack of kissing was starting to become glaring. It didn't sit well with me, and I thought that others would agree (so far, over 5,000 do!). I did not start this out of anger, and I am not up in arms or even upset with what is one of my favorite shows on television. I just wanted to show the producers that the fans are taking notice, and that we do want more affection, within what is appropriate for the characters."
That the producers of 'Modern Family' saw fit to even comment on the still-relatively-small group only further reveals the influence these fan-driven campaigns can have.
http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/12/facebook-modern-family-kiss/