ABC Renews Sofia Vergara’s “Modern Family” for 11th and Final Season

Sofia Vergara’s extending her Family time…

ABC has picked up its flagship comedy series Modern Family, starring the 46-year-old Colombian actress, for an eleventh and final season.

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family,

The Emmy-winning family comedy will reportedly consist of at least 18 episodes, and could expand to 22 episodes, according to Deadline.com/

Modern Family’s renewal was all but assured when the original adult cast, stars Ed O’NeillJulie BowenTy BurrellJesse Tyler FergusonEric Stonestreet and Vergara, agreed to new deals in December with producing studio 20th Century Fox Televisionto return. 

Since then, the studio also has signed co-creators/executive producers Steve Levitanand Christopher Lloydfor another season, and also has made new deals with the original child actors — now all young adults —  Sarah HylandAriel WinterNolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez

Ten seasons in, Modern Family remains ABC’s top rated comedy (2.1 adults 18-49 rating in Live+3) and second highest rated series on the network only behind Grey’s Anatomy (tied with The Good DoctorThe Bachelorand The Conners).

“Chris and Steve have created one of the most seminal and iconic comedies in television history,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “In its final season, there will be more milestone events that anyone who has been a fan of the series won’t want to miss.”

A five-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy SeriesModern Family stars O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Vergara as Gloria Pritchett, Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Gould as Luke Dunphy, Winter as Alex Dunphy, Rodriguez as Manny Delgado, Aubrey Anderson-Emmonsas Lily Tucker-Pritchett and Jeremy Maguireas Joe Pritchett.

“For 10 years, our characters have bravely faced turning points in life and moved through them to great personal enrichment; we have chosen a different path by doing one more season of Modern Family,” said Lloyd.

Added Levitan, “Even after 10 years together, we realized there are still some things our writers don’t yet know about each other’s sex lives.”

Ramirez’s “Sofia the First” Returning for Second Season

It looks like Sara Ramirez’s reign on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior will continue…

The network’s animated television series Sofia the First, which features the 37-year-old Mexican & Irish-American actress/singer’s voice, has been renewed for a second season.

Sara Ramirez

The Tony-winning Grey’s Anatomy star voices the character of Queen Miranda on the smash-hit series, which continues to hit series highs week after week.

Sofia the First, which airs on the Disney Channel’s daily programming block for preschoolers Disney Junior as well as the 24-hour channel Disney Junior, is the top cable television series among Kids 2-5, Girls 2-5 and Boys 2-5.

Sofia the First

The series stars Modern Family’s Ariel Winter as the titular character, a young 7-year old girl on the verge of becoming a princess.

It launched with the ratings records-breaking TV movie Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess and has spawned a successful soundtrack album. Sofia The First toy and apparel lines and theme park attractions are currently in the works.

Ramirez’s “Sofia the First” Premiering This Weekend

Sara Ramirez is getting ready to step out of her scrubs and step into a gown…

The Mexican/Irish-American actress/singer and Grey’s Anatomy star is lending her voice to the Disney Junior movie Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess, a job she gladly accepted.

Sara Ramirez

“I grew up watching animation [and] this was kind of like a dream come true,” Ramirez told TVGuide.com.

The television movie centers on a young girl named Sofia (voiced by Modern Family‘s Ariel Winter) who suddenly becomes a princess when her mother Miranda (voiced by Ramirez) marries the king. Unlike most fairy tales that feature mean stepsisters and evil stepmothers, Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess is all about learning how to fit in and being kind to others.

“What’s really behind it is that you can have all the material things in the world and can sit on a throne, but what really matters is being kind, compassionate, respectful and honest,” says Ramirez. “The king has two other kids from a previous relationship so there’s a blended family story, which I really love. And for once the stepmother is not an evil woman! She’s actually quite helpful and wants to empower her daughter to do good things and be a kind person in the world.”

Sofia the First premieres on Sunday, November 18 at 7:00 pm ET on the Disney Channel.

“Modern Family” Star Rodriguez Gets a Hefty Raise

Rico Rodriguez will be mucho más rico this year…

The 14-year-old Latino actor and Modern Family scene-stealer has reportedly finalized a deal that would triple his current salary.

Rico Rodriguez

Rodriguez—who gave a memorable acceptance speech at the SAG Awards after picking up the coveted trophy for Best Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesSarah Hyland, Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter are set to earn approximately $70,000 per episode, according to Deadline.com.

The Modern Family children started renegotiating their contracts the day after their adult counterparts reached an agreement with 20th Century Fox, which produces the Emmy-winning series for ABC.

The negotiations for Modern Family’s adult stars Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet resulted in a missed table read for the upcoming Season 4 premiere episode and a lawsuit filed by all five actors.

Vergara and her adult co-stars, who were originally each making $65,000 an episode, are now making in the $170,000-$180,000 range with year-to-year increases and a portion of the show’s back-end.

The new season of Modern Family premieres on Wednesday, September 26 at 9:00 pm ET on ABC.

Rodriguez Gives Comical Acceptance Speech at the SAG Awards…

He’s only 13-years-old… But Rico Rodriguez is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner.

The Latino scene-stealer on ABC’s Modern Family and his fellow cast mates, including his on-screen mother Sofia Vergara, claimed their second straight Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series award at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards during Sunday’s ceremony at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.

Modern Family Cast at the SAG Awards

In one of the highlights of the awards show, Modern Family’s adults stood back and let Rodriguez and the rest of the show’s talented child actors shine. Rodriguez, Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter took the podium and gave the acceptance speech after their show’s victory. The talented trio had a planned skit that was all kinds of adorable.

Much like Vergara’s hilariously translated Spanish speech at the Golden Globes, the kids’ speech was quite comical! During the speech, Rodriguez and  Winter thanked actual people before Gould interjected by thanking SAG and AFTRA for “making sure we’re properly fed, have all our shots, cleaned and are put in our pens by sundown.”

Modern Family Cast at the SAG Awards

Meanwhile, The Help swept the awards show, winning prizes for Best Cast, Best Actress (Viola Davis), and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer). In the night’s biggest surprise, The Artist‘s Jean Dujardin bested The DescendantsGeorge Clooney for Best Actor.

Here’s a list of all the night’s winners:

Best Actress, Motion Picture Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actor, Motion Picture Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Cast, TV Drama Boardwalk Empire
Best Actor, TV Drama Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Best Actress, TV Drama Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Actor, Miniseries or TV Movie Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Best Actress, Miniseries or TV Movie Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Cast, TV Comedy Modern Family
Best Actress, TV Comedy Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Best Actor, TV Comedy Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Stunt Ensemble, Film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2z
Stunt Ensemble, TV Game of Thrones