MODERN NEGOTIATIONS: Unsurprisingly, given that Modern Family is a massive hit with a syndication deal already in the works and an Emmy juggernaut, the six adult cast members are all holding out for more money. The one interesting thing is that this is not a Friends scenario where all six are negotiating as a unit. Five of the six are, but Ed O'Neill has apparently not joined, in part because he's already paid more for his services than the rest of the cast and expects that to continue. (Warren Littlefield's Top of the Rock indicates that Schwimmer was originally higher paid than the other five Friends, but agreed to the "all for one, one for all" negotiating strategy that wound up getting them big money.)
Interestingly, I'd argue O'Neill may be the most easily expendable part of the show--I can easily see Jay dropping dead of a heart attack and the show continuing on largely as it was, while getting rid of any of the other characters makes things much more difficult. Will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially with ABC's press tour day coming up on Friday.
