This Is How #ModernFamily Filmed An Episode Entirely With Apple Products

In a BuzzFeed News exclusive clip, see how executive producer and co-creator, Steve Levitan, put together the Feb. 25 episode using only everyday modern technology.

This week’s episode of Modern Family does something network television hasn’t ever done before: The installment, called “Connection Lost,” was filmed using Apple iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. And though Apple didn’t sponsor the episode, the company did provide the devices.

The Feb. 25 Modern Family consists entirely of a series of FaceTime chats between Claire (Julie Bowen), who is sitting in an airport in Chicago, and the rest of her family members, who are in their respective houses in Los Angeles. Claire also uses her computer to simultaneously track down her eldest daughter, Haley (Sarah Hyland), who no one has heard from since the day before. The Dunphy matriarch is able to log into Facebook, search the internet, shop online, and read her emails, all while chatting with her husband, Phil (Ty Burrell), her brother, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and her father, Jay (Ed O’Neill), with other family members coming in and out of the screen.

In this exclusive behind-the-scenes clip, Modern Family’s co-creator and executive producer, Steve Levitan, explains how they used iPhones to film “Connection Lost”:

buzzfeed-video1.s3.amazonaws.com

In the video, Levitan explains that all of the iPhones were in holsters held by cameramen and each actor kept his or her arm on the cameraman’s arm so it looked as if he or she was holding and moving the phone.

And while the episode many seem to stray from the show’s traditional format, Levitan explains that over the ABC comedy’s six seasons, certain scenes have been shot on iPhones for a variety of reasons, but viewers most likely didn’t notice the difference between something shot with a sophisticated digital camera and an iPhone camera. For example, “there was a scene where Manny (Rico Rodriguez) was dressed as a mascot at a basketball game, so rather than recreating a whole basketball game, I quickly shot my son’s basketball game on my iPhone,” Levitan told BuzzFeed News in an email. “Then we filmed Rico against a green screen, and inserted the shot into the episode.”

Modern Family airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. And check out more behind-the-scenes footage here.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyorley/how-modern-family-filmed-an-episode-with-iphones-and-ipads

19 People Who Need To Leave Pinterest Behind Forever

There are plenty of F-words associated with recreating Pinterest projects.

Aside from the one we all start screaming when we screw up yet another batch of cupcakes, these come to mind: fun and failure. If you’re anything like me, your attempts at cranking out holiday-themed sweets and adorable scrapbooking feats often take a sharp left into crazy town before all is said and done.

These 20 people need to close that Pinterest window and back away slowly.

1. Ah, Samoas. They are the undisputed champions of Girl Scout cookies.

Just kidding. Dispute away.

2. This balloon bowl is a Pinterest classic.

And it should be left to the professionals.

3. What better way to start the day than with some adorable bunny pancakes?

Based on this abysmal failure, literally any other way would be better.

4. Everyone loves a good antique piece…

…unless it looks like this.

5. Pinterest crafters know that all bets are off when cupcakes are involved.

I would like to present this tragedy as evidence.

6. Holiday crafts and recipes run amok on everyone’s boards when Halloween and Christmas roll around.

And they almost always end up looking like these miserable, marshmallow-laden nightmares.

7. This snowman lollipop idea was so cute…

…until it wasn’t.

8. I need one of these next Halloween!

No one needs one of these at any point whatsoever.

9. Packing hacks are sometimes lifesavers.

And sometimes, they turn your apartment into what appears to be the scene of a horrific crime.

10. Bouquets of roses are always nice, but bundles of cupcakes are far superior.

Or you could give your special someone a bouquet of bleeding human hearts! That’s probably symbolic or whatever.

11. Okay, are these not the cutest little appetizers you’ve ever seen?

They’re at least cuter than these tiny atrocities.

12. Forget Christmas lights. Glittery snow orbs are way cooler.

If you can’t get the shape down, you could always make replicas of pig bladders like this crafter evidently decided to do because life is horrible and nothing works.

13. Here we have autumnal rainbow realness.

And here we have a visual representation of labor pains, probably.

14. Me on Saturday night.

Me on Sunday morning.

15. People with cake-decorating skills on this level baffle me.

People with cake-decorating skills on this level don’t confuse me at all.

16. If you want to wow your guests with cupcakes that look like they came out of a French bakery, give these a go.

If you want to burn your whole house down, leave them in for 13 hours longer than suggested.

17. Slay that lowlight game, girl!

Make a hair appointment as soon as humanly possible, girl!

18. This looks like it should be in a museum.

This looks like it should go straight back to Hell, where it belongs.

19. On a scale of one to adorable, these are pretty adorable.

On a scale of one to “you should have at least some artistic skill before trying this project,” well…you know.

Sadly, most of us fail miserably when it comes to nailing these recipes and crafts. What was your worst Pinterest screwup of all time?

Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/epic-pinterest-fails/

Ochocinco shares a touching childhood memory

http://twitter.com/#!/ochocinco/status/192627938682871809

Who among us doesn’t want to imagine a teenage Ochocinco playing with himself in a Walmart? At this point, it really doesn’t matter if he’s making it up, because it’s totally something he could have done. It just seems to … fit.

The real shame in all this is that no one’s yet invented brain condoms, because we could really use some right now. Chad’s tweets should come with penicillin. And his keyboard should probably be tested for STDs.

If there’s a silver lining at all, it’s that we’ve got an excuse to post this, because, well, condoms:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ifgHHhw_6g8?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&start=93&wmode=transparent

No word yet on whether Ochocinco prefers French Ticklers or Black Mambos. We’ll be sure and let you know if we hear anything.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/04/18/ochocinco-shares-a-touching-childhood-memory/

Bam! Martha MacCallum, Sarah Palin blast Iran deal with key question

http://twitter.com/#!/marthamaccallum/status/404994415518683136

Boom.

Fox News’ Martha MacCallum isn’t alone in posing that question. Sarah Palin did the same:

http://twitter.com/#!/SarahPalinUSA/status/404829114197999616

Double boom.

The link leads to an excellent post by her daughter Bristol. Please do read the whole thing. In the meantime, Bristol’s last line says it all:

How do you make a deal with a country who is torturing your own citizens?

Sarah Palin has also been a fierce fighter for Pastor Saaed. Saaed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor, is imprisoned in Iran. For what? Oh, for practicing Christianity.  As Twitchy reported, he has been told he “will hang” for his faith.

Citizens are also rightly blasting the deal with Iran, which Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “historic mistake.”

http://twitter.com/#!/MorlockJF/status/404994851449475072 http://twitter.com/#!/bvdees/status/404997720919646208 http://twitter.com/#!/lollypopper66/status/405000867738181632

Indeed. The deal is shameful and potentially disastrous.

MacCallum made another penetrating point:

http://twitter.com/#!/PCgodUSA/status/405009781275906048

Chilling truth.

Related:

‘Reduces pressure on Iran’: Benjamin Netanyahu continues to blast ‘bad deal’

‘Committed to do what?’: Obama phones Netanyahu, reaffirms ‘shared’ commitment

‘Die please’: Hateful tweets pour in toward Israel, Netanyahu

‘Perfection’: Eight IS enough! Greg Gutfeld sums up Iran deal in eight words

‘Truth!’ Actor Dean Cain slams Iran nuclear program deal, makes dire prediction

Iran? Hoop-dee-do! Guess what Obama is doing today (Hint: Not golf, shockingly. But close)

Laugh or cry? Let’s contrast @BarackObama with Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu tweet-blasts ‘historic mistake’ Iran deal; Asks key question; Update: Israel has right to defend itself

Embarrassing: Iran, Shmiran! ‘Real journos’ breathlessly focus on … Obama’s tie

‘Lost in translation?’ Hmm: Something seems very familiar about Kerry’s Iran deal spin

Appease in our time? John Kerry’s involvement in Iran nuke deal earning dubious comparison

Iran agrees to ‘dial back’ nuclear program

Sarah Palin, Christian activists rally to #SaveSaeed: American pastor detained in Iran

Religious liberty activists pray for jailed Christian Pastor Saeed in Iran; tweet to help #FreeSaeed

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/11/25/cant-say-it-any-clearer-martha-maccallum-palin-blast-iran-deal-with-key-pastor-question/

‘Disgusted’: Marion Barry rants about HBO biopic, Spike Lee & more

http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462226169006682114

Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is best known nationally for having been arrested for smoking crack long before anyone had ever heard of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Barry has nonetheless remained a towering figure in D.C. city politics for decades. Now a city councilman, Barry took to social media to express his displeasure with HBO’s planned movie about his life.

In his rant he calls out HBO, director Spike Lee, “12 Years a Slave” producer John Ridley, D.C. crime novelist George Pelecanos who has also written episodes of “The Wire” for HBO, and NBC4 reporter Tom Sherwood. Barry had met with Ridley about the HBO project but decided not to support it. The Washington City Paper reports:

Barry says he turned against the HBO project after having dinner with John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave who was attached to the project with Spike Lee as the director. Barry says he was unhappy with how Ridley planned to portray his arrest at the Vista Hotel for smoking crack.

Ridley and Pelecanos are attached to the project as writers and Sherwood is a consultant. Barry reportedly plans to sell the movie rights to his autobiography for another biopic.

http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462227114381824000 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462228124974206976 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462229378974646272 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462230770397245440 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462249278434721793 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462310600719478784 http://twitter.com/#!/marionbarryjr/status/462331382522740736

***

Related

Marion Barry: It’s all the media’s fault! Update: Eleanor Holmes Norton says Barry should apologize

Twitchy coverage of Marion Barry

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2014/05/02/im-disgusted-marion-barrys-latest-tirade-calls-out-spike-lee-hbo-john-ridley-and-more/