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Contract negotiations for the upcoming season of "Modern Family" just hit an epic snag: the show's six principle adult cast members Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara are suing the show's producer, 20th Century Fox, to void their current contracts, according to The Hollywood Reporter

The show was supposed to have its first table read for the new season today (July 24), but it was canceled at the last minute as the show's stars attempt to renegotiate their contracts with Fox. Negotiations are not going well, with the cast of the top-rated sitcom rejecting an offer that would have reportedly paid $150,000 per episode plus a $50,000 per episode bonus for this coming season, $200,000 per episode for next year's fifth season, $225,000 for the year after that, and up to $325,000 for a hoped-for ninth season.

While the cast is indeed looking for more money – they were angling for a flat $200,000 each for season four, and as much as double what Fox is offering for the theoretical season nine – a major point of contention in their contract dispute appears to be longer-term contracts they signed at the start of the show. THR reports the cast members want their original contracts voided, claiming they violate a Californian labor code that declares "contracts to render personal service may not be enforced beyond seven years from the commencement of service under it."

Burrell, Bowen, Stonestreet, Vergara and Ferguson were reportedly paid $65,000 per episode for season 3, while O'Neill, who started the show at a higher salary than his then-lesser-known (at the time) cast mates, earned $105,000 per episode.

O'Neill was not initially involved in the lawsuit because he was engaged in a different, but apparently equally contentious, negotiation. He has since reportedly joined his cast mates in their suit out of solidarity.

Deadline reports the suit took 20th Century Fox by surprise. Studio execs expected the actors to show up for work as their contract negotiations continue.

The cast's decision to boycott today's table read and sue is not unlike a move made by the cast of "Friends," who also negotiated their contracts together, ahead of the show's third season in 1996. The stars formed a unified front and threatened to boycott production unless they received salary increases to $100,000 each per episode. The tactic worked, and the cast not only got their raise, but their salaries rose as the show's popularity stayed strong, culminating in the cast earning $1 million each per episode by the end of the series.

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By Meredith Goldberg-Morse

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect wedding. For some, it may be an intimate ceremony on the beach; others prefer a raucous part-until-the-sun-comes up celebration. For those of you whose dream wedding includes a celebrity officiant, well, you’re in luck—Russell Brand may soon be qualified to make your special day that much more special.

The British comedian-slash-actor (slash former Mr. Katy Perry) is rumored to be interested in applying for a vicar’s license after coming across a website offering the necessary qualification. Stars—they waste time finding absurd things on the Internet just like us!

A source reportedly told British tabloid The Sun, “Russell is genuinely interested in the idea of marrying a couple. Now he’s getting matey with Tom Cruise, his pals have been joking that he could do the honors at the star’s fourth wedding.”

Brand, whose 14-month marriage to Katy Perry was officially dissolved this week, recently admitted to Howard Stern that he is enjoying his post-divorce freedom. As he explained on Stern’s radio show, “It was a lovely relationship. It mostly didn’t work for practical reasons. We’ve gone our separate ways.”

Soon-to-be-married couples, take a moment to thank the Internet for making your dream of standing at the altar next to Russell Brand a genuine possibility.

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By Elizabeth Lancaster (@lizzydl)

While talking to the A.V. Club about his new-to-DVD "Friends With Kids," "Mad Men" Emmy nominee Jon Hamm participated in the site's "Random Rules" segment, which asks stars what songs are on their iTunes shuffle. “What More Can I Say” by Jay-Z randomly came on Hamm’s iPod and the world is lucky it did because he went on to tell an unexpected anecdote about a time long before the suits and cigarettes of "Mad Men," when he and Jay-Z rode in an elevator together. As hard as it is to believe that an elevator could hold these two bigger than life stars, this was at a time that was both pre-"Mad Men" and pre-Beyoncé.

>> 2012 Emmy Nominations Full List

"I was in New York City and going down an elevator when the elevator stopped, and Jay-Z got on. This was a long time ago. It was pre-Beyoncé. And definitely pre-'Mad Men'. It’s weird, because he’s a big dude, too. He’s a fairly tall guy, and it’s kind of like, 'Hey, wow, I know you.' And I think I was probably super nervous and nerdy and said something like, 'I’m a big fan of your work.' And he was very polite," Hamm explained. "And then we rode the elevator down the rest of the way, and then he got out and walked to the curb and got in a powder blue Bentley. And I walked to the corner and got on the subway."

He also mentioned this is not the ONLY time that this has happened!

Two out of the three times he has met Jay-Z have been in elevators. This visual is too good to be true, and we are lobbying for Jay to be brought onto "Mad Men" for an elevator scene with Don Draper. "Mad Men" has 17 fresh Emmy nominations under its belt as of this morning, leading the drama category contenders.

The only thing that might jazz fans of the show up more might be a Jay-Z cameo for season 6!

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