How cool is this?

Do you recognize this man? If you watch the original CSI series, the one that takes place in Las Vegas, you might. The character's name is Ronnie Litre. He's not in every episode, but if the clue is something made of paper, a deck of cards or a printed letter, he'll be the lab tech who processes it.

In real life his name is Eric Stonestreet. Our grandmothers were sisters, so we're second cousins. Growing up I spent many a weekend with Eric and his brother and sister out on their farm, and his sister and I lived together for a bit when we were at KU.

It's been fun to watch Eric's career. He started in Chicago at Second City, then moved to LA. He's not a household name, but I think character actors are always more interesting. He's a working actor, and he makes his living doing what he loves. His mom always lets my mom know if there's something coming up, and Brett and I always try to watch. Most recently he played a murderous chef on an episode of The Mentalist. I loved seeing him as the bad guy, charging at Thomas Jane with a huge knife only to get shot at the last minute.

This fall he's got a lead role on a new series on ABC. Modern Family is a comedy, shot in a documentary style, following three very different families in 2009. One is an older man (Ed O'Neill) and younger woman on their second marriage. The next is your regular mom-and-dad-with-kids family (Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell). The third is Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, above left) and Cameron (Eric!), a gay couple who've just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam.

There's a trailer up on ABC.com should you be inclined to take a peek. I know I'm biased but it looks like a fun show, and I can't wait to watch my cuz play gay on network tv!