To the rather young cast of "That '70s Show"- most of whom were born sometime during the 1970s- the decade is pretty much something out of the history books. And their ideas of what it was really like are, well, rather humorous to those of us who were there. If not downright insulting. If unintentionally.
"Well, back in the '70s, when we didn't have all the technology and everything, I think kids had to use a lot more of their imaginations and create their own little worlds to make it more exciting," said Laura Prepon.
Oh, yes. We had to create all of our own fun from the most crude implements- things like records and eight-tracks and radios.
"This show is about us, like, dealing with, you know, completely our own imaginations," Prepon said. "Doing our own thing. Making everything exciting because we didn't have the technology and (we couldn't) sit there and listen to CDs and, like, TV and stuff." Apparently no one told the poor girl that we actually did have TV way back in the '70s - even if they were only 19-inch screens. "People were more free and relaxed," echoed Mila Kunis. "Yet there wasn't all this technology - CDs, updated computers." It was hard for us, but we managed to survive. Still, it was hard not to wonder if this poor girl had learned anything in school at all when she opined that, way back in the '70s, there "wasn't just a big discussion always made about drugs." Oh, no. Drugs were such a non-issue in the 1970s they were IN THE NEWS JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY. Unfortunately, Kunis didn't stop there. She also told critics that, "In the '70s, there wasn't as much violence." No, everything was just peachy. If it just weren't for that darned little annoyance called THE VIETNAM WAR, the protests, the Kent State massacre, the Munich Olympics, etc.
BONDING: Landing a part on "That '70s Show" allowed cast members to have some quality time with their mothers and fathers. "It gave our parents an opportunity to have long conversations with us," said Wilmer Valderrama. "Bond with us," Prepon interjected. Because the parents, of course, actually remember the '70s. "Yeah, and talk to us about, "Well, son, I definitely used to wear that shirt. It's funny because I had that haircut.' And things like that," Valderrama said. "My parents are really excited about it because now they can have full two-hour conversations about what they did." "And we actually have to sit there and listen and take in everything they say," Prepon added. "Yeah, we get plenty of advice," agreed Ashton Kutcher. "There's no shortage of advice, that's for sure."
PRETTY WEIRD: Among the '70s icons that's played for laughs in the premiere of "That '70s Show" is Farrah Fawcett. And not just because so many of the women have hairdos that mimic hers. There's actually a scene in which that famous pin-up poster of the most famous of "Charlie's Angels" appears to speak.
What makes this rather odd is that another "Angel" is a regular on the show- Tanya Roberts co-stars as Laura's mother.