But the only sit-com that managed to grab my attention for the long run was That 70's Show. I couldn't stop watching after the first episode and before I knew it, I was at the end of the 8th Season (which was also the last season)... I was devastated. How can That 70's Show end its run without consulting me, I lived for that show (okay, alright..I am being dramatic here, but I did live for that show....for a few months), I was practically the ambassador for that show!
10 Reasons why That 70's Show kicks ass:
1. Mila Kunia, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Topher Grace, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tanya Roberts and the old great Tommy Chong.
The main cast: Steven Hyde, Michael Kelso, Donna Pinciotti, Eric Forman, Jackie Burkhart, & Fez
The names above are good enough reasons for anyone to watch the show.
Yeah the teenage cast of the show were nobodies when they first starred in this show. But that's what makes That 70's Show ever more awesome, the show was the stepping stone if not the break through for many of these young actors we have come to know as super stars today.
Mila Kunis - with a list of movies such as Black Swan, Friends with Benefits and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, she is one of the biggest Hollywood stars of this generation.
Mr Kutcher - a.k.a the ex-husband of Demi Moore is not just a Hollywood hunk, but also a budding comedy veteran (in my opinion anyways, he is too young to be a 'veteran' but what can I say... He started out young. AND I also added 'budding', so he is not there yet but he will be.) He was the other Sean Willian Scout or Neil Patrick Harris of my generation. Dude Where's My Car? wouldn't have been the same awesome without Ashton.
Topher Grace - One word: VENOM. Yeah and that is enough, he was in Spider Man. Case closed.
The other actors/actresses are amazing too and have great resumes to offer, but I shan't bore you with the details.
And BTW, I love Kurtwood Smith a.k.a Red Foreman! He is HILARIOUS.
2. The Circle
Okay for those of you who watch the show, you know what I mean. THE CIRCLE. THE DOPE CIRCLE. Dope as in cool and dope as in its literal meaning.
Well, during each episode, the guys (only referring to the teens here) would sit in a circle in Eric's (Topher Grace's character) basement and smoke some weed/ other undisclosed drug. They would then engage in random but interestingly significant conversations while being high. Yes you can imagine now, The Circle scenes are always hilarious and unexpected.
So unexpected that finally, the girls and even the parents were also introduced into The Circle. That's when the fun begins...imagine your strict dad (Red Foreman) and the wholesome, loving mom (Kitty) getting high on 'special' brownies and talking about nonsense in a circle with their equally inebriated neighbours. Yeah I know, that's a dream most of us have that'll never be fulfilled.
The Circle is the one unique feature in the show that no other sit-coms ever had.
3. The Fashion
Fez
Hello. Anyone grew up in the 70's here?
Yeah maybe the show did not showcase the most accurate or best fashion of the 70's, but the fashion was still awesome. I love the 70's fashion personally (I'm all for retro), even the weird rainbow-coloured sweaters and hideous bell-bottoms that most Singaporeans who grew up in the 90's and 2000's would associate with as 'Ah Beng' fashion. I love them all.
I'm always torn between Donna and Jackie. I love what they both wear in the show. I think I am more of a Donna with a sprinkle of Jackie. (Well, to be more exact, I feel like a Donna during my Secondary school days and more of a Jackie now - I'm referring to the fashion here btw.) A combination of them would be the best of both worlds.
Okay this is for the retro chicks: Donna has the cool, old school thing going for her. She could wear a pair of corduroy pants and a sweater and look fabulous with her plaited red hair while Jackie looks super sweet with her little floral dresses, vintage accessories and boots! (Have you girls seen her accessories?? They are to die for. They look like stuff you could get at some boutique from Arab Street. Yeah those boutiques that over-price their goods.)
4./5. The Music and The Era
If you are a rocker like me. As in if you like rock...real rock, like rock and roll with the guitar solos and licks that you don't hear much on the 'Top 40's' these days, then you are in for a treat.
Okay, just think of post-Motown and post-Beatles and after the Country Music wave. That's the 70's. When the poppy tunes of the 60's died down, you get the psychedelic rock genre with influences from the blues and rhythms from country music. The music from the 70's was like a mash up of everything good from the decades before. The 70's was the decade of EXPERIMENTS, experiments in music and experiments that challenged the 'Big Brother', the system and the conventional way of thought.
Yeah, the Hippie (a.k.a freedom/counter-culture) Movement, well it started back with its roots stemming from as early as WW2(that's when the 'peace' sign we know today originated) and the Vietnam War. But the movement took on a whole new identity in the 60's when the people united and fought for freedom by creating a whole new world for themselves. A world of spirituality (so they say) and a world of love, not war. The Flower People they were called. And the movement carried on well into the 70's.
Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Cream, The Yardbirds, Creedence Clearwater Revival - just to name a few prominent bands/musicians of the 70's : they were the music heroes (few out of the many other bands not mentioned) of the 70's. They sure rocked it out with spectacular beats and tunes but they added something special to their music - their music echoed the voices of a generation of youngsters, the lyrics told the story of how it was like to be young in the 70's; the desires and wants of a changing generation.
Even the music alone has a bittersweet essence to it. Whenever I listen to bands like those I mentioned above, I always feel like they were going through a struggle but somehow they were enjoying it as their music reflected that, because their music was great.
I believe the people of that generation were struggling to be heard, although it was tough and many of them were ridiculed, they had fun during the process and even if they did not achieve everything they wanted, they were still happy as they were courageous enough to speak out against the masses (thus the bittersweet sounds). I know not everyone is for the Hippie agenda, I myself am on the fence on this one. I definitely do not condemn it, but I would not particularly encourage some of their ideals as well. However, the 70's was interesting because it was different. It was different and that's what makes it amazing.
I'll have to thank the hippies for opening the doors to many things and opportunities we enjoy today.
And the gays (I'm not gay, I'm just saying this as a matter of fact) have to love the 70's. The 70's was a milestone for them, the 70's saw the first ever openly-gay politician (Milk Harvey) to be elected in America. He helped paved the way for legal gay marriages.
So yes, the 70's made a huge difference in the world we live in today.
- To be continued (I'm too sleepy and I'm not going to check for errors this time round...)
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