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'That '70s Show' hits 100
 
LOS ANGELES, Apr 16, 2002 (United Press International
via COMTEX) -- Fans of the Fox comedy "That '70s Show"
might already know this, but it will probably surprise
others to learn that the show is not actually about
the '70s -- at least not according to series star
Topher Grace. 
"It's about timeless relationships," said Grace, "your
first kiss, for example." 

The first season of the show was set in 1976. Grace
said it started out as an examination of life for
young people who were coming into their own as America
celebrated its bicentennial. 

"And we were celebrating what?" he said. "The end of
Vietnam? Watergate?" 

Grace, who plays the level-headed but socially awkward
Eric Forman, wasn't even born until 1978. But he said
the themes are so timeless he didn't even feel the
need to research the period before starting to work on
the show. 

"What is there to research?" he said. "I was an
awkward guy for 10 years." 

Grace is adamant about another thing -- that the show
is not about bellbottoms or '70s music. 

"A lot of my friends wear bellbottoms now and listen
to '70s rock," he said. "I don't know what kind of
show it would be if it we were making comments about
the styles and the music." 

Still, when the show filmed its 100th episode
recently, the guest star was Roger Daltry -- lead
singer of The Who, and a '70s rock icon if there ever
was one. 

"It's great to have Roger Daltry in our rock opera,"
he said. "We decided to do a show that's for the fans
who have been with us for four years." 

Grace said landing Daltry for the show closed the book
on a disappointing turn of events early in the life of
the series. 

"We wanted to use 'Baba O'Riley' (from The Who's 1971
album "Who's Next") as the theme music for the opening
sequence," he said. "We got the big 'no.'" 

Grace admitted to being star-struck when he was around
Daltry. 

"Oh, big time," he said. "I have like all of his
albums in my car." 

Even without Daltry physically present on the set, The
Who are a continuing presence on the show. 

"We have fan music magazines on the set with him on
the cover," said Grace. 

Grace said he and his colleagues couldn't believe the
time had actually come for them to shoot their 100th
episode. During their first season, he said, they all
figured the show was going to be canceled. 

Instead, it turned into a hit for Fox, which has
picked up the show for a fifth and sixth season. 

The longevity of the show reminded Grace of an
observation he attributed to Candice Bergen, who
starred in the CBS comedy "Murphy Brown" for 10 years:
"You're going to look up and a decade will have gone
by." 

The show has provided breakthrough roles not only for
Grace but also for Mila Kunis (Jackie), Ashton Kutcher
(Michael) and Danny Masterson (Steven). 

Kunis, 18, has appeared in features including "Get
Over It" (2001) and "Krippendorf's Tribe" (1998). 

Kutcher, 24, starred in "Texas Rangers" (2001) and
"Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000). 

Masterson, 26, starred in "Dracula 2000" (2000) and
"The Faculty" (1998). He also had a recurring role in
Cybill Shepard's CBS comedy "Cybill." 

Apart from a cameo as himself in "Ocean's Eleven" last
year, Grace has only appeared in one movie -- as a
drugged-out preppie in "Traffic." He's been getting
more offers for movies since the success of "That '70s
Show" but his experience with Stephen Soderbergh's
Oscar-nominated drug-war movie has left him less
inclined to make movies just for the money. 

"To me 'Traffic' is ... a testament to not doing bad
stuff," he said. "It's hard to turn down big roles in
those (teen coming-of-age) films, but basically
they're not good films. They're made kind of on an
assembly line." 

Grace said those kinds of projects offer a chance to
have some fun and make money, but not much else that
appeals to him. 

"At the end of the day I have to watch it," he said,
"you know -- go to the premiere." 

Grace said it requires a patient attitude to turn down
work, but it's worth it. 

"I would rather do a movie that has great intentions
or an interesting idea that failed completely," he
said, "because at least you tried." 

By PAT NASON, UPI Hollywood Reporter


=====
-Brian in Atlanta
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