I just watched That 70's Show on good ol' Fox after a year of not watching. (Hey, it is on opposite my friend Buffy). I remember when those wacky 1970s kids were all too hip. Well now some of the luster has come off, and I was interested to see how well they shine now.

The writing has held up. It was a funny episode - Eric and his dad forget the mom's birthday and she gets pissed. Fez has a pyscho-girlfriend. Hyde gets a car. Kelso becomes Jackie's girlfriend (no, not bitch like he was before). And Laura Prepon, well, she sucks.

Yes, that's right. I said it. Boy, does Laura Prepon suck.

That's my main reason for writing this. For the first time I can admit she might be the worst actress on Prime Time Television. Back in the beginning of the show I thought she was a cutie, albeit a cutie waaay too young for me. Everyone around me said, "Dude, she sucks." I didn't listen. Blinded by infatuation.

Then she was all semi-nekkid in maxim magazine. Niiiiice. But the corresponding interview proved that she is a vapid moron. I stopped reading the words and looked at the pretty pictures. Niiiiiice.

Then she came in to work on The Emperor's New Groove. As you can imagine, I had a fit when I realized that she was recording on the Studio Lot and I wasn't there. I almost convinced my buddy Phil to go with me and crash the session. But we didn't. "Next time," we said.

Shortly thereafter Mata, her character, was axed from the picture.

And that's probably a good thing, too, because as a voice-actress, well, she couldn't act. She doesn't have much of a voice, either. I just chalked it up to inexperience - "She's new at this game - it's a tough thing to master on the first try."

But now I've taken some time off, cleared my head, found new crushes, and seen for the first time how crummy Laura Prepon is.

Each line of dialogue she said tonight was forced and ill-paced. I mean, it's funny stuff ... on the written page. She just doesn't have the skills to bring it to life. At one point she's supposed to roll her eyes - she can't even get that right. Most of her semi-serious moments with Eric are brought down because she's so crappy an actress. It's not like she's a funny actress who kills comedy, or vice-versa. She's neither. Every scene she's in is dragged down by her presence. If I were her co-stars I might sign her up for acting classes this summer against her will. That or drug her and throw her off a cliff.

It's really sad to see such a potential great show be destroyed by one of their own. Even if she is a tall, leggy red-head. It looks like I'm going to stick with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jessica Alba for my Prime Time cuties from now on.

Oh, yeah, before I forget go see Atlantis: The Lost Empire and buy The Emperor's New Groove on video or Disney DVD.

- Josh Edwards