Season 3 of Laguna Beach Starts Tonight

Yes, fans. It's that time of year. Laguna Beach is back and better than ever.

Well, at least it's back! With the kids on the first two seasons moving on to bigger and better things (if you can consider Kristin Cavallari's new "career" bigger and/or better), or having graduated to their own series, it's about time for Orange County, Calif., to crank out some new pretty, preppy and petty new stars on Laguna Beach.

From the looks of the previews, the producers have done a fine job of that. The hit show, which premieres tonight at 10, will keep it in the family -- at least in the case of one star. Breanna Conrad, sister of Laguna alum Lauren Conrad, a.k.a. "LC," will be a principal cast member.

After she graduated high school, Lauren moved to L.A. and was given her own spinoff, The Hills, which proved a surprising hit in its own right. Bringing along some Laguna star power and drama in the form of on-off beau Jason Wahler didn't hurt.

In any case, Breanna and classmates are ready to run it back for Laguna Beach's third season. It didn't take creator Liz Gateley long to unearth a new generation of SoCal girls who stress about boys and have daggers out for rival girls (for reasons viewers, and even cast members themselves, often forget).

Not to worry, there's also a new stock of clueless dudes, ones for whom the maintenance of abdominal muscles seems life's primary objective. One of the new guys is the lead singer of a band that appears to be awful, reminding one once more how far MTV has fallen from presenting actual music to glossy nighttime soap operas under the guise of "reality."

But hey, it works. Run with it!

There isn't too much gossip to report at the moment (even for The Gossip), but here's a Laguna Beach Season 3 spoiler you never saw coming: The popular girls tend to be mean.