Pages

Reflecting on the Original Jem and the Holograms


In light of the very recent news that Universal decided to pull the quasi-revamp movie Jem and the Holograms from theaters after only 2 weeks due to dismal box office sales and due overall cinematic abomination, now is a good time to wipe that dreadful and pathetic trailer from our memory bank and instead reflect on how awesome and truly outrageous the ORIGINAL Jem was and still is.

I don't remember the first time I saw Jem at around 8-9 years old but I do remember being transfixed to my TV screen when the show was on, in awe at the fashions, the hair, the music and the story of how Jerrica became Jem with the help of Synergy and how those mean (but still quite stylin') Misfits were constantly out to get her and the other Holograms.

I also vividly remember how much I loved Shana, the brown girl in the group and how cool it was to see a face that looked like mine represented on a cartoon. In 1980's TV, there weren't a ton of brown faces, though there were some but here it was appreciated. So much in fact that I got a Shana doll for Christmas and loved playing with her purple guitar and listening to the Jem hits on the cassette tape that came with it.

Also worth mentioning for me is Britta Phillips, the lovely actress who voiced Jem's singing voice. I.loved.her.voice!! Its one of the most memorable aspects of the show for me were the songs and her high soprano voice. Some may also remember her from a little movie called Satisfaction (which I also loved). Check out this interview she did on the part.

Those are treasured memories from my childhood so quite naturally when this reboot thing happened, I was every bit of disappointed at their complete lack of care into upholding something I held dear.

But enough of that. I've attached a few songs from Jem that I liked. "Getting Down to Business" was one on my cassette tape and I used to sing along.











And who could forget the doll commercials!

So Universal tried it. And it failed miserably. I sincerely hope it will be a great lesson for other movie studios when deciding to take another great childhood memory and crank out some sub-par plotline to turn it over for quick profit. NEXT TIME, take serious consideration for your audience, 
the true fans who would come out to pay.
Anyone else have fond memories of the show? Songs you liked? The fashions or story? 
Drop a comment!

Lady Dulayne

Music junkie, Baltimore chick, Jedi mom, karaoke queen,'80s kid, hair and makeup fanatic, currently keeping up with a daily Greek yogurt habit.

1 comment:

  1. I loved Jem as a little girl. I was so disappointed in the trailer, I'm not surprised it didn't do well in the theater. Thanks for the flashback videos. :) They have full seasons on Netflix now too.

    ReplyDelete