Tuesday, July 10

Dream Casting: Jem - Supporting Cast and Others

Well now that Jem fans are musing about a possible live-action movie and suggesting their dream cast, here is my 2 cents on the rest of the cast. Every good movie needs a supporting cast and Jem had a boat load of them. Clearly I am a die hard fan and most Jem fans are. Also you may notice with the last post, I pick obscure and virtually unknown actresses in the roles, in other words, people you wouldn't normally thought of for the role.

Synergy
How Jerrica actually transformed into Jem was through a super advanced computer that her father built, originally meant for using holograms to revolutionize the music and entertainment industry but it became so powerful that he feared it landing in the wrong hands so he left it in possession of his birth and foster daughters. Her personality was modeled after Jerrica and Kimber's singer mother who died when they were young.

Brenda Strong
As it can be imagined, it was hard to think about what actress can balanced a stoic computerize mentor that gave motherly advice and also be coy. Brenda is the go-to dead mother narrator, I can see her both being funny and good with advice. I don't know how she will look in purple, but she would be good as Jacqui Benton in flashbacks.

Anthony Julian
Shana's boyfriend and confidant and director for virtually everything involving the Holograms such as movies and music videos.

Lee Thompson Young
Best known for 'The Famous Jett Jackson,' I think he would be charming.

Lindsey Pierce
She is a VJ that had her own show. Now, could any old MTV VJ play her or someone with personality? I think Kathy Griffin would be hilarious as a mix of Lindsey and gossip queen Harriet Horn. Or to be totally vicious, maybe someone like Perez Hilton in drag. Too bad Divine is gone. Or...

Sandra Benhard
She could totally do the vicious gossip queen shtick.

Vivien 'Video' Montgomery
The videographer of Jem's friends, if they keep it in the 80's, the big lugging camera would make sense. I guess if it is set now, she can have one of those small DVs and just be a doing a web-exclusive material for them.

Clea Duvall
Best known for "Heroes" and "Carnivale" and was that inviso-girl in "Buffy."

Constance "Clash" Montgomery
Video's cousin. She was the wild and crazy fan of the Misfits, she made a ruckus with symbols on her wrists.

Taryn Manning
McCrazy, she has done Crossroads, Crazy/Beautiful, and Hustle & Flow.

Zipper
He wasn't a doll but had his name on his jacket for some reason. Eric Raymond (baddie) used him for dirty deeds to 'ruin' Jem. He was a shady character that was also used for comic relief. For some reason, in some episodes his hair turned black.

Andrew Walker
He can be like the muscle and the bad egg, eye candy to boot.

Techrat
When writers got bored with Zipper, a new character was introduced. Techrat, a tech expert who Eric Raymond employed to 'ruin' Jem. Show writer Christy Marx originally wanted Techrat to be a Boy George-like androgynous and ambiguous. Unfortunately, whoever was in charge wasn't comfortable with the idea and made him male.

J.D. Pardo
With a live-action version, I think can get away with an ambiguous character like Christy previously envisioned. It would be much more looser to do so with this character since he wasn't a Hasbro doll. J.D. Pardo has done gender bending before with a lifetime movie based on the brave individual Gwen. I think something in between who fit nicely.

Giselle "Danse" Dvorak
Guess what she did? Well, she had an awesome storyline in which she broke her leg and had to go through rehab. Cartoon characters going through rehab, awesome.

Ashley Tisdale
"High School Muscial"
Update 12/29/09: On second thought, Maybe not.

Carmen 'Raya' Alonso
As with the characters, I say what the hell and cast the extra characters too even though they were not in the beginning. Raya was the 'new' Hologram and naive to the show business and had a Latina accent. Personally growing up, I liked that she was Hispanic. It might sound silly but I kinda identified with her--okay she is like a sister.

Belinda
Mexican pop singer, born in Spain. The only English she has done was in "Cheetah Girls 2".

Jetta
She was the tough new girl in the Misfits. She played the saxophone. She took crap from nobody. According to Christy Marx, when she suggested the new Misfit be African-American, the people in charge were against the idea but that a British character would be fine. It's funny. My vision of a black Misfit would have a mohawk for some reason.

Amy Whinehouse
I think she can do the mean strong chick thing. Did I pick her solely because she's British? Come on, she does Jazz and Jetta was into Jazz.
Update 12/29/09: On second thought, Maybe not.

Related Topic: Dreamcasting Jem