Tag: Jem and the Holograms

Crowdfunding, Interview5 Comments

Coming Soon: Dr. Beyond and the Agents of ABOVE

Dennis R. Upkins

If ever there were a family of real life superheroes, it would be the Pogue Clan. Their story is an inspirational one and I’ve been proud to call these four friends (family, rather) for many years.

So when patriarch Paul F.P. Pogue informed me had a new web series in development, suffice it to say I was stoked and had to learn more about Dr. Beyond and the Agents of ABOVE.

You readers are in for a real treat. Today Paul and I discuss his new project, all things eighties, casting an Asian lead, whitewashing in Hollywood, and why diversity and multiculturalism should be a priority for everyone.

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Movies4 Comments

The Jem and the Holograms Movie was a Bomb

Keith Chow

And not, in fact, the bomb.

In fact, Jem and the Holograms’ $1.3 million box office was so low that it was actually a flop of historic proportions. Of course, the lesson Hollywood will take from Jem’s failure isn’t to be more faithful to the source material. Instead, Jem will be used as another example of why a female-led superhero franchise will never succeed; coincidentally on the same day Supergirl on CBS is poised to prove the opposite is true. And no, you did not read that wrong. Jem was — and is — a superhero property.

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Animation, Movies, Toys1 Comment

What’s Truly Outrageous about the Jem Movie

Trish Broome

The glamour of being an adult female rocker. The glitter of Synergy’s earrings. The fashion era that embraced shoulder pads. The fame associated with traveling around the world. From what has been revealed by director Jon M. Chu and his recently announced cast, none of this will be a focus of the live-action Jem and the Holograms film.

Now that is truly outrageous, at least to me, who watched it during the 1980s and wrote an entire article about why you should love the cartoon classic.

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Animation, Nerd Nostalgia, Television, Toys9 Comments

Why You Should Love Jem and the Holograms

Trish Broome

Do you know what’s truly outrageous? I’m 33 years old, have no kids, and still watch cartoons. There’s one in particular that I just started watching again, and after not seeing it for 16 years I was reminded of both the hilarity (shoulder pads!) and the groundbreaking diversity of cartoons  in the 80s. If you didn’t guess it by the post’s title, I’m referring to Jem and the Holograms, an animated series created by Hasbro, Marvel Productions, and animation studio Sunbow Productions.

jem3

As a young girl growing up in the 80s, there were plenty of cartoons I could watch to justify my love for cuddly teddy bears and rainbow colored horses. There was also She-Ra, He-Man’s empowered twin sister. She represented two dreams of every little girl: being a princess and kicking bad guys’ butts. However, looking back at the variety of cartoons geared toward young girls, there wasn’t much cultural diversity, and there weren’t many realistic female characters that young NOCs like me could look to as role models.

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