Truly Outrageous Adventures with Netflix

A few months ago I found out that seasons 1-3 of Jem were on dvd. I also found out that they would cost over $80 to own. So i decided that when my semester was over i'd get netflix for a month. for the meager sum of $18 i could watch all the jem, my little pony and care bears that the us postal service could carry. and maybe i'd add a few actual movies to my queue too, just to round things out. the first 2 discs of jem came last week, and also princess diaries 2 (at the request of my family)

I didn't remember much about jem, only her pink hair, that she was truly outrageous, and the song from the commercial bumper. watching the show didn't bring a lot of memories back to me, like i hoped it would, instead, it was basically all a new show to me.

episode 1 opens with jem and everyone at the funeral of her dad, who even though he was a record company exec, didn't leave jem and her sister with much of an inheritance except the falling apart halfway house for girls, and half the music company that the evil eric raymond was somehow able to keep jem out of in the beginning.

then jem gets a mysterious box containing her now famous earrings, so her and her friends pile into the van and head off to meet synergy (the hologram making computer, who apparently is modeled after jem's mom who died young, but the seires doesn't show that until way later, according to commentary) and they find some kind of red and yellow convertible car, along with outrageous 80's outfits and musical instruments.

each of the 2 discs i have has the writer's commentary on 1 episode. i hope this continues. it's like the set was made for netflix! commentary on episode 1 tells us about the making and writing of the show, mostly. how she was hired to write a cartoon about this doll concept that hasbro came up with. how she named the main good characters after scientists who were making big hologram breakthroughs at the time etc. this was all very interesting.

commentary one of the episodes on disc 2, that was just a bit silly. yes jem/jerrica ran a foster home, but the writer was way too crazy talking about social issues, and kids getting help for running away or alcholic parents or whatever. good v evil, jem v the misfits. i was watching it with my sister, and every few mins i just had to turn to her and say "is she serious, it's jem!" but apparently it did make a difference to some kids. they said after giving away a runaway hotline or something at the end of one show they were flooded with calls. who knew jem was about the issues?

the music is pretty darn good. sometimes it's like a cross between pat benetar and the bangles. I'm disappointed to find that there is not a jem cd i can buy. although, the only other extra on the dvd is the feature to watch all the music videos on that dvd.

there are 2 theme songs so far (and in all, i think)

the first is the jem girls song, it's very catchy, but i don't remember it at all:

Me and my friends are Jem girls
Jem, Jem is my name
Exciting adventure, fashion and fame
Once you're a Jem girl, you're never the same
Come on, come on, and be a Jem girl
Jem, Jem is my name

Me and my friends are Jem girls
Jem, Jem is my name
Truly Outrageous, that's a Jem girl
Glamour, fashion, and fame

Exciting adventure, fashion and fame
Once you're a Jem girl, you're never the same
Come on, come on, and be a Jem girl
Jem, Jem is my name

the second one comes in on disc 2, and is the one we all know and love. we'll see how long i actually love it, because it's bound ot be stuck in my head for the next month

Jem
(Jem is excitement)
ooh
Jem
(Jem is adventure)
ooh
(Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame)

Jem
(Jem is Truly Outrageous)
(Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous)
Woah, Jem
(Jem)
The music's contagious
(Outrageous)
Jem is my name, no one else is the same
Jem is my name

But we're The Misfits, our songs are better
We are The Misfits
(The Misfits)
And we're gonna get her

Jem
(Jem)
The music's contagious
(Outrageous)
Jem is my name, no one else is the same
Jem is my name

Jem!

since i can't comment on every episode i'll have to pick the one that amused me most.

jem and the holograms get invited to play a benefit concert at the great wall of China. The misfits get jelous and get Pizazze's dad to finance their trip to China to muck things up. This is where we find out that hologram Aija (rhymes with rajah, although it also sounds an awful lot like Asia) is actually chinese, even though she has light blue hair and doesn't look asian of any sort.

somehow the misfits realize that the star earrings are very importatnt and manage to steal them while jem is hot tubbing. the holograms manage to chase the misfits ot a moving train where they get thrown out a window, never to be seen again-- or so they think.

the earring falls out the window to land in a farmer/merchant's basket hauling vegetables to town. and in good Chinese form, they get sold to a manufacturer who starts fabricating knockoffs immediately and manages to get an advertisement for them into the local magazine/newspaper within a matter of hours. so, our friend aija, decides to pick up that magazine to see if she can still read chinese and the girls find the adverstisement, and track down the factory where we see the assembly line and huge bins of the earring knock offs. magically, in a show of human kindness, the factory owner's daughter gives jem back the original earrings and just in the nick of time the holograms get to the stage where they prevent the misfits from playing in their stead. good triumphs over evil and jem spreads her message of goodness to all of China. Except the sweatshops are still churning out the earrings---oh well, close enough.

princess diaries 2 was actually very enjoyable, contrary to what the commericals had me believe. she's much less annoying and much more likeable than in the first movie. that was the problem in the books i read, she was so obnoxious and unlikeable that i hoped she'd die, rather than come to terms with being princess. although i don't know what kind of wedding shower involves slumber parties and children.

more netflix updates to come

to be delivered tomorrow: harry potter and jem disc 3