The following are brief profiles and/or editorials of the other actors and actresses who star in California Dreams:
Michael, part of the original cast of California Dreams, plays "Sly Winkle," the band's scheming manager who is also Mark Winkle's (played by Aaron Jackson). A native of New Jersey, Michael moved to New York in 1990 (and subsequentially to California) to pursue an acting career. So far, his credits include an appearance on "Baywatch," a role in the film "Chaplin," and has performed in the off-Broadway production of "Runaways." Needless to say, he is a very versatile actor with a bright future ahead of him.
Speaking of Sly, I glad that he and Lorena (played by Diana Uribe) finally got together. They both have a lot in common, in the fact that they're vain and have a strong love of money. However, it took awhile before they finally got together. Fortunately, through Sly's perseverance, he eventually won over Lorena's heart. What finally did it was a poem that he wrote, but because of past failures at winning over Lorena, he decided to send it to her anonymously. Unfortunately, when Lorena received the poem, she assumed it was from someone other than Sly, and he almost lost out to another guy who claimed the poem as his own. Fortunately, this guy proved to be a fraud and Sly finally had the guts to tell Lorena that it was he who wrote the poem and that he loved her very much. Lorena wasn't convinced, so Sly recited the poem to her. The response from Lorena was one of shock. She couldn't believe that such emotion, passion, and elegance could come from a guy such as Sly. However, it was the clincher for Sly and he finally won over the girl of his dreams.
For me, this one of the most memorable episodes (other than the "smoking episode with Jake) that I ever watched, for Sly's predicament parallel’s many episodes in my life when I was too afraid to express my feeling for women that I really cared for. I'm glad to see a happy ending for Sly; sort of gives me hope. ;-)
Jay, who made his debut on California Dreams on September 11, 1993, plays Jake Sommers, lead guitarist and song writer for the band, who passes himself off as a tough guy a la "The Fonz" (of the old TV show "Happy Days," played by Henry Winkler). Among his many accomplishments, he has appeared in the TV show "Married with Children" and the TV movie "Earth Angel." In addition, he also studied ballet for three years, and has performed with the Los Angeles Ballet Company and the American Ballet Theater. Well, if his acting career doesn't pan out (which I seriously doubt) at least he something to fall back on. With his looks, I'm sure he has a bright future in entertainment (after all, Hollywood is all about IMAGE!).
Jay's study of ballet is kind of ironic, because the character that he plays on "California Dreams" doesn't know a thing about ballet and even hates it. It was only when he was trying to impress Lorena (played by Diana Uribe) did he take an interest in it, with disastrous results.
One of my most memorable episodes involving "Jake" was during the time when his Uncle Frank (I think that was his name) came to visit him. Frank was a chain smoker who knows when to quit. Jake, who all but worships his uncle, picked up his smoking his uncle's smoking habit, to the dismay of his fellow band members. After attempts by the band to stop Jake from smoking, it was his uncle who finally got through to him, in a way he didn't expect. Frank was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he only had a few months to live. This really tore Jake up, for he loved his uncle with all his heart.
I know how he feels, for I lost my grandfather, someone I loved very much, to emphysema, which is caused in part by excessive smoking. Unfortunately, unlike lung cancer, which in most cases kills its victim within a few months, emphysema can linger on for years after it's diagnosed, killing its victim slowly and painfully. It was painful for me to even watch him go through this, knowing that he would be dying soon. Anyway, I can relate to what Jake was going through, and I hope it teaches many people (especially kids) a lesson: smoking kills. And death ain't "cool."
After filming the episode, Jay (according to my friend Melissa Robert, who obtained the following information from the Trouble (a British TV network) web site), who was a smoker since age 11, was so moved by the episode's powerful message that he decided to stop smoking. I'm really happy for him, and I hope others will follow his lead and do the same.
A little update on Jay (courtesy of Melissa Robert):
"While 'in between jobs' he got a job as an accounting executive...and mentioned something about maybe seeing him in something in the future. That's all I know."
Aaron, who made his debut on California Dreams during the third season, plays "Mark Winkle," Sly's (played by Michael Cade straight-laced cousin who also is a keyboardist and a lead singer for the band (titles he shares with Sam). In addition to the "California Dreams," the British-trained actor has appeared in several feature films, such as "Lorenzo's Oil," "Passed Away," and "Bob Roberts" (a personal favorite of mine), and numerous plays and musicals. With these credentials, he should've had a bigger role on "California Dreams."
Aaron Jackson's Web Page on Celebrity Sightings (membership [which is free] required)
William, part of the original cast of California Dreams, plays "Tony Wicks," a hip-talking drummer from South Central L.A. who is Sam's (Jennie Kwan's character) boyfriend. A graduate of the prestigious Chicago Academy for the Arts high school, he has hopes of becoming a director sometime soon.
As for the character he plays on the show, I think he does pretty well with it, although there was one episode that I found totally unrealistic. The episode involved all the characters having to do genealogical research of their family tree and present an oral presentation before the class. When Tony researched his ancestors and found out that he was a descendant of slaves, he was in shock, which in turn surprised me. How could any black person in America not assume that he isn't a descendant of slaves? Just about every African-American who is even somewhat knowledgable in American history (and/or possess an once of common sense) knows that they didn't migrate there willfully (i.e., - coming over on the Mayflower). If so, how come they can't identify with any particular African culture or nationality? Or why the only relatives they could find in their family tree had European surnames? It should have been obvious to Tony that his genealogical background would have been different from his counterparts. And instead of feeling ashamed that his ancestors were enslaved, he should have been proud of their accomplishments they made in spite of their predicament. Eventually, with the help of his friend and fellow band member Jake Sommers (played by Jay Anthony Franke) and a dream about his great grandfather who expressed he should be proud of who he is, Tony was finally able to come to grips with his past and re-submitted his class report (in the original, he stated that he was a descendant of royalty). Personally, although I thought that William should've had the writers "revise" the script, for it was totally unbelievable, he, in my opinion, did a pretty good job with it, particularly in the end. I hope in the future, when William becomes a director, that he portrays his movies, particularly regarding blacks, in a positive, uplifting, and non-demeaning way. After all, he is part of Hollywood's future.
Kelly, part of the original cast of California Dreams, plays "Tiffani Smith," the surfing, overly chipper bass guitar player for the band. Kelly has guest-starred on many shows, including "Blosson" and "The Wonder Years." Recently (according to Rick Moya's Unofficial California Dreams Web Page, Kelly just signed a five-year deal to star in "Baywatch," a show where she guest-starred in the past. I hope that her new role will be as successful as the one she had on California Dreams. Based on her popularity (as evidenced by all the links listed below), Kelly should be a Hollywood fixture for a long time to come.
BTW, as far the character Tiffani's bass playing skills are concerned, its a far cry from guys like Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten, who are bass-playing gods. Still, the sounds are decent and compliments the band quite well.
Kelly Packard Fan Page - Still under construction
Kellyfornia Dream - Another fan page (consisting mostly of pictures).
Diana, who made her debut on California Dreams on September 10, 1994, plays "Lorena Costa," the sassy, spoiled rich-girl who is the band's biggest fan (and supporter, for she provides the band a place to practice by letting them use her house's loft as a studio). Besides being an actress, she is also a dancer who has appeared in numerous music videos, such as Johnny Gill's "I Got You" and Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" If her career progresses, Diana, at age 21, might go her own way. I wish her the best.
Earlier, I mentioned that Diana is also a dancer, and on "California Dreams," she displays this talent rather well. In one episode, Lorena enters a dance competition at Sharkey's (a restaurant where the band normally performs and just "hangs out"), and despite having the somewhat aloof Sly (played by Michael Cade) as a dance partner, she almost wins the contest. I see why Johnny Gill wanted her in his video.
A MIDI site (created by Generation MAX)
Some of these pictures were supplied via Melissa Robert's California Dreams Web Page. Many thanks go out to her.
Filmographies supplied by The Internet Movie Database.
List of addresses for writing the cast
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