Fuller SPOILER Thoughts From This Review House (02.26.16)

There are SPOILERS in this blog post. So if you don't want anything ruined for you prior to your viewing experience, STOP READING FROM HERE ON OUT!!

To tell you the truth, I've been holding off on blogging until after I've either watched a new movie, started a new series, or fish ed a cat out of a hat. And though I haven't watched a new movie yet, I decided to buckle down and watch the Pilot episode of "Fuller House" (Netflix).

Daniel Tanner ... Who is that woman?! What is she doing here?! Why is she here?! Is she the new step-mom? So many unanswered questions that I don't like asking without getting answers. Introducing a brand new character in the Pilot of a reboot? SO NOT COOL!! But Danny was fun and loving, as usual. Not as funny as the past, but I suppose age does wear one down.

Joey Gladstone ... Silly, big-kid, and as loving as always. Not too sure... is he a clown or a magician or a comedienne now? Nothing is really clearly noted, but he is still lots of fun an that's what's important, right? A definite keeper and ringer for the past. Truly wonderful, and I still want an Uncle like him in my life!!

Uncle Jesse & Aunt Becky .. As ageless as ever!! Love their chemistry and endless love. FOREVER!! Definitely was hoping they would stick around to make like more interesting!! And... did I read right as to why the "ship has sunk"?? Can't help but love their dynamic, regardless of how more gooey they seem. And their TWINS... Alex and Nicky... That was a bit strange. I know what I was expecting and it was NOT that!! Know what I mean? I mean, the twins were nice, family oriented, not dumb kids with helium in their brains. How did they turn into those duds??

DJ Tanner-Fuller ... Not sure if I like her just yet in this new 'Danny Tanner' role. Can she handle it? Will she be entertaining enough to fully uphold the funniness, sweetness, and unconditional love Danny Tanner had led us to expect from the show? Of course, it being a reboot, very much has been left to be desired, but I'm not sure if she is being portrayed true to her character.

Stephanie Tanner ... Wear a BRA! I was NOT comfortable with how much skin she was showing. Show off her wild and edgy life style in another way! Why are you accosting my eyes with view of her side boob and voluptuous figure?! Wow. I was not expecting that! But, at least, my impression of her can only go up from here, right?

Michelle Tanner ... M.I.A. -- The breaking of the 4th dimension wall was pretty cute on the show's behalf!!

Kimmy Gibbler ... WOW. The kama sutra knowledge was a bit too much, the separated from her husband was wildly weird, and somehow, her daughter, Ramona, seems too much not like how most children of strange mothers turn out to be like. If you get what I mean... Still, her humor does help ease the strangeness of the overall reboot, and adds a sense of familiarity to the already wild mix in that house... I just wonder how much of reality will she return to by the end of the series?

Steve Hale ... Why does he own Comet Jr. Jr.?? Why can't we see him want to be friend and then slowly have her turn to more in the relationship? Having him nearly beg for marriage right off the bat is strange. Has he been around during the first year she has been back in the house? Have they kept in contact at all since she got married and etc.? Again, more questions than answers... hate it!!

So, I guess, yes, this is just the Pilot so there won't be so many answers, but there ought not be so many questions as well, right? I mean... SERIOUSLY?!?! I was a bit disappointed, aggravated, annoyed, and over all, I felt my heart strings tug every time I felt an ounce of disappointment. This show is too awkward to carry the same weight of the show I watched when I was a kid. Not to mention, WHY ARE THEY ALL WHITE?!?! OMG... it started waaay back when and it continues!!

ADD SOME COLOR IN THERE, "FULLER HOUSE"!! Your rating will likely go up if you do so!

Final score based off of the Pilot for "Fuller House", I give it a weak but solid B. There's plenty of space for growth... They will either rise to the occasion or sink from the expectations.

Here's hoping for the best!! What did you think??

*A new episode of Umbrella Thoughts soon to come!!  Take a listen to our previous conversations!!

Microphone Mayhem!! (02.18.16)

I had the honor and horror of starting a podcasting channel for RainBridge with some friends that grew and now is expanding. I say honor because we’re covering topics we want covered and offering opinions that others may be too afraid to voice. We talk about the failing education system and the comparisons of pop-culture and entertainment all on one channel. And, of course, we have the sports side, so we do have it all. But I say horror because it demands and requires a lot of time and energy and money!! From feeding our panelists, podcasters, and special guests to making sure I have the right hardware, software, and equipment, the checklist only grows, even as my funds shrink. But we hope to be sponsored soon, maybe. Who knows how that works?

So, for RainBridge Studios, CoTangent was the first successfully launched podcast. It featured Ed and myself talking about sports, general trending topics, and then cover the weekend box office. This has gone on for a year and we will continue it because people actually, which is fun! And then Umbrella Thoughts was started because there are topics not covered by talk shows that ought to be at the top of the list for conversations. So, instead of listening to those older hens and gossipers talk about the less important stuff, we’re taking on the tough subjects, conversations, and hoping to bright to the table a different perspective on what is truly ailing our country, community, and society today. As Ed says, it’s the more intellectual conversation part of RB Studios.

So, because I have a film background, I predominantly used a Zoom H4N and although it records high quality sounds, it is more of a film-based microphone. In film shoots, I use an XLR splitter to add left and right, connect it to a boom pole, add a shock mount with a Rode mic at the end and you have a film sound recorder of pretty high quality. However, to ensure clean and crisp sound, you have to turn the microphone to whoever is speaking and try not to record the sound of the xlr cable moving against the pole, or the like. You have to watch for cars, helicopters, airplanes, and other noises. It all affects the sound on your shoot, and the H4N is simply the device that holds the sound. That’s all it is really meant to do. To ask more of it… is just silly. Simply put, it’s meant to just record.

Not to mention, the microphones up top are pointed in 2 directions, with some additional sound-recording abilities on the sides, but when 4 people talk around a table, it’s hard to capture everyone cleanly without squishing everyone together at one end of the table. Not to mention all the other sounds you end up catching. Most of the time, I’d point the mic at the person across from me, ask those on my right and left to speak louder, and I would talk the loudest because the mic is facing away from me. This was strange and their voices would start strong and then die off. I’d strain to hear them at times. … This is NOT FUN.

So, I was in the market for buying another microphone. I wanted to capture tone and dynamic sounds for these podcasts. I needed something that accentuated the cleanest of voices while capturing everyone evenly at all times. I didn’t want someone to purposefully strain just because my microphone couldn’t capture them, too. I mean, how strange does that sound? So, into the market I went!!

Here is how my train of thought traveled…

Dynamic vs. Condenser Mics 

From what I have found, dynamic and condenser mics are much more worth the musical realm of recording as opposed to the voice broadcasting systems. Where tone quality and sound can be tweaked and adjusted so to better fit the music, or amps, or whatever, these microphones aren’t great for more of a chatty, monotonous, and non-dynamics needed purposes. I grew up singing, so I know what these mics can do, and speaking was always a whole different adjustment.

Rode Procaster & Podcaster 

Wow! To go from listening to normal sound to how well these two isolate the voice, it’s simply amazing. I was so wooed by it, the price is what turned me off to it. If I have to buy up to 5 microphones, that’s over 1K, and RB Studios isn’t at a place to do that just yet. But one day, if we make enough to support ourselves, we will put the budget into making this happen. And I would buy the Procaster because, oh my, it’s as smooth as honey and sounds even better! Indeed,a fine microphone, and I expected no less from Rode.

Blue Yeti

Something you have to understand about the podcasts from RainBridge Studios is that it’s rarely ever just 1 person podcasting. There is usually at least two people, if not more, but around four for Umbrella Thoughts. Because we are still relatively small, we can’t just shell out hundreds of dollars for multiple microphones with individual arms, pop screens, cables, a mixer, and the like. So, for the price and sound, to cover everyone equally, the Yeti simply was better for everyone sitting around the table and talking. 

So... In conclusion, as if it weren't obvious enough... I bought a Yeti for the time being. Until the day RB Studios can have their own office and sound studio... the Yeti will have to do. Yay! 

My Emotional Monday... and More!!

I've been slacking on my blogging for the main reason, I've simply been terribly distracted! But, I must share about what I'm excited about!!

I SAW CHRIS PINE AT JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE ON MONDAY AFTERNOON... (All thanks to 1iota.com) Which was why CoTangent did not record on Monday but on Tuesday! And then, because I was still in a tizzy, editing on Tuesday was impossible, especially since I dragged Ed to Tacos Delta for tacos before we recorded the episode! Anyways, we're coming up to our 1 year anniversary!! If you want more information on Chris Pine, here it is!! And now, the 47th episode of CoTangent!!



Also, here is Umbrella Thoughts Episode 2!! This podcast is different from the one above because it features different conversations, topics, and ideas. It's more free and opinionated, along the lines of what The View and The Talk should be talking about if they didn't discuss entertainment all the time. The newest episode is hosted/moderated by Tea and features Chris and Michelle, Celso special guesting!!



Onto the world of topics we should cover!! KUNG-FU PANDA 3 and The Finest Hours is out this Friday! One features the lovingly cute panda named Po, the dragon warrior, and the other features Chris Pine. Not sure which one I will watch first, but I guess we'll see... hehehe!! Deadpool is coming up to be out soon and we're always prepping for big projects coming up in our future! Yay!

Well, the Rain Bridge Studios Youtube page is more for pop culture stuff. The Rain Bridge Studios Original Content has a different page and is coming soon!! Looking forward to and hoping for some comments!!

Umbrellas + CoTangents = Podcasts Galore (12.22.15)

I HAVE STARTED A NEW PODCAST CALLED "UMBRELLA THOUGHTS"!! And, as predicted, we talk about EVERYTHING that is MOSTLY entertainment! This is different from the CoTangent because CoTangent has sports and some movie and box office talk. A way to sum up a week of nothings to make something.


EPISODE 42 for COTANGENT is up!! Check it out down here!! This is Ed + Me podcasting together!!


After listening to them, you get what I mean by they're different, right?? Well, here's to bringing some holiday cheer as the Christmas Merry gets ever near!!

God Bless you all and BE HAPPY!!!