Yes! I Finally Posted...

...but it's still not a review. :(

However, my news does (sorta) pertain to reviewing. Although I still don't feel like I have much extra time to be spending writing reviews, I have received something that will aid me in that regard: Album 54! Now, rather than digging back into the archives (or going to FAIO [heh-heh]) to listen to previously-aired episodes, I can just pop a CD into the laptop and review as I listen.

My family celebrated Christmas today on the 24th rather than on the 25th tomorrow in order to maintain the importance of the Lord's Day. We didn't want the celebration of Christmas to conflict with our celebration with Jesus' resurrection tomorrow, so we opened presents today. As you can see in the picture below, I have much reason to be happy with the presents I received. ;)

I'd love to hear about any presents you've received--especially if they have anything to do with Odyssey. And I promise I will try my best to get a review of Forgiving More...Or Less out as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience! Have yourself a merry little Christmas celebrating Christ's birth! But don't forget to go to church on Sunday and celebrate His resurrection.

Repack Covers and Album 55!

The new covers for both Album 23 and Album 29 have been released! (These ones are actually official [if AIO Wiki can be trusted ;)].) They are a small improvement from the fake ones released before, but I still think those were wonderful! Here they are:




And then here we have the official back cover art for Album 54:



All of these look fabulous! I am continually amazed at Gary Locke's ability to create such quality and yet fun art.

Now for the more exciting part of the post: Information about Album 55! AIO Wiki has put a summary of all that we know about Album 55 (and Album 56) on their "Future" page. The most notable piece of information that I'll include here concerns one of the three-part episodes that we've heard about before:

While The Labyrinth, the episode featuring Jason and Mr. Grote, will remain the same--a three-parter--Sgt. York will not. "This was originally a 3 part episode. However, after editing the voice tracks, the AIO team discovered that the episode is 18 minutes too long. Rather than cut out 18 minutes out of the story, they decided to make it into AIO's first 4-part episode. Because of this, an episode from album 55 will be pushed back to be released in a future album."

Wow!! I have some friends who don't really listen to Odyssey, mainly because of the modern turn it's taken over the last ten years (sometimes featuring snarky and worldly characters); however, I know that they really enjoy the story of Alvin York, so I'm very excited to know that this will be an extended episode about which I will potentially be able to give them a good report. And from what I've heard them tell me about Sgt. York, it should be a very interesting and riveting episode. I can't wait to see how the writers handled it; it has the potential of becoming as much of, if not more of, a favorite than the Jubilee Singers.

Well, I don't know about you, but, minus Album 54, I'm excited about where Odyssey is going in the future, particularly with Album 55. We'd better all stay tuned for what's coming in the days ahead!

The Official Podcast Knows Best!

Sorry I haven't posted about this yet. I was out of town yesterday, and am only seeing this breaking news this morning. I don't have much else to say, but for those of you who don't read The Odyssey Scoop or The Odyssey Times and haven't seen this yet, a whole twelve minutes of an Album 54 episode has been released!

Wooton Knows Best, the first episode of the season, is the episode that was half-released. If your mind needs refreshing, this is the episode summary: "Olivia and Matthew Parker compete for a chance to be Wooton Bassett's camp assistant."

I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but I guess since it's been released by the Official Podcast, I'll give in and listen to it. But I am definitely not downloading anything before hearing the season on the radio. What are your thoughts? Please comment while I go over and take a listen!

Album 54 Episode Summaries!

Well, for the first time in a long while, another blog beat me to the latest news. *gasp* But I guess being the second one with the news out is just as good. :D The episode summaries for Album 54: Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of God's Love have been released (in case you couldn't read the title of the post)! Thanks to AIO Wiki, we can now know which episodes to look forward to, and which ones during which to conveniently be busy as they air. Just kidding. But a couple of these do concern me a bit. Here they are:

Wooton Knows Best:

Olivia and Matthew Parker compete for a chance to be Wooton Bassett's camp assistant.

(We haven't had a camp episode, I don't think, since Champ of the Camp; and, at least for me, that is one of my favorite camp episodes. I don't know what to think this one could be like with Wooton in it. Hopefully it will turn out well, and who knows, maybe it will actually be a genuinely funny Wooton episode. It's written by Marshal Younger, who hasn't written many Wooton episodes at all, but he wrote a few over the last couple seasons, so that might not be a good sign.)

A Penny Saved:

Penny Wise deals with the aftermath of her role in the Green Ring Conspiracy and plans for the future.

(This should be an interesting episode, I think. Now, it does have Penny in it, but it doesn't seem to indicate that Wooton joins her, so it might be okay. Penny isn't really bad by herself, it's just when Wooton enters the picture...*shudders* My guess is that Penny will be looking for a job in art--and she'll probably get it--based on a later episode summary. And apparently this episode won't be about her salvation. :( I don't know how intriguing the episode will be, but it's written by Paul McCusker, so it can't be too bad.)

The Amazing Loser:

When Whit's End sponsors a band camp, Matthew, Jay, and Barrett compete in a musical scavenger hunt.

(Another camp episode? It must be summer. ;) I don't know what to expect with a musical episode like this. It's Dave Arnold's only episode of the season, but that really doesn't mean anything, because he only wrote one episode before the relaunch, and since the relaunch, he's written a wide variety of episodes [The Jubilee Singers, Grandma's Christmas Visit, The Malted Milkball Falcon, etc.]. We haven't really heard one centered on music, however, since Odyssey Sings!, though we heard just a little bit in Stage Fright. Odyssey Sings! is an okay episode, but because my younger siblings love to listen to it, I've gotten pretty sick of it. But it looks like this one will have a little mystery to it, and it's a mystery without Emily, so I might like it.)

Anger Mismanagement:

Frustration abounds as David suggests Grandma Lucia try a test run of her salon business in his living room, and Olivia discovers Valarie stealing the media spotlight for a big parade.

(So, Grandma Lucia is back. She's been in one good and one bad episode, but both times, she's been in a single-storyline episode. This one seems to be two half-episodes put together for the purpose of a singular moral lesson [a la Hear Me, Hear Me or Blood, Sweat, and Fears]. The second story described looks like it will probably be a little annoying, mostly because Olivia is in it. But it will be interesting to hear from Valarie again. This is one of Kathy Buchanan's many episodes this season, and she wrote Opposite Day in Album 52, so I'm not optimistic.)

Forgiving More...Or Less:

After hearing a story from Red Hollard, Camilla Parker decides to make a forgiveness list.

(Seems like quite a simple episode, but it's from Paul McCusker, so something tells me it won't be. We haven't had an episode solely focused on Camilla before [For the Birds was close, but this looks closer], so it might or might not be a nice change. Red hasn't made many appearances either. In fact, I think he totally disappeared over the last two seasons, but many people didn't seem to like him much, so maybe that was for the best. Hopefully this episode can redeem him.)

You're Two Kind:

Ryan decides to partner with Brad for a school project, but has second thoughts when he overhears Brad making fun of him. Meanwhile, Connie gives Eugene a series of bejeweled gifts and he struggles to tell her the truth--he hates them.

(Here's another two-story, one-story episode with two parts that have nothing to do with each other. They both seem quite original, in that Odyssey hasn't really covered the topics before, but specifically the second story sounds really weird. Does anyone know what "bejeweled" means?)

A Penny Earned:

Penny Wise searches for her future in a job and as Connie Kendall's roommate.

(This is the first Penny episode to be written by someone other than Paul McCusker: Kathy Buchanan, so maybe this could be a turn for the better. Mrs. Buchanan wrote all the Connie/Mitch stuff, so hopefully this could make Penny a more likable character--even if Wooton's involved.)

Never for Nothing:

Grandma Lucia recounts to Olivia her story of a childhood friend, an event that taught her that love is "never for nothing."

(I can't figure out what in the world "love is 'never for nothing'" is supposed to mean, so maybe I need a lesson from Grandma Lucia too. But I doubt it. Hopefully this episode can paint her as more of a Whit-like character than she currently is. I suspect it will have some Spanish culture involved, which can be pleasant or annoying, depending on how much it is used. I think it will be Kathy Buchanan's first Spanish-related episode, however, so she could do something good with it.)

Emily, the Genius:

Emily is overwhelmed when a school test shows that she is a genius.

(This is another very simple-seeming episode. But it sounds kinda weird. I thought Emily already knows that she's a genius, based on the episode I so hate from Album 51. Why does she need to be reminded of it? Hopefully this episode will deal more with the issue of pride than that previously mentioned episode did. It's written by Bob Hoose, who brought us The Inspiration Station and An Agreeable Nanny, so there's no telling what will happen.)

How to Sink a Sub:

When Katrina becomes their substitute teacher, Jay and Valerie rouse the class to revolt, even persuading Olivia to help with a plan to get Katrina fired.

(This episode is just weird all around. Katrina a substitute teacher? Jay and Valerie working together? The class is persuaded to revolt against Katrina? Olivia joins the bullies in getting Katrina fired? And all this ties in with sinking a submarine? Very weird. I wish they hadn't put Jay and Valerie together. I had high hopes that Jay could turn around and become more of a nice guy with a suggestive attitude, but Valerie is the opposite, so it doesn't look good for him.)

Unbecoming Jay:

Jay schemes a way to ditch his cousin Cindy by leaving her with Barrett, but Priscilla grows jealous of the new friendship.

(This just has not-appropriate-for-younger-listeners written all over it. And yet it's written by Bob Hoose, whom I wouldn't expect that from at all. I don't see how this storyline has anything to do with Jay trying to unbecome himself, but I guess we'll see.)

Childish Things:

Before a gallery exhibit of her work, Penny tries a variety of methods to decide whom she can trust in life.

(This one seems like it could be kind of boring, but, again, it's from Paul McCusker, so it should be okay. I don't see what Penny's search for trust has to do with a gallery exhibition, though.)

So what do you think? Do any of these look very good or very disappointing or in-between to you? Do you agree or disagree with my assessments? As usual, I'd love to hear from you in the comments--no matter how long a comment you leave. Thanks for reading!

Brock Eastman Interview

The Odyssey Scoop has posted the second part to their interview with Brock on the ScoopCast! I don't remember seeing that they had posted a first part, but it's exciting anyway. There was a little bit of new information shared, so I'll record it here as usual.

• Brock has already heard six of Album 54's episodes, and he finds them quite exciting.


• This upcoming album's episodes are definitely more along the lines of slice-of-life episodes, rather than the big conspiracy we just had.


• The writers are already working on Album 55 shows, and Brock thinks that they are very exciting as well.


• There is an episode in the upcoming season where we hear from Grandma Parker again, and there is a hilarious part combining Mr. Parker and tortillas.


• Album 54 should really help us start connecting with the personalities of the members in the Parker family.


• The Hispanic aspect of this new family was introduced to try to reach out to that Hispanic part of our culture which has always loved Odyssey, but seldom felt included in the stories.


• Kevin McCreary plays a very minor character by the name of Kevin in the new Grandma Parker episode. His first Odyssey appearance was in The Green Ring Conspiracy Part I at 10:30. He calls out as part of the press as Detective Polehaus is leaving the crash site, "Detective, Detective! Wait, wait!" (I believe he was also the first person cast to play Robert Mitchell in Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips, according to the Novacom Saga's bonus CD.)


• Brock has "cameoed" in a few episodes as well. In The Inspiration Station, he was one of the kids whom Connie had to clean up after in her dream, but his voice was replaced. And in The Mystery of the Clock Tower, he was a voice in the crowd at the end of Part 2. :P Diane, however, has been in many, many roles.


• The Imagination Station series' Book 5, Showdown with the Shepherd was written by Brock, and Book 6, Problems in Plymouth was written by Marshal Younger. Plus, work has already been started on Books 7-12. Either Book 7 or 8 will feature Patrick fighting a dragon!


• Brock's non-Odyssey series The Quest for Truth's first book, Taken, is out, and can be found at all major book retailers. He started writing the series in 2005, and he just last year finally found a publisher for them. (His blog about this series can be found here. [Be warned, the main picture may scare you away!])


• The original premise for the series was going to feature four missionary kids in Africa, but Brock ended up having his character flying through space on a ship called the Phoenix! His purpose for writing the series was to give kids something to read that was a fun action/adventure story, but avoided the unnecessary elements that much teen fiction has today.

After the interview (which will be concluded in a third part in a couple of weeks), Kevin played a commercial/preview of the book series. You can hear that at 11:49 on the ScoopCast, if you're interested.

Well, I have to admit, I am getting a little bit more excited for the release of Album 54. I'm trying to get more optimistic about things so that I can come to the season with a neutral mind, but I'm not sure how well that's going to go if we have to hear from Penny and Emily. :P

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for any new Odyssey news. Please comment!

Paul McCusker Interview

For one of the first times ever, I'm listening to The Whit's End Podcast. AIO Wiki posted a link to a podcast interview with Paul McCusker. The sound quality isn't as great as The Official Podcast, but it was still very interesting to listen to. There was some new information revealed, so I'll record that here for those who aren't interested in listening to the podcast.

• The new and updated Official Guide is set to come out sometime in the next year, year-and-a-half, around the time of Odyssey's 25th Anniversary. It will include some repeated information (mainly episode descriptions), but Nathan Hoobler is planning to include a lot of new behind-the-scenes stuff that wasn't in the first guide, because he doesn't like repeats.


• Mr. McCusker wasn't sure how early they will be releasing Album 54--whether they'd release it in download form as early as Album 53 was released or just in album form before or after the album airs. You should e-mail them if you really want to know the answer or give your thoughts.


• There are no immediate plans to do anymore Passages books or audio episodes as of now, mainly because of Mr. McCusker's time management.


• Phillip Glossman and Dr. Regis Blackgaard will never return!


• Bernard is always a possibility for the show, but there are no plans yet to put him in a new episode.


• Two dozen episodes of Adventures in Odyssey translated over into a video production in India have been completed and are being aired on television over there.


• China was interested to have Odyssey translated into their language to share with their youth. Hispanic countries are receiving many episodes in the Spanish language as well.


• Oliver Twist will be the next FOTF Radio Theatre project, hopefully coming out next year. For those of you very attentive listeners, there was a reference made to this project in Album 53. Tell me in the comments if you know what it was.


• In England the word "skint" means that you're poor; that's where the name for Mr. Skint came from.


• The reason Odyssey characters don't open up the new episodes is that the writers were trying to simplify things a little bit and get back to the original Chris-only openings.


• It's very exciting for the writers to see Andre Stojka as he continues to do better and better in the role of Whit. Just as Hal Smith and Paul Herlinger developed their own styles of Whit and came to him with different approaches, the writers definitely notice that Andre has his own unique style that he brings to Whit, and they mold his lines to fit that approach. It was in this most recent Album 53 that Mr. McCusker felt that Andre really clicked as the right choice for a new Whit.


• There are not any more current storylines for Montyn, but Mr. McCusker says that since his return was so well-loved and -received, they plan to bring him back at some point. Maybe in another twenty years? :P


• Although three shows from Album 54 were removed to create room for the three Wooton/Penny shows, we will likely be hearing them in either Album 55 or 56.


• Continuing in the never-ceasing joke about the paradox of Odyssey time, Paul McCusker explains how whereas there isn't really any jump of time between the end of Album 50 and Album 51, in Part IX of the GRC, Jason mentions that ten years ago, he took on the role of the Stiletto. They are very vague about the passing of time during these last few albums, so Mr. McCusker suggests we just lay back and roll with it, without trying to get wrapped up in the time scheme of things.


• With Album 54, the writers decided to go with the idea that each episode is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13, but very often, Chris's wrap-up at the end will point to a specific verse. For example, one of the Penny episodes called Childish Things points to the actual verse where Paul says, "Put away childish things." But some are a little broader than that, because they aren't trying to accomplish "expository preaching," but rather a broad overview of the meaning of love, as expressed in the chapter.

Well, we got a bunch of information in that podcast, so I'm glad the AIO Wiki posted about it. It was especially nice to learn some new things about Album 54, including what the third Wooton/Penny episode will be. Now I know what three weeks to be on vacation. :P Just kidding. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please comment!

My Apologies, But...

the episode titles for Album 54 are out, as of today!!

The "My Apologies" part is about the fact that I still don't have my review of Part 12 of the Green Ring Conspiracy out yet. I've had a very busy Memorial Day weekend, as I suspect some of you have had, so please forgive me. I'll try to get the review out either tomorrow morning or Thursday morning.

But there's huge news! On a brand-new video podcast out today at the Official Podcast website, Brock secretly reveals the episode titles for the entirety of Album 54: Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of God's Love! He only showed them for a split-second before Bob and Jesse cut him off, but I paused it, and here they are:

1. Wooton Knows Best
2. A Penny Saved
3. The Amazing Loser
4. Anger Mismanagement
5. Forgiving, More or Less
6. You're Two Kind
7. A Penny Earned
8. Never for Nothing
9. Emily the Genius
10. How to Sink a Sub
11. Unbecoming Jay
12. Childish Things

Honestly, to me, some of those seem a little fake, and it's hard to trust Brock sometimes, but I guess they look real enough that those are most likely the genuine titles. I have to admit, I'm not that excited about this album, because so far, since the relaunch, I don't think the issue of "love" has been dealt with all that well. Barrett and Priscilla in When You're Right, You're Right, Michael Butler and Wendy Jennings in The Mystery of the Clock Tower, and Buck and Emily and Wooton and Penny throughout Album 53. So I'm hoping that the AIO team redeems themselves with a more proper view of the sacred subject of love between a male and a female. Maybe they'll use the album to give a better portrayal of true love, whether it's agape love (unconditional love for others as neighbors), storge love (general affection for someone, usually as a family member), philia love (general love between friends--enjoying company), or eros love (romantic love between a male and a female--most specifically the emotional connection of the relationship). I hope they will handle the subject delicately, as it should be handled, and not flippantly, as I fear.

But episodes like #s 2, and 7, which are known to be episodes in the Wooton/Penny saga are giving me concerns. And I'm hoping Unbecoming Jay isn't something even remotely along the lines of the fake (or at least I think it was fake) description it was given for a short amount of time at AIO Wiki. It described Jay as wanting to improve himself for his girlfriend, so Emily and Matthew had to help him out--similar to Changing Rodney, except that episode didn't have a girlfriend in it. I wish AIO would stop putting those kinds of relationships in their shows. I actually liked the Trent and Mandy saga, because their love for each other was portrayed as something special and almost sacred, especially in A Class Reenactment. But in this new season, those kinds of relationships are tossed around with no honor or respect whatsoever, so I'm concerned and not sure what to expect from Album 54.

Please comment and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this subject!

A Penny Saved

I've picked up around different Odyssey sites that a new title has been released for Album 54: Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of God's Love. The episode, which I think is going to be three parts, is called A Penny Saved.

It will deal with the Wooton-Penny-Connie storyline started in Album 53. People speculate that it will probably feature the clearing-up of Penny's bad New-Age Pan-En-Theistic theology. Who knows? Maybe she'll become a Christian. But I really don't think, even if she does, that I want her to remain a regular on the show. That is, unless she becomes way less annoying. She and Wooton, however similar they may be, don't fit together, and she's doing bad things to Wooton's character rather than improving him like a spouse is supposed to.

Anyway. That's all I have for now. I still haven't gotten to that review yet. I'm sorry. I'll do my best to get it out tomorrow. But I'm nearing the end of the schoolyear, and I have a lot of work to do.

...And So It Drags On (in a good kinda way)...

Okay, before I get to the review, Ahhhh! Look what the AIO Wiki posted today!!!



This is so cool! I wasn't expecting this at all! If you look closely at the checker/chess board, you can see that the pieces are Connie, Eugene, the Imagination Station, Whit's End, and Tom on Whit's side. And on Blackgaard's side we have a computer, a building that's probably Blackgaard's Castle, a man who could be Glossman, but he's fatter than I imagined him, and then a woman of whom we can see the top of her head. This is an overall amazing picture, and I couldn't have dreamed of anything better to have as the cover of this amazing set!

Alright, now to the review: Well, we're finally halfway through the season. And we heard the words "the Green Ring Conspiracy" for the first time, and we actually learn how it is that the carnival is most likely the cover for the counterfeiting scheme. Monty's explanation makes a lot of sense, but something tells me it was just given to make us suspect Uncle Archie and his carnival goons. But maybe something else is going on. Maybe Monty's in on it! And Mr. Skint is a good guy!! No, I'm just kidding, but I'm really not sure what to think about what Monty said.

I really like Uncle Archie's voice. But because of his tone, it's really hard to tell whether or not he's a good or bad guy. He seems to like Detective Polehaus, but it's not the same for Polehaus. I can't tell if Archie has a bad past with the detective, so that's why he doesn't like Wally, or if Wally has a bad past with him, and that's why he doesn't like Archie. Or maybe it's both, and they just have an all-around bad family. But we now know that Jay isn't the son of Archie, but he's the child of "Nick and Sylvia," not "Betty and Reggie." (It's a big family.)

This episode felt kind of short, because, like episode four, we didn't really get much new information out of it. A lot of the episode time was spent with the various characters' experiences at the carnival. Wooton and Penny make an odd pair, but their both odd, so I guess it's kind of even. I don't think they really have a future together, but maybe that's just because I think Penny's annoying, and she doesn't really bring out the best in him. I think even Victoria would have been better for him, especially considering the fact that I continue to doubt her "Christianity."

It sounds like a fun carnival though. However I've never actually been to a real carnival before, so it could be missing a lot. But all the rides and attractions mentioned sound fun. But it's freaky that practically all of the men and some of the women look like Mr. Skint, according to Archie. I'm not sure how much fun I could have with a bunch of people that look like that. If you've ever read A Carnival of Secrets in the second Odyssey novel compilation, Danger Signals, you know why I don't trust carvinals with a bunch of thugs for employees. They can't be good news.

Buck and Emily... That's just weird to me. I don't know what it is she sees in him. He is secretive, older than her, and he has an annoying Southern accent that sounds fake. I wish Matthew would act on the crush we all know he has on Emily (or vice versa) and get rid of Buck! Hopefully Emily won't end up helping Buck find the AppleBerry and giving it to him.

I'm glad suspicion was drawn out of Katrina after meeting with Mr. Skint and Buck. I wouldn't know what to think of her if she took that encounter at face value. Mr. Skint seems to want curiosity to be thrown his way. But I guess he has to go to drastic measures if he's going to get that AppleBerry back. I loved it when Monty didn't fall for the old "Watch out behind you!" trick, but then that was the trick! So yet again, there's a cliff-hanger involving Monty.

What will Mr. Skint do with Monty? What will Katrina and Eugene do when they get to the address that Buck gave her? What is Uncle Archie's connection to this conspiracy? Is Monty right about the carnival and auction being a cover for the counterfeit ring? What relationship will develop between Wooton and Penny? Will he and Connie be able to find her in the Hall of Mirrors? Will Matthew take Jay's advice and change Emily's mind about Buck? Will Buck find the AppleBerry before Matthew and Eugene figure out the password? What is Wally Haggler's secret past? What will Jay find out from his stakeout? Where is Agent Tanner hiding? Is Dirk Beggs's part in this mystery over, or will we hear from him again? And when will they ever tell us the answer to the mystery about a duck's quack?!

I guess we'll just have to keep listening. Thanks for reading my review! Please tell me what you think in the comments!

P.S. This picture was also posted on the AIO Wiki today. I think the pink works much better with the picture than the previously-speculated lavender did. Plus, it fits with the "love" theme.

AHH! Big Updates!

I got an e-mail from Brock for the first time in a long time! He sent the descriptions for the episodes that we presently have the titles for. I couldn't believe it! This is so similar to what happened last year with Album 52! Here are the descriptions:

Unbecoming Jay: Jay Smouse is devastated with the news about his uncle's past involvement in illegal activities, and he's afraid that with the way his life is going, he might end up in prison too. So he asks the Square One Club to help him with his problems and try to make him a better person. But Whit tells Jay that there's only One Who can make him a better person. Only He can truly help Jay and stop the family line of bad behavior.

The Amazing Loser: Barrett Jones is frustrated. No matter how hard he tries, he is losing at everything--he can't get the notes right on his trombone, he's always the last one picked for football because of his lack of ability, and he keeps messing people's days up. Therefore, he's even losing Priscilla, who's turning her attention to the changed Jay. He goes to Mr. Whittaker for help, and ends up getting sent on a trip in the Transmuter.

Wooton Knows Best: In yet another episode containing the name of this fan favorite, Wooton is being pummeled with kids who want his advice. It all started when Whit wasn't available and Wooton was at the counter, but now the kids love his advice, and start coming to him all the time instead of Whit! However, the real adventure starts when Whit asks Wooton for advice about one of his new inventions....

Anger Mismanagement: Principal Vogler is noticing the overabundance of bad behavior at Odyssey Middle School. He recruits Matthew and Emily to try to find out the cause behind everyone's irritation and frustration. But what they find surprises all three of them, and soon they are affected. Only one person can come to the rescue...Eugene!

In other news, the release of the Blackgaard Chronicles has been moved up to July, and the cover is to be released very shortly. Also, there's rumor of a new two-part Blackgaard episode being added to the tenth CD because of a two-episode shortage. I'll be watching this one very closely.

Finally, you can head over to the Official Podcast to see a video of some of the recording of Album 54! AHHH! See the actors for kids like Barrett, Jay, and Priscilla as they act! AHHH! This is so cool! Make sure you check it out! Oh, but read my comments first!

Thanks for reading! Make sure you keep coming back for any new exciting news! Please comment!

Books

Remember that picture I posted a couple months ago from the AIO Wiki?



As posted today at the same place, this is the cover for the upcoming October release of The Fight for Kidsboro, a large compilation of the first four Kidsboro books. Here is the summary the Wiki gave:

Kidsboro is a small town in the woods behind Whit’s End in Odyssey. It’s a nice little place. It has a church, a store, a police station, a bakery, a weekly newspaper . . . and a total of zero citizens over the age of 14. It’s a town run by kids. Ryan Cummings, the mayor, helps enforce the laws, create new job opportunities, and in general, keep the peace in a town where he seems to have lots of friends and only a few enemies. The Kidsboro series teaches not only moral and biblical principles, but also concepts of government, politics, economic principles, the judicial system, United States history, and Bible stories. The Fight for Kidsboro is a compilation of the 4 books from this popular series.

I have the Kidsboro books, and I really like them. Marshal Younger is nearly as good a writer as Paul McCusker is for the Passages books. They all have great storylines, and I hope some day they get transferred over into the audio series. You can check this book out here.

There's also been a release of the description for the fifth Imagination Station book, Showdown with the Shepherd, which is also coming out in October of this year:

The key to adventure lies within your imagination! Cousins Patrick and Beth go to the Holy Land in the tenth century BC. Their goal is to get back the ring Hugh stole and return him to 1450s England where he belongs. But troubles await them as soon as they step out of the Imagination Station. First they meet an angry bear and later an angry giant. Set against the backdrop of the David and Goliath story, the cousins learn that having a giant faith is more important than having a giant on your side.

I've never read the Imagination Station books, because they seem to be directed more toward younger children, but if you're interested, you can go here for more information.

There's also one more book that was announced with a description today--the sixth Imagination Station book, Problems in Plymouth:

The Imagination Station Adventures continue! Patrick and Beth’s next adventure leads them to Plymouth Plantation in 1621. There they meet William Bradford, Miles Standish, and Chief Massasoit, who are trying to establish peace between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Things are anything but peaceful, however, when a musket is stolen and the Pilgrims conclude the Indians are planning war. Only Patrick and Beth know who the real thief is—the traitor Hugh—and it’s up to the cousins to find him and stop him from causing trouble. When the cousins hear a gunshot during the first Thanksgiving feast, their worst fears are realized. They rush to the Mayflower and try to set right history, even as Hugh desperately tries to change it.

This book is also due to come out in October of this year.

Finally, while I was at the Wiki, I decided to take a look at the Album 54 page, and when I got there, I saw this mockup cover of the album, and I thought I'd share it with you:

In my opinion, it looks much better with the border around it, and I can definitely see this looking good on the front of an album now.

Thanks for reading! Please comment!

Some More Random News

I don't know where FreddyJay got this confirmed, but he told me in the comments that in this picture,



the girl is Priscilla Peterson, the boy with the black hair is Jay Smouse, and the boy with reddish hair is Barrett Jones. Those would probably have been my guesses if I had to guess, and they make sense: Jay is being annoying, Barrett is playing trombone, and Priscilla is with Barrett. :P But I'm not sure how much I like the illustration. I imagined Priscilla with dark hair, Barrett with really short blond hair, and Jay with black hair, but at the same length as Barrett's is in the picture. But I can't complain, because very rarely do the illustrations look just like I pictured them to look. Sometimes the actors end up looking like they sound, but almost never the illustrations.

Plus, FJ told me that he thinks this is just a draft, that it looks to un-polished to be the final cut. I think I agree. The colors and tints don't seem to be as solid as Gary Locke's usual work is. And obviously it doesn't have the border around it yet, so maybe it'll end up looking better with the AIO logo and album title.

In other news, information for The Blackgaard Chronicles is finally out! We were told about this upcoming saga repackage several years ago, and now it's finally coming! This is the description that was posted on AIO Wiki two days ago:

Evil has a name and it's Dr. Regis Blackgaard! The small town of Odyssey will never be the same! When a man named Dr. Regis Blackgaard arrives to build an "amusement house for kids," chaos and danger follow him. A top-secret government computer program is unleashed at Whit's End. Tom Riley's barn burns to the ground. And that's just the beginning of the schemes that Dr. Blackgaard has planned for Odyssey and John Avery Whittaker.

Follow the ever-twisting story in The Blackgaard Chronicles, a collection of thirty episodes following Whit's greatest nemesis. Along the way, the folks in Odyssey learn lessons about God's protection, sacrifice, forgiveness, salvation, and more. Once you start the story with "A Bite of Applesauce," you won't want to stop listening until you hear the dramatic conclusion. The Blackgaard Chronicles contains 30 episodes on 10 CDs. Over 13 hours of entertainment.

I'm wondering what episodes are going to be included in the package. I like all the Blackgaard episodes, and I own all but three of them (the last CD of my Darkness Before Dawn album is missing). Hopefully it will, in addition to the episodes in Darkness Before Dawn and Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes, include episodes such as Waylaid in the Windy City and A Name, Not a Number. Those are some of my favorite Odyssey episodes. Blackgaard was always one of the best villains, and I'm glad they kept him around for so long, even bringing him back from the dead in Blackgaard's Revenge. :)

I hope I am able to get this set, because, as the Novacom Saga did, I'm sure it's going to have some great bonus features, let alone the fact that you get thirty episodes in one package!

Well, I think that's it for now. Oh! I just remembered. Original Joe just today gave me a link to Gary Locke's blog where he posts all of the artwork he does for all kinds of things, including Focus on the Family's Clubhouse Magazine. You should go check it out! (Alert: If you are not a Republican and/or if you are totally content with and supportive of our current president, you could possibly be offended by some of the artwork. :D)

Also, if you're interested, Brock's been posting lately about his experience with the Duggars when they came to FOTF just this week. It's very interesting, especially if you already know a lot about the Duggars (they're the family with 19 kids that you may have seen on TLC!). You can go to Brock's blog here. (FYI: There's a weird-looking blue boy with no shirt on at the top of the page. Hopefully you're not offended by it. If you are, you can take it up with Brock. ;P)

Thanks for reading! Make sure to come back on Saturday for my review on The Green Ring Conspiracy Part III!

...And So It Continues...

This part was even better than the last one! But they're getting harder to review. It's difficult to review an episode that's a part of a bigger story. That's why, in past seasons, I've always reviewed episodes as a whole when all the parts have aired. That's not really possible this season though, so I'm going to do my best. By the way, if you haven't been there, FreddyJay at The Campbell County Connection is reviewing the episodes in a very interesting way. He's comparing them with the episodes in Album 25: Darkness Before Dawn each week. The first review last week comparing The GRC Part I to A Little Credit Please was very interesting, and I expect this week's to be even more so, so go check it out!

I thought that the opening scene to this second episode was even better than last week's opening scene with Matthew and Emily. This time we got some answers to questions right off the bat, and I hope the same thing happens next week. I really like the characters of Mr. Skint and Buck, but already a bunch more questions have been brought up. I'm wondering if the fact that they both have southern accents will come into play later on. I would think Detective Polehaus should have been more suspicious of Buck upon hearing his strange accent. (I personally think it sounds fake--kind of like the Australian boy, Simon, in A Little Credit, Please.) Somehow they have a connection with Uncle Archie of the carnival, and I think that's going to matter later on.

Detective Polehaus keeps making a big deal about how bad of a family background Wally Haggler has, and I don't know if anyone else caught it, but Uncle Archie is his brother. (So does that mean he's Jay's dad?! Or just another uncle?) I think the detective must know something about Archie's involvement in something, or at least he's suspicious, or he wouldn't be harping upon Wally's background so much. I thought it was intriguing that the detective also knew immediately who the Stiletto is, and that he thought Wally was lying as soon as he was brought up. I looked up the word stiletto in the dictionary to see if that'd give me any clues, but it only means "a small dagger" or "a thin high heel on a woman's shoe". I still think it could be Mr. Charles or the Chairman. I don't think it's Mitch, Richard, or Jason, because each of them is a Christian, and wouldn't do something like that. Well I guess Richard isn't necessarily a Christian, but he's always been a good guy, and he understands forgiveness and repentance. I really have no clue who he could be though.

Monty works in the Secret Service? I never would have guessed that he'd go that direction from his earlier shows. I wonder if Jana knows anything about it. Maybe his dad got him into it. But I think it makes sense that he'd be investigating the counterfeit case. My theory is that he is a spy for the government, and Dirk Beggs, Mr. Skint whoever the other guy is think he's in on the plan. The only sign that he was an agent was the disc under his skin, so I don't see how any of them would know, or why he'd tell them. I can't see him being a double agent against the government, so I don't think he's actually working with them. But now he's right back out of the hospital, and he left us with another cliff-hanger!

Eugene seems to have his action/adventure cap on in these episodes. His attitude and tone remind me of the days when he was trying to find his father with Whit. The chemistry between him and Emily, in my opinion, is really, really good, and I think he'd make a more fitting partner for Emily in a detective agency than Matthew does. ;) And also, the music again really added to the show. John Campbell does a great job composing for mysteries. It hearkens back to the Novacom days. But I'm still waiting to hear from Katrina! I hope she comes in soon. And I hope Audrey Wasalewski starts doing a better job with her voice. In past episodes with her and Eugene, I agree with those who say that she isn't as good of a Katrina as Pamela Hayden was. But she hasn't been in mystery mode for a while, so maybe she can redeem herself.

The kids were really good in the episode again. I thought Matthew especially did a good job. He was right to say that he shouldn't go to meet a stranger, and then I thought it was great that he said he wanted to meet at the police station. I'm really itching to know what's on the AppleBerry phone, to find out why Mr. Skint is so concerned that it will fall into the wrong hands. Georgina Cordova continues to do a great job playing Nelson, and I'm continually amazed at how much she can make him sound like a boy. His argument with Jay about the plane crash made me laugh. Jay also did a good job in the episode. It seems that he's going to be a very important character in the episodes to come, since he links the bad guys to the good guys. I look forward to hearing more from him, since Marvin says that he's in every episode this season.

There are still so many questions, despite how many were answered in this episode: What is Dirk Beggs' secret? What's on the AppleBerry he dropped? What's Uncle Wally's part in all this? And what is the significance of his relation to Uncle Archie at the carnival? Who is Monty working for? Why and how did he escape from the hospital? What's going to happen with the counterfeit money? Is that the "knapsack or something" that dropped from the plane during the fight in the air? Why is Detective Polehaus so suspicious and hostile toward Uncle Wally? Does the detective have any secrets himself? Who is the Stiletto? And why do all the suspicious people know who he is? What part is Connie going to play as the episodes continue? Is her place at the college going to play a role? What's going to happen at Uncle Archie's carnival? And when will we ever learn if a duck's quack really echoes?!

I can't wait to hear the answers to all these questions as the season continues to unfold. I'm glad that this episode had a good moral presented by Chris at the end. Hopefully the rest of the episodes will end up following suit. Thank you for taking the time to read my review! Please comment!

P.S. I think this should be okay since the Official Podcast has released it, so here's the album art for Album 54!:



I have to admit that I don't like this one as much as I've liked the ones in the past. I feel pretty much the same about it as I did about Album 51's art when it first came out. It just doesn't seem like it'd look good on the front of an album. But maybe it will look better when it gets a border around it and actually goes on the album.

By the way, I think, based on the title as presented on the Official Podcast blog, that the title of Album 54 has been changed slightly from Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of Love to Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of God's Love.

I'm Going Crazy!

The Official Podcast posted this word search puzzle on their blog, and I cannot, for the life of me, figure it out!

P E O L I V I A
C V C R I N K C
W A E O I P A J
O J M U N A T O
O A I I G N R H
T S L L L E I N
O O Y V O L N E
N N G L E R A E

As soon as I can find just ten current Odyssey characters, and then enter the letters in the leftover spaces into the "Secret Word box", I get to see the cover of Album 54! And you do too if you can figure it out! But I can't find the last character. I've found Olivia, John, Camilla, Emily, Eugene, Connie, Wooton, Jason, and Katrina, but I can't find any others at all! The word that you enter into the password box is supposed to be a character we're going to meet in Album 54, but I can't finish the puzzle!

Please tell me if you've figured it out, so I can see the new album cover!

A Few More Tidbits

There's a new podcast that the Odyssey Scoop has drawn our attention to called The Audio Theatre Central that recently had an interview with Paul McCusker. It is a very informative podcast, and some very interesting things are learned. I'll give you the major highlights in case you don't have time to listen to it:

• Album 54 is going to take a break from the themes and characters discussed in Album 53 because it was originally placed before Album 53, so the few loose ends and questions left at the end of The Green Ring Conspiracy will not be resolved and answered until Album 55.


• Album 55 will continue storylines with characters brought back and/or introduced in Album 53.


• Album 56 will potentially be focused on inventions. Each of Whit's inventions by themselves are so interesting and have so many possibilities that they deserve albums of their own, but they're going to try to cram a bunch of them into one album. The Inspiration Station will likely be included among the inventions, as well as Whit's "Talking Portraits."


• Album 54 will not have any episodes with the Inspiration Station in it.


• According to Mr. McCusker, the episode titles that Brock blurted out in the Avery Awards podcast may not be actual episode titles, because the titles are never sure until Chris is recorded saying them at the end of the episodes. Some episodes from this album have been recorded already however, so it is likely that the titles are real episode names.

Well, that's about it for now. Thank you for reading! Please comment!

Album 54 Tidbits

Here's some information I found on AIO Wiki that I thought I'd share with you since some of it is new information that I haven't seen anywhere else. Some of this we already know, but a little bit is information that I hadn't heard before.

The current description of the upcoming album is, "Whit, Connie, Eugene, and Wooton join the kids at Whit’s End to learn stories about the true meaning of love from 1 Corinthians 13. "

Then there's a listing of the episodes that are speculated to be in Album 54 because of comments made by Brock in one of the more recent podcasts: Unbecoming Jay, The Amazing Loser, Wooton Knows Best, and Anger Mismanagement. And we now know that the album will be called "Clanging Cymbals, and the Meaning of Love."

There is also a list of facts that we have learned about the album up to this point:

• It was revealed in an interview with Nathan Hoobler on the 59th edition of The Whit's End Podcast, that Album 54 will be a thematic album similar to those with a theme throughout the album, like On Earth as it is in Heaven.
• This album was originally supposed to be 53, but Focus decided to bump it back an album.
• A tentative name for this album was "A More Excellent Way".
• As of October 2010 the writers are working on the 12th episode of this album.
• As of January 2011 six episodes have been recorded.
• This album will be centered mainly around the Bible verses in 1 Corinthians 13.

The second piece of information was particularly interesting to me, because I hadn't heard it before, and I'm wondering if this means we might finally get to here the promised Kidsboro episode that we first heard about before the hiatus was over!

I don't know about you, but I'm very interested in this album and am looking forward to seeing more information about it as soon as it comes out.

Thanks for reading! Please comment!

P.S. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, Jacob Isom, webmaster of the Odyssey Scoop has officially started the second annual Scoop Yourself contest at his website. It was very interesting last year to see all the different entries that came in after they were posted. And if you want to enter your own picture, I don't think a deadline has been set up yet, so you should have adequate time. The picture at the top of the page with the Odyssey CDs spelling "Odyssey" is actually from last year's contest, so that gives you an idea of how fun these pictures can be.

Also, I've been made aware via a comment on my Links Outward page of a new Odyssey blog that was recently started up. It seems to be a very proffesional website, and it has a very simple name--Odyssey Blog. :) It has a lot of information on it, and the webmaster has already done a large number of posts in the month he's been running. So go check it out!

The Title of Album 54 Has Been Released!!!

I went into the newest Official Podcast today not knowing at all what to expect. The subtitle to the podcast is

Dave [Arnold] and Paul [McCusker]answer your probing questions, such as “What is the title of album 54?” “Who is the Stilletto?” “What are the appropriate ages for album 53?” “When will Katrina return?” and “Why don’t the episodes in album 53 have titles?” Plus, hear another exciting preview!

I was thrilled with the new things that we are told in this podcast. I guess I won't tell you anything so that you can hear it for yourself, but it's some good stuff. So get over there and listen to it! Oh, and at the end of the podcast, and on the podcast page, we are told to be sure to come back for another surprise on February 1st. I can't wait to see what that is!

Also, FOTF is giving out an entire album for free! Welcome to Odyssey was a special album released about two years ago containing a conglomeration of classic Odyssey episodes to introduce people to the show. You can go here to get a free download of the whole album off the CBD website. And you can also get a free download of Promises, Promises, an episode off the very first Odyssey album. You can go here to do that. And, finally, if you're interested, The Odyssey Scoop has a list of all of the AIO episodes free for downloading here.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on anymore news gets out. And just so you know, I think I might be reviewing the Barclay family on Saturday. That's all for now!

P.S. If you want a quick look at the title for Album 54 go here. : D