Get in the Show Finalists!

Okay, I have to admit, I haven't been all that involved with giving updates on the "Get in the Show" contest and its various offshoots over the last couple of months. Mostly, that's been because I'm busy. But I also wasn't all that excited about it. Recently, however, I don't remember where, but I saw somewhere that referenced "making Odyssey history" by making sure you're a part of the GitS contest in some form. And it hit me that voting for these finalists really is going to make a difference the future of Odyssey. All that is to say that voting for the finalists is finally up on the Official site.

I thought there was some very good talent displayed in many of these videos. Some of the actors/actresses were a little over-the-top, but a few of them really struck me as kids with great abilities. The girl Annaliese, in particular, was my favorite of all of them. She was very genuine, and yet still very forceful in the way she delivered her lines. She was an easy pick as one of of the three I voted for. The other two were tougher, but I finally narrowed it down to Hannah and the last boy Timmy. (Hopefully I have those names right.)  And, don't forget, you can vote once a day! So make sure you get over there and have a say in the future of Odyssey!

Also, I wanted to mention that I was very impressed by a recent podcast (or should I say, blogcast?) that I heard on the Adventures in Odyssey Blog. Austin and Natasha interviewed Josh, Jordan, and Kelli Taylor from Blimeycow. If you don't know who those people are, you must look them up! Their videos are full of Christian satirical comedy about today's materialistic and contemporary Christian society. You can check out their YouTube page here.  But even if you don't know who the Taylors are, you should still listen to the podcast. It's a great interview, and it's also one of the last blogcasts that the Peacheys plan to do, as they've announced that this is their final season.

Well, I guess you got another post out of me before the end of the summer. Oh, I guess summer is over. But it doesn't feel like fall until the new Odyssey season begins to air! Which, as many of you know, is happening this weekend, finally! And I can assure you that I will do my very best to keep up with putting out reviews every week. You can expect the first one on "The Perfect Church, Part I" this Saturday bright and early! Or maybe I should wait until Part II airs before I post a review...  No, just kidding. ;)  You've waited long enough, and I am going to deliver!  Make sure to check in later this week for the review!  Thanks for reading!

-- Christian

New Season Starts Tomorrow!

I guess I got the date wrong in my last post. I thought the new album was going to start airing on March 10th, but I was at AIO Wiki yesterday and saw the countdown to the new season saying that we had just over a day to wait for The Labyrinth, Part I. I'm very excited to hear these opening episodes.

Since the last poll I posted consistently had positive results, and I had gotten 20 replies already, I decided to end it early so I could post a new one, seeing how all of you guys are going to listen to The Labyrinth. Make sure to vote in that poll as soon as you can!

In other news, the AIO podcast page is back on the web after a temporary account suspension, apparently. The newest video podcast was very informative and interesting. If you haven't seen it yet, but have questions about either the "Get in the Show" contest or the 25th anniversary live show in Dallas, TX, this podcast will tell you just about everything you need to know about both.

Also in the podcast, we finally find out why the Odyssey Scoop posted information about Christian recording artist Phil Joel. He was the one who wrote and recorded the "Get in the Show" theme song lip synced by Brock in the last podcast. I really like the song; it is a little kiddish in some parts, but I like Phil Joel's voice a lot, so has a pretty good sound.

That's all I have for this post. I'm not sure if I'll be posting a review of The Labyrinth after all three episodes, or if I'll be waiting until they've all aired, but be looking for one. Be sure to post your thoughts about the upcoming Labyrinth episodes in the comments. Do you have any guesses as to who the returning character(s) is/are? And what did you think of the latest podcast from Whitsend.org?

Thanks for reading!

More Misinformation

So, it turns out, I was wrong...again...in the information I thought I was relaying from the Odyssey Scoop. Those five album covers I posted the other day are not final; they were created by a fan. I personally think they look wonderful, and AIO should consider using them as the final products. But they aren't official.

Anyway, here's some breaking news: The Blackgaard Chronicles is out today! And there's a special Official Video Podcast to celebrate. It features a "pop-upisode"--A Name, Not a Number, Part I. If you don't remember from the Album 50 videos, a Pop-upisode is an Odyssey episode put to a video with a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes information running throughout it. It should be very interesting.

The word from Jacob Isom (and I'm pretty sure I can trust this information, since he has his own copy) is that The Blackgaard Chronicles features the thirty AIO episodes pertaining to Dr. Blackgaard over 13 hours of audio entertainment on 10 CDs. And just like the Novacom Saga, there's a bonus disc, but in this case, it's a DVD featuring a 30-minute interview with Paul McCusker and Phil Lollar about the creation of Regis Blackgaard. But Jacob argues that the best feature of the new collection may be the brand-new illustrations of Jack Allen, Jason Whittaker, Dr. Blackgaard, Richard Maxwell, and Phillip Glossman!! This alone makes me very badly want to get the set for myself. I so hope this new artwork is released somewhere sometime soon.

One other thing: Just before the pop-upisode starts in the newest video podcast, we see Brock opening the Blackgaard Chronicles package, and behind him there's a dry-erase board that has written on it: "55 Episodes Sgt York The Labyrinth" Could these be the titles of the two three-parters we've heard talk of?! Only time will tell. :D

Thanks for reading! Be sure to tell me what you're thinking about all this new stuff in the comments!

P.S. Here's the back cover for The Blackgaard Chronicles, if you were wondering what episodes are included:

EDIT: There's more breaking news, now that I've watched the Pop-Upisode!!! If you watch the whole thing, almost exactly halfway through, you'll notice that the title of Album 55 has been released! It will be called The Deep End. I was totally not expecting to learn this so soon! Some other special things included within the video were original drafts of The Blackgaard Chronicles' artwork, and original drawings of Dr. Blackgaard. And for those of you who like the Imagination Station series, at the end of the video, you get a peek at the newest book's cover. Also, we get to see new illustrations of Jack Allen and Jason, in addition to the ones already released on Album 23's new cover! This all made the time it took to watch the Pop-Upisode very worth it!

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!

The Third Semi-Annual Avery Awards!

The next Official Podcast is out, and we finally hear the winners of this season's Avery Awards. This episode was created by The Ceiling Fan Podcast, and has many allusions and references to the podcast for fans of the show, so the sound design is more creative and interesting than usual, and there are a variety of situations. The podcast was pretty corny, but still fairly enjoyable. I must quickly be getting too old to be all that amused by these things. ;)

Well, as has been with the previous two Avery Awards Ceremonies, I was a little (okay, maybe a lot) dissatisfied. What I voted for, for the most part, wasn't the majority's opinion, and thus didn't win, but I can deal with it. This time, though, especially in the actor/actress nominations, it seemed like it was more based on the popularity of the character than the talent of the actor/actress.

For those of you who don't have time to listen to the podcast, here are my votes, the actual winners, and my opinions about the selections:

Best Actor:

My Vote: David Selby as Jebidiah Skint
Actual Winner: Robby Bruce as Buck Oliver

I could have predicted this, but it still annoys me. I seem to be one of the only people who really didn't like Robby Bruce's acting. Throughout almost the whole album he sounded like he was faking his accent, and it just distracted me from liking his character--whereas Mr. Selby played his part wonderfully. His accent was perfect, and he was a perfect cast for the part. I enjoyed hearing from him throughout the whole album, but it was always with hesitation because I knew we'd be hearing from Buck. I think this category was based more on the huge popularity of Buck among younger listeners (as we'll see later), than it was about Robby's performance as an actor.

Best Actress:

My Vote: Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise
Actual Winner: Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise

I was glad to hear that my choice won in this category, but I suspect that it was for different reasons than most others chose Ms. Robertson. I chose her because I thought she did a wonderful job with her acting. She pulled off sounding like a young college student even though she is over fifty, I believe. In fact, if I remember correctly, she's older than Katie Leigh! So this category was a very easy choice for me. However, my guess is that the reason Ms. Robertson received the award is because Penny was the most popular female character of the season, which I simply disagree with. She seemed to bring out the worst in nearly everyone she came in contact with, so I almost wish she hadn't won the award.

Best New Character:

My Vote: Detective Don Polehaus
Actual Winner: Buck Oliver

I wish I could see how close the votes were, because although Buck seemed to be pretty popular among younger listeners, I wouldn't have thought he'd win this one. I picked Detective Polehaus because, honestly, he was the only new character I liked. If you don't count Monty or Jason, which you shouldn't because they weren't included in the nominees, he was the funniest and most interesting character introduced. I'm fairly certain that if Phil Procter was included in the Best Actor category, I wouldn't have thought twice about my choice, because he did such a good job; I almost never heard any hint of Leonard Meltsner's voice, which surprised me. Even though, at times, the detective seemed a little naive and unprofessional, it never got too bad (unless you're Marvin), so I hold him as my favorite new character.

However...Buck...urgh. He seemed to bring out the worst in everybody too. He made Emily fall for him and that brought a very annoying aspect to this season. As I've said before, I don't understand why we have to have a "love story" everywhere these days. You can't get away from it anymore, and it never ceases to annoy me. Young kids (yes, I'm calling 8-12 young) don't need that kind of stuff put in their heads. It only leads to flirting, bad relationships and heartbreak. And their even younger siblings certainly don't need to hear all that. It just drives me crazy--all in Christian love of course. ;) But then there was all that junk that Katrina was telling him too. I know that that message is very prevalent in the church today: "You have a good heart, but you have problems that Jesus can fix. Just accept Him into your heart and everything will be okay." Now that causes righteous indignation; I can justly be driven crazy by that. But knowing what I now know about Paul McCusker, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I don't want to point a finger at him personally, but it is because there's now a different religious perspective on the Odyssey team that their messages must be more wishy-washy. What Katrina says to Buck throughout the season would neither be offensive to Catholics nor the popular evangelical movement, but AIO doesn't seem to realize that it is because of that very fact that people like me are offended. The gospel is offensive. Jesus "came not to bring peace, but a sword." His message of sin, righteousness and judgement should offend people, and it is not our job to water it down. Alright, I'll stop now.

Best "Whitta-Cliffhanger":

My Vote: Monty Is One of the Plane Crash Victims!
Actual Winner: The Infamous Stiletto Is Really Jason Whittaker!

This one was a tough choice, because both Jason's and Monty's returns were very exciting to hear about. But because the news of Jason's return had already leaked to me before I heard the "Whitta-Cliffhanger" at the end of the episode, I chose the other one. However, now that I think about it, I sort of already knew about Monty's return as well, because Amazon released 10- to 15-second clips of each episode before the season aired on the radio, and I remember Monty was discreetly mentioned in one of them, so I knew about both epic returns before either happened. Hopefully that won't happen the next time AIO puts out a season-long mystery with some surprising returning characters. :D

Best Quote:

My Vote:
Buck: You have a thing about big trucks?
Jay: Oh yeah. Ever since I was a kid, you know, (makes truck noises)
Buck: If you want to make friends, don't ever do noises like that again, OK?
Jay: Yeah.
Actual Winner:
Buck: You have a thing about big trucks?
Jay: Oh yeah. Ever since I was a kid, you know, (makes truck noises)
Buck: If you want to make friends, don't ever do noises like that again, OK?
Jay: Yeah.

That exchange was hilarious! 'Nuf said.

Best Writer:

My Vote: I honestly don't remember because it was so ridiculous. (But it may have been "Paul E. McCusker.")
Actual Winner: Paul McCusker.

I already expressed my main negative thoughts about Mr. McCusker's writing, so now I'll shoot for the positive thoughts. This was actually a good mystery, in my opinion. For the most part, it kept all of us guessing until the true villain was revealed. It didn't seem like an unrealistic take-over-the-country operation; I thought it was pretty clever. Some were afraid that the writers would try to create a world domination plot that would seem way too fanciful, having been only developed over twelve episodes. But I thought that it was very convincing that Mr. Grote chose to try to break down America by distributing millions, if not billions of counterfeit dollars. Mr. McCusker could easily be a big mastermind behind a counterfeiting scheme, because it's really a good idea. (The evil in my nature thinks it would be something fun to try. ;D)

So anyway, great job Odyssey! Even though there are many things I personally would have done and not done with this album, it was satisfactory, and I have enjoyed listening to the saga a few times now that I own the album. Please share your thoughts with me about what you thought of this season's Avery Awards in the comments!

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!

New Revelations

Well, there's a new Official Podcast out, and this one actually reveals a lot! It's a Q & A session with Paul McCusker and Dave Arnold. There are several things revealed about Album 54 and beyond. If you don't have the time to listen, I've listed the answers to all the questions here.

• There will be a resolution to the Jason/Mr. Grote saga involving an Agent Billings.
• There is no connection between Mr. Grote, Dr. Blackgaard, and Mr. Charles.
• Buck will probably make a re-appearance in Odyssey.
• The directors played with a variety of different voices with Townsend Coleman to try to get a good Stilletto voice. They ended up choosing the one that they thought would best disguise Jason until he was revealed.
• Detective Polehaus will be heard in the next album in at least one episode.
• If Buck re-appears in Odyssey, Mr. Skint will certainly be somewhere nearby.
• Throughout the recording of the first six episodes of the GRC, the writers were planning to have Penny end up being a double agent, working for Dr. Trask, but because of the direction the actress's voice seemed to be taking her, Mr. McCusker had to go back and re-write the rest of the episodes to keep her on the good side.
• Mr. McCusker has been growing a beard since 1981, is currently sporting a goatee, and at times has been totally clean-shaven. At one point, his wife commented that he looked like a badger and she really wanted him to get rid of it, so he had to shave it.
• Mr. Arnold didn't really like his work as Jesus in the original Imagination Station, but he enjoyed any time they did a live show.
• All of the writers' creativity is God-inspired, but their ideas come from a variety of sources. It's a collective effort every time they write a story.

There was also a one-minute clip featuring snippets from several episodes in Album 54! I can't say that I'm much more excited about what's ahead, but it was still interesting to hear new things from our favorite characters. I don't really have time to explain everything that happened in the preview, so you'll just have to hear it on the podcast.

Finally, the Avery Awards for Album 53 are up! They're a little different than other ones have been before because all the episodes had the same name. It'd be a little difficult to pick best writing, sound design, and overall episode this season, so that's not what it's like this time. Instead, the best actor and actress remain, but then there are new catergories such as "Best New Character," "Funniest Quote," and "Best Cliff-Hanger." So make sure you go vote!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! Please comment!

Well...

As you've probably noticed, the new season, Album 53: The Green Ring Conspiracy is over. I've finished all my reviews, and now you guys are asking for more? :P Well there hasn't been much news recently, and I've been fairly busy. But I'm done with school now, so I should have time to do some stuff here this summer. Maybe (I said maybe!) I'll do some more character reviews like I did over last winter. But those are very time-consuming, and I often can't come up with much to say, so we'll see about that.

If you were involved in the Green Ring Art Contest, or if you'd just like to see the entries and vote on them, you'll be pleased to know that a video podcast was released on the Official Podcast Site yesterday evening. It is a pretty entertaining episode that is, of course, centered around the mischievous Brock. It even features a subtle guest appearance from Kevin McCreary! After you watch the video, you can see the top three entries for each age group and vote on them. Some of them are very well done--enough to confirm my speculation that any attempt of mine wouldn't measure up. ;) So get over there if you're interested.

That's about all the important news I think there is to report. Unless of course you wanted to see TLC's 19 Kids and Counting episode featuring FOTF and AIO, but you missed it. If that's the case but you want to watch it, it's not available for free, but you can buy it on Amazon here for $1.99. I haven't seen it, but from what I've heard, it's pretty enjoyable. There is a short preview of the episode on the Amazon page that gives a sneak peek at the activities on which the family embarks while they're in Colorado Springs.

So, thank you for reading! I'm glad I have readers who are eager to have me writing on a regular basis!

Interview with Monty

I listened to the fourth episode in The Green Ring Conspiracy this morning, and I've decided to merge my reviews of this episode and Part V. For one thing, I don't really have time to write a full review today. And for another thing, I don't have enough to say about the episode. So I'm going to try to review both Parts IV and V on Saturday.

In other news, the Official Podcast has come out with a new episode featuring an interview with Chad Reisser, the voice behind Monty Whittaker and 25 other characters in Odyssey's history since before it was even called Adventures in Odyssey, beginning with Mark Forbes in Dental Dilemma.

This was a very interesting podcast, and it was encouraging to learn things about Mr. Reisser like the fact that he is a Christian and leads worship with his wife at his church in California. Plus, there was a sneak-peek at this weekend's episode at the end of the podcast. It gives a hint at what I assume is Dr. Benjamin Trask's involvement in the counterfeit scheme. So if you have the time, go check it out!

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!

New Characters

Or at least they're new to those of you who haven't yet heard Album 53. ;) The newest Official Podcast video episode features a short look at each of the new characters and their actors. We get to hear the names and voices of the new characters, and they even give us some lines from the shows. I'll list them here for those of you who don't have time to watch the podcast.

• Phil Proctor (formerly played Leonard Meltsner)--Detective Don Polehaus: "Too bad we don't allow preemptive arrests. (Jay: "What does that mean?") Ask your uncle--or anyone else he knows at Campbell County Prison!"


• Robby Bruce--Buck Oliver: "Dirk Beggs is in intensive care. They won't let anyone in to see him."


• ?--Dirk Beggs (talking on the phone): "Listen to me, it's Dirk Beggs. Look, I know you said not to call on this number again, but it's all gone wrong!"


• Lori Tritel--Dr. Lilly Graham: "We received a confidential directive from Homeland Security that they'd begun embedding identification chips under the arms of their agents."


• David Selby--Jebediah Skint: "Here you go, Buck, my boy. Let's hope you get that job at Whit's End."


• Keith Ferguson--Ted Humphries, news caster: "He's a good cop, but not very tolerant of little things like...social skills. I've met junkyard dogs with better personalities."

This isn't much new information, but we now know that Buck is possibly involved in a scheme with Mr. Skint, having to do with getting a job at Whit's End, Buck is also involved somehow with Dirk Beggs, and whatever Beggs is up to with the person he's talking to on the phone has gone completely wrong. Also, Jay's uncle (Wally Haggler) returns, and is presumably in prison for something.

It sounds like this is going to be a very, very interesting season, and I can't wait to hear it!

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!

Hear Eleven New Clips from Album 53!

The special surprise today was released on the Official AIO Podcast page in video form. Brock supposedly has now made it possible to download the entire Album 53 for free! But that's not all.
Something that I think others probably missed is that on the page where you can download the episodes, you can hear a clip from each and every new episode in the season!! The only reason there aren't twelve new clips is because the first one is the one that was already released.

Spoiler Warning: The following includes new information that you might want to find out for yourself by listening to the new audio.

We hear from characters such as Matthew, Nelson, Jay, Emily, Wooton, Connie, Whit, and Eugene. And we meet new characters such as Buck, Penny Wise, Detective Tom Pullhouse, Agent Tanner, Uncle Archie, Mr. Skid, Officer Hardwick,

But the biggest, hugest, most amazing news, in my opinion is that the new character who is returning from WAY back is...Whit's grandson, Monty! At least that's what I assume is meant when "Whit's grandson" is reffered to. This is big news! I am much more excited for this new album than I ever was before, and I hope you are too!

Thank you for reading; I'll keep you updated on any more breaking news as it comes out.

Mr., Mrs., Ms., Master, and Jr. Barclay (The Barclays)--Part I

I was a little scared to do a post on the Barclays, because I was afraid I'd either make it way too long or way too short, and since the Barclays are the most popular family in Odyssey, I figured I should do it right if at all. But I think I got it figured out. I think I'm going to go through some of their biggest family events, and then go through character by character.

We first meet the Barclays in Family Vacation where we are immediately introduced to each one of the characters' personalities which remain almost exactly the same throughout the entire show. We learn that Jimmy and Donna love to argue, and aren't exactly best friends, we learn that George Barclay is the king of sarcasm, and that Mary Barclay is as pleasant and submissive and motherly as any man would want his wife to be. In this episode however, the parents were played by different actors than they would be for the rest of the show, but apparently due to their unpopularity, they were changed by the next show. Chuck Bolte, producer of Odyssey for a long time, has ever since been Mr. Barclay, and has been one of the best actors on the show. I don't know what it its about Mrs. Barclay though, because in the next show, she was played by an actress who was only around for the next four shows, and then she was changed again to an actress who played her for eleven shows. And finally, after those episodes, Carol Bilger came along who continued to play Mary until the Barclays went off the show on her eighteenth episode. I think this last Mrs. Barclay was my favorite one, but probably just because she's in the most episodes that I own.

Anyway, in the next few episodes, Jimmy and Donna play minor parts in episodes, usually hanging out at Whit's End, helping with a play or asking Whit or Connie for advice. Also, Jimmy goes to camp where he is seen hanging out with the friends that he seems to have for this period in time. But the next big Barclay episode is one of most fans' all-time favorite episodes--Our Best Vacation Ever. In this episode, because the family doesn't have enough money, and all of the kids' friends are going somewhere, Whit suggests that they have a vacation at home. This results in a massive water fight, camping in the living room, a trip to the zoo and then Trickle Lake, and then helping out at Tom Riley's barn-raising party. I personally am not a huge fan of this episode, but that's just because I've listened to it countless times as a result of it being in my first Odyssey collection ever. However, I am fairly entertained every time I hear it, and it's a favorite of my younger siblings. We've even gone on local vacations of our own a few times, as I'm sure other listeners have.

Over the next couple episodes, Jimmy goes to Nicaragua and helps Dan Isidro, one of Whit's missionary friends (oh yeah, did I mention it's a dream? ;D), and Donna is forced to host the Fall Festival, which she is hesitant to do because of bad memories about her deceased friend Karen. The next Barclay family episode features them shuffling off a homeless family to Whit at Christmastime. But they are reminded of the bad Christmas they had the year before, and realize that they don't want that family to suffer the same way. Then, continuing the winter theme, in the next show, the Barclays go on yet another vacation to a ski resort, where the main concept of the story is a crush Donna has on her ski instructor, later leading to heartbreak when she realizes he already has a girlfriend. It kind of makes sense that the writer of this episode never wrote any others. :) Nevertheless, the escapade leads to a bonding between Donna and George, and George realizes that his daughter really is growing up.

Throughout the next section of the Barclays' lives in Odyssey, Jimmy goes on an Imagination Station adventure and meets Abraham Lincoln, the Barclay house almost burns down (not really, but according to the kids. ;D), Jimmy gets bad advice from Connie, has some Trouble with Girls, and then, in one of Odyssey's most intense shows, his cousin pulls him into a "fantasy, role-playing game" called Castles & Cauldrons. This is the only AIO episode that features a parental warning from Dr. James Dobson at the beginning of the show, telling parents about the danger of such games and how they often lead to contact with the spirit world. This episode scared me when I was younger, but now I think that it was one of the most well-done episodes Odyssey has ever produced. It really accomplishes its goal in getting kids concerned enough about these types of games, which were apparently popular back then, that they wouldn't want to follow other kids into these foolish activities. Whit ends up destroying the game, the Barclay family goes back to normal, and the game and the topic of spirits and demons, aren't really ever mentioned in Odyssey again.

Well, this gets us about one-third of the way through the Barclays' time in Odyssey, and I don't have any more time to write, and this'll probably get too long if I go any longer, so I'm going to save the rest for next week, and maybe even into the week after that.

I hope you enjoyed this first part of the review on the Barclay family, and Lordwilling, there will be more to come! Please comment!

_________

P.S. The Odyssey Scoop has reported that there is a new Odyssey collection that has been released on the FOTF store's website called The Adoption Collection that features the three Odyssey episodes about adoption: Clara, and The Chosen One Parts I and II. I'm pretty confident that it is legitimate, but I don't think it looks all that great, and it's weird that we haven't heard about it until now. But here it is if you're interested.

Also, on the latest Official Podcast, we were told that we should go back to the podcast page on February 1st for a big surprise. I'll post about it as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading!

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

Another Album 53 Scene!

I don't have much to say, nor do I have much time to say it, so I'll just say, get over to the Odyssey Scoop and listen to the latest Scoopcast! I just learned that it contains a new scene from The Green Ring Conspiracy! I actually haven't even listened to it yet myself, so I hope the person I heard it from is telling the truth. : D

You've Got to Hear the New Podcast!

On the 112 Official Podcast that came out yesterday, Bob and Jesse interview Todd Busteed of Gap Digital about his work in Odyssey sound design. That takes up most of the podcast, but I have to admit that I skipped past that because of what was said to be coming after the interview.

WE GOT TO HEAR A SCENE FROM ALBUM 53!

I won't give anything away, but it definitely seems like we're going back to the Novacom and Darkness Before Dawn days of deep plots and sinister villains. And we know from Nathan Hoobler (or was it Paul McCusker?) that we'll hear from a character we haven't seen in a while. I can't wait!

Also, you can now vote in the Avery Awards for Best Script, Episode, Sound, Scene, Actor, and Actress.

So get over to Whitsend.org and listen to the podcast!

Surprise!

I'm not feeling very creative today, so I'll just give you what the Odyssey Scoop says about this latest podcast. Oh, and go here to hear the podcast.



Dave and Paul answer more questions from fans, reveal the title of album 53, discuss Katrina's future role, and talk about their favorite episodes in "Take it from the Top."

I think it's worth noting that the title for the upcoming Album 53 is The Green Ring Conspiracy and features 12 new action/adventure/mystery shows. If you remember Darkness Before Dawn, it'll be much like that format. Mystery shows have always been a fan favorite, and I especially find it interesting that the mystery of Connie's life goals will also be solved as she attends college for the first time in 50+ albums. Gasp! Connie working on a degree. Who knew? As always, one can never know what to expect from a creative team of Odyssey writers, actors, and producers! -- Jacob Isom

This podcast is very, even extremely informative, and I cannot believe they gave away so much information already! You are guaranteed to love it. What's even better is that we fans had no clue this was coming!

Also, for those of you who haven't seen it yet, Odyssey has a new slogan to go along with all of the other changes. It used to be "Sensational Stories, Lifelong Lessons", but is now "Imagine Discover Grow".



Talk about Odyssey news!

P.S. For those of you who were dying to see it, here is the controversial picture posted on the Odyssey Scoop a few days ago. It should be alright for me to post it here, because Luke over at the Odyssey Times blog posted the actual picture on his site. If it's not okay, somebody please tell me in a comment.

Here It Is!

Ta da!




I'll post what I think of it later, but for now I just wanted to be one of the first to get it out.

Make sure to go check out the podcast that gives us the winners of the Avery Awards!