The title for Album 56 is out! The Grand Design will be available for download later this year, and 3/4 of it has already been recorded. The album art will be released as soon as AIO's Twitter account reaches 1,000 followers! Thank you to AIO Wiki for putting this information out.
It seems like this kind of exciting news always comes when I'm not expecting it for a while. And it usually brightens up my day. Hopefully it brightened yours too! :)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Official Guide, Second Edition
The official cover for the second edition of the AIO Official Guide is revealed!
Looks like those of us who guessed that the previously-released "mystery art" was the cover to this book were correct. I don't think it looks as great as the first edition, but it still looks good. It'd be nice if the art covered more of the cover, but I guess it is what it is.
I have to admit, I'm not nearly as excited about this as I was when the first edition was out, but it is still pretty cool. I don't know if I'm going to buy it or not.... I really do want the new information about Albums 51-56, but I'm not convinced that it's worth it, when I'll just be getting another copy of the information about Albums 1-50.
What's your opinion about the artwork? Will you buy the book? Please comment!
EDIT: I just saw this story that features a real-life guy named Barrett Jones. And he's a Christian! And he's even got reddish hair!
Check it out here.
Looks like those of us who guessed that the previously-released "mystery art" was the cover to this book were correct. I don't think it looks as great as the first edition, but it still looks good. It'd be nice if the art covered more of the cover, but I guess it is what it is.
I have to admit, I'm not nearly as excited about this as I was when the first edition was out, but it is still pretty cool. I don't know if I'm going to buy it or not.... I really do want the new information about Albums 51-56, but I'm not convinced that it's worth it, when I'll just be getting another copy of the information about Albums 1-50.
What's your opinion about the artwork? Will you buy the book? Please comment!
EDIT: I just saw this story that features a real-life guy named Barrett Jones. And he's a Christian! And he's even got reddish hair!
Check it out here.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Understood as Evil
I probably shouldn't have read Ben Warren's review of this episode at The Changing Times before I tried to review it, because he said everything that I wanted to say, and I might sound like I'm ripping him off, copying everything he said. I'll try to keep this all original, but I'll give the credit to him for bringing most of these thoughts to the forefront of my mind. It has been several days since I read his post though, so I think this should be mostly from my mind.
I really, really, really liked this episode. From the very beginning of the episode, I knew I was going to like it. The episode summary gave away that it was going to have a single storyline, without trying to meld two or three together for a singular moral. Therefore, I had high expectations, since I tend to like singular stories better. And the episode definitely met my high expectations. It was high in entertainment value, it definitely held my attention, and it had a great lesson to be learned.
The plot for this story was very original and genius. Not only have we had very few episodes in nursing homes in the past, but we've never had an episode where someone is cheating one of the residents. I think this is what made the story so emotionally engaging. Two teens stealing money from an old lady is something we can all see as deplorable and evil. So from the beginning, we are genuinely disappointed and frustrated with Jay for taking the money, and then we can later sympathize with him when Vance forces him to keep doing it with blackmail.
The characters and actors were all amazing in this episode. Kelly Stables again did a wonderful job as Olivia. I'm glad the directors decided to keep her on, instead of going back to Hope Levy. Ms. Stables makes her a much more likeable character. Whit Hertford, as always, nailed Jay's character and emotions. Vance's actor gave him the perfect sinister sound. Mrs. Kramer was true to the character we've grown to like over the last few episodes she's been in. And even Andre Stojka surprised me by doing a very good job as Whit. He was only in a couple of scenes, but he seemed much more like Whit than he has in the past. It was great to have him in that climax scene where Jay gets himself caught.
On that note, I don't understand why so many people were confused by Jay's actions in that scene. It totally made sense to me that he was giving himself away. He had already demonstrated that he didn't want to ask for the money anymore, so when he did ask, I knew exactly what he was doing. And I thought it was a very intelligent move. It was a great resolution, and it was what made the episode so great. Jay listened to his conscience and showed us that he is able to do the right thing, even when it meant getting Vance totally ticked at him. And he was content to take the punishment for what he did wrong.
Well I'm running out of time to write this morning, so I'll say, I really loved this episode. It was a true slice-of-life episode, the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time in Odyssey. It was great to hear of places like J&J Antiques and other places around Odyssey that we've known and loved for years. I very much hope that the writers will give us more episodes like these in the future.
I really, really, really liked this episode. From the very beginning of the episode, I knew I was going to like it. The episode summary gave away that it was going to have a single storyline, without trying to meld two or three together for a singular moral. Therefore, I had high expectations, since I tend to like singular stories better. And the episode definitely met my high expectations. It was high in entertainment value, it definitely held my attention, and it had a great lesson to be learned.
The plot for this story was very original and genius. Not only have we had very few episodes in nursing homes in the past, but we've never had an episode where someone is cheating one of the residents. I think this is what made the story so emotionally engaging. Two teens stealing money from an old lady is something we can all see as deplorable and evil. So from the beginning, we are genuinely disappointed and frustrated with Jay for taking the money, and then we can later sympathize with him when Vance forces him to keep doing it with blackmail.
The characters and actors were all amazing in this episode. Kelly Stables again did a wonderful job as Olivia. I'm glad the directors decided to keep her on, instead of going back to Hope Levy. Ms. Stables makes her a much more likeable character. Whit Hertford, as always, nailed Jay's character and emotions. Vance's actor gave him the perfect sinister sound. Mrs. Kramer was true to the character we've grown to like over the last few episodes she's been in. And even Andre Stojka surprised me by doing a very good job as Whit. He was only in a couple of scenes, but he seemed much more like Whit than he has in the past. It was great to have him in that climax scene where Jay gets himself caught.
On that note, I don't understand why so many people were confused by Jay's actions in that scene. It totally made sense to me that he was giving himself away. He had already demonstrated that he didn't want to ask for the money anymore, so when he did ask, I knew exactly what he was doing. And I thought it was a very intelligent move. It was a great resolution, and it was what made the episode so great. Jay listened to his conscience and showed us that he is able to do the right thing, even when it meant getting Vance totally ticked at him. And he was content to take the punishment for what he did wrong.
Well I'm running out of time to write this morning, so I'll say, I really loved this episode. It was a true slice-of-life episode, the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time in Odyssey. It was great to hear of places like J&J Antiques and other places around Odyssey that we've known and loved for years. I very much hope that the writers will give us more episodes like these in the future.
Monday, April 9, 2012
I Laughed Out Loud!
Lately, I haven't been posting much Odyssey news, but when I saw this picture just like two minutes ago, I knew I had to post it:
Isn't that like the best art from Gary Locke ever?! I love it! It makes me want to get the book, just so I can hold it in my hands! Oh, it's so cool!!
Now, I have been somewhat disappointed at the emphasis in recent artwork on these four main characters, but I think the action in the picture is so good that it makes up for the use of the usual characters yet again.
What are your thoughts?
Isn't that like the best art from Gary Locke ever?! I love it! It makes me want to get the book, just so I can hold it in my hands! Oh, it's so cool!!
Now, I have been somewhat disappointed at the emphasis in recent artwork on these four main characters, but I think the action in the picture is so good that it makes up for the use of the usual characters yet again.
What are your thoughts?
Saturday, April 7, 2012
To Tear and Destroy
So, I think I've come up with a solution for catching up with the three episodes I now have to review. Since Sergeant York will be airing for the next four weeks, I'm going to catch up on my reviews during the next month, and then I'll review Sergeant York as a whole after all four parts have aired--like I did with The Jubilee Singers, if any of you can remember that far back. ;)
Anyway, here goes my review for "To Mend or Repair": Wow. I just finished listening to the episode, and that last scene is really touching. I dare to say that it's the first time we've gotten a real, real look at Eugene and Katrina's relationship with each other since "For Better or for Worse," or even "The Turning Point." It makes their marriage feel so much more genuine when you see them crying together. This was a really good episode. I didn't find any of the characters annoying (except maybe Mrs. Kramer xD), and even with the Barrett/Priscilla storyline, there wasn't any dialogue that made me cringe.
I thought that the two storylines wove together very, very well, and the combined force of the two aspects of helping others suffer leaves a big impact. Both stories were very easy to relate to, even though the Eugene/Katrina part would apply more to adults. Even though both were fairly sad, they left me with a good feeling; I guess it's just pleasing to see people with hearts help each other through hard times.
I'm almost at a loss for words about this episode. I liked it so much, and there's so much I could say, but it's hard to articulate everything. So forgive me if none of this is making much sense. I loved the episode; that's the jist of it. This episode definitely had more of a heart than The Labyrinth, and even though those episodes were action-packed and interesting, I can almost say that this episode was just as, if not more captivating than that three-parter. The characters were so real, and the issues dealt with were real, everyday issues that so many deal with.
There wasn't really a takeaway moral, other than that we should all learn to be sensitive and try to compassionately help others through any hurt they're experiencing. But this episode seemed to be directed toward helping us grow with the characters and having the characters grow on us. This episode and "Unbecoming Jay" have both softened my heart toward the Barrett and Priscilla relationship in a way that "When You're Right, You're Right" never could have. The writers are definitely getting better at writing for these characters as they go, and they are totally succeeding in making, me at least, feel for them.
On a lighter note, I liked Mrs. Kramer and Jay in this episode. Their humor wasn't sidesplittingly funny, but it was just enough to lighten the mood, and keep things moving along. I also liked Whit for the first time in a while. We only heard from him for a couple of minutes, but what I heard I liked. Oh, and Connie was really good in this episode. But I'm glad that Eugene was ultimately the one to comfort Katrina, rather than Connie. I was afraid it was going to turn into a girlfriend-comforts-girlfriend pity party, sort of like in the Eugene Returns episode, which is okay, but I like husband-comforts-wife way better. :)
I think that's about all I have to say about this episode. I know the review is a little mish-mashed and unorderly, but hopefully you guys can deal with it. :P Look for my review of "Mistaken for Good" next week! Please leave any comments you have about your thoughts about the episode or my review. Thanks!
Christian
Anyway, here goes my review for "To Mend or Repair": Wow. I just finished listening to the episode, and that last scene is really touching. I dare to say that it's the first time we've gotten a real, real look at Eugene and Katrina's relationship with each other since "For Better or for Worse," or even "The Turning Point." It makes their marriage feel so much more genuine when you see them crying together. This was a really good episode. I didn't find any of the characters annoying (except maybe Mrs. Kramer xD), and even with the Barrett/Priscilla storyline, there wasn't any dialogue that made me cringe.
I thought that the two storylines wove together very, very well, and the combined force of the two aspects of helping others suffer leaves a big impact. Both stories were very easy to relate to, even though the Eugene/Katrina part would apply more to adults. Even though both were fairly sad, they left me with a good feeling; I guess it's just pleasing to see people with hearts help each other through hard times.
I'm almost at a loss for words about this episode. I liked it so much, and there's so much I could say, but it's hard to articulate everything. So forgive me if none of this is making much sense. I loved the episode; that's the jist of it. This episode definitely had more of a heart than The Labyrinth, and even though those episodes were action-packed and interesting, I can almost say that this episode was just as, if not more captivating than that three-parter. The characters were so real, and the issues dealt with were real, everyday issues that so many deal with.
There wasn't really a takeaway moral, other than that we should all learn to be sensitive and try to compassionately help others through any hurt they're experiencing. But this episode seemed to be directed toward helping us grow with the characters and having the characters grow on us. This episode and "Unbecoming Jay" have both softened my heart toward the Barrett and Priscilla relationship in a way that "When You're Right, You're Right" never could have. The writers are definitely getting better at writing for these characters as they go, and they are totally succeeding in making, me at least, feel for them.
On a lighter note, I liked Mrs. Kramer and Jay in this episode. Their humor wasn't sidesplittingly funny, but it was just enough to lighten the mood, and keep things moving along. I also liked Whit for the first time in a while. We only heard from him for a couple of minutes, but what I heard I liked. Oh, and Connie was really good in this episode. But I'm glad that Eugene was ultimately the one to comfort Katrina, rather than Connie. I was afraid it was going to turn into a girlfriend-comforts-girlfriend pity party, sort of like in the Eugene Returns episode, which is okay, but I like husband-comforts-wife way better. :)
I think that's about all I have to say about this episode. I know the review is a little mish-mashed and unorderly, but hopefully you guys can deal with it. :P Look for my review of "Mistaken for Good" next week! Please leave any comments you have about your thoughts about the episode or my review. Thanks!
Christian
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