A Response to the Latest Official Podcast

In case you haven't heard, the latest edition of the Official Podcast was just released. In it, Paul McCusker and Dave Arnold discuss some of the upcoming changes to the show. Click play to listen and then check out my commentary on the highlights.



1. Farewell to the Washingtons

This comes as no surprise, as the actors for Tamika (Courtney Brown) and Marvin (Kendre Barry) have reached the point-of-no-return age. I feel both could have remained for at least one more season, but I don't think most listeners will be shedding too many tears over their departure. It will, however, make for an awkward scenario if Kelly stays. Perhaps she will be returning to her mother? Paul and Dave did not address whether or not Kelly would remain, but at this point it doesn't look good.

2. The Return of ... Clara?

Many listeners, myself included, quickly became fans of actress Aria Curzon when she made her Odyssey debut in the episode, Clara. It's understandable why the writers haven't brought back Clara to this point, since Aria also played Mandy Straussberg. Having both characters existing concurrently would only confuse the audience. But if the Straussberg family is written off as we are expecting, then this would be an excellent way of retaining a talented voice actor in Aria while re-introducing a beloved character.

3. Video Footage on AIO Live! DVD

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Nathan Hoobler mentions an added incentive to purchase this incredibly jam-packed set. Seventeen minutes of live video footage from the live show will be included on the DVD, which will come as a pleasant surprise to those who were not able to attend the show last August. As one who had the privilege of attending all three shows, I'm anxious to see which takes they used for the final cut. Trust me - this is something you won't want to miss.

4. The Return of ... Malachi?

Those who have read the Official Guide already know that Philip Glassborow played the voice of Malachi in Album 32. In many ways, Malachi's Message kick-started a number of changes in Odyssey, not the least of which was the Timothy Center. Of course, the inspiration for the retreat center was Tom's son, Timmy - the co-discoverer of the alternate reality, Marus, in Passages. With all this news about Passages returning to the airwaves, it makes me wonder if Malachi is somehow connected to it all. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. And maybe Philip Glassborow just randomly happened to be visiting when they recorded the Official Podcast. Hmm.

5. Passages

Paul McCusker confirmed Passages will be the newest installment of Odyssey to hit the radio this fall. This time, however, it will be an adaption of his novel, Darien's Rise. No word yet on the length of the dramatization or whether it will be contained within Album 51. I would like to think it'd be included in the next album, but that may not be the case since Dave Arnold stated that episodes for Album 51 won't be out until next year.

6. Album 51 Releases March 2010

In an earlier podcast, the producers had alluded to the possibility of putting the the albums out earlier. It appears they've made their decision as Album 51 is slated to release one year from now and will be available while the episodes are airing. Obviously, the upside to this format is that we won't have to wait for each new weekly show. We can simply order the album and hear them all at once. But the downside is evident - we have to wait six months longer than what was previously announced before we can hear any episodes for the new season.

Assuming Passages ends up being a 3-part series airing at the beginning of September, it means listeners will have to wait an additional five months before getting to hear any new episodes. I'm disappointed it's going to take that long, especially since it'll be nearly two full years between Album 50 and Album 51. But if it provides the writers with the opportunity to fine tune their scripts and the producers a chance to create a better product overall, then I'm all for it.

Unofficial Podcast Ep. 52

03.07.09. You asked and we delivered! After six long weeks, we finally have a new podcast! Granted, it's a little later than expected, but I say better late than never. In this episode, guests Catspaw and Boswell from the Town of Odyssey join me for a round table discussion on the live show in Colorado, the future of Odyssey, and the awesomeness of Canadians. We had so much to talk about that I ended up splitting everything into two parts - stay tuned for part deux later this month!

If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at aiofanpodcast@hotmail.com.



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Running Time: 44:53

"AIO Live!" Photos!

Lots of artwork coming in - and it looks awesome. Check out these shots of the upcoming AIO Live! CD/DVD set. Complete with a die cut cover, this packaging really enhances the overall value of the product. I love how they've added complete artwork for the CD labels, something which they stopped doing with all the repacks. Available this May, you won't want to miss adding this amazing set to your Odyssey collection.

More Album Artwork!

Things have been rather slow on the Odyssey front lately, but thankfully we have some new artwork for all you news starved fans. This latest repack introduces a scene from Album 18: A Time of Discovery and is a vast improvement from the original cover. I absolutely love the feeling of dread evoked in this illustration, with Jimmy and Lawrence desperately pedaling away from an alleged alien attack.



My only disappointment with the artwork is the inconsistency between Lawrence in the repack for Album 16. Aside from what his character is wearing, there is very little about this latest drawing of Lawrence that resembles the other one.

But I'm really nitpicking here... overall, the cover is great. Thoughts?

In the meanwhile, we finally have our hands on the back cover of the Adventures in Odyssey Live! CD/DVD set. It definitely looks like it's going to be one jam-packed set. Only two more months until it is released!

Adventures in Odyssey Live!

Discovered over at Christian Book, this appears to be the cover for the Adventures in Odyssey Live! CD/DVD set. What we do know for sure is that the product is set to be released in May and will contain nearly 3 hours of audio footage. For more details, check out the info page at the Odyssey Scoop. I don't know about the rest of you all, but I'm definitely getting excited.

Unofficial Podcast Ep. 51

01.24.09. We're back! In our first podcast of the New Year, we review all the submissions for our Ultimate Odyssey Fan contest and announce the winner and runner-up. Lately, we've been running into a lot of technical issues - so if you're wondering why Sarah sounds like she's on the phones, it's because she is. ;) Audio quality problems notwithstanding, we hope you enjoy today's podcast. Be sure to check out all the entries we received and vote for your favorite!

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Running Time: 20:36

Presenting... the Odyssey Collections!

It's been a long time coming, but we're proud to finally present the fifteen entries we received in response to our Ultimate Odyssey Fan contest. Have a good look through them all and then let us know which ones you liked the most! Then come back tomorrow morning to hear us announce the winner!

Austin Peachey:


Catspaw:


Chandler:


Daniel:


Daniel Abigail Maxwell:


Dawn: "Who gets to read it first?"


Emma:


Irwin Springer:


Jessica:


King Butter Turtle:


Laura Ingalls:


LizzieG:


Parker:


Regis Blackbeard:


Tina:

New Podcast Coming Soon!

Another month rolls by and we still haven't released a podcast? It's a good thing we have such loyal listeners, otherwise everyone would've switched over to the Ceiling Fan by now. However, we do have a podcast coming up this Saturday, so stay tuned to hear the results of our Ultimate Odyssey Fan Contest!

In other news, we have a new album cover to dissect and analyze - this time it's a new look for Album 31: Days to Remember. Of all the repacks they've done thus far, this one tops the list for me. Perhaps it's the simplicity of the cover or maybe it's the fact that Whit is wearing a Santa hat. Either way, this redesign marks the first time they've chosen to represent a variety of episodes rather than simply illustrating just one episode. I hope they choose to go this route for the remainder of the yet-to-be-designed repacks.



I'll admit I actually liked the original cover, mainly since it depicted It's a Pokenberry Christmas - one of my personal favorites. However, this cover more than makes up for it, as it portrays half of the entire album with this one photo. My only question is why they chose to include Marvin in this photo, as his character hadn't been introduced yet. It's worth noting that these are the four characters on the playing pieces for the Answer That! DVD game.

And is it just me, or does it look like Eugene is wearing goggles? ;)

Odyssey Repack Update

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday.

It's been a while since we've had any major Odyssey news, so the updated cover art for Album 22: The Changing Times couldn't have come at a better time. As always, the new cover is a rather large departure from the original - and while I enjoy Gary Locke's style over that of the previous artist, I'm somewhat disappointed with the episode they chose to illustrate. I've always enjoyed Blackbeard's Treasure, but I never felt it was one of the "key" episodes from the album. It would've been interesting to see a depiction of the debate from Tom for Mayor or perhaps a scene from A Name, Not a Number. The only saving grace from the new cover art is the little tuft of hair on young John Avery's head. Haha.



Other random noteworthy tidbits to pass along:

* There are 460 Odyssey episodes available on iTunes
* We reached the 400 subscribers plateau last month.
* Tyndale has posted a promo video for the Novacom Boxed Set

We received sixteen entries for the Ultimate AIO Fan Contest - I was rather impressed with the diverse collections and unique displays. Sarah and I will be reviewing them over the next week and announcing the winner hopefully next weekend. Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

To everyone on the east coast - Happy New Year! Many thanks to everyone who's submitted an entry in our Odyssey fan contest. For those who haven't sent one in - there's still time because we're extending the deadline for another week! You have until January 7th at 11:59 pm Eastern. But don't delay - no entries will be accepted after this date.