And The Winner is.....

First of all, I'm sorry for not posting much for the last couple of days.  About 4 or 5 people have been emailing me asking me when my next post will be.  (I didn't even know my blog was that popular).  Anyway, the reason I haven't been posting is because there hasn't been any news and Paul McCusker hasn't emailed me back yet, but last night the Summer 2012 Avery Awards came out so I am going to post the winners, what I picked, and my notes.  Here we go:

Best Actor

The nominees:
John Curry as Alvin York in Sergeant York 1-4
Townsend Coleman as Jason in The Labyrinth 1-3
Phil Loller as Dale in The Labyrinth 1-3
Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse in Mistaken for Good
Will Ryan as Eugene in Child's Play

And the winner is......Townsend Coleman as Jason

My comments:
When I was voting on the Averys I picked Jason too.  I'm so glad he came back and I can't wait to hear from him again in Album 56.  In The Labyrinth, Townsend did a spectacular job voicing Jason.


Best Actress

The nominees:
Georgia Dolenz as Sue in the Labyrinth 1-3
Renee Dorian as Miss Gracie in Sergeant York 1-4
Katie Leigh as Connie in Something Old, Something New 1-2
Audrey Wasilewski in To Mend or Repair
Linda Porter as Helen in Mistaken for Good

And the winner is......Georgia Dolenz as Sue

My comments:
I picked Sue too.  I hope to hear from Sue in the future.  Maybe someone in Odyssey could adopt her.  I just love to hear British accents.

I'll be back right after this word from our sponsors.

IN A WORLD WERE CONNIE AND MITCH ARE MARRIED, ONE ICE CREAM SHOP AND DISCOVERY EMPORIUM WILL PLUMMET INTO A FIERY TOWNS END AS ONE OF THE CHILDREN'S CLOSEST MENTORS AND FRIENDS FINDS HERSELF TO BUSY TO WORK AT WHIT'S END ANYMORE

Kid: I sure do miss the old Whit's End.  Ever since Connie and Mitch left to live in Cazerbajanistan things just haven't been the same.

Other Kid: Ya.  If only there was a young woman to ask meaningful questions and cheer this place up.

Kid: Who still knew what it feels like to be a kid.

Other Kid: And who had experience being a kid because she was a teenager for like...30 years.

Kid *sigh* But there's no one at Whit's End like that anymore.

LIFE WITH OUT CONNIE: COMING SOON




Okay, we're back.

Best Minor Character

The nominees:
Joy and Kyle in Child's Play
Red Hollard in Sergeant York
Jacques Henri in Something Old, Something New
Mrs. Kramer in To Mend or Repair
Mycroft Thugg in The Labyrinth 1-3

And the winner is......Mycroft Thugg in The Labyrinth 1-3

My comments:
I had picked Joy and Kyle. They were really cute and I hope they come back, but now that I think of it I wish I had picked Mycroft.  He was hilarious.


Best Sound Design

The nominees:
Every episode in the album

And the winner is......Sergeant York 1-4

My comments:
It was pretty obvious that these episodes were going to win.  The sound quality in Sergeant York is superb.  If you would like to here an interview with the sound designers then go to whitsend.org


I'll be right back after this message from our sponsors.

Welcome to 60 seconds, I'm Sheyenne Sonjer.  Today we are taking an in-depth look at the life of a super spy's family.

*phone ring*

Connie: Hello

Mitch: Hi honey.

Connie: Why are you calling?  Aren't you upstairs?

Mitch: Yes, but I have a busy day.  I have a meeting with MI-6 this morning, then I have to infiltrate a terrorist cell this afternoon.  Would you mind making me a sandwich to go.

*Music cuts to next scene*

Constance: Mom, make Mitch Jr. stop boobytrapping my dollhouse!  Miss Pretty needs to get inside so she can deliver a secret package to end the hostage crisis.

*Music cuts to next scene*

Mitch Jr.: Hey dad, when I was emptying my pockets I found the pen-shaped micro detonator you gave me.  I thought it would make a great toy for the baby to play with.  What do you think?

*Music cuts back to Sheyenne Sonjer*

What's it like raising 11 kids that are all accident prone like their mother and super spies like their father? Don't miss out on this weeks 60 seconds - Espionage and Apple juice .


I'm back.

Best Line

The nominees:
100 things I hate.  By Mrs. Kramer
Jay Smouse's morning announcements
Mycroft Thugg's explanation of his name
Red Hollard's description of Sergeant York
Joy's questions

The winner is......100 things I hate by Mrs. Kramer.

My comments:
These were all good lines.  I had picked Joy's questions, though.


Best Villain

The nominees:
Vance in Mistaken for Good
Jay in Mistaken for Good
Mr. Grote in The Labyrinth 1-3
Reggie Fingers in The Labyrinth 1-3
Maureen in Something Old, Something New

And the winner is......Mr. Grote in The Labyrinth.

My comments:
Exactly what I picked.  Mr. Grote may not be better than Dr. Blackgaard, but he was definitely the best villain in this album.


And now a word from our sponsors.

Coming soon on a reality channel.  What would it be like if Connie married a secret agent?  Would it be a normal everyday family?

Mitch (through a walkie-talkie): Target sighted.  Operation nap time is a go.

Connie: Mitch, honey, couldn't you just put little Constance to bed the normal way?

Mitch (through a walkie-talkie): Roger that.

*Music cuts to next scene*

*phone ringing*

Connie: Hello.

Mitch: Hey.  I just called to tell you that I love you and I'm almost home.

Connie: Oh.  Well thanks, dearest.

Mitch: Uh oh.  Abrams tank just pulled into the cul-de-sac.  You might want to brace yourself.

Connie: What?

*BANG*

Connie: Mitch, what now?

Mitch: Sorry.  These guys followed me home after work.  They don't exactly quit coming after me just because I punched out my time card.

Connie: Well handle them like you usually do.  Can you go by the school and pick up Mitch Jr. from soccer practice?

Mitch: On my way now.  Okay, fire in the hole.

Connie:  WAAAAAAAA!!

*BANG*

Mitch: You alright?

Connie: Never better.  Don't forget to grab diapers on the way home, dear.

Mitch: Will do.

Don't miss this new series: Guess What - I Married a Spy  starring Connie and Robert Mitchell.  Coming soon on the reality channel.


I'm back (again).
Here is the last Avery Award.

Best Overall Episode

And the winner is.......The Labyrinth 1-3

My comments:
I picked the Labyrinth.  After I listened to the Labyrinth it became my favourite AIO episode ever.  I'm so glad it won.

That's all for now.  If you would like to see my review for album 55 then read it here: http://unofficialaioblog.blogspot.ca/2012/06/album-review-album-55.html

Website Review: Just Another AIO Blog

Just another AIO blog is a terrific blog.  I just found out about it not to long ago.  The articles are sometimes long, but Alex Jefferson (the creator of the blog) makes the articles so interesting that you won't get bored.  He updates the blog a lot.  This blog is definitely one of my top 5 favourite AIO blogs so check it out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/  His next article will be the Top 5 AIO Albums of all time.  Until next time, I'm Wooton Bassett.  Signing off.

Court's in Session!

The long awaited (at least by me) Courtroom feature has come out on the Twists and Turns website.  The Old Judge shares his opinion on anything and everything Odyssey.  His first post was made last night.  He talked about my blog.  I want to thank him for everything he said.  Thank you for giving constructive criticism, Old Judge.  I have noticed all those "bad points" on my blog lately and I have been trying to fix them.  I can't wait for his next post on Saturday which is debating whether Penny and Wooton should get married. So go check out the courtroom at http://twistsandturns-aio.weebly.com/the-courtroom.html

In other news check out the Odyssey Scoop for a description of the AIO Birthday Bash (http://odysseyscoop.com/articles/article40.htm).  In other other news, get your AIO comics in for the comic contest.  Either email them to me at noahrobertson111@gmail.com or post them in the comic contest topic at the Soda Shop Message Boards.

Interview with Noah from the Boredom Buster Podcast

I emailed Noah from the Boredom Buster Podcast recently and he has gotten back to me.   I have my question, Noah's answer, than my comments on his answer.  Here is the interview.  Enjoy!

1. What is your favourite AIO episode (Hallie's too)?  

Noah's Answer:

Well for me I think part of loving an episode is not only how the episode was, but also what I was doing while I was listening to that particular episode. So with that statement, If I was listening to a great episode then something bad happened ( like something tragic in my family ) while I was listening to that great episode. I might hate that episode cause It brings a lot of bad memories, the same thing goes for good memories. So I have a hard time picking my favorite episode, so I will name a few. The Spy Who Bugged Me, The Imagination Station Part 1 & 2, Life Trials of the Rich and Famous, and The Mailman Cometh. Just to name a few ( which means there is a lot more, these are the only ones that come to mind right now ).

Haillie's Answer:

Mine would have to be Thanksgiving at Home, and Two Sides to Every Story.

My comments:

Noah and Hallie, those are great episodes and that is a great description on how to figure out what your favourite episode is.

  2. What's it like having a podcast?  Is it hard?

Well I'm a huge AIO fan, and I really didn't have anyone to talk or share my opinions about AIO with( hailllie wasn't a huge AIO fan back then). So now with BBP I can finally share my opinion with other AIO fans. Sure making a podcast is hard, but It's all worth it in the end. Now the question is What's it like having a podcast. It's awesome, and a lot of hard work. But like I said in the beginning, It's worth it.  

My comments:

Making an AIO podcast is something I've always wanted to do too and I might, but if I do it won't be out for a while.

3. Do your podcast episodes have a certain schedule or do you just post them whenever?

We do have a schedule for recording, but sadly I really don't have one for posting. It's mostly posted whenever I finish editing and putting it all together.

4.  How many episodes will one season have.

I have no clue. Maybe when the year is up.

5. Who is your favorite character (Hallie's too)?

Noah's Answer 
I would have to say Eugene Meltsner for my favorite adult character. Then my favorite kid character would be Dwayne. Then my favorite new kid character would be Olivia Parker, then Jay. 

Haillie's Answer 
Whit of course! Jimmy and Jared for my favorite kid characters.

Those are some of my favourite characters too except for Olivia.  I also like Matthew.

6. What's the most challenging part about having a podcast and the most easy part?

Well for me editing. It's time consuming and not fun at all. The worst part about editing is that if you spent like two hours editing a episode, then suddenly the editing program shuts down. It's a nightmare! Cause you lose every thing you've been working on for like 2 hours! The best part is writing a review for the episode then recording.

My comments:

Y'now what you should do to make editing more fun?  Make everything that Hallie says really high pitched.  (Just joking)

That's all for now everybody.  Keep posted because I recently email interviewed Paul McCusker and he said that he would be getting back to me this week.  Bye.

Website Review: Twists and Turns

The Twists and Turns Blog is a very well made blog put together by The Old Judge.  At first I thought that it was just gonna be this Odyssey blog that would only get updated once a month (if it continued that long), but Old Judge has proven me wrong.  In just over a week Twists and Turns has got 12 posts!  It is an amazing website with very interesting features and I bet it's grown more popular than mine in just a week!  It has a blog which is updated pretty much everyday, it has an Actors: Then and Now feature where he shows pictures of AIO actors and actresses when AIO started and then what they look like now, then he has a trivia feature with a bunch of trivia facts, then he has an Imagination Station feature.  The Imagination Station feature was Old Judge's idea, but he asked me if I wanted to join in.  It started out as a blogger club where you join and get your website posted.  But we changed it a bit and now it's a list of all the functioning AIO websites out there with a description and the link.  Old Judge has just done a spectacular job on his website.  Keep up the good work, Old Judge.  That's all for now.  Bye.

The AIO Comic Contest

Calling all artists! If you love to draw then draw an AIO comic. If you like to draw than draw a scene from an AIO episode in comic form. If you want, you can draw a whole episode. Some entries will be posted on my blog. Here are the rules: 1. The comic must be from an AIO episode. 2. It can be either a scene from an episode or the whole episode. 3. It must be in comic form. 4. Have fun! You can post your comic on the Soda Shop Adventures in Odyssey Message Board in the Comic Contest topic or you can email it to me at noahrobertson111@gmail.com

The New AIO Official Guide Final Cover Art

The final cover art for the new Official Guide has been released.  The book will be released sometime in October 2012 and it will have over 600 pages and trivia for Album 1 all the way to Album 56!

Here is the cover art:

The Imagination Station

You may have noticed that I have a new feature on my blog - The Imagination Station.  It was Old Judges excellent idea and he asked me if I wanted to team up with him to create The Imagination Station.  I agreed and we each made a new feature on our websites.    So now we are trying to list every active odyssey site.  We've each listed a few and there is a lot more left to come.  Old Judge's website is http://twistsandturns-aio.weebly.com/

Album Review: Album 55

This is my review for Album 55: The Deep End.  I will be going through each episode and reviewing it and then giving an overall album review.  Enjoy!

The Labyrinth 1-3
Rating - 10 out of 10
This is the best episode ever.  At least it's my favourite.  It has 3 parts, it has Jason in it, it's a mystery episode, it's...uh...lets just get on with the review.  Dale and Ann Jacobs team up with Jason and a girl named Sue to help stop Mr. Grote.  This is the best episode ever.  you have to listen to it.

To Mend or Repair
Rating - 7 out of 10
This episode I didn't really like.  If I had a "100 Things I Hate" poem like Mrs. Craemar then this episode would be on it.  (Just joking)

Mistaken for Good
Rating - 10 out of 10
This episode was really good.  It showed Jay as a good guy and not a bully.  I think this episode just got Jay one step closer to becoming a Christian.  I'm glad that Jay did the right thing.  As for Vance, he became my new least favourite character.

Sergeant York 1-4
Rating - 10 out of 10
This was the first 4-parter in Odyssey history and it was amazing.  Before I listened to this episode I didn't really know who Alvin York was.  I'd heard his name, but I didn't know he was that much of a hero.   This is such a good episode and I'd recommend it to anyone.  It has action and gunfighting for boys and romance (gross) for girls.

Child's Play
Rating - 10 out of 10
Another amazing episode.  Kyle and Joy were so cute.  I also think Eugene would make a great father. So if you want to find out if birds snore, and how to make pickle cookies than you have to listen to this episode.

Something Old, Something New
Rating - 10 out of 10
Mitch...Mitch...MITCH!!!!! Mitch was in this episode,  I can't believe it!  That's why I give it 10 out of 10.  The worst part is when Mitch leaves again, but who cares.  As long as Mitch was in the episode that's an automatic 10 on 10 for me!

Overall rating - 9.9 out of 10  The only episode that prevented this album from being a perfect 10 on 10 would be To Mend or Repair.  I hope you all enjoyed my reviews.  Bye.

Imagination Station Books #11 and #12

The names of the IS books 11-12 are Challenge on the Hill of Fire and Hunt for the Devil's Dragon.  Challenge on the Hill of Fire is written by Brock Eastman and Marriane Hering.  Hunt for the Devil's Dragon is written by Wayne Thomas Batson (author of the Berinfell Prophecy books.  Some of my all-time favourites) and Marriane Hering.  They will be available for purchase of Focus on the Family in Spring 2013.

Full Album 56 Cover Art Finally Revealed

The full cover art for album 56: The Grand Design has finally been revealed.  But I have to confess, I like the orange border fan mockup much better, but this is still nice.  It says 12 stories on tithing, happiness, and more.  It sounds very interesting and I can't wait for the back cover art to be revealed.  Oh well.  Here is the album cover art:

Album Review: Album 2

Today I will be reviewing Album 2: The Wildest Summer Ever.  In my opinion it is much better than Album 1.  This album's original name was Grins, Grabbers, and Great Getaways then it was changed to Stormy Weather then it was changed again to The Wildest Summer Ever.  This Album has sold the most copies, besides Album 25.  Anyway, here's my review:

The Family Vacation 1-2
Rating - 9 out of 10
This was a great episode.  Most people would think of this episode as average but I really liked it.  If you want to find out what Whit's boredom buster does, or how the Barclay's escape an ax murderer, or how their worst vacation ever turns into their best vacation ever then you have to listen to this episode.

The Day Independence Came
Rating - 8 out of 10
This episode was interesting.  It helped me to understand American history.  Out of all the AIO history episodes this is probably one of my favourites.

Stormy Weather
Rating - 6 out of 10
This episode was okay, but probably the worst in the whole album.  The one thing I do like is that this is one of the episodes that leads up to Connie becoming a Christian.  Connie was really annoying in this episode though.  For pretty much the whole episode Connie was just running around screaming "I hate Odyssey! I hate Odyssey!" just because there was a thunderstorm or tornado or something.  Thats why I only give it 6 stars out of 10.

Kid's Radio
Rating - 8 out of 10
I like this episode because it is the beginning of Kid's Radio.  Also, Big Brad rocks.  Not much else to say about this episode except LISTEN TO IT!  It rocks.

VBS Blues
Rating - 9 out of 10
This is one of the funniest episodes in AIO history!  It is defiantly one of the best if not the best in the album!!!  if you want to figure out if Ned Lewis's sketch is going to be a disaster, who Abillygoat is, and how how funny the story of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego really is, you have to listen to this episode.

Camp What-a-Nut 1-2
Rating - 9 out of 10
Camp Weyakatalahneetee rocks!  This is probably the most well written episode in the album.  It's also very funny.  There's a cliffhanger every 5 minutes.  It also introduces Camp What-a-Nut.  And we all know that Camp What-a-Nut is awesome.

The Last Great Adventure of the Summer
Rating - 9 1/2 out of 10
This is the best episode of the album and may also be my favourite AIO spy show besides A Name, Not A Number.  I don't want to give to much away.  You'll just have to listen to it yourself.

The Case of the Secret Room
Rating - 8 out of 10
This is a great mystery episode.  Although I can see why it got a parental warning.  It is kinda creepy with a mysterious skeleton in a mysterious room.  But it's still a great episode.

Return to the Bible Room
Rating - 9 out of 10
This episode was about one of my favourite Bible stories...Jonah and the whale...er...big fish.  This episode helped me to understand the story of Jonah a lot better.  I find it funny that Mr. Whittaker told it to them instead of having them go in the Imagination Station.  Oh well.  It was just as good.

My overall album rating - 9 out of 10

AIO 24/7 Web Radio Discontinued!

As many of you know, a 24/7 AIO web radio was opened a few months ago.  You could listen to AIO any time you wanted.  They recently discontinued the AIO web radio due to financial constraints.  We can hope that AIO web radio might be continued in the future.

AIO Podcast Review: The Boredom Buster Podcast

Today I am reviewing The Boredom Buster Podcast.  It is hosted by fodo14.  It is a wonderful podcast.  It is one of my favourites.  Fodo14 is attempting to review every Odyssey episode made.  He does a very detailed review and a good job.  I really like the "Guess That Clip" segment where fodo14 plays a clip from an AIO episode and people have to guess it by either emailing him or posting the answer on the Soda Shop Message Boards.  All-in-all this is a great podcast.  Here are my ratings:

Episode reviews - 10 out of 10
Other segments - 9 out of 10
Audio Quality - 8 out of 10
Fun Factor - 10 out of 10

Overall rating - 10 out of 10

You can access the BBP here: http://boredombusterpodcast-aio.blogspot.ca/

Album Review: Album 1

Today we are reviewing Album 1: The Adventure Begins.    This is the first Odyssey album ever (unless you count Family Portraits).  It is a very good album.  Not one of my favourites, but it was good.  Instead of just telling you my review for the album I am going to go over all of the episodes and review them.  Then at the end I will give an overall review.

Episode 1: Whit's Flop

Rating: 6/10

This episode I found to be kinda boring (so that means you'll probably find my review boring).  It was an okay episode, but I just didn't like it.  I liked the end when Davey made pizza and everyone started treating him nicer.

Episode 2-3: A Member of the Family Parts 1-2

Rating: 8/10

Now these episodes were good.  We got to hear from Whit's family.  Monty was in this episode!!!  He rocks.  It was nice to hear from him.  I also really like the part where Wit explains responsibility to him.  These are probably the best episodes in the album.

Episode 4: The Life of the Party

Rating: 6/10

Another one that I didn't like that much.  Not much to say about it.

Episode 5: Connie Comes to Town

Rating: 8/10

This episode was great!  It introduced Connie Kendall (My 6th favourite character).  Although I'd have to admit I like Connie better when she became a Christian.  This episode was another of the best in the album.

Episode 6: Recollections

Rating: 9/10

This episode was just amazing. We heard the story of Whit's End and how Jenny tried to save it right before she died.  This was definitely the best episode in the album.  Whit was kinda a grump in this episode.  You can see in later episodes how much Whit's End changed him.

Episode 7: Gifts for Madge and Guy

Rating: 5/10

This episode was horrible.  I think it was way too silly.  They took a classic Christmas tale and just made it all weird.  this was the worst episode in the album.

Episode 8: The Day after Christmas

Rating: 8/10

This was a pretty good episode.  It should be made into a christmas movie.  It shows the true meaning of Christmas.  It also shows that you don't need money to be happy.  This episode was just great.

Episode 9: Promises, Promises

Rating: 7/10

I don't know really what to say about this episode except is was really good.

Episode 10: Nothing to Fear

Rating: 4/10

This was a good episode about overcoming your fears.  There was only one thing that I didn't like in this episode.  The odyssey team made whats-her-name (the girl who is always scared of stuff.  Was it Shurley?) scared of way to many things.  I think they just overdid it a bit (or a lot).

Episode 11: Tangled Web

Rating: 9/10

This was a good episode.  It wasn't to funny or wacky or anything.  It was just a nice story about not telling lies.  (Whit is a very good storyteller!)

Episode 12: A Change of Hart

Rating: 6/10

Another one that they kinda overdid a bit.  It is a little hard to tell you why I didn't like it so you would have to listen to the episode yourself.  Nothing else to really say about this episode.

Overall album rating: 6/10

Album Review: Album 53

My rating - 8 out of 10 stars

Summary:
Centered in the town of Odyssey, the story starts when a backpack filled with money is found in Gower’s Field. Then a plane crashes outside town and a mysterious survivor is discovered who may be an undercover agent or part of a counterfeit ring—or something else altogether! Enter an underworld errand-boy who has a cell-phone full of secrets. And that’s just the beginning of The Green Ring Conspiracy, a special adventure that puts our favorite Odyssey characters at the center of intrigue, suspense, and a scheme of international proportions. New friends may not be who they seem. Old friends have secrets they must keep. Deception and double-crosses are the order of the day. Trust, loyalty, and faith are all put to the test. The Green Ring Conspiracy is unlike any collection of stories found in Odyssey, yet still brings together the drama, fun, humor, and life-lessons audiences have come to expect from the show over the years.


My review:
This was a very good album.  One of the best albums after 51.  It is a 12 part series including some of the best Odyssey characters.  It also introduces many new characters.  Lets discuss the album art.  Gary Locke did an amazing job.  It shows Matthew, Emily, and Whit standing behind a bag of money.  Oe thing most people don't notice is Matthew holding the Appleberry phone.  In the background you can see Uncle Archie's carnival.  This album was probably the best mystery album next to Album 25.  I would recomend this to anyone who loves Odyssey.
                                                                Here is the cover art:

Here is the first sketch of the cover art: