Started in 1987, AIO has created a safe, Christian
alternative to secular entertainment. Following the eccentric
John Avery Whittaker to Connie Kendall to Eugene Meltsner,
AIO
teaches important lessons like no other audio drama can. Feel
free to navigate the website to learn more about the program.
Finish What You... "Finish What You...
is a less-than-satisfactory experience and appears to be
geared for younger listeners. Old-timers like me won't
appreciate the show as much as the target age group
will, but I guess that's what we all get for growing up."
Grandma's Visit "The
episode is set in a very humorous context, which
entertains younger listeners and appeals to older
listeners as well, who appreciate the small details that
would pass by younger listeners."
When You're Right,
You're Right "I
think that due to the fact that the plot structure is
weak, listeners get a little lost when trying to figure
out the point of the episode. On the other hand, the
slice-of-life feel of the show gives the show a lot of
meaning and keeps you listening regardless of the
weaknesses in the script."
Today I've got some news for all of you die-hard Odyssey
collectors
.
The final artwork is in for
The Lost Episodes, one of Adventures in Odyssey's
special collections. If you aren't familiar with the
collection, it contains some of the Adventures in Odyssey
episodes that time forgot. Either the episodes were
misplaced in the series or were too controversial for
release in their day. The album features all the same great
bonus retrospective shows and a color insert. You can learn
more about the Odyssey repackaging project here.
Meanwhile, I believe I'm
reaching the end of my search and efforts to fill up the
product Quarantine
here at the Scoop. I've been getting the section up-to-date.
Combined with all the Odyssey products currently available,
we now have info on over 400 products in AIO history. If you
happen to notice that we don't have information about
certain AIO products that are no longer available, feel free
to contact us and let us know. I want to see this thing as
complete as possible. And thanks to the visitors for letting
me know it is a valuable resource in their search for
Odyssey items.
Our
friends
Bob and Jesse
at the
Official Podcast have something to celebrate.
Today marks the release of the 100th Official
Adventures in Odyssey Podcast. It's a celebration
podcast of sorts, with a look back at favorite podcast
moments and more. Take a look at what you can expect:
Celebrate Podcast 100 with Bob,
Jesse, Brock, and clips of your favorite episodes!
If you visit the
blog post, I think you're going to get to hear
some familiar voices, too! And don't miss a new audio
clip from the upcoming episode "Stage Fright." You can
also listen to that here.
Listen:
Meanwhile, if you've been
following Ethan, Phil, and Intern James on their road
trip to find Odyssey, you won't want to miss the
exciting conclusion in the
Ceiling Fan series. It's coming up quick
with Podcast 30, Part 1 airing on a
ceilingfanpodcast.com near you. As always,
special surprises are coming up (I only say this because
I get to follow a lot of the behind the scenes workings
of the show's creators), and your podcast hosts will
deliver on their promise to find the town of Odyssey.
Don't miss out!
,
we're excited to officially announce the winners of our
Novacom-test! From July 10 to 24, we gave Odyssey fans
an opportunity to enter a special drawing for a chance
to win the
Novacom collection (a total of three given out).
Entries came pouring in immediately, and we passed the
100 mark within 24 hours. That's when we knew this was
going to be bigger than expected. Over the course of the
signup period, a total of 305 people entered the
drawing, probably because the prize is such a valuable
gem. With ten CDs and hours of action-adventure, I guess
you could say people wanted a slice of the pie. If I'm
not mistaken, this marks the biggest fan site contest in
AIO history. We've never had such a great turnout on a
fan site. And now... it's time to reveal our lucky
winners!
A big congratulations goes
out to our winners:
Elizabeth Y. (Monroe, Michigan)
Julia R. (Evansville, Indiana)
Cory, Trey, Tobi, and Jesse S. (Fremont, Nebraska)
Elizabeth, Julia, and
Nebraskan siblings Cory, Trey, Tobi, and Jesse S. will
receive a free copy of
Novacom
from the Odyssey Scoop! Winners, be watching your e-mail
as we will be contacting you soon. And once again, a big
thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing this
valuable prize.
For more information on this audio release, visit our
Novacom
product page.
There you can access more information, video trailers,
and exclusive audio clips not available in the
collection.
If you're feeling a little disappointed that you didn't
win, then keep checking back
to the Scoop in the days ahead as we will be giving two
more copies of this exciting release away. Thanks again
to everyone who participated and congratulations to our
winners!
Well,
folks, we're nearing the end of our Novacom collection giveaway. Today is the last day
to get your name in the hat for one of the most explosive
Adventures in Odyssey collections ever. With ten CDs and
over 10 hours of AIO entertainment, you can't go wrong.
Plus, there's special behind the scenes bonuses to sweeten
the deal. We will be officially announcing our three winners
on Monday, July 26th, so check back soon! You have until
11:59 EST tonight to enter the
contest. Good luck!
I know
some of you are out there, lurking about, just waiting for
Adventures in Odyssey album repacks to show up in
your local Christian bookstore. Well, today I wanted to take
a moment and give a quick update.
The
Odyssey repack project is just one of those things that
takes time, and while it would be nice to re-release all the
repacks at once and be done with it, it just doesn't work
that way. The repacks are being released as the inventory
levels go down, so that makes things very tentative. Plus,
Focus is aiming towards 5-6 repacks a year which spreads
things out a bit. Slowly and surely, they are getting there.
Don't hit
that back button! The 7th edition of the Odyssey ScoopCast is now available
for download:
It's a Podcast Podcast edition of the ScoopCast,
featuring news about various podcasts in the Odyssey online
community. It's a special shout-out to podcasters who make
our lives a little sweeter.
Click here to learn more about the
podcast and how you can subscribe. Also, don't forget our
deadline for the Novacom Giveaway
is 11:59 EST on July 24th, which means you have just a few
more days to get your name in the hat. It's a 10-CD set with
bonus audio features... and our winner could be you! Click
here to enter if you haven't
already.
After
a seemingly long hiatus, the
Unofficial Podcast has released a new podcast. It's
a special tribute podcast, featuring a reunion with fan
podcast hosts Chris and Sarah, a look into what they've been
doing during their absence, special news about the future of
the podcast, and more. If you haven't the slightest clue who
Chris and Sarah are, they're the two Odyssey fans who
appeared in a couple editions of the
Official Podcast in 2008―right
around the time of the 20th Celebration Birthday Bash for
Adventures in Odyssey. If you'll recall, the two
podcasts switched places (a great crossover opportunity) and
revealed some unexpected surprises. If you've been listening
to the
Unofficial Podcastall along, you know the chemistry
between the podcast's hosts was a perfect blend that helped
Odyssey fans to stay connected for quite some time.
Of
course, there are guaranteed special appearances in their
latest podcast, so you won't want to miss out on this
reunion episode of the show. If anything, this is the
episode you have to hear above all others. It's been quite
an adventure with Sarah and Chris. To listen, click
here
to visit their website.
Also,
thanks to one of our loyal visitors for the heads up, we now
have the closer-to-final cover arts for Album 52, Cause and Effect, and
The Lost Episodes.
I'm not sure who is choosing the colors for the frames
around the cover illustrations, but the albums don't look up
to par as they could be. For instance, the blue frame
around The Lost Episodes
doesn't really go with the darker, rich browns of the
illustrations. There is a minimal amount of green in the
picture, so the blue and green really don't tie things
together. I would much rather have seen a shade of orange
given to the album as it would go so much more nicely to
capture those brown, orange, and red dominating hues. The
blue looks as if it is just there and it slaps your eyes at
first glance. Hopefully the final cover art will have a nice
frame color.
As for
Cause and Effect,
the black frame works, but gives the cover illustration more
of a boring feel. Also, if
you notice in the cover for
Cause and Effect,
the yellow left-to-right gradient on the frame lines looks
more like an unintentional mistake by the designers. All the
album really needs are solid yellow or orange frame lines.
Anything else looks like a goof.
Those are
just my thoughts on the new covers. I guess my overall
thought is that the way the covers have turned out so far, it
doesn't look as if much time was put in to choosing the colors. Perhaps we'll see some slight tweaks before
Album 52 makes its way into stores?
In other
news, we'd like to shout out to the Official Site's blog for
linking to our new Adventures
in Odyssey Timeline feature. Thanks, guys!
It's
about time! We've finally ditched that
old, dark design we had for years on the
Adventures in
Odyssey Fan List and given
it a brand-new look. It fits the design
of the Scoop way better. Not only that,
117 new names are also added to the
list, getting us caught up with the time
that just seems to be speeding past us.
If you signed the Fan List in the past,
your entry is up. If you haven't signed
it yet, why not today? Let's get our numbers up!
We've got
tentative plans for the Chicken Soup for
the AIO Soul section, and we
need your help! Do you have Odyssey
artwork, fan fiction, poetry, or your
own episode script? Then why not show it
off here at The Odyssey Scoop for
everyone to enjoy? Of course, you're
more than welcome to submit videos,
audio, illustrations, or whatever you
have that comes to mind.
Chicken Soup
will be undergoing a much-needed
facelift, but we need your submissions
to make it work. Call it a culmination
of Odyssey fan submissions. Truly, it
will be inspirational.
If
interested, please contact us here. We'd
love to see your work!
The
Official Podcast brings out one
of Adventures in Odyssey's newest
talent to share her experiences. Take a
look at what's in store in the latest
podcast:
Hope
Levy (voice of Olivia Parker) talks
about her singing, acting younger than
she is, and her favorite Odyssey
episode.
Listen:
It's interesting to note
that in two weeks the 100th podcast will debut, celebrating
and looking back at the show's people and memories.
You certainly won't want to miss it!
Ethan's excitement to splash in the rolling ocean waves of
Louisiana may be thwarted by a current national crisis.
Fortunately, the crew of Odyssey seekers gain some new
insights about where Odyssey is not.
As usual,
it's audio entertainment that you can sit back and enjoy
without necessarily having to learn a lesson by the end. It
looks like we all have a few things to stay tuned for...
Now is
your chance to win a free copy of the
popular Novacom audio
collection from Adventures in Odyssey!
The Odyssey Scoop is giving three copies
of this valuable release away in our new
Novacom-test!
The
Novacom collection includes a total of
10 CD's, containing 28
Adventures
in Odyssey
episodes,
behind-the-scenes
video, along with a special audio
"Inside the
Black Box: The Creation of the Novacom
Saga" feature. It also includes
printable
discussion questions, a 16-page booklet
containing an Episode Guide, cast and
crew introductions, and Novacom's Master
Plan. To learn more about this release,
click here.
You have
until 11:59 EST on Saturday, July 24th,
to enter. Click here and get your name in the
barrel. The official drawing will be
held and winners will be announced on
our blog on the homepage on Monday, July
26th. Prizes compliments of our friends
at Tyndale House Publishers.
Time sure has a way of
getting away from us. The
Adventures in Odyssey Blog is celebrating two years
of providing Odyssey news and perspectives. In their latest
blogcast, you'll get to hear them discuss the blog's
beginnings and how it has evolved since the start. They've
also included some special goodies in celebration of two
years. There's only one thing that can be said of
Adventures in Odyssey fans: the fan base is probably the
most loyal of all fan bases in all things entertainment!
The town of Odyssey
moves on, even in the political arena. Actor Dave Fennoy has
stepped into a new role for Adventures in Odyssey as
Mayor Spencer Hicks. With years of acting experience
under his belt―both on film and
behind the microphone in voiceover roles―Dave
Fennoy joins the Odyssey cast as one of the most influential
characters in town. If you recall, Odyssey's former on-air
mayors include Margaret Faye, Tom Riley, Bill Jenkins, and
Perkins. You can see a full listing of Odyssey's rundown of
mayors
here.
It is interesting to
note that this isn't Dave Fennoy's first appearance on
Adventures in Odyssey. He first appears in the audio
dramatization of
Passages: Darien's Rise as a waiter on a train.
Also, for those of you who follow Lamplighter Publishing's
Lamplighter Theatre, Dave also appears in Sir
Malcolm and the Missing Prince as the Duke.
To learn
more about Dave Fennoy's previous acting roles, visit his
IMDB link. You can also hear an exclusive scene
featuring Mayor Spencer Hicks in our fifth edition of The Odyssey ScoopCast. You won't
want to miss this sneak peek at Album 52,
Cause and Effect!
Happy
4th of July from The Odyssey Scoop! Today we've released
another special audio ScoopCast
for your enjoyment:
A special Independence Day edition of the
ScoopCast brings answers to some of the big questions from
"Adventures in Odyssey's" die-hard fans.
To listen, simply subscribe to
the ScoopCastin your favorite
podcasting software (iTunes, Zune, etc.). Remember folks,
The Odyssey ScoopCast is a subscribers-only podcast, meaning
we recommend subscribing if you want the very latest in
Odyssey news. It's like being part of an exclusive insiders
club. You get the benefits by joining, and that makes you an
insider. Enjoy!
Odyssey
news hits the fans out of nowhere in the latest
Official Podcast.
Take a look at what's in store:
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."
Listen:
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!
It
looks like the Adventures in Odyssey brand has
adopted its own slogan for the series
in this new era of Odyssey listening. The new slogan,
"Imagine, Discover, and Grow", really speaks to their target
audience of 8 to 12 year-olds, doesn't it? I think
immediately of Big Idea's recent
rebrand of the
VeggieTales series with a new logo, product
packaging, and slogan. In the past, their slogan was "Sunday
morning values, Saturday morning fun." Today their slogan
reads, "Values to Grow By." In retrospect, the Adventures
in Odyssey brand has never truly had its own slogan
until now. I had an inkling several months ago that AIO was
planning a slogan when the product summary for Album 52,
Cause and
Effect, was
released:
It's all-new Adventures in Odyssey episodes in volume
52, Cause and Effect. Join Eugene and Matthew as they investigate why
the clock tower at City Hall seems to be stuck at 11:45. Could it have
something to do with the anniversary of a lost love from twenty years ago?
Barrett couldn't be more excited about getting the lead role in the school
play. But when his first practice is interrupted by a mysterious booming
voice, Emily Jones must investigate the phantom of the school play. Also,
perfect for the fall season, are stories on Thanksgiving (A Thankstaking
Story) and Christmas (White Elephant Gift).
Adventures in Odyssey is fun and exciting audio entertainment that
teaches quality character traits and ignites the imagination of all who
listen. Imagine, Discover, and Grow with Adventures in Odyssey.
I guess you could say it's
wise to match a slogan to the Adventures in Odyssey
series. At first glance, consumers get an immediate idea of
who the show is geared for. And with Odyssey's turning back
to shows which are aimed at its 8 to 12 age bracket, it
works. For those of you who are older listeners and are
trying to make that painful transition into Odyssey's new
era of characters, settings, and plots, it may take some
getting used to. I fit within the community of listeners who
tuned in during the early 90's, so it's taking some
adjustment on my end, too.
If you have no idea what
rebranding is, I'd suggest you read up a little at
this Wikipedia
article. Yes, Wikipedia isn't all bad. As for
branding the Scoop, I'm sure many of you have seen that over
the years as well. The slogan has always been "Providing the
Scoop on Adventures in Odyssey, one cone at a time."
Yet, since the site has gotten so big and things are always
happening, we're considering changing the slogan to
something else when we approach our tenth anniversary this
December. Merely considering, mind you.
So that's my little talk on
rebranding Odyssey. I think we're going to see some
interesting things happen in the future! Stay tuned.
Edit: I forgot that AIO
had briefly used the slogan "Sensational Stories, Lifelong
Lessons" on the back of its updated audio collections. It
wasn't a widely promoted slogan, but was merely used on the
back of many albums.
If
you've been keeping up with the
Ceiling Fan Podcast's attempt to find the town of
Odyssey, you know you can expect some special surprises
along the way. Their latest edition is now available, with a
very pleasant appearance from the
Official Podcast's very own Bob Smithouser. Take a
look at what's in store for the latest podcast:
The
road trip trio find themselves in Colorado Springs, the land
of Adventures in Odyssey producers, podcast hosts, and...
Bob Smithouser? When Bob's car breaks down in their path,
Ethan sees a prime opportunity for an interview. But first,
Odyssey is swarming with enthusiastic government-funded
researchers and a popular new version of Whit's End's hit
single, "Communicate."
It's certainly one of the
best podcasts yet, featuring an updated, upbeat, and uppity
rendition of an early rap song that, let's just say, made
the Adventures in Odyssey team cringe after they
created it years ago for Lights Out at
Whit's End.
Also, you might want to
take a look at the blowout contest
they're hosting at the Fan. Time is flying and August 9th is
the deadline for entries to come in. Don't miss out on your
chance to win a nice collection of Odyssey goodies! Full
details for the contest are located here.
It's definitely well worth your participation!
If you happened to check
back here earlier today, you noticed we had posted a cover
art briefly for a supposed new AIO album.
It was all merely to poke fun at all the changes going on in
Odyssey and fans' opposition to those changes. While it was
both entertaining and creative, it could possibly be taken
as fact if one didn't read closely enough or see the
disclaimer. Simply put, the cover art might lead people to
believe Adventures in Odyssey leans towards a
particular political party or has political affiliations. To
avoid any misunderstandings, the post has been removed all
together. And if you're just now dropping by and are
confused, that's okay. Just disregard everything I just
said. If you happened to see the post earlier today, I
apologize if there were any misunderstandings. The cover art
and blog post released earlier were in no way affiliated
with Focus on the Family.
As always, our goal at the
Scoop is to provide the latest up-to-date information on
Adventures in Odyssey, to promote the brand, and
ultimately to influence others to be impacted by the Godly
messages contained in the series. Even if it is just one
person who is introduced to the series because of this site,
our efforts are worth it. You can learn more about our
mission statement and more, here.
Let's
talk about Album 52. In the distant future, the 52nd
Adventures in Odyssey album will contain more fun
stories and the kind of entertainment that listeners have
come to know and love. In case you didn't know yet,
Cause and Effect
contains the following episodes (and more), with an October
1st release date:
Fast As I Can
Stage Fright
An Agreeable Nanny
A Thankstaking Story
Grandma's Christmas Visit
The Mystery of the Clock Tower I
The Mystery of the Clock Tower II
The cover illustration for
Album 52 features Whit, Eugene, and Connie in the
Odyssey clock tower, depicting a scene from The Mystery
of the Clock Tower. For those of you who have been
speculating as to whether or not the girl
pictured is
Connie, speculate no longer. Also, exclusively revealed in
our latest edition of the ScoopCast,
Odyssey has a new mayor: Mayor Spencer Hicks, who succeeds
Mayors Jennings, Riley, and Faye. Of course, if you haven't
heard the exclusive scene yet, I highly recommend you
subscribe to our podcast
and listen to the 5th edition we released last week. Be
watching in the days ahead for more Album 52 details!
The cover design above is not
final and is merely a fan's rendition based on early
sketches and images.
We're really good at
keeping secrets around here at The Odyssey Scoop... and none
of you saw our latest feature coming. Last week, we
announced that we would be filling out our newly-revamped Features section with cool new
features. Today, I'm pleased to introduce a new site feature
that I know will be a great asset to many of you. Take a
look at the whole exciting package:
Go back in time with the
Adventures in Odyssey
Timeline, filled with 20+ years of wonder,
excitement, and discovery. Re-live Odyssey's beginnings and
journey to where the show is today. Complete with trivia,
fun facts, photos, artwork, and audio moments from the
world's #1 audio drama,
Adventures in Odyssey's timeline brings you into a
world of rich AIO history.
Yes, this new feature is
filled with fun facts and is tailored to help you understand
Odyssey's history in a nutshell. Much more could be said for
all the work that went into Odyssey's success for the past
20+ years, but we think we've done a good job telling their
story at-a-glance. You won't want to miss out on this
interactive feature!
So what are you waiting
for? Go back in time
now! Oh, and don't forget to comment below and tell us what
you think!
Today
is a perfect day to remind you that Adventures in Odyssey
has its own
Facebookfan page. If you already "like" the fan
page, you probably noticed that it keeps you updated on
what's playing. However, I think it would be safe to say
that Odyssey's Facebook group is going to start lighting up
with some new surprises in the coming weeks and months. It
opened in April, and now it's time to step things up a
notch. You're going to begin to see some fun new things each
day―trivia, quotes, behind the
scenes―you name it!
"Like" it for yourself
here! Also, be sure to interact and let AIO know
what you'd like to see in the future. Good things are in
store!
Oh, and before I forget,
I think you may want to check back again tomorrow for
another special surprise. And from the looks of things, it's
going to be worth your visit!
Okay, folks, the moment
you've all been waiting for! The awards ceremony for The
Averys has taken place and you have a chance to listen
in!
Bob hosts the Avery
Awards, including awards for Best Sound Design, Best Script,
Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Episode! Plus, a few
special surprises. Thank you to everyone who voted!
Listen:
If
you're dying to know how the final votes came down, be sure
to visit our Avery
Awards page to see all the details!
If you heard our ScoopCast on Monday, no doubt many
of you were waiting around for the cover art for album 52,
Cause and Effect, to be released today... and it
has! At the right you'll see a very well done illustration
of an upcoming episode. Keep checking back as things are
just beginning to heat up!
Well,
everyone, you spoke and we have delivered! The Odyssey ScoopCast host Kevin
McCreary investigated and found answers to your album 52
questions:
The ScoopCast reveals
exclusive details about Adventures in Odyssey album 52,
"Cause and Effect", and throws in a special surprise.
If you aren't
subscribed, today is the day for you to step up to the
podcasting world and give our high-quality, Scoop-filled
podcast a go. And it's created for Odyssey fans on the go,
so you're in great shape. No doubt the latest ScoopCast will
be a special treat for you all. Enjoy.
Help Us Stay Running!
If you like what you see, consider helping us put a dent
in our yearly operating expenses. Give to the Odyssey
Scoop!
Our
mission as a website is to provide the latest news,
information, and much more on the world's #1 audio
drama, Adventures in Odyssey, as well as a safe
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keeping the Scoop alive. Tell your friends,
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decide to link to us, please link to
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Click here
to learn more about why we do what we do.
We would love to hear from
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few moments and complete our online survey.
Our
friends
As
promised
After
a seemingly long hiatus, the
It's
about time! We've finally ditched that
old, dark design we had for years on the
It
looks like the Adventures in Odyssey brand has
adopted its own slogan for the series
in this new era of Odyssey listening. The new slogan,
"Imagine, Discover, and Grow", really speaks to their target
audience of 8 to 12 year-olds, doesn't it? I think
immediately of Big Idea's recent
If
you've been keeping up with the
Let's
talk about Album 52. In the distant future, the 52nd
Adventures in Odyssey album will contain more fun
stories and the kind of entertainment that listeners have
come to know and love. In case you didn't know yet,
Today
is a perfect day to remind you that Adventures in Odyssey
has its own
