Just
in time for the new year, the Official Podcast revealed a special treat to AIO
fans!
FREE episode: "Snow Day," plus interview
with John Fornof and Rob Jorgensen
Enjoy a free episode from "The Encore
Collection," plus hear writer John Fornof and sound designer
Rob Jorgensen discuss the production of this popular show.
Listen Here:
I love when the Adventures in Odyssey
podcast gives away free episodes because they alway contain
special interviews with the producers, writers, etc. It's
like the sugar that makes tea so sweet. It makes an already
enjoyable experience more enjoyable. To go along with this,
I've posted a permanent link to the free download at the
episode information for Snow Day.
And this concludes yet another year at The
Odyssey Scoop. Happy New Year!
It's been a little while since
we've had a chance to touch base on the AIO fan community.
Things have been so busy with AIO news lately that it has
been almost impossible to sneak a little blurb in.
First, the AIO
Blog introduced a new "Blogcast" feature a little
while back. After listening to a couple of their blogcasts,
it's interesting to hear what the fans think about various
AIO things, such as the Passages series. Second, the
Unofficial Podcast has some exciting news to share
in their last podcast before they disappear for a while. You
won't want to miss it. And thirdly, theCeiling Fan released a Christmas special. Ethan
is building a snowman... but the snowman has a mind of his
own! As we approach 2010, get in on the latest AIO fan craze
of listening to Odyssey podcasts.
In the meantime, the latest
for the episode License to
Deprive for PopUpisode is available at the Official Site! If you can't get enough Odyssey
trivia and behind-the-scenes information, this is the way to
get it. It's just a little something to get us ready for
all-new shows, starting in March 2010!
Merry Christmas from Odyssey's
mailman Wooton Bassett!
I know he doesn't exactly look
like he's dressed up for Christmas celebrations, but Wooton
wanted all of you to know that he does have a slight
obesity problem. He's been seeing all the debating about his
weight over at the Town of Odyssey, and he's frankly a little saddened
that his weight problem has to be such a big issue among his
friends:
"I may not have a lot
going for me physically (I have a slight beer belly, but
I dont drink beer, I promise!), but all of my friends
appreciate me for who I am. Yes, I've fallen prey to
fresh licorice and a few too many Twinkies, but Connie's
diet program helped me a lot. And, to tell you honestly,
I didn't used to be able to fit in the shower, except
sideways. You don't want to see how I looked before this
photo. Licorice anyone?"
Wooton's reaction to the
claims against him have been pleasantly optimistic. In spite
of the accusations, Wooton remains convinced that his weight
issue does not have to hinder any of his friendships with
Odyssey's citizens. In fact, he is planning on following
along with the famous Walk Away the Pounds DVD
program at the beginning of the new year. Not only that,
Wooton is also considering introducing an obesity issue to
his Powerboy comic series in 2010.
"Bring it," states Wooton. "I'm not afraid of
the flab that defines who I am. Besides, Bernard Walton was
on the diet program several years ago with me, and he said
his wife called his pudge spots 'cuddle bundles.' I have
nothing to worry about. If I wake up one day and can't fit
through the slide on my house, then there's a big problem."
Wooton jokingly suggested that Christmas
eating is "my highest priority... just like Priority Mail."
Odyssey's favorite mailman has
finally shown his face, just in time for Christmas!
I figured today would be a
good day to give you an early Christmas present. Pictured at
the right, we get our first official glimpse of the new look
for Wooton Bassett! Indeed, that is a picture of Wooton
sliding out of his house. It looks rather dangerous if you
ask me. You'll also get to see another picture of him at the
Odyssey feature at
Clubhouse magazine's
website. Yes, Wooton has officially started his Wooton's
Random Ramblings blog online. Meanwhile, Eugene's
Sudoku is up, along with Matthew's Decoder
mentioned in January's issue of
Clubhouse. I must say, the version
of Wooton pictured on the cover of album 50 doesn't look
all that different from the new rendition. I'd say that
artist Gary Locke did a wonderful job on this rendition of
Wooton!Send us your thoughts on the new
look!
"I usually picture him more well round
because he's always talking about how hes more wide than
he is tall and how he needs to lose weight. Well just a
thought."
--Grace B.
"Awesome slide!!!!"
--Aaron
"I have an idea what if you make Wooton's
face be like Jess Harnel's. Just a thought." --Ryan M.
"yuk he aint fat." --Anonymous
"I don't really like the picture of
Wooton. I don't think he should have curly hair. I don't
really like pictures of any of the Odyssey people. I
think everyone should make their own pictures of the AIO
people." --Esther
"You said to write what we think of
Wooton Basset's face. I love it! Gary Locke drew him
exactly how I thought he should look! Well, other than
huge nose the fact that he's shiny and Wooton has a huge
chin. . . those are my thoughts. Good-bye!" --Audrey S.
"Maybe Gary Locke should make Wooten more
goofy looking... Like his voice."
Nine years ago today, one of
Adventures in Odyssey's biggest fans decided to start
a fan site. This fan site would include tons of information
on AIO, from fun facts, to episode information, to contests.
Thus, the Odyssey Scoop was born. And here I am today to
thank you all for your patronage and continued support over
these wonderful years. Your emails of encouragement and
contributions have been a blessing these nine years. Without
your submissions, suggestions, and compliments, this never
would have been possible. Thank you, all and thanks to Focus
on the Family for creating a program such as Odyssey.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this special anniversary.
Happy birthday to the Odyssey Scoop!
Today,
as a celebration, we're excited to officially announce the
winners of our 9th Anniversary
Giveaway! From December 10 to 19, we opened a window
of opportunity to all our visitors to enter our monthly
drawing. A total of 70 people entered within a ten days'
time, and we're excited to reveal our lucky winners.
A big congratulations goes out
to our winners, Rachel and Lance W. (Melbourne, FL)!
Rachel and Lance will be receiving a free copy of
Adventures in Odyssey: The Official Guide
from the Odyssey Scoop! Rachel and Lance, check your email
right now so we can get your prize out to you!
It's a book that no Odyssey
fan can do without. And no Odyssey Scoop visitor can go
without it, either. Why? Well, if you don't already own it
or didn't win our drawing, order your copy today and then skip to page 200 to
see a page dedicated to one of our most
popular site features. Who would have thought nine
years ago that an Odyssey fan site would get mentioned in
print?!
Again, I'd like to thank Focus
and the Odyssey team for making room to showcase the Scoop
in the book. But that's not the main reason why you should
have a copy of this book in your hands. The 500+ pages of
behind-the-scenes stories, memories, photos, and artwork are
the real meat on the plate!
Thanks to everyone who entered
our drawing. Keep your eyes open because we have monthly
giveaways and contests here at the Odyssey Scoop!
When
life gives you "Pop-Upisodes," watch 'em! As we press
forward in the Album 50 Recap, we stop at the episode Suspicious Finds,
which airs on radio stations across the country this
weekend. But why merely listen to it on the radio when you
can see behind-the-scenes and fun fact features at the same
time? In conjunction with the Album 50 Recap, each episode
will be available in "Pop-Upisode" form as we await the new
season in 2010.
Pictured at the right, voice
actor Will Ryan has been briefly mentioned in the latest
Pop-Upisode, available here. But why has he been mentioned and why is he
wearing a cowboy hat in that picture? You'll just have to
watch and listen to find out. Be checking back every weekend
through February for another special "Pop-Upisode."
Meanwhile, today is the last
day to sign up for your chance to win a free copy of
The Official Guidefrom the Odyssey Scoop!We're shutting off your chance to win after 11:59 EST
tonight. If you haven't signed up, now's your chance to get your name in the hat. Then
check back on December 22nd (Tuesday) to see if you are our
grand prize winner!
Time
is running short for our 9th
Anniversary Giveaway! As a celebration of 9 years
here at the Odyssey Scoop, we'll be giving away a free copy
of Adventures in Odyssey: The Official Guide to our
lucky winner. This special book includes tons of
behind-the-scenes information on the world's #1 family audio
drama, fun facts, and lots of photos and pictures. If you
haven't entered yet, you better hurry! Tomorrow is the last
day to get your name in the hat!
Enter the contest now! We will announce the winner
on December 22nd - the big day!
The
Official Podcast has unveiled some juicy details about
what's coming up from Adventures in Odyssey!
Torry Martin speaks about Wooton’s Random
Ramblings, plus Emily and Matthew solve a mystery!
Hear from Torry Martin, creator of Wooton
Bassett about a new Wooton page in Clubhouse magazine, his
grandma’s influence on his writing and more.
Listen Here:
Beginning in January 2010's issue of
Clubhouse Magazine, some new features will appear.
First, a new Adventures in Odyssey "Jones and Parker
Mysteries" will follow super sleuths Emily Jones and Matthew
Parker. A second feature, "Wooton's Random Ramblings," will
be written by Wooton's creator, Torry Martin.
Clubhouse will also
contain Odyssey puzzles, including Eugene's Soduku. Visit
the Official Podcast Blog post for more information and
see a sample of what's coming up.
It's interesting to note that Wooton's new
dog, Sam, will be introduced in the March 2010 issue. Also,
Wooton's middle name starts with a Z. But will they
ever reveal his middle name on the show? Stay tuned to find
out! And Mrs. Randall is coming back in Album 52 for
another visit.
Since it is the end of the year and many of
you may be interested in following all these new features,
now may be a great time to subscribe to
Clubhouse. It has always been a
great tool for children, and all the new AIO enhancements
are great for fans of Odyssey.
'Tis the season to be...
acting out Adventures in Odyssey?!
That's right. I've discovered
that just as soon as you think you're the biggest Odyssey
fan there is, there's a more avid fan out there somewhere.
And since we're quickly approaching Christmas, I figured I'd
post a little Christmas video you may find interesting. It's
time to use your imagination because I've never quite
pictured George Barclay with a ponytail before. Jimmy's
looking a little long-haired himself, and Donna Barclay is
probably the only one around who looks somewhat how I
imagined. The black hair works for Mrs. Barclay in this
clip, but I'm sure glad I picture her without it.
Since we haven't quite made it
to a day when AIO is producing live-action shows for the
United States, some amateurs have given us a small taste of
what it might be like.
This video is an acted-out
scene from the episode
Unto Us a
Child Is Born. Yet, there's still another scene
acted out from another episode -- created by the same fans.
At the end of the video, be sure to watch their other one.
Which of the two videos do you like better?
Just a little glimpse at what
live-action AIO might be like.
In their last podcast, Bob and
Jesse revealed that a special Pop-Upisode would be debuting
on the Official Site. For all of you who have been
wondering what a pop-upisode is, today's the day to find out! The "pop-upisode" contains an audio/visual
experience of the episode A Capsule Comes
to Town. Check
our weekend schedule to see what episodes are airing in
conjunction with this "pop-upisode" release. It's an album
50 recap as we move into the new year.
Also today, I'd like to draw
your attention to a new sampler coming out in the summer of
2010. It's called The Underground Railroad. Can you guess which
episodes are included in this release? This sampler will
contain a rebate, much like samplers released in the past
and will give fans an incentive to purchase the albums.
To learn more about the latest
sampler, visit our product page. In the meantime, why not give the
first-ever "Pop-Upisode" a try? You'll learn new Odyssey trivia and learn more
about the actors and production team who bring Adventures
in Odyssey to life!
On
December 22, 2009, The Odyssey Scoop will be celebrating
its 9th anniversary of providing the scoop on Adventures in Odyssey, one cone at a time. For nine
years, loyal AIO fans like you have contributed to the
site and have played an important role in the website's
growth. To celebrate our anniversary as well as to
ring in the new year, we are giving away a free copy of
the book no Odyssey fan can go without: Adventures in
Odyssey: The Official Guide!
Enter the contest now! We will announce the winner
right here on December 22nd, the birthday of The Odyssey
Scoop!
Sometimes
it's good to get an overview of things to understand how
things work. Today, I'd like to get you updated on the album
repack schedule. As you know, the AIO albums have been
undergoing a repack project. Until now, it has been only
done with albums 16-46. Recently, we announced that the Gold Audio Series would receive the same treatment. I
know many of you out there are collecting these repacks as
they become available, and what follows is a brief overview
of when the rest of #16-46 will be available. I've included
a listing of only the album repacks that have not been
released yet, in the order they are set to release:
The above dates are tentative and merely
projected release dates, so the order of releases may get
jostled around here and there. It looks like we're getting
closer to the end of the #16-46 repacks. However, the Gold Audio Series is on its way out the door, too. To
learn more about release dates for repacks of the Gold
Audio Series, visit our Albums page.
Today's
a good day to talk about everyone's favorite radio drama: Adventures in Odyssey. As we briefly mentioned in the
past, a new sampler will be available just in time for the
release of album #51.
A special sampler, Welcome
to Whit's End, will coincide with the new album as a
special introductory tool to the program. However, this
sampler comes with a twist. Instead of containing only
previously released episodes, this new sampler will feature
a special 10-15 minute episode. It's titled, appropriately
enough, Welcome to Whit's End. At the moment, all we
can release is that while you listen to the mini-episode,
you will feel like you're in the town of Odyssey.
Understandably, this episode will be geared for introducing
newer listeners to the show and showing new and older fans
which characters will be sticking around for album
#51.
You may want to mark down that
if you purchase this upcoming sampler, a $3 rebate is
provided for your purchase of album 51. In essence,
Welcome to Whit's End is well worth the purchase
because you're getting it free for buying 51! So when Take It from the Top! hits bookstore shelves,
don't forget to get your sampler too. What a deal!
But the special new episode
and $3 rebate aren't the only things included with this
sampler. Two additional classic episodes will bookend the
episode, providing more introductions to the show.
Let This Mind Be
In Youand
A License to
Drive are also included.
Personally, I'd like if this
episode was a tip-of-the-hat to the very first Family
Portraits episode, Whit's Visitor. If you recall, the series begins
with John Avery Whittaker walking along a sidewalk
introducing listeners to the town of Odyssey. It would be
neat to revisit that concept and listen as Whit walks
listeners to Whit's End; where, in this case, they meet
Connie and Eugene behind the counter. But I'm probably just
dreaming. Find out in March 2010!
But what's coming up this
week? Actually, the Odyssey team has a busy and fun week
ahead of them as they are headed to Los Angeles to record
four more episodes today, tomorrow, and Wednesday with the
actors. Also we updated our Albums page with information regarding future
release dates for album repacks in 2010. Meanwhile, many of
the listeners sit at home on pins and needles... waiting...
and listening to re-runs of their favorite radio drama.
As you wait, click here
to see a larger image of the cover art.
Back when Thanksgiving was
still on everybody's plate, the Ceiling Fan released a special episode in honor of
the day. It's more of a sit-down, chit-chat style to keep
the podcast's fans updated on what's going on. Odyssey isn't
quite hitting the fan in this episode, but anything the Ceiling Fan does is intriguing. Don't miss the latest
podcast!
Today's
a good day to be watching the
Official Site for a brand-new, fans-oriented
podcast! For a little over a week, fans have been asking the
producers questions. There's always room for questions about
Odyssey, such as:
Okay, so fans are asking more
relevant questions these days at AIO's ask the producers blog post, but the above are some
of the questions we've received at our AIO F.A.Q. section. No question is too crazy,
according to the sage advice of John Avery Whittaker
himself. If Whit said it, it must be true! Keep your eyes
open for a new Official Podcast! I'm wondering the same thing
Harlow Doyle wanted to know: why does a bird appear whenever
you are near? Now these are the pertinent questions in life.