Surprises

It seems this week is full of surprises. First my album 51 coming yesterday. Now it looks like the AIO blog has some sort of surprise up their sleeve to reveal to us tomorrow. On the Official AIO site, there will soon be a new video page of some sort. Also the Odyssey Scoop has a surprise waiting to appear for us as well, sometime this week.  I like surprises, I just don't like the process of waiting to be surprised. What could they be? Well like Marvin from the AIO Fan's Life says "The best way to find out is to wait and see." Or something like that. Oh one more thing. The AIO team has started recording album 52. Whoot! No sign of a Title as of yet. But for a recap of things we do know about album 52 so far, check out The AIO Fan's Life.

This is Freddy Jay, signing off.

That's a 3 18 99

Today I got a surprise. A very pleasant one at that. I ordered album 51 expecting it not to be shipped until April 7th, and also ordered 4 other albums at the same time from somewhere else. Today I got my album 51! (Still waiting for the other four..but this is still G-R-E-A-T-great!) I read that Audry from AIO Insanity got hers today too. I haven't listened to all of them yet, but I plan on it tonight.What I have heard so far is great!

Odyssey Connection:  Saturday night after Winter Jam, we ate at Steak and Shake. Somebody asked me a question, I forget exactly what it was, but it was the perfect opportunity to pull a "Lester". I said "that's a 3 18 99." They said "what?" Then I said "I can't tell you." I said it almost exactly how Lester said it too. It was so funny to me, because those three lines are from the episode No way In and No way out. It was an inside funny because no one else at the table listened to Odyssey...

That's all for now, this is Freddy Jay saying "It's time for Adventures in Odyssey."

Winter Jam

The 54th podcast on The Whits end Podcast is up. Check it out as Regis Blackbeard gives his reviews and reads reviews from other fans of The Inspiration Station part 2, Clutter, and Game for a Mystery.

 Odyssey Connection: Yesterday I went to Winter Jam. It's a concert where a bunch of different bands play and it was loud. We were really close to the stage. One thing I found entertaining was the fact that when people try to talk to you during a concert all I see is lips moving. No sound makes it to my ears at all. Anyway, at one point in the concert they brought out these ginormous balloons for the audience to hit around. The funny thing was that once they were hit it took way longer than I figured for them to come down. So I'd go to hit one, and my timing would be way off. It reminded me of slow motion scenes in Odyssey. The time in Snow Day when they are running to Grandmas house and they are almost there, or the time when Trent is about to give his speech in Called on in class. Slow motion is so weird but it adds dramatic effect.


That's all for now. "This is Freddy Jay saying I'm not gonna be able to catch back up on my sleep now.....good night!"

Game For a Mystery Review

First as you can tell I'm once again experimenting with new things. One of which is the new logo which came from Original Joe from Odyssey Way Thanks again. I will also have a poll on the side with a trivia question. After a week or so (or shorter, if I change my mind...)I will have the answer and a quote under the next poll.

 Onto Game for a Mystery.
Here's my thoughts on this episode

First we meet Emily Jones and Barret Jones-new characters
Introduces Verminoids game Barret likes playing. I like Barret and Emily's Dad. Great dad humor.
Barret has an interesting imagination. Kinda like Jared, except his is probably more sue to playing video games. Quick to assume..
Matthew talks a little like Eugene. Seems more and more like a kid Eugene.
Emily is very interesting. Observes the minor details. Good at making deductions.
Very interesting mystery.
Nelson from the Kidsborro series is also in this episode.
This portable verminoids game sounds very updated. Register online, etc. We see more of Matthew's technological smarts side.

This episode is good. It reminds me of another episode called The Bad Hair Day. In that episode a comic book and a pocket knife are missing. They look into it, and Rodney and his gang thinks its Charles that took it. It turns out it was a raccoon. I think it's interesting that they included a raccoon in this one, only to have that option turned down due to deductive reasoning on Emily's part. The end of it was somewhat unexpected. I never would have guessed the culprit. Too bad the game ended up getting ran over...Great mystery episode, maybe not action packed, but intriguing none the less. I'm really liking Matthew. His sense of knowledge, and sometimes big words. More and more like a young Eugene.
I liked it. All in all, I give it a 4/5

 Here's a review from Campbell County.
Nate Maxwell  says

I think the relationship between Emily and Matthew can almost be described as flirting which is why I somewhat disliked it. Nelson's Cameo in a non Kidsboro episode was pretty sweet. Garret seems like a nerdy Jimmy Barclay which makes me happy. I also liked how Chris had us look in Proverbs, She hasnt given us an assignment in awhile! All in All I think the episode will be a stepping stone for many more fun adventures with the Jones and Parker Detective Agency. It was OK so I give it Three Stars ***

That's all for now. This is Freddy Jay saying "Can't wait for more."

Fight! Fight! Fight!

The new episode Game for a Mystery is up. You can catch it on the link in the announcements. or tomorrow (Saturday) you can catch it on the official player here. I will give my thoughts, after listening a few times.

Odyssey Connection: Today at school there was a fight. I don't see what all the hub bub was about. But like always, it's what everyone talks about for the rest of the day. Since it happened in the morning it was a long day of hearing the same thing over and over again...What is so entertaining about a fight? Why can't people just learn that violence is not the best way? Mike learned a similar lesson in Mike Makes Right. He went to fight the bully, and ended up a bully himself after the won, only to lose when someone tougher came along. Also in this episode it proves my point. There is someone commentating on the fight (a student) and a group of kids is gathered to watch.  I'm not sure I understand why violence is entertaining to some people, but here is a clip of a boxing match that was meant to be funny. (sorry that it is in black and white.....) Charlie Chapin boxing.

That's all for now, This is Freddy Jay saying "Be sure to check out my review of Game for a mystery. Coming Soon."

Harlow and Magician

On the Odyssey Way, Original Joe posted a pic of Harlow Doyle P.I., the first done by Gary Locke. It first appeared in Clubhouse magazine. To see the picture, you can visit Odyssey Way. While I'm talking about it. On Odyssey Way, not only can you find Odyssey news, but there are also interestingly creative pictures there as well. Like Brock the CIA agent and...well you'll see what I'm talking about when you go there.

Odyssey Connection: On Thursdays, I help at a thing called Kids Club. Basically it's a thing for kids where they learn things about the bible. Kinda like VBS (vacation bible school), but only once a week and during the school year. Today was the last session Until May, so we had a special guest, a magician. It was pretty interesting. When I first heard that there was a magician coming I almost automatically thought of  Solly Mendelson and Irving Greenfarb.They were great magicians. This guy was pretty good too. Part of the fun (when you're not a kid) is trying to figure out how it was done. Also related to this topic, I received an amazing clip through an email of a magic performance that was done on America's got talent . It is really amazing. You can watch it on youtube here. Be warned. It is weird, odd, cool, awesome, maybe not for the weak hearted, and maybe a little disturbing....but in an awesomely cool way, if that makes sense..(It will make more sense if you watch)This really puzzles me...but I guess that's the purpose of illusions.

I suppose that's all for now. This is Freddy Jay saying, "I just can't get over how that was done....."

Why does snail mail have to be so slow?

So this past Friday I ordered album 51 along with four other albums (which means when they come in I will have the full collection Yes! Well until album 52 comes out.) Unfortunately album 51 won't ship until April 7...but I will have the other four to keep me busy until then. Once I get them...It just seems like it's taking forever. I think I have selective patience. I am patient when it comes to certain things, but Odyssey nope. No patience. 

Recently a new blogger has decided to jump into the blogging community fun. He is known as Christian A. on the Odyssey Scoop and maybe other places as well. He calls it The Voice of Odyssey. He plans on sharing Odyssey news and maybe other things also. So check it out.

"Game for a Mystery" airs in three days. I can't wait. I really like the mystery episodes, I try to figure them out before the characters do. It's always fun.

Odyssey Connection: At church Sunday we had a visitor in our Sunday school class. He was the type that had a contradictory comment for a bunch of things. I kinda liked it. He spun questions into the discussion rather than just listening to a lesson. Then I began thinking. I was thinking that this kind of character would be an interesting thing for Odyssey. An atheist or agnostic type character that liked to argue with some of the other characters, like Whit, Connie, Matthew Parker, or others.

I think That's all for tonight, This is Freddy Jay saying "bye."

Campbell County Contest

On Campbell County there is an exciting contest going on. There are 20 Odyssey trivia questions hidden on Odyssey scoop and 10 hidden in Campbell County.  The big prize is...well you can see more details here.  Don't forget to check it out.

A little news

First off, on the Odyssey Scoop you can find a cool clip performed by an Odyssey fan. It's done really well, and I encourage you to check it out. Also there are a couple other clips in a link there as well.  Also if you haven't entered your entry for the act like Odyssey Contest and want to, the deadline is getting closer by the second.

In other news Brock has given us another image. It looks like it has something to do with Passages because if you look closely you can see two moons.

Clutter Review

In Clutter we meet Red. I like him. I see him being a character that is around for quite a while, or at least I hope so. The Parker's garage kinda sounds like mine, and my basement. I like the Parker kids they are typical kids don't like to clean, bickering, makes it seem more like reality, and reminds me of the Barclays. The way David convinces them to help is genius, and very dad/parent like. The chemistry of the Parkers is great. Andre is really beginning to grow on me as Whit. I can really relate to them, clutter builds up quickly, and is somewhat hard to sort through. Great episode with a good theme and some humor, I give it a 4.5/5

If you haven't heard it yet. check it out  here.

Also in my previous post I mentioned Wooton's middle name. It seems it was revealed in an episode of Clubhouse Magazine. I found it in a comment on The AIO Fan's Life. It seems his middle name is Zicabodia. Kinda reminds me of Ichabodia..

The new season so far is great. Campbell County is gonna do End of Season awards. This is where the users submit niminations for various categories like best charactor, best episode, best quote, and others. From there the winners for each category will be announced on a Podcast called The Whits End Podcast.
Get in on the fun at Campbell County.

That's all for now, this is Freddy Jay signing off.

Wooton

On the Clubhouse magazine site, they have a Wooton's Ramblings page. These blog entries are done by Wooton, and have interesting pics seen below.

Each pic in this post has a different Wooton's Rambling to go with it, they are kinda fun to read.  Can't wait for more. One thing that one of them mentions is that Wooton's middle name starts with Z. What could it be? Zenith? Zane? Hmmmmm....


Only a couple days till the next episode clutter airs.WHOOO!

Odyssey Connection: Today in band, someone said "Don't think negatively", and then I piped in "Yeah think positively." Mimicking the way they said it in the episode "Happy Smilers". No one else really understood my inside Odyssey joke... Then of course the Happy Smiler theme song was stuck in my head.....It did kinda brighten the rest of day though.

Well that's all for now, This is Freddy Jay saying " Happy Happy Happy why we are we so happy?..........."

Logos

As I'm sure you've noticed, the Odyssey scoop now has a cool new logo.

As you can see I changed mine too, let me know what you think in the poll on the side.


Odyssey Thought: In the episode "The Y.A.K. Problem", I noticed something about Whit that seemed to stand out to me. When Nathanial, and Sarah go into the kitchen they find Whit with a LOT of ice cream. When they ask what it's all for, Whit's response is "It's just uh...I'm stocking up." Now I understand that Whit  was trying to protect his secret, but as you can recall (If you've heard this episode) this threw the kids into an imaginative frenzy. What is that classified as? A lie...a white lie,.....tweaking the truth...or none of the above? Was it all right for Whit to say that or should he have said something else?  Let me know what you think about this by commenting.

That's all for now...I've been adding things here and there, so make sure to look around every so often in the different pages.

More Summaries

We have the rest of the summaries for album 51 . 

 

Finish What You... | April 24, 2010
Theme: Responsibility
Summary: Doors are opening for Olivia Parker―too many, actually! After signing up for guitar lessons with Eugene, she also agrees to star in Connie's play. How can she possibly juggle her schedule?

The Jubilee Singers I, II, & III | May 1, 8, and 15, 2010
Theme: Perseverance
Summary: A talking portrait of Frederick Douglass tells Olivia Parker the story of the Jubilee Singers—a talented group of African-American students assembled to save their school from financial disaster.

and a summary for album 52, but no title..

 

Mysteries abound in Odyssey as Eugene tries to figure out why the Odyssey clocktower is counting down to a mysterious deadline and Emily Jones unmasks the phantom of the school play. Meanwhile, the crew at Whit's End tries fasting,—with hilarious results—and Wooton tries his hand at a radio show ... with no script!

I just got back from chasing my dog through a cow field..........so not much else comes to mind at the moment....This is Freddy Jay saying.."It feels like I ran five miles.........."

The Inspiration Station Part 2

First I'm gonna point out something else on part 1. Towards the end, Eugene, Connie, and Whit are around the Inspiration Station. Then we hear a train-like whistle and Eugene says there's someone at the door. My first thought was that they removed the bell, but in the second part we hear the bell when Eva comes in. So maybe it's a device that alerts them when they are upstairs. Also the security alarm with Eugene's voice was kinda cool.

My Thoughts on Inspiration Station Part 2

The opening scene was very intense. It seemed like something very bad was going to happen.

The conversation with Connie about her experiance in the Inspiration station seemed really heavy..

Mortimer is a very interesting character, and we can assume that he is the person Connie was referring to in Part 1.Is he going to be a one time only character? Or are they gonna somehow bring it back in other episodes..? "That lead to...which lead to..which lead to this and that and there we are!"

We learn of Whits "town clock mistake. "

My favorite part of the whole episode is with the clips of the different people saying how Connie inspires them. Congrats to all the people who made it in, including Audry from AIO Insanity, to find out what she said, click here.

Over all this two part episode was pretty good. I give it a 4/5. It was great, can't wait to hear the rest of the season.

I thought I had an Odyssey connection today...but it seems I forgot it.....so...I guess that's all for now this is Freddy Jay saying "catch ya later."

More Clues!

Brock has left us more clues for us pertaining to the future of Odyssey. Today Brock put on his blog the following comment and picture.


"A great way to create buzz is to give some clues, so can any of you theorize about upcoming or current albums? Some will matter in 51, and some in 52, and maybe even 53. But I can’t tell you everything. So I’d hold onto this image for several albums… Let me know as you hear about and recognize the clues I have hidden. Oh and yes feel free to share the image."

It's interesting...very interesting indeed...I can assume that the bird pictures have to do with the the episode "For the Birds". Then there's parts of a script. Some things in Spanish. A black rose....puzzling.Some on the ToO have thoughts about it here.

Only a few more hours till Part Two of the Inspiration Station Whoot!


Odyssey Connection: At youth group yesterday I was talking with a friend. We soon got on the subject of teachers and authority, and the respect they deserve. He said that the respect should be earned. I kinda disagree. Yes generally respect should be earned, but a teacher kinda should get automatic respect since that is his/her title.  Therefore even if a teacher makes a mistake he/she should not be talked at in a rude manner. Like Trent learned in the episode 'Think on These Things" when he used the imagination Station to get back at Mr. Hawthorne, it's better to respect teachers and not talk back to them.

That's all for now, this is Freddy Jay saying "What are the mysteries that lay behind the clues?"

Update and experimenting

On Brock's blog you can see some pics of the extra content in Album 51. They are somewhat unclear...but still cool to see, and gives a new reason to want to get it. I'm waiting till after I hear them all on the radio, but that's just me. It's more fun to hear it on the radio and then get it on CD in my opinion...

As you can see I added a different toolbar to my site. I'm experimenting with it, but what do you think? Do you like it? Dislike it? Let me know.

First scene of Part 2

The Official Whits end Podcast's newest cast is up. Including a first scene of The Inspiration Station part 2, and an interview with Andre Stojka.

5 hours of playing and now my lips feel like jello

To see a sneak peak of what the new cover for album five may look like(still in draft process),Check out  Odyssey Way, or The Odyssey Times.

On Odyssey Times, you can vote on what the New logo for it could be, don't miss out.

Odyssey Connection: Today I participated in a band thing we call Band festival. It's where people from different bands from schools in the area come together to play as one big band. We started at 1 o'clock and practiced till quarter till six. (So a little over five hours.) Then we played the five songs that we practiced as a concert for the parents and people that came. It was really fun playing with a HUGE band for a change. There was lower instruments, something my band doesn't have. Also I found out that there are four different kinds of saxophones, and saw a funny looking instrument that I think was a bassoon. At one point I thought of Wooton. How he can play Camp town Races on a lot of different instruments. Saxophone, organ, banjo...maybe more I can't think of any others at the moment. I don't think we've heard him play it on the trumpet though...maybe that's the one instrument he can't play. I can almost picture Wooton attempting to play the trumpet, but not being able to buzz right...but then again maybe he just hasn't had the opportunity to play one yet.

 This is Freddy Jay saying  "It's that late?.....Time to hit the hay."

The Inspiration Station Part 1

After hearing this episode for the third time here are some of my thoughts/questions.

I noticed they didn't include the new theme. Maybe we'll hear it in later episodes in this album..I guess.

Andre is a great Whit. He sounds a little different than Paul, but it still works somehow. To me Whits sounds a little older now.

What does the inspiration station do? Connie says she walks around in it, so does that mean it's somewhat similar to the imagination station? Who is Whit's friend that Connie meets in it? It seems after going in there she starts thinking about her pet peeves, but she's not bothered by them. Very intriguing.

Once again in this episode we begin to see more of Eugene's smart side again.

Then it starts having problems, and all the inventions start acting up, like in the applesauce episodes, although Whit says "I've never seen anything like it." At first I thought it was a goof because there was an incident similar to it in the Applesauce and Blackgaard episodes. Then I listened to the episode "The Battle" and I noticed that Whit wasn't in Whits End at the time of the incident in Applesauce or the time in The Battle when Blackgaard hacked the computer.

I like Matthew Parker. He seems like a modern kid that likes our type of technology. Which brings another point. This episode brings Odyssey suddenly to a new age. With all sorts of our technology. DVR, GPS, Laptops, burning DVDs. I like it. Back to Matt. Somewhere someone made a reference to Matt almost like a kid Eugene. Matthew kinda talks like Eugene in a way. I think the picture for Matthew is pretty close to how I imagine him. Great chemistry between him and his parents and sisters. Almost reminds me of the Barclays.

Connie and Eugene have petty arguments again.

This episode brings back old times in a way. A kid does something wrong and Whit is there to advise.

It's interesting that Connie is hesitant to share her experience in the Inspiration Station. She's worrying me. What is going on in there? She seems different too. All her pet peeves don't bother her as much anymore. She's being considered as the "new Connie." Concerned about her addiction for it though. Also her agitation when she finds out it's fixed but isn't told is worrying.  Then  she sneaks into Whits End! Aaaaah! What will happen next? I can't wait for the next part.

Overall I think this episode is pretty good. I give it a 4/5.  

Hear are some other sites that you can check out for reviews and feedback.
The Odyssey Times
The Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Podcast
AIO Insanity
The AIO fan's Life

In other news,  Original Joe of the Odyssey Way has uncovered some interesting comments pertaining to album 52's title,  that were placed on Odyssey Scoop. He has some theories as to what the next album title could be. Check it out on his blog Odyssey Way.

I think that's all for now, this is Freddy Jay saying "What will happen next? I can't wait!"
The Odyssey Times

Yes!! Finally!

The new season finally aired today after what seems like forever since we heard a new episode. If you haven`t heard it yet you can check it out on the official website. I don't have feedback on it yet cause I haven't heard it yet. But I will shortly.

(I am experimenting and making this post from my dsi, so i can't provide a link to it now.)

Odyssey Connection: So today I competed in a bowling competition. While I was bowling I thought of the episode where Connie bowled with Mitch. She was too distracted with talking to Mitch that she bowled 3 strikes in the wrong lane. I needed Connie bowling for me today. We bowled three games. My average was 99.
I think that's all for now. This is Freddy Jay saying "Time for Adventures in Odyssey"

Scoop Contest

The scoop has revealed the contest winners, and has posted all of the entries along with commentary on each one. I can't say much more, because I'm almost leaving to go to school..... but you can check it out here.

2 Days

Only two more days till the first part of the Inspiration Station airs. I know I've mentioned this blog before, but I think I forgot to mention an awesome page that it has. He has a page that has 24 (at the moment) facts about the new album. He's been adding a new fact each day. You can check it out by clicking here.
Unfortunately I won't be here this weekend, so I  won't be able to hear it till Sunday...Which means I will be the last one to hear it, and I won't be able to post my thoughts on it until then.

Tomorrow is when they will finally reveal who won the scoop contest, and we'll be able to see everyone's entries. My entry is viewable on my "about me" page.

Odyssey connection: We watched this clip a while back in Sociology.






This clip is really powerful. It really shows how much kids see, and how they are somewhat likely to copy what they see. This made me think of how true this is. "In It Started With A Rabbit's Foot", Connie learns a similar lesson. Whit tells Lucy about  the story behind the Bible Room. Part of the story includes Connie reading horoscopes to some of the kids. (This is before Connie is a christian.) Whit explains that what we do, and say effects others more than we may realize..This connection is similar with a previous post. But I liked this clip so much that I had to share it.

That's all for now, this is Freddy Jay saying "Maybe I'll find some way to listen to The Inspiration Station before I get back....hmmm."

More New Episode Summaries

They have revealed episode summaries for the next four episodes in album 51. The first four summaries were released awhile back, if you haven't read them, you can find them in this post.

Target of the Week
Theme: The folly of revenge

Summary: Matthew is Vance King's "Target of the Week" – which means certain humiliation at the hands of the bully! Matthew decides to take matters into his own hands by getting revenge on Vance during an Odyssey Coyotes baseball game.

 

For the Birds
Theme: Responsibility
Summary: Camilla Parker desperately wants a pet, but her family seems to suffer from the "Parker Family Pet Curse." To prove her responsibility, Camilla takes care of a baby blue jay. Meanwhile, Eugene has his own run-in with some feathered foes – which leads to drastic action!

 

When You're Right, You're Right
Theme: Pride
Summary: Emily Jones is usually right about everything from solving mysteries to cooking chili. But when she decides to try her hand at matchmaking for her brother Barrett, the singing card she creates may have disastrous consequences. Will Emily have to face a situation where she could be...wrong?

 

Grandma's Visit 
Theme: The importance of family
Summary: The Parker family is in for a bumpy ride. It all starts when their grandmother (or Abuelita) comes to tell them that their Aunt Rosalita has decide to elope...next week...in Odyssey...at their house! Then relative after relative arrives to stay with the family. Where will the chaos end?

For the Birds sounds interesting to me. It sounds like Eugene is having some sort of trouble with some birds so it leads to "drastic action". Could this drastic action be the explanation for the front cover?

Summaries are good, but it pales to the real thing. I can't wait. What about you? What do you think of the upcoming episodes? You can drop a comment and let me know.

More Cover Redesign News

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple days. On CC elections have started for admin so I've been preoccupied a bit. So you can join in on the election fun if you want.

On the Scoop, it was said that there aren't very many participants in the scoop yourself contest, so join and have a  somewhat high chance of winning. Also he mentioned that the schedulle for revamped alvums has been updated.

Album 04: FUNdamentals March 2010
Album 03: Heroes January 2010
Album LE: The Lost Episodes April 2010
Album 05: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes November 2010
Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams November 2010
Album 26: Back on the Air December 2010

 Jacob Also wrote 

"Also be on the lookout this year at the Scoop for revamped cover arts to albums that haven't quite been repacked yet. According to AIO Wiki, "there's a rumor that out of the four old albums getting new artwork (23, 26, 29 and 34), three of them will be totally new and the other will feature a wedding that has just been re-stylized." I think we can all guess which album that will be! And if you're wondering about the future of Odyssey, yes, we will get to see the cover for album 52 in 2010 as well."

I can't wait to see the new designs, but more than that I can't wait to hear the new season. I just remembered I won't be here Saturday to hear it when it's broadcast.....Thank goodness for the Whits End website.

Odyssey connection: Like I said, right now on Campbell County, we're having elections  and I am also running. (CC is back running again, it was under construction.)This will be my third attempt, but if I lose I don't mind. Running is fun too. Good sportsmanship is something I try to remember. If I lose I lose and try again next time. Unlike Eugene playing Bernard at chess and continuously losing, and getting upset and losing sleep over it.

That's all for now, This is Freddy Jay saying "Secret Agent Man......Secret Agent Man..."