Since it is the Christmas season, I have decided to give a wonderful gift to the online AIO community: the blessing of my presence. All joking aside, I have returned for a Christmassy post. First off, I would like to say that on the Soda Shop Message Boards, where I am a moderator, I have achieved 1,500 posts. I consider this a big milestone, but for some of my fellow Internet acquaintances, it would be laughed to scorn.
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I haven't been as active in the online community and the forums the last few months as I normally am, but even I know that there has been a massive uproar raised against the Odyssey Adventure Club. For me personally, I am just bracing for the repercussions that the debut of this will bring. There has been so much talk about it that, instead of giving my own opinions, I will defer you to other sites.

http://www.aiowiki.com/wiki/Odyssey_Adventure_Club

http://fjayodysseyreport.blogspot.com/2013/10/odyssey-thought-odyssey-adventure-club.html


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While I was gone, without my notice (*Cough*Cough*Josh & Ally*Cough*) the last two segments of the "Yak with Zach" came out. For those that don't know, "The Yak with Zach" was the first four-part episode of "Candid KOnversations with Josh & Ally." Also, Ally posted the review of her summer, which I browsed through in about fifteen seconds. All of this stuff is on the first page of their site, so go and check it out: http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/

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This Saturday, my illustrious overlord, God's Girl, along with our eminent Soda Shop technical engineer, Limerick ran in the Twenty-sixth Town of Odyssey Election. They were the only ones that achieved the funding to sponsor their campaign, and the voting will be held on January 3rd to the 5th. And since they're the only team running, vote "Yes," in spite of their strange name.

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In my last post I believe, I talked about the Francis' podcast, or rather, "Oddcast." I watched the first five episodes and found great enjoyment out of them, but my iPod (which I download podcasts and videos on) began to act up, and thus I have not been able to watch them. But that's no reason you shouldn't watch them. I have heard their new episodes have been just as good, if not better, and they are preparing to interview Aria Curzon. So check out this link to watch all the videos, and to send in your questions for the interview. http://thetoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=264&t=33228


Several months ago, a new member joined the Soda Shop. His name is Mr. Whit's End. He has a blog he started before he came onto the board, known as the Cryin' Bryan Dern Blog. He recently stated that he won't post till after the new year, but you should get acquainted with it when I reference it in later posts. http://www.cryinbriandern.blogspot.com/
I am very sad, and I'm going to have to do more digging into this. I like to give you all an indepth look into the various fan sites, and one that has not been updated in a while, but has been around for four years, is The AIO Fan's Life. The blog had not been updated in eleven months, but roughly a month and a half ago, he wrote a farewell post to his blog. I know that this was coming for a while, but it is still sad to see another blogger move on in life. http://theaiofanslife.jigsy.com/ The AIO Fan's Life will now be moved to "Defunct Sites" in The Imagination Station. And Marvin will be placed in the Cast & Crew: Take 2 page. I will need to tell him. He knows nothing of this currently.

Well, it has been fun to get back on and talk again about Adventures in Odyssey and the people who enjoy it so much. But I have to go, so until the next time, I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!!!

                                                                                                                 ---The Old Judge

 
Yes, it's true. Me, the noble moderator of the Soda Shop Message Boards. I am now a ToOer, as well. I must admit, it has been quite fun. Leonard Meltsner and TigerintheShadows have been especially fun to debate, and I will be talking about the former somewhat on this post today. Anyway, for those of you out of the loop, the Town of Odyssey will be having its Twenty-fifth Town Election. The only team that raised enough funding was Moosewood, composed of Knight Fisher and Woody. So, now I need to know who to vote for...

Also, there is a new Courtroom out today on Odyssey Time. Ooohhhh..... Yeah, it was interesting to right down. That's probably going to cause a stir, my opinions on that. But I believe it's one of the best pieces of opinion I've ever written, and I hope you'll take the time to jump over there and read it.
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The Adventures in Odyssey Blog had their fifth anniversary back in July, and that's a wonderful milestone. Good job on staying strong Austin and Tasha, and not being like me and all the other fair-weather Odyssey bloggers. They put up some Album 57 wallpaper for all of us to enjoy, as well as a picture of the back cover of Album 57. It has Barrett on the back, and his trombone! Also, they had their Second Edition of AIO Mad Gab. I got all of the answers correct, but I lost. Of course. So, go check those things out. http://aio-blog.blogspot.com/

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Who remembers Devon and Victoria Francis? They were the people that appeared quite a few times on the BlogCast. Anyway, they started their own video podcast, as you can clearly see to the left of this, called the Adventures in Odyssey Oddcast. This is absolutely amazing. They sit on an old tacky couch in their basement and talk Odyssey for about an hour each episode. I have so much fun watching their episodes. If you haven't started watching it, make a change. They will be interviewing Austin and Tasha Peachey very soon, so send in questions to them at [email protected] For the links to all of their episodes, go to
                                                             http://thetoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=264&p=1089935#p1089935

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Alex Jefferson made a surprise return right before I did with a mega-post. Literally. It's called "The 100 Greatest AIO Episodes of All Time (In My Opinion)." Check it out: http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/


And Alex's sister, who goes by the name of Novatom on the Soda Shop, just so you know, has started her own Odyssey blog. It's called "The Blog Starts Here", named after her favorite episode. It's always a good thing to support the new bloggers that come into the fandom, so go over and give her a compliment, (or at least a page view). http://www.theblogstartshereaioblog.blogspot.com/

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The first Spanish season of Adventures in Odyssey is set to air in September. This has been a project three years in the making, and it is bound to be a wonderful outreach for the Hispanic population of the U.S. and Latin America. It will be called "Adventuras en Odisea." For more information, go to the AIO Update at http://aioupdate.weebly.com/1/post/2013/08/adventures-in-odyssey-to-air-in-spanish-in-september.html

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Allow me to put in one small advertisement before I sign out. The Brinkman Adventures, a wonderful new missions and family-oriented audio drama debuts its second season tomorrow. Hopefully. It's been a while since I've talked with the creator, and something may have come up. Anyhoo, you can learn more about the Brinkmans at http://brinkmanadventures.com/ or their Facebook page: 

        https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brinkman-Adventures/152895116079

In closing, I would like to state that the digital download is out on the Christian Book Distributors website, and The Pilot, Part 2 is out on iTunes. You'll be hearing a lot more about that in the coming days from everybody else, so I won't bother you with it. If you read this, thanks for sticking with me through four months. TNT turned one year old on June 8, and I must admit, this has been one strange year, but God's been good. Just like He always has been. So, in closing, thanks for sticking with me. Be sure to check back often, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                      ---The Old Judge
 
Whoa, I know, right? It's only been a month since I last posted! Give the man a prize, he is on fire!

No, I'm just joking. Anyway, a lot has happened since I last posted. The fandom is up and running again.
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The Official Podcast has released Episodes 170 & 171, a two-parter  in which Dave Arnold and Bob Luttrell reminisce about their many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many years on the show. (I'm just joking. Sorry guys!) This will be good.

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Austin and Tasha Peachey released their 45th and final episode of the Adventures in Odyssey BlogCast. Sad. After I cried for thirty minutes*, I came out of my bedroom and listened to the episode. It was very good. Skye Weldon seemed a bit rushed, but that was about the only negatives I could think of. The "Memory Lane" segment was very good, and man, the quality of the episodes improved 100% percent.

Also, you'll all think I'm being conceited, but this made me laugh so much. When they interviewed Dave Arnold, and asked him my question, this was his reaction: "The Old Judge wants to know? Well, I guess we better tell The Old Judge if The Old Judge wants to know." If you haven't yet, you have got to listen to it:
 http://aio-blog.blogspot.com/p/blogcast.html  

*Notice: The Old Judge does not really cry for thirty minutes when AIO fan podcasts end.

However, the Peacheys are not done. They, Devon Francis, and Audrey Kennedy have done a new 3-minute sketch called "Odyssey Date Night." And it is quite hilarious. Very funny, with a surprise twist ending. Oooohhhh. http://aio-blog.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-odyssey-date-night.html

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And, Josh and Ally have released their first Candid KOnversations episode. As it is not on iTunes, *cough cough*, you can only listen to it on the podcast page of their blog. Their next episode, "The Yak with Zach: Shepherd Ambassador", is expected to be released sometime this month. http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/p/candid-conversations-w-josh-ally.html

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And on the mainstream blog, Ally did her first solo post, I believe. It's on her favorite characters. By the way, she turned 15 not too long ago. So, if you can wish her a happy birthday. http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/

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The Adventures in Odyssey ScoopCast finally returns with an interview with Brandon Gilberstadt. Here is the summary:

After a months-long hiatus, The Odyssey
ScoopCast returns with full force and new surprises! Podcast hosts Kevin
McCreary and Garrett Vandenberg bring in one of Adventures in Odyssey’s favorite
characters of all time for a special behind-the-scenes interview. Actor Brandon
Gilberstadt, voice of Jared DeWhite, talks about how he got involved with
Adventures in Odyssey, his hiatus from the show, and other acting roles over the
years.

Check it out at http://odysseyscoop.com/podcast

Once again, the ScoopYourself contest returns! Until May 18th, you can submit your photos. The prizes are especially valuable this year. The first place winner will receive The Grand Design, Passages: Darien's Rise, the Silver Celebration, the Second Official Guide, and a $20 iTunes gift card. Second and third place winners will receive The Grand Design, Passages: Darien's Rise, and a $10 iTunes gift card. You can check out all the rules of the contest at http://www.odysseyscoop.com/contests/

One more thing. I have released Courtroom Case #12, "The Old Judge's Verdict on the New Adventures in Odyssey Fan Name." I hope you enjoy it.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy Twists and Turns!
                             
                                                                                                                    ---The Old
 
...I am going to give some news, which I should've been doing the whole time. First, some site news. The Imagination Station page will be slightly updated. Secondly, if you look to the right, you will see an "Interviews" tab. If you click on it, you will see all of my fan interviews. And while we're on the topic, a new interview with Ryan Matlock is coming out soon. One more thing before we move on, Noah and Hallie of the Boredom Buster Podcast are now on my Cast & Crew: Take 2 page.

To the fan news!
Well, several months ago, The Adventures in Odyssey Blog posted a link for a site called Adventures in Odyssey: Odds and Ends. I browsed through it, and found it quite good. As of now, she is posting very regularly, like I was when I started this site. The webmaster of the blog is Audrey or "Ceilingfanlover". (Guess how she chose that name.) Anyway, the link to the site is http://aio-oddsandends.blogspot.com/ ,
and for future reference, the link will be put up on The Imagination Station. I would like to make one more suggestion before I move on: Follow her blog. I just did, and you should to. She does a good job.
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Thanks to Audrey of Adventures in Odyssey: Odds and Ends, who happens to be a big TCF fan, we now know that the crew over there has hit the big Episode 5-0! The episode is titled "There and Back Again", but it is not released on their website yet, only on iTunes. Because of that, here is a link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ceiling-fan-adventures-in/id287154011?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 
Though I don't listen to the Ceiling Fan, I know many of you do, so enjoy. And, hey, fifty is a big milestone for a fan podcast.

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So, all you fans that drooled and raved over Get in the Show, prepare to go crazy once again. Apparently their slogan is "You thoght Get in the Show was big last year? This summer is going to be even BIGGER! MORE WINNERS, MORE PRIZES!"

Apparently we'll be hearing a lot more about it in the summer, but it's called "A.C.T.S.", or "A Call to Serve." First of all, this sounds like somewhat of a parody with its counterpart album release "A Call to Something More." But yes, the above statement is true. The grand prize winner will be featured on Album 58, but along with that they will also become an AIO Ambassador, a "Good-Goers Mission Adventure Trip", and more. For more details, though, go to http://whitsendblog.org/acts/

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In celebration of Easter, The Official Adventures in Odyssey Blog has released a special online Easter devotional. So, partake. Bask in its glory. http://media.focusonthefamily.com/aio/pdfs/aio-easter.pdf

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Let me tell you a story. The folks at Focus decide to expand their line of Odyssey merchandise by releasing a devotional book in Fall of 2000. Time goes by, and nothing happens with that idea. Then of course, the staff decides to try it again. They released two books in five months succession of each other, those being 90 Devotions for Kids and Mealtime Moments. The reaction from them went so well that the series is being continued! And that's the whole point of this paragraph.

The "90 Devotions" series is being continued by "90 Devotions in Matthew", scheduled to be released in October 2013, and the "Mealtime Moments" saga's next of kin is what you see to your left: "The Second Helping", to be released in November 2013.

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Finally, they released the cover and summary for Album 57: A Call to Something More, as well as nine of the episode titles. If you've been living under a rock and somehow haven't heard about this I'll enlighten you.

The episode titles:
Life Expectancies, Parts 1-3
Your Servant Is Listening, Parts 1-2
No Chemistry Whatsoever
More Than A Feeling
Repent After Me
The Friend Formula

And, the summary: There comes a time when everyone must look at their life and see
where God  is leading them. The folks in Odyssey must ponder that question after
a series  of surprises. Connie goes through a difficult experience and has to
figure out  how to turn tragedy into triumph. Meanwhile, three generations of
the Parker  family journey in the Imagination Station to witness the story of
the last judge  of Israel, leading Camilla to consider what God might be saying
to her. It’s a  life-changing time in Odyssey as our friends at Whit’s End learn
lessons in the  midst of excitement and fun.


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Wow, Just Another AIO Blog has reestablished its Weekly Feature. This time, Alex covers "The Top 5 Worst AIO Characters Of All Time." Oooooohhhhh... So go check it out. http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/  

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And to your left is the promotional poster for Candid KOnversations with Josh and Ally. Now there is a very important lesson here, guys. To make a good poster, you need three steps.

1). Get some hip clothes and sunglasses.
2). Sit in your driveway.
3). Do some photoshopping in the background.

And VIOLA!, you have a good advertisement.

But anyway, their pilot episode is done, but they're having trouble putting it up on iTunes, but they've given us a preview on their website: http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/2013/03/candid-konversations-pilot-preview.html

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Abby and Mandie finally released Episode 13, titled "California Vlog, Part 1." For a while I was confused, but apparently "vlog" is a combination of the words "video" and "blog." This is only the first part, though, so it shows mostly non-Odyssey stuff. However, it shows a clip of the two going to the Salami Studio, and of Will Ryan playing the ukelele, so it's totally worth it. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SozP5Xisic0 .

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In the meantime, Victoria Donahue of Adventures in Odyssey Thoughts has made two posts so far this year, but the lack of quantity is made up for by the quality of them. They are "AIO Characters on Facebook" and "The Best Era? There Is No Right Answer." I love this blog, and its posts. http://aiothoughts.blogspot.com

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This awesome Odyssey globe logo to your left is the logo for the World of AIO Quotes by AIOQuoteGuy. He posts two quotes a day, and he actually sticks to it. This site will be on the Imagination Station, as well. Here is the link: http://worldofaioquotes.weebly.com/index.html

So, that's all for now. Sorry I waited so long to post, but I hope it was worth it. Once again, thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turn

 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
Happy new year, everybody! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last did a post, but I'm going to try to make up for it. I have a new Courtroom out, "The Old Judge's Verdict on the Meltsner's Child-Bearing Condition."
Hopefully, Trivia 101! and Cast & Crew: Take 2 will be updated soon, as well. Anyway, here is the news, but first, I want to show you what I got for Christmas.
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My copy of The Deep End
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My copy of The Grand Design
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My copy of 90 Devotions for Kids
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My copy of Imagination Station Books #8 & #9
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My copy of the Second Official Guide.
And now, time for the news!
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The Adventures in Odyssey BlogCast has been on the ball releasing their last couple of episodes. They have released Episodes #40-#43, with plenty of surprises in each episode. Here are the basic descriptions of each episode.

---In Episode 40, Austin and Tasha review "The Perfect Church, Parts 1 & 2", as well as a special musical finale from Brian Free & Assurance. (Southern Gospel!)

---In Episode 41, Austin and Tasha team up with Josh and Ally Ko from Out of Control in Odyssey! After the Peacheys interview the Kos, they team up to review "Great Expectations" and "For Three Dollars More", and they reveal a special announcement about the Ko's upcoming project.

---In Episode 42, a British computer virus infects Austin's computer and causes havoc. They review "The Holy Hoopster", "The Bible Network", and "Happy Hunting". Also, there is a special cameo appearance by fellow Odyssey podcaster Ryan Matlock.

---In Episode 43, the crew of the BlogCast gives the Odyssey fandom a Christmas present. They cohost the episode with Devon and Victoria Francis. They review "The Lost Riddle" and "Groundhog Jay", as well as bring us a special presentation of them singing "The 12 Days of A Christmas Odyssey".

A special opportunity has been brought to us. Everybody that wants to can be a part of the Final BlogCast! But since this is so special, I will quote this in their words.

Be a Part of the Last Blogcast
 

As we said in episode  42 of the Blogcast, we want you to be a part
of our series finale. We want  you, our listeners, to tell us what episode of
the Blogcast is your favorite,  favorite interview, favorite moment, least
favorite epiosde, or anything else  you want to tell us!

We would love it
if you recorded your thoughts and  sent them to us. If you do, we'll play it on
the last podcast! If you don't feel  comfortable or don't have the ability to do
that, we'll take it in written form  as well.

To send us an MP3, just
shoot us an
email
with a link to  the file or attach the file to a PM on the Town of  Odyssey or Soda  Shop message boards, or send a message to us on
Facebook. Make sure to get it in to  us before
January 16th! We can't wait to hear from you!
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And that special announcement  about the Kos? Follow this link: http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/p/candid-conversations-w-josh-ally.html .

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Over the several months I've been gone, Christian A. from the Voice of Odyssey has released several of his reviews, titled in true opposite style, are called "Low Anticipations", "With Six Cents Less", and "A Qur'an Connection". You can check those reviews out at http://thevoiceofodyssey.blogspot.com/ .

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Marvin D. has also released two other posts, titled, "Of Episodes, Blogs, and the Like", and "Groundhog Jay", his review of selfsame episode. And I felt like I scored with the former post, because Marvin says he actually visits my site on occasion. You can check this out at http://theaiofanslife.jigsy.com/

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And, of course, there is a new question and answer podcast with the producers coming out, so if you go to the Official Blog, you can leave any questions you have in the comments form. 











So, that's all for now. (Though you deserve a lot more for how long I've been gone.) See you later, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns! 
                                                                                                                             ---The Old Judge

 
Okay, well, I'm back, but I think you all have left. Let's see if we can get this going again.

Hello, folks! Quite a bit has been going on in the Odyssey fan community, but considering it's been two weeks, it's not the busiest it's ever been. Let's start with.....
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The Boredom Buster Podcast's Episode 9 is out! Oh, hallelujah! Of all amazing phenomena! It came out! It really did! Just a little bit of information, the BBP has been on an EXTREMELY extended hiatus since June 23, but it's back! The summary for this episode is, "Finally! Season 2 is out, and we review Family Vacation, The Day Independence Came, and Stormy Weather."

This episode also features, a guest star!!! In the words of Irwin Springer, (Once you hear the episode you'll get it.) "OH, WOW!!! OH, WOW!!!" Also, if you listen closely, Hallie says things that are quite hilarious that only Hallie would say. Here are my two favorites from today's episode:

Hallie: ...And she was over here, and Noah was like, 'Oh, I gotta do a podcast today. They're gonna roast my heart on a spit.'....

Hallie: ...Listen to us online at PBS Kids.org!...

So, this is an amazing episode. However, I've talked to Noah and it will be quite a while before BBP 10 comes out. So, we'll just have to stay on his back about it. You can listen to the episode at http://boredombusterpodcast.weebly.com/podcast.html .

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Austin and Tasha Peachey have been quite busy lately with the Adventures in Odyssey BlogCast. They have released two new episodes: #38 and #39. In #38, the season premiere, they give their predictions for Album 56. I have already listened to this one, so I will say, they have a very sad announcement. They will no longer continue the BlogCast. This is its last season. BUT, they plan to make it the best season ever, so that is good. Also, in #39, they interview Blimey Cow, which according to what I have heard, is a YouTube channel which makes a comedy series known as "Messy Mondays", and are also Adventures in Odyssey fans. Here are the summaries for the two episodes:

"We're back with Season 6 of the Adventures in Odyssey Blogcast! And with a brand new Odyssey season coming up, it's time for our pre-season podcast!"

"We've got a really fun interview for you guys! We interviewed Jordan, Josh, and Kelli Taylor, the people behind the Blimey Cow YouTube channel! During our conversation, we ask them about their Odyssey fandom, including their favorite episodes and characters. Also, they tell us about the origin, and the making of their Christian comedy videos, Messy Mondays. Big Head Kid even pops in to say hello!"

So, you can check that out at http://aio-blog.blogspot.com/ .

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In other news, Official Podcast 156 is out, with no Get in the Show news! *Crowd Gasps In Shock* This time Bob and Jesse chat with Christopher Maselli (the author) and Dennis Edwards (the illustrator), the creators of the new Captain Absolutely comics in Clubhouse magazine!

This is amazing. I have always loved Captain Absolutely, and I really wished they could have used him more in the Odyssey audio dramas. Hopefully he will continue to make cameo appearances in the show, but until then, we have his whole line of comics to chronicle his adventures! I am a massive comics fan, so this combines to of my favorite mediums, cartoons and Odyssey. You can listen to the podcast at their website, or read the first comic, which you can find at this link: http://media.focusonthefamily.com/aio/pdfs/Captain-Absolutely-Episode-1.pdf .

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I know this is older news, but the summary of Whit's End Mealtime Moments devotional book has been released. Here it is:

"Your family's gathered around the table. What's on the menu? Cold stares? Stale prayers? The same old leftover questions about "what happened at school today?" Next time you sit down to eat, enjoy some spiritual food, too! Get everyone talking-and learning-with the nourishment of Whit's End Mealtime Moments! Encourage quality family time and pass on a strong spiritual heritage with these 164 devotions created to engage children in fun, lively, productive dialogue."

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Episode 47 of the Ceiling Fan Podcast, titled "Permission: Impossible",  has been released. Josh Taylor of Blimey Cow guest stars in this episode, as well. No summary has been released, except for "Go on a mission with Phil and Bernie." You can check that out at http://www.ceilingfanpodcast.com/ .

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Alex Jefferson of Just Another AIO Blog has released a "Top 5 Best Saga Episodes" list, as well as a Pound Foolish Wisdom on Liz, and an article on Joanne. You can check out all these things, and more at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/ .

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A new site, The Odyssey Gallery, has sprung up. (I absolutely love the logo, by the way.) This focuses on Adventures in Odyssey and art. Just when I thought all of the original ideas were used up, someone comes out with an even more original. Currently, it is off to a really great start, so hopefully he can keep it up. The link is http://odysseyfanartgallery.blogspot.com/ .

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Josh and Ally have released two news posts on Out of Control in Odyssey. One is a Sunday Morning Scramble School, and another is on the Golden Age of Odyssey. You can check both of those out at http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/ .


One more thing before I go. Though I am not a crafty person, I found a site by a really crafty person that some fo you might like. Here is the link: http://lynnisebowman.blogspot.com/ . Tell me what you think of this site in the comments below.

Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                                    ---The Old Judge

 
Hello, everybody. I thought I should do something special, since we're inching up on Twists and Turns' 3 month anniversary. So, here is the Battle of the Message Boards! And afterwards there will be some miscellaneous news.
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First, of course, must come the Town of Odyssey, also known as the ToO. Probably my most favorite thing about this message board is their cool acronym. Now, I am not a member. I will be saying flaws in all of the message boards, as well as the good things, so don't get mad if your a ToOite, or whatever.

The Town of Odyssey started on April 1, 2005, when the first Adventures in Odyssey forum, The Town Hall, began to get "a little heated", as the AIOWiki describes the situation. People went hog wild for this new board, with approximately 1,500 posts made in just that first day. Currently, there are 945,939 posts on the Town of Odyssey, with 1,172 members. The statistics are just mind-boggling, honestly, that a message boards for a radio drama could even exist in this day and age, much less have almost one million posts.

Now, time to give you my opinions on the ToO. You would think since I am not a member I have no idea what I am talking about. Though I am not proficient in this message board, I still check it quite frequently, and know a good deal about it. I have talked with CreativeThinker101 quite a bit on this topic, as well as a little with whittaker96, both ToO members. They both have under one-hundred posts on there. CreativeThinker stated in a post on Campbell County:

"...I would say the ToO is a very big, very confusing board that gets off-topic. I don't like it all that much,since half the time you don't know what anyone's talking about. And it's becoming a little old-fashioned in the age of web design, to be honest...."

And that's from a ToO member. Now, here's what I think. Like I said, I check the ToO for Odyssey discussion mainly. Trouble is, the Odyssey subforum, "Whit's End", is one of the least popular places on the board. In the last week, only five topics have been commented on. Maybe I am being too judgmental, without being on the board and all, but this is an Odyssey forum, so let's at least include Odyssey in there somewhere, folks!

Also, I've noticed on several Odyssey topics that they turn it into an Odyssey/Doctor Who mashup. I don't watch the show, I've only heard of it, and a good portion of what I know of it comes from rading the AIO-related topics on the ToO. If you don't believe me, follow this link: http://thetoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=32063 . Though it starts out like a normal topic, it quickly turns into the Twenty-Seventh Annual Doctor Who Convention.

But, let me give a tip of the hat to the notable members on the ToO. Notable members include Peachey Keen, Marvin DeSanchez, Christian A., Bren, Vic (aka Victoria Donahue), and fodo14.

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 After several years, another message board appeared. Previously, the ToO had some competition from a smaller message board called the Electric Palace, run by Brendon McFarland of the Whit's End Podcast. After that died, Brendon took another whack at the message board scenario, in which he produced The Campbell County Message Boards. This board was launched in October 6, 2009, and became an immediate success, though not such as the ToO.

Campbell County, no matter whether you like it or not, has to be given credit. It's been shut down, at least one time to my knowledge, and I believe there were several other times, as well. The County currently has a total of 30,377 posts, and 128 users. A far cry from the mighty ToO. However, this place has some of themost unique features. Examples include:

1).Usergroups for people of different interests. Includes Debate Team, The Artistes, Girl's Group, Guy's Group, and more!
2).Blogs. Ever wanted to start a blog? You can do it on CC!
3).The Bookshelves. A place where the users can put their own pieces of literature.

This is just an amazing board that everybody should be a part of. If you're not posting on it much, you should post more. Bren did an amazing job getting this together and restarting it. One look at the board tells you how amazingly creative a person he and the members are.

Notable members for this board include: CreativeThinker101, Pound Foolish, Marvin DeSanchez (former), Peachey Keen (former), HannahJ, and T.S. (myself).

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In May 9, 2012, (Before Campbell County was relaunched, mind you.), Jacob Isom opened a whole new avenue in the form of an Adventures in Odyssey message board. Not just any message board, though. Not like the ToO or Campbell County. This was a whole new setup, designed to talk specifically about Adventures in Odyssey. In the words of Jacob Isom himself:

"...We understand that there are larger scale message boards in the AIO online community to allow for fans to discuss anything and everything from Adventures in Odyssey to prunes (and we recommend them!). The Soda Shop Message Boards have been provided mainly to discuss Adventures in Odyssey- a more narrowed-down message board pertaining to Focus on the Family's popular audio drama for "tweens". Age doesn't matter at the Soda Shop. Feel free to step up to the counter and join the conversation....."

Currently there are 21,147 posts on the Soda Shop, as well as 137 users. Basically the board is about Odyssey, though recently there has been more of a downturn to Odyssey-related topics and an uswing in games. However, considering this message board is newer, things can turn around. Not that that's a bad thing, though.

Notable members include: T.S. (myself), Christian A., The Old Judge (Please don't think I'm conceited.), Wooton Bassett, CreativeThinker101, Aaron Wiley, Bren, and Jacob Isom.

Overall, I would say Campbell County wins, in my opinion. However, that may not be yours. Please tell me your favorites in the comments below. And now, for the news.

Social Shoutout 7 is now released, and in it Brock and Evan discuss the Get in the Show auditions, the Get in the Show Music Video contest, Clubhouse magazine, and more!
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Thre Imagination Station Books #1-#3 are now in a collector's pack, and only for $11.99, wheras, acoording to the AIO Update, buying them seperately would cost $13.47. Personally, I enjoy the books seperately, because they each have their book number, more cover art, etc. Here is the summary of this book: "Climb aboard, kids! Travel back in time and sail with the Vikings, meet a Roman emperor, come face to face with China's Kublai Khan, and experience a host of other historical adventures in the Imagination Station series for young readers. This set includes the first three books in the series: Voyage with the Vikings, Attack at the Arena, and Peril in the Palace."

Agent 3XQ has finally got to his twentieth post, roughly two years after his first one. This "Agent's Log" is titled, "Mysterious Notes", and is actually quite nice. You can check that out at
http://agent-3xq.blogspot.com/ .
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Out of Control in Odyssey has released their first feature, entitled, "The Odyssey Phone Book". It is a collection of all the people in Odyssey, where they live, and all that information. You can check that out at http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/p/the-odyssey-phone-book.html .

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I know, I haven't used this logo in forever. Do you know how you see a teeny-tiny detail in something, and are utterly shocked when it finally hits you what that detail meant? Well, I saw something on Google that the Boredom Buster Podcast's website had been updated twenty-one hours ago! So, I looked on it, and here's what I found: http://boredombusterpodcast.weebly.com/blog.html .

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Just Another AIO Blog released their AIO Websters ceremony yesterday, as well as a review of "Wooton Knows Best". Here's the link to the ceremony: http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/ , and here is how Twists and Turns did in its respective categories. 

*Warning: The results of the AIO Websters will make you hoot and holler like a maniac at how Twists and Turns came up in the standings so loud and uncontrollably that there is a 99.999999% chance you will get shipped off to an insane asylum in the Aleutians. Thank you.*

In the category of Favorite New AIO Site/Blog/Podcast, Twists and Turns came in fourth with 13% percent of the vote.
In the category of Favorite AIO Blog/Site Post, "One Month Anniversary....And I'm Celebrating with Orbs", Twists and Turns' representative, tied for third place with 0% of the vote.
In the category of Best AIO Blog/Site Feature, The Courtroom came in fourth with 12% of the vote, and The Imagination Station came in fifth with 6% of the vote.
In the category of Favorite AIO Website, Twists and Turns ranked second with 21% of the vote, losing to The Odyssey Scoop, (That's a given.), which had 51% of the vote.

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Installment 8 of Adventures in Connellsville is out, and boy is it exciting! There's an alley! There's people tied up! There's a kidnapped little boy! There's....Well, you'll just have to figure the rest out. You can check that out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/p/adventures-in-connellsville.html .

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Abby and Mandie's Adventures in Odyssey Podcast has hit its tenth episode! In this edition, they interview Ashley, a fan who made a video edition of The Labyrinth, Part 1. Now, ten is a big milestone, because all of the fan podcasts that didn't make it, to my knowledge, never broke the "ten" barrier. So, good job, girls. Keep up the great work! And, you can check that podcast out at their new website! That's right! Abby and Mandie got a new website yesterday! It's http://abbyandmandieshow.cluhost.info/ . ANd just so you know where to find the podcasts, go to "Blog". They're all listed chronologically, so Episode 1 comes first, and so on and so forth. The newest podcast will be at the bottom.

So, everybody, I hope you have a great Labor Day. I'm sorry if my last post wasn't good, considering I only garnered two comments from it. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                                      ---The Old Judge

(Oh, and just so everybody knows, I counted my posts a couple of days ago. This is Number 44!)
 
Hello again to all of my three readers out there. I know it's a day late, but at least I'm posting. And I'm sure you won't be too angry when you find out a new Courtroom is out. Thanks to Josh from Out of COntrol in Odyssey for suggesting this topic to me. It is "The Old Judge's Verdict on Mister Jason Whittaker from the Time of His Death to His Becoming the Stiletto". Hopefully I did good on it, but whether I did or not, you can tell me by commenting.

Let's start off with what is quickly becoming one of my favorite Adventures in Odyssey blogs, Adventures in Odyssey Thoughts, run by Victoria Donahue. She has released two new posts this week, one humorous and one a deep, thought-provoking one. You can check those out at http://aiothoughts.blogspot.com/ .
I have know idea how old this is, but Album 56: The Grand Design is hitting Christian bookstores across the country in hard copy format. Also, the back cover has been released, thanks to FreddyJay of the Campbell County Connection for showing this to me.
I know, it's a tiny image, but blowing it up would have made it blurry. I tried. Well, we're having some variety in the character on the back. After having Whit, Connie, Eugene, Wooton, (The Odyssey Big Four), and one cameo appearance by Jason, we now have Miss Penny Wise take center stage for the spotlight she deserves.
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Audio Theatre Central has released a new podcast in which they interview Dave Griffin and Paul McCusker, with Dave giving us some inside tips on his upcoming audio drama: Edwin & the Orbs! And apparently Paul talks about the upcoming production of Oliver Twist in Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre. You guys can check that out at this link: http://www.audiotheatrecentral.com/2012/08/jave-griffin-interview-paul-mccusker-interview.html .

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Josh and Ally have released several new posts, including an hilarious new video about the Get in the Show contest, and a review of Taken by Brock Eastman. Also, according to them, a new feature will be relased on their blog later this week. You can check those out at http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/ .

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Wooton Bassett of the Unofficial AIO Blog has released an interview with Garrett Vandenburg, voice of Aaron Wiley on The Ceiling Fan and cohost of The Odyssey ScoopCast. 'Twas a very good interview. Speaking of which, hopefully I should have an interview up soon. You can check that one out at http://unofficialaioblog.blogspot.com/ .

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Do you now how you're talking about something, and then somebody takes the ending of a sentence and uses it as a sentence starter for a whole new topic? You know how amazing that sounds if it's done just right? Well, you're about to hear one.

Installment 5 of Jason & Mitch: Secret Agents is out. It involves a diner scene, a mysterious letter, and the return of another character. Do you want to know who it is? It's Jared, otherwise known as Agent 3XQ. You can read this latest installment here: http://unofficialaioblog.blogspot.com/p/jason-and-mitch-secret-agents.html .

And speaking of Agent 3XQ, he had a blog a while back called "The Agent's Blog". His last post was in November, when he gave a coded message that said, "Not gone forever." Well, he's bad, and he's just as zany as ever. You can check his blog out at http://agent-3xq.blogspot.com/ .


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Episode 154 of the Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast was relased, as well, and we hear about ANOTHER Get in the Show contest, as well as the contest's theme song. I really like Doctor Brock Lee (Ha, Ha, Broccoli!) in this episode. Aparently churches can come together to make a team video, and it's a musical one. It also states that the contest had over 3,000 entries! Wow! Personally, I can't wait to see who will win.

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Ben Warren of the Changing Times has released HIS review of "Taken" by Brock Eastman. Two reviews of the same book in one week by two different sites. Oh, well. You can check that out at http://aio-thechangingtimes.blogspot.com/ .

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Several days ago Austin released his wallpaper for Album 56, which you can see below. Though this is just a short little tidbit, I thought this should be shown.

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Album 56 Wallpaper, Courtesy of The Adventures in Odyssey Blog.
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Pound Foolish has released the first of a series of articles that he will be doing for Just Another AIO Blog, called "Pound Foolish Wisdom". Now, it's time for a trivia question: If Pound Foolish does reviews on Odyssey characters, who will be his first pick? *Anybody reading this instantly thinks, "Emily....." all at the same time* That's correct, folks! You can check this VERY lengthy article out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/aio-article-pound-foolish-wisdom-1-82112.html .

And speaking of Pound Foolish, he has started a blog! Trivia Question #2: What is his first post about? *All of you instantly think, "Emily............again".* That's correct! We all must be getting psychic. You can check that out at http://www.campbellcountymb.com/f86-pound-foolish-s-blog .

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Wow! What is this? Episode 3 of the WOD-FAM-OD-POD?!?!  Yes, everybody, it is true, Ryan released his third episode yesterday, and things are becoming more of a show format than the first two episodes, which were more of acquainting us with the characters than having a podcast, per say. Here's the summary: "We take a sneak peek at KYDS Radio at Whit's End; Ryan is leaving on a road trip, and Josh is in charge. How will Josh do managing the podcast while Ryan is gone?; New music for the AIO news and Chris' review segment." So, this sounds very interesting. I can't wait to listen to it. You can check that out at http://wodfamodpod.posterous.com/ .

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Now, I don't know if this is a glitch, but I went on iTunes today on the Ceiling Fan's list of episodes, and at the top it said, "Episode 46: Nabbed". However, this is not even on their website yet, and considering I currently do not listen to the Ceiling Fan, I don't know if that is official or not. I just thought you guys would like to know. So, the saga continues! 

Well, in Twists and Turns news, I added Josh and Ally to Cast & Crew: Take 2, and I've updated my Trivia feature somewhat. Yes, it still lives. It will eventually be a nice collection of trivia, but it grows very slowly. Well, I'm sorry this post is late, but I hope it was worth the wait. Please tell me what you think of this post and the new additions in the comments. That's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                               ---The Old Judge

 
I know, it is an exceptionally long title, but you will find out about that later. First, some Twists and Turns news. I have now updated my Imagination Station page quite extensively, adding such sites as The Agent's Blog or Mandy Straussberg's Life.
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Out of Control in Odyssey has released their new Sunday Morning Scramble School, on "Christianity: Fact or Fiction". It is one of their best posts yet, as their posts continue to get better and better. You can check that out at http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/ .

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Alex Jefferson of Just Another AIO Blog has released a review of "Wooton Knows Best", and his interview with Nathan Hoobler! You can check that out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/ .

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Also, Alex has released his latest installment of Adventures in Connellsville. This is the best installment by far, and the longest. This installment covers a band, Ed Washington's brothers, and snow cones in an alley. You can check that out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/p/adventures-in-connellsville.html .

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Okay, here's some interesting news. I have some information from a "very reliable source" (aka Bren, thepodcast's founder) that some BIG changes are in store for The Whit's End Podcast. I hardly know anything about it, but if I Bren will let me I will divulge what little information about this next phase of TWEP that I have. Until then, you can check out previous podcasts at this link. http://thewepodcast.com/podcasts.html .

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Anyway, The Ceiling Fan Podcast has released their live show as you can tell by the logo on the left. If I can say something, that is an awesome logo. "It's epic like nobody's business." That's hilarious. But, anyway, here's the summary for the episode: "The Ceiling Fan team meets up for the first time ever to record the show's first-ever live edition of the show, featuring the characters that make The Ceiling Fan great! You can watch that episode at http://www.ceilingfanpodcast.com/ .

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And the Adventures in Odyssey line of products continues to expand with these Adventures in Odyssey flash drives. You can get them in three different formats:

1).Albums 1-56 (The Whole Collection!) for $999.99
2).Albums 51-56 for $99.99
3).Album 56 for $40.99

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A new Editorial on the Adventures in Odyssey Update was released yesterday, entitled, "A Victim of Romance", which chronicles the pros and cons of Odysseyian relationships. You can check that out at
 http://aioupdate.weebly.com/editorial-7.html .

Finally, there were two new sites discovered by FreddyJay of the Campbell County Connection last week. I decided to check them out yesterday, and they were very well done. One was titled The Adventures in Odyssey Daily News, and was run by someone named "Skylerfan", and the other was titled, "Adventures in Odyssey Thoughts", and was run by someone named Victoria Donahue. The latter was definitely my favorite, and I will be checking that quite often. I would say check it out, but both of these sites have spoilers from Album 56. Here are the links to both of the sites:

Adventures in Odyssey Daily News: http://taiodn.blogspot.ca/
Adventures in Odyssey Thoughts: http://aiothoughts.blogspot.com/ 

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check out my updated Imagination Station, and check out The Logo Gal Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                        ---The Old Judge
 
Yes, sadly, I will admit, Twists and Turns will become more of a slower blog due to things picking up again, as they always do. However, I will still give you all the news, just in longer posts and bigger increments of time between them. So, here is the last news before 'The Machine Begins to Slow'. That could be a movie title. 

Out of Control in Odyssey has released their review of Family Portraits #3: A New Kid in Town. It is a very good review, as always, and no other fan blog that I know of reviews their sites that way. Anyway, it's good to have another Out of Control post to read, and I'm sure Pound Foolish will agree with me. So, you can check that out here. http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/ . Speaking of new posts, there is supposed to be another Sunday Morning Scramble School post out soon, and those are probably my favorite posts. I've been waiting for a second one ever since the first one!
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And today, Wooton Bassett from the Unofficial AIO Blog released Out of Control's new logo. It's awesome, isn't it? Wooton always does such a good job. The picture to the right is Josh and Ally, the two writers, I believe. 

One more piece of Out of Control news. (Holy cow, there's been a lot. And no, I am not Hindu.) You can now become a follower of their blog, that being a new feature they have just added. I have already joined, and I would advise you to do the same.


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FreddyJay of the Campbell County Connection has released several new posts, one of which gives more Odyssey blogs, two of which I've never heard of before! He has also released his review of Sergeant York, Child's Play, and Something Old, Something New, Parts 1 & 2. He also has a special post called "Head to Head: Bernard Walton vs. Red Hollard & Mrs. Kramer", where he gives the good and bad aspects of all the characters, and sees which character is the better through several stages of reviews. As always, I say to go check it out and comment on his posts. He has also updated his links page for the first time in years. You can check all that out at http://fjayodysseyreport.blogspot.com/ .

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And things continue to happen at the Campbell County! They have now brought back Blogs. Basically, if you're a registered member, and you've always wanted an Odyssey blog, (or any blog, as long as it follows County regulations,) you can make oneon the County! It is 50 Seashells (CC Currency) a month. If you want to have this amazing opportunity, join the County. Even if you don't want to start a blog, I encourage you to join. Campbell County is a really amazing place, and we have lots of amazingly unique features. If you would like to check it out, you can check it out at http://ccmb.fourm-motion.com/ .

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Today, Alex Jefferson of Just Another AIO Blog has released his article, "Why AIO Has Remianed Popular". It is a very good article showcasing the reasons why Adventures in Odyssey episodes are timeless. You can check that article out at http://justanotheraioblog.blogspot.com/ .

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Wooton Bassett of the Unofficial AIO Blog has released a sneak preview of Adventures in Connellsville Installment 7. According to Alex Jefferson, who is the author of AIC, this is probably the best installment of the story yet. You can check that out at http://unofficialaioblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/adventures-in-connelsville-instalment-7.html .

And while speaking of the Unofficial AIO Blog, I was browsing through it the other day, to find out that the back cover for 90 Day Devotions for Kids, being released this fall. I know it is a couple of days late, and most of you haveprobably already seen it, but here it is. 

Now, I love how they're giving each Odyssey character a chance to shine with their own section in each devotion. I am definitely getting this book. There is no doubt about it. 
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Well, the Christian A. from the Voice of Odyssey has posted our interview on his blog. He references my site on there, and gave a link to my site on it. You can check that out at http://thevoiceofodyssey.blogspot.com/ .

A while back, as most of you know, in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Jeff MacPherson competed in a car decked out in an Adventures in Odyssey logo. Though that is incredibly amazing, what really struck me was this adaptation of the race that Gary Locke drew.
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Whit in a race car....What else?
This is a really amazing drawing. Though album art is cool, it's extra pictures like this or the Best Small Town party with astronaut Terry Virts that will always be remembered.

Well, that's all the news I have for now. So stick around, stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                            ---The Old Judge