Okay, I'm back. This is going to be a very long post, so sit down and get comfortable, and start reading. Anyway, I'm terribly sorry about my last post. I forgot to put in the details about The Official Guide: Second Edition. So, the first part of this post is dedicated to what my opinions are of the upcoming Adventures in Odyssey releases.

First off, in this abnormally large fall lineup is "Adventures in Odyssey: 90 Devotions For Kids". This book contains thirteen weeks of devotions, with sidebars from Whit, Connie, Eugene, and Wooton enforcing life applications. Each week has an individual theme, seven devotions that reference Odyssey episodes, and an activity, puzzle, or game to reinforce the core biblical truths taught during the week. I am very excited about this release, and personally am expecting it to be a good seller. This is only the second Adventures in Odyssey devotional book, the first being "Adventures in Odyssey Devotions". I couldn't find the year it was released, but considering the cover has Dylan Taylor, I'm estimating it was released in the late 1990's. (See below.)

Next comes "The Official Guide: Second Edition". When news of this book was first released, people thought it would be practically worthless. They said it would be the old guide with six albums tacked on the end. I've heard differently, however. Apparently, there will be new trivia for the old fifty albums, along with new photos. This is definitely going on the top of my wish list, and I can't wait for it to come out.

Next up is what us Odyssey fans have been waiting for the most: "Album 56: The Grand Design". We have excuse to be fanatically excited, though. I'll only put the highlights of this album in abbreviated form, because if you'll read one of my older posts, "A Promising Album, Indeed", I got carried away about this album. Here are the highlights: Jason returns to Odyssey, and Joanne comes back on the air, the Room of Consequence, the Imagination Station, and the Inspiration Station come back, the Odyssey Owls will be featured, an episode with Penny, Connie, and Wooton, a highlight for fans in recent seasons, a Kid's Radio episode, and an episode on tithing. And the cover is just amazing. All the inventions. Also, on the Soda Shop Message Boards someone said there would be an episode that was a tribute to ALL of Whit's inventions.

The Silver Celebration, Adventures in Odyssey's 25th anniversary album, is a collection of Odyssey's best episodes ever, and the sequel to Odyssey's 20th anniversary Platinum Collection. Currently none of the episodes are known, but these are the producer's picks, and with over 13 hours of audio entertainment, if the cover is correct, whoever owns this will have hours of Odyssey's best in one little package.

Finally, the Imagination Station Volumes 8 and 9 will release this fall as well, and you can read my opinions for them in "Push the Red Button!"

Now it's time. I know people on the Soda Shop are waiting expectantly for this, my opinions on Abby and Mandie's Adventures in Odyssey Podcast. First of all, Wooton Bassett does an amazing job designing logos. He did this one, and he did mine, too. He's done some non-Odyssey website logos as well, and those are good, too.



Okay, to my review. When I first heard about this, it was because of the Soda Shop. Abby and Mandie are both Soda Shop members, so they were talking about it. Then they only had one episode, and I thought it was neat, but I didn't get around to checking it out until Episode #2 came out. When I listened to it, I liked it, but I would have given it about three and one half stars. See, in the first one, they had an interview with Katie Leigh, and although it was good, it seemed a little rushed. Mandie was very hard to hear in the first two episodes. Episode 2 was good, but Mandie knew what she was talking about, (Good for you!), but because she was over the phone I got about half of it. If any of you listened to it, Mandie did a good portion of the talking that episode, so you got about half of the podcast. It was still good, though. Please don't think I hate this. Wait until the end of the review. I love it when fans do things like this, and doing a podcast with someone who lives in a different state, and trying to plan it and record it all over the phone, that's what is remarkable. These girls have an amazing love for the show. I would have kept supporting them, because they were doing good. Well, tonight I finally got around to listening to Episode 3. My reaction: "This is SO much better quality." Now, don't get me wrong, the other two were good, but this one blew me away. When Mandie talked, what I could hear of her went from 55% in the first two to 95% in this one. And then they interviewed Paul McCusker, longtime Odyssey writer and writer of the Green Ring Conspiracy. It was absolutely amazing. I they keep up that sound quality, they'll be amazing. Now, their podcasts are on YouTube, and I can't give you the links so here's what to look for.

Episode 1 is titled "Abby and Mandie's Adventures in Odyssey Podcast".
Episode 2 is titled "AIO episode review "The Labyrinth".
Episode 3 is titled "Abby and Mandie's Adventures in Odyssey Podcast #3".

The YouTube channel they're on is called "theabbyandmandieshow".

Anyway, they now have a logo, which is good. People can now identify you with something whereas previously they couldn't. In your next episodes keep titling them "Abby and Mandie's Adventures in Odyssey Podcast #" whatever the number is.

All in all, this was a good podcast that got into a groove and became so much better. My current rating for this is 4 and 3/4 stars. Keep up the good work. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                                       ---The Old Judge

Did any of you besides me ever wonder what Whit was revealing in this picture?

Well, it could be anything. Nobody knows. Seriously, nobody knows at all. I don't even think the artist did when he drew it. BUT, it could be this. The new cover for The Official Guide: Second Edition!

This cover looks REALLY amazing, especially if that 25th anniversary seal is in the front page. Well, I haven't heard how the show went, but we'll all hear about it soon enough. I'll probably put some recap post on the events of today. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
 ---The Old Judge
                                                                                                                

Well, I'm back. Just thought I'd give you some last minute news. The Adventures in Odyssey 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash is tomorrow. But that doesn't mean the fun begins then. Garrett Vandenburg, one of the hosts of the Odyssey ScoopCast, and one of the administrators of the Soda Shop Message Boards, posted on the Soda Shop several hours ago that he had landed in Dallas. Roughly two hours after that, he commented that he had shaken Will Ryan's hand. So apparently the actors are out tonight. The other ScoopCast host, Kevin McCreary, has gone to Dallas too. But, there's an even more important announcement. Both people are recording their experiences, which will be released in an upcoming ScoopCast episode. So even people that don't go, like me, can still get a part of the excitement.

Finally, I have some news. Most of you,(if any of you read this), won't care, but it's important to me. Twists and Turns is a week old, AND this is my tenth post! Woo-Hoo! Okay, that's enough excitement for now. There's more to come, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
---The Old Judge

Hello, everybody. Well, I'm not bragging or exalting myself, but I've really had this site going full gear, and it's not even a week old yet. (It will be a week old tomorrow.) So, as I mentioned in last night's post, I won't be posting as much from tomorrow to next Wednesday. I will still be posting, just maybe only one or two posts if I have time. I thought I ought to tell you so you don't freak out when I'm not posting once or twice a day like I have been.

Okay. Now comes the part where I explain the title. All of my titles have meaning to something that's in the post. Today's title means, something new has happened. If you even try just a little bit to see what's different on my site, you'll notice. But, I will tell you, since this is where I put the news for my site. Wooton Bassett and myself were working on something last night, and it came to fruition today. When we first thought of it, it was going to be totally different than it is now, but Wooton changed it, and it's for the better. Okay, here's what it is. I've changed my link page totally, the old one is gone, and Wooton put a page on his blog, The Unofficial AIO Blog. They're both titled "The Imagination Station", and Wooton designed the logo for both. We'll keep updating them, but there are enough for now. The pages on both our sites are identical, except Wooton put some on his site that I don't have on mine yet. We'll get them eventually. I think you'll like them. They're nothing like any other link page, and I've seen almost every AIO fan site out there.

In other news, Adventures in Odyssey Blogcast #36 is out now. I haven't listened to their podcasts yet, but for them to have gotten to Episode 36, that shows that they have committment, and when you have committment to something, you want to do that thing better and better. So one day soon, I will listen to them, and I have high expectations for them. Anyway, Episode 36's summary is "AIO Blogcast 36: Review of Child's Play & Something Old, Something New, Parts 1 & 2. Summer is here and so is our latest podcast! It's a big summer bash and you won't want to miss a minute of it!" This episode contains a newcast, reviews of "Child's Play" and "Something Old, Something New, Parts 1 & 2", an original "Did You Know?" segment with Devon and Victoria Francis, five podcasting tips from Austin, and a blooper reel. This episode is full of amazing things, but what else would you expect from such devoted fans? Austin's ran the blog for five years and is still going strong, and he does an amazing job. There's only been a couple of Odyssey fan sites that have made it over five years, so that shows how good he's done and how committed he is. Austin, this is not sarcasm, I really do mean it, you are an inspiration to people like me who are just starting to throw their hat in the ring. You're living proof that if you stick with it, you're bound to succeed. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns! 

Wow, there was SO much news tonight, I couldn't wait until tomorrow. Normally I try to post once a day, but I had to post tonight. First of all, earlier today I said the tickets for the Birthday Bash would be sold out either today or tomorrow. Well, they're all gone, thus the title of my post. I don't know how many seats Irving Bible Church has, but I'm guessing they're big, because when an Adventures in Odyssey celebration is held, it's always packed. But I don't care how big it is, it will be PACKED. So, that ends News Clip #1.

Secondly, Brock Eastman announced that Focus on the Family will be launching a new book series titled "Bible Kidventures". But the picture on the left is not its official logo. Why, you ask? Because they want the fans to design the artwork! That means, there's a new contest! For more information, go to their website, http://www.tyndale.com/kidventures/ . Their website says, "Imagine your original art on the cover of two books!" So, if you have good talent, you might be able to get your cover art put on TWO books.

Thirdly, the Official Podcast Episode 149 was released today. First of all, 149 is a big number. I hope other fan podcasts like the Boredom Buster Podcast can last that long. Anyway, this is a special podcast where the producers, Dave Arnold and Paul McCusker answer fans Odyssey questions. These guys are at the top of the heap, so they'll know. This appears to be a very informative edition, and I can't wait to hear it.

Finally, the polls for the Fifth Edition of the Avery Awards have opened. Fans, unite! They will be handing out awards over Album 55: The Deep End. I believe the fans will be voting for such categories as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Sound Design. Plus, I've heard there are a few new categories. This will be the first Avery Awards I've voted in, so I'm excited. 

Also, on a side note, I'll be slowing down on my posts from Thursday to Wednesday. I'll try to post, but there's a good chance I won't. Please don't stop coming. I'll try hard to keep posting, but even if I don't, I'll be back in full swing next Thursday. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy 

There is a very good chance this will be my longest post ever. I decided not to put this as a feature because it wasn't going to be updated, and I don't know how people will like it. Anyway, be sure to have anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes, depending on how fast you read. Okay. So, I will be doing a list of every single Adventures in Odyssey website and how long it has been going and/or lasted. This might need a little work, but that's the exciting part, 'cause you'll never know what will happen when you have an Adventure in Odyssey Websites! Corny, I know. Let's get started.

---Functioning Websites--- 
Whit's End-----------------------------------------------------------Launched April 1, 2000
The Odyssey Scoop------------------------------------------------Launched December 22, 2000
Twists and Turns---------------------------------------------------Launched June 8, 2012
The Ceiling Fan-----------------------------------------------------Launched August 1, 2008
The Adventures in Odyssey Blog---------------------------------Launched July 30, 2008
The Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Podcast's Website-----Launched February 14, 2007
The Boredom Buster Podcast's Website-------------------------Launched March 7, 2012
The Whit's End Podcast' Website---------------------------------Launched April 2008
The Voice of Odyssey-----------------------------------------------Launched March 24, 2010
The AIO Fan's Life---------------------------------------------------Launched December 31, 2009
The Changing Times------------------------------------------------Launched September 7, 2010
Dave's AIO Blog-----------------------------------------------------Launched September 25, 2010
The Odyssey Library------------------------------------------------Launched: Unknown
The Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Blog----------------------Launched February 1, 2012
AIOWiki---------------------------------------------------------------Launched April 25, 2007
The Town of Odyssey Message Boards--------------------------Launched April 1, 2005
Campbell County Message Boards--------------------------------Launched October 6, 2009
The Soda Shop Message Boards----------------------------------Launched May 9, 2012 
OdysseyFan.com-----------------------------------------------------Launched: Unknown
Adventures in Odyssey Fan Club----------------------------------Launched: Unknown
One Place: Adventures in Odyssey--------------------------------Launched: Unknown

---The Odyssey Fan Site Cemetery---
The Soda Fountain----------------------------------------------------Launched January 26, 2000; Stopped Functioning October 15, 2008
The Ultimate Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Fan Website---This website no longer exists.
The Odyssey Times---------------------------------------------------All I could get on this site was a logo, and on one page, a box that said, "Enter text".
Adventures in Odyssey Headquarters------------------------------Launched: Unknown; Stopped Functioning 2006
McAllister Park---------------------------------------------------------Launched: Unknown; Stopped Functioning
March 12, 2005
Adventures in Odyssey Bus Stop-----------------------------------This site said, "I am so sorry I have not changed my site in a long, long, long, long time. I will try to make changes soon. (I hope!)" 
The Odyssey Owl-----------------------------------------------------This website no longer exists. 
The Best Small Town Podcast's Website--------------------------Launched October 2, 2008; Stopped Functioning 
December 30, 2008
The Playhouse of the Airwaves Podcast's Website--------------Launched December 13, 2008; Stopped Functioning December 30, 2008
(Does anybody besides me think it's curious that those last two websites stopped on the same day with neither of them being heard from again?)
AIO Insanity!----------------------------------------------------------This website no longer exists.
Now we're going to go way back. I delved very deep into the vault and found some of these. Some of these you've probably never heard of, or when you see these you'll think, "I haven't seen this one in years."
Rusty Gordon's Blog--------------------------------------------------Launched June 6, 2008; Stopped Functioning
July 15, 2008
Bart Rathbone's Electric Palace Blog-------------------------------Launched July 10, 2008; Stopped Functioning
July 11, 2008
(This one wins the shortest blog ever award. Two days.)
The Campbell County Connection---------------------------------Launched February 3, 2010; Temporarily Stopped April 5, 2012
Odyssey Way-----------------------------------------------------------Launched February 3, 2010; Stopped Functioning April 19, 2012
"Camilla Parker" had a good idea with her "Spanglish" Odyssey blog The Odyssey Muchacha, but it didn't last.
The Odyssey Muchacha-----------------------------------------------Launched May 18, 2010; Stopped Functioning 
July 1, 2010
The Heart of Odyssey--------------------------------------------------Launched April 29, 2010; Stopped Functioning August 10, 2010
Around the Corner in Odyssey------------------------------------------Launched September 29, 2010;
Stopped Functioning April 22, 2011
At Whit's End-------------------------------------------------------------Launched April 5, 2011; Stopped Functioning December 17, 2011
The Agent's Blog----------------------------------------------------------This site no longer exists. 
AIO Vehement-------------------------------------------------------------Launched: Unknown; Stopped Functioning 2010
The Odyssey Times-------------------------------------------------------Launched September 9, 2009;
Stopped Functioning December 8, 2011
Odyssey Blog--------------------------------------------------------------Launched February 3, 2011; Stopped Functioning
July 11, 2011
Odyssey Blog--------------------------------------------------------------Launched February 4, 2011; Stopped Functioning
July 8, 2011
Mandy's Struassberg's Life----------------------------------------------Launched January 19, 2010; Stopped Functioning
October 24, 2011
"Trent Chat":A Blog by Trent DeWhite------------------------------- Launched January 4, 2011; Stopped Functioning
April 13, 2011 

Now, it's time to talk about BBP 5. Sadly, the meeting between Hallie and David Griffin was not recorded. I'm serious, I waited to hear her reaction for a week! She is hilarious. Here's my favorite quote:

Noah: We have David Griffin, so be happy! But, we don't have any other segments, so be sad.
Hallie: But, we have David Griffin, so it's all good.

Anyway,down below is a special treat for all you fans of the Boredom Buster Podcast, and for Noah and Hallie.

P.S. I'm sorry about that capital L down below. I can't remove it or my computer shuts down. When I restart my computer, it stays on there. I can't remove it.




L

I know it's bad, but it's the BBP Logo: David Griffin Edition! Anyway, the episode was amazing, though I will be excited when they get back to episode reviews and the Guess the Clip! segment. I love how they're just talking about math. That's what nice about this podcast. It's not like the Official Podcast where everything's done in a perfect, proper manner. This is a nice, laidback setup where they talk about Odyssey. If they think of something, they'll go ahead and say it. They don't rehearse and rehearse in a big fancy studio. But I like it that they do it the way they do. They do an amazing job. 

In other news, I just found out about this a couple minutes ago, is there are less than sixty tickets left for the 10:00 AM Birthday Bash show! If you want your tickets, get them now! They'll probably be sold out by the end of today or tomorrow morning. As most of you probably know, the 3:30 PM show has been sold out for a little over a week. Tickets are only $8 apiece, and that's a very reasonable price for this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is only the second radio drama in history to have been produced for a quarter of a century. If the twenty year celebration was big, this one will be so much bigger. Anyway, I can't wait to hear how the celebration goes. Well, that's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                                   ---The Old Judge

Yes!!! Hallelujah!!! Now I know you all know how much I love the Boredom Buster Podcast, and when you see the logo, you think to yourself, "Oh no! He going to rant on and on about how much he loves the Boredom Buster Podcast!" No, not really. It was actually a nice little suprise to see Fodo14 released it tonight. On the Soda Shop, he said it would be out either tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday. So when I happened to get on his website tonight, (I'm doing an interesting post tomorrow. It's going to be VERY unique. I find it interesting, but you might not, but it is something no other Odyssey site has done.), I saw that he released Episode 5. Huzzah! Not only that, he managed to take something that I already thought was spectacular, and make it better. How? By interviewing David Griffin, the voice of Jimmy Barclay! But not only that, his title on his website was "BBP Episode 5: Interview with David Griffin, Part 1". Thus meaning we have at least one more episode of Hallie freaking out. If any of you are BBP fans, I think in all four previous episodes, Hallie has screamed over David Griffin. It's late, so I'll listen to it tomorrow, but I've been waiting expectantly for over a week to see what Hallie's reaction will be. I'm guessing Noah will kick her out of the room or lock her in a closet before the interview. Anyway, I can't wait. If you don't know, the BBP is also available for purchase (It's free, I just couldn't think of a better word for it.) on iTunes, besides being able to download it on his site. His site is on my link page. Also, I would like to say. Five is not a large number, but two old podcasts, "The Playhouse of the Airwaves Podcast", with two episodes, and "The Best Small Town Podcast" with five episodes, never made it that far. But I don't think it was as good as this one. I would be terribly dissappointed if this podcast stopped. Anyway, check back tomorrow for my post I previously mentioned, and my thoughts on BBP #5. That's all for now, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns!
                                                                                                                         ---The Old Judge

Hello, again. This post will be covering three different topics. First of all, I would like to thank my support group over at the Soda Shop, who have been supporting and encouraging me while I do this site. As far as I know, they're the only people who read this, so I'm going to give them the thanks they deserve. They are Fodo14, who does the Boredom Buster Podcast, which is one of my most favorite Odyssey sites and by far my most favorite podcast; Wooton Bassett, who does the Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Blog (another of my favorite Odyssey sites), and who designed my awesome site logo; HannahJ, who does a blog, though not about Odyssey, but I'll give you the link since she's so supportive. It's http://me4theking.blogspot.com/ . The last person I need to thank is T.S. (myself). So thank you very much, you four. Hopefully this website will be able to entertain you in the future.

Now here's what I know a few of you have been waiting for. My trivia column is out! It is called Trivia 101!, but it needs more trivia in it. I couldn't think of a lot off the top of my head, so here's what is going to happen. There's a topic called "Trivia 101! I Need Your Help!" on the Soda Shop Message Boards. If you have any interesting Adventures in Odyssey trivia, put it on that topic, along with the episode and album it appeared in.

Finally, the news. A couple of days ago, a fan made a mockup of the cover that was released in the Social Shoutout. I posted the Shoutout cover a couple of days ago, but here is the fan mockup.

It says, "12 Stories on Tithing, Happiness & More". Tithing is a concept that I don't remember being talked about in Odyssey before. Either it's never been fully approached before or it's been a LONG time. We've seen some new concepts explored in Odyssey since the hiatus. Fasting is the main one, and that entertainment should have a point was another one.

Finally, the Odyssey ScoopCast Episode 35 was released yesterday. The summary from the Odyssey Scoop is, "It's a casual conversation as we wrap up our interview with voice actress Kimmy Robertson. Kimmy discusses the voice acting world and gives insights to fans interested in acting. Plus, host Kevin McCreary shares a special announcement about Adventures in Odyssey's upcoming 25th anniversary celebration on June 16th, 2012."

Well, that's it for now. Until next time, then. There's more to come, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns! 
 

Hello, again. I know I said I wouldn't post anything today, but this came up, so I decided to. Now, the Trivia column will still be out tomorrow, along with another post on here telling you other stuff that I'll tell you tomorrow. Now, I have found out there's, well three people that I know of, besides my family, that read this. So, if you've decided to keep up with it, here's the news. The Imagination Station Book Series, launched in 2010, has released new information on Volumes 10 & 11. According to the AIOWiki, Book 10 is called "Challenge on the Hill of Fire", and will be released in the spring of 2013. The summary of the book is, "Patrick and Beth journey back to the time of St. Patrick in the Imagination Station." That will be a good one. I loved the Odyssey episode, "Saint Patrick, A Heart Afire, Parts 1 & 2". It will be written by Brock Eastman and Marianne Hering. Volume 11 is titled "Hunt for the Devil's Dragon". It is expected to be released in spring of 2013. There is no summary as of now. It will be written by Wayne Thomas Batson and Marianne Hering. There is no artwork for either book currently. 

Speaking of the Imagination Station books, don't forget about the release of  Volumes 8 & 9 of the series this fall. Book Eight is titled, "Battle for the Mysterious Island". Here's the summary: "Patrick and Beth are hurled into the South Pacific during the 1840s and take part in a breathtaking search for the mysterious Starlight Island. The cousins join the clever Scottish pirate hunter Captain Connor Glenn and the crew of the flagship Saint Andrew's Lance as they hunt the infamous pirate Captain Tobias Dredd. Their search leads them to the emerald-green islands of Fiji, where they attempt to rescue missionary William Cross. But Captain Dredd's forces attack the island, and Patrick and Cross are kidnapped. Beth and Captain Glenn must save them, but it's a race against time. And the only hopes they have of finding the Starlight Island rest in their trust in God and a broken telescope that just might reveal more than meets the eye." The whole series is a good idea, and has had a good response from what I've seen. Considering that the Imagination Station has been in "layaway" for a while and is just beginning to see the light of day again, that kind of gives us the reason why we haven't seen it. The first book of the series was released after Album 52, when the Imagination Station made an appearance. Though people haven't thought of it this way, here's what happened, and it makes sense, too. Sometime after "Fast As I Can", Whit visited Albert and lost his remote. He couldn't operate the Imagination Station after that, so he put it in his basement for repairs. Enter two cousins who want to try the invention. The rest is history. Also, Volume 9 gets released in the fall of this year, too. It is titled "Escape to the Hiding Place", and is written by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker. The summary on the AIOWiki, I don't know if this is official or not, is "Patrick and Beth travel to Holland during World War II and meet Corrie ten Boom." This seems promising, too. "East Winds, Raining", and Whit's episodes from when he was in the war have become Odyssey classics. I really like this series, and hope its sequels maintain the standards set by the first seven.

That's all I have for now. Until tomorrow then. There's more to come, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy Twists and Turns! 
                                                                                                                    ---The Old Judge

Hello, again. I know, your reaction is, "Wow! A blog that actually gets updated!" Yes, I know. It's a shocker. But that's one of the reasons I started this. Anyway, today I'll be telling you what's happening to Twists and Turns in the next couple of weeks. So, today, I updated the Odyssey Actors Feature just a little bit. On Monday, the Trivia column will become a reality. There won't be many trivia tidbits when it opens, but it will be a frequently updated feature. In the next week or two, I plan to put an article on here. Just to make you curious, if anybody actually reads this, it will be called, "For Whom the Wedding Bells Break". Anyway, there's a bright future for this site. I hope you like it, and stay tuned!
                                                                                                           ---The Old Judge