Another Social Shout Out video has been released featuring Brock Eastman and Evan Reedall in which they answer questions from Adventures in Odyssey fans and give us the details on the latest contest. They discuss the Love It Wear It contest where you can enter to win all kinds of new AIO gear, where to buy individual Odyssey episodes online, when the winners of the Avery Awards for Album 56 will be announced, if Jason Whittaker appears in Album 57, and much more. The video even features a lightning round where a number of questions submitted to the AIO Facebook page were answered very quickly by Evan Reedall. There is also a guest appearance at the end from an Odyssey crew member who happens to be Canadian, so make sure you stay to watch the entire video to see that blooper clip. You can watch the Social Shout Out video below.
Writer and director Paul McCusker doesn't just make new Adventures in Odyssey shows. He’s also very busy in the production of Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, which typically involves flying to England to record seasoned London actors. Past productions include Les Miserables, the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom, the Father Gilbert Mysteries, the Secret Garden, and many more. Their newest production is Oliver Twist and was released in stores last November. It is also available as a digital download from iTunes. Yesterday the Focus on the Family daily broadcast released an interview they had with Paul McCusker on the subject of Oliver Twist. Focus on the Family’s Kelly Rosati and Paul both discuss the impact of Charles Dickens’s riveting and challenging tale during an age when orphans were largely disregarded, and they reiterate today’s need for orphan protection and care. You can listen to the nearly half-hour interview at this link. Thanks to The Odyssey Scoop for this news. The third and final day of recording in Burbank, California for this group of sessions has begun. The Adventures in Odyssey team is hard at work on Album 57: A Call to Something More and they are once again releasing sneak peek photos from behind the scenes in the studio. This is our first sighting of Kimmy Robertson who plays the character of Penny Wise. In December she participated in the three-part episode called “Life Expectancy” and she’s back again to continue recording episodes for the upcoming album. After today is over there will be a total of nine episodes for Album 57 that have been recorded and three last shows will still need to be recorded at a later date. The album will be released as a download this August and will be available on CD in the fall. You can see more pictures of the actors and crew members here. Were you hoping for the Odyssey producers to answer your question in the latest Producers Q&A on the Official Podcast? Well you still have another chance to get a response from at least one member of the AIO team. The Adventures in Odyssey Blogcast will soon be interviewing AIO sound designer, writer, producer, and director Dave Arnold for their final episode. You can ask up to three questions and they may be answered by Dave on the podcast. The deadline to send in your questions is by February 1st, which is currently a little over a week away. After the AIO Blogcast’s finale, podcast hosts Austin and Tasha will not be releasing any more episodes as their show will have ended. You can find out all the details about how to send in your three questions at this link. More photos from the Album 57 recording sessions are being released online. This one on the left is a snapshot of Kelly Stables, who plays the voice of Olivia Parker on Adventures in Odyssey. Olivia was only in one episode in Album 56 and one in Album 55, so it's good to see her again for Album 57: A Call to Something More. This next Odyssey album will be available for download in August. Other actors we saw in the studio today include Andre Stojka (Whit), Katie Leigh (Connie), Will Ryan (Eugene), Andy Pessoa (Barrett), Audrey Wasilewski (Katrina), and Whit Hertford (Jay). You can find more pictures of the Odyssey team here. The first episode recorded today will be called "The Friend Formula" and was both written and directed by Bob Hoose. What do you think should happen in Album 57 and in the albums beyond that? Let us know your thoughts about the future of AIO down below in the comments. These two "Whits" could have referred to another member of the Whittaker family or even a younger version of Mr. Whittaker in a flashback episode. But the official AIO Twitter has confirmed that the two "Whits" are Andre Stojka, who plays Mr. Whittaker, and Whit Hertford, who plays Jay Smouse.
The Adventures in Odyssey team is back in the recording studio in Burbank, California for the next three days to record six more episodes for Album 57: A Call to Something More. Photos are currently being released on the official AIO Facebook page. You can see our more complete collection of Album 57 recording session photos here. According to the AIO Twitter, today the team is recording a two-part Bible episode in the Imagination Station about Samuel and Hannah. Both parts are being directed by Nathan Hoobler. The actors Jon Curry, who has played Alvin York and Saul, and Keith Ferguson, who has played many characters in the past, including Ted Humpfries and Agent Huddleston, were involved in this recording session. Another Adventures in Odyssey episode is now available for free. Episode 562: The Last "I Do" from Album 44: Eugene Returns! has just been released as a free download from Focus on the Family. In this show, Kids' Radio tells the story about the priest, Saint Valentine, who defies a third-century Roman emperor who outlaws marriage. As Valentine's Day is only a little over three weeks away, this is a timely episode release. This episode is also notable in its strong defense of marriage which is the basis of families and society at large, which is certainly a core tenant of Focus on the Family's mission. You can listen and download that episode here. In a brand new behind-the-scenes Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast video that has been released on Whitsend.org, we get another preview of the Album 57 recording session that took place in December. During the session in the studio, Katie Leigh appears to address Shona as "Jules." This could be her character's name. Plus, Shona describes her experiences at the Get in the Show finale, which included playing games, meeting Andre Stojka, Katie Leigh, and Zach Callison, getting a tour of Focus on the Family, tasting "Wod-Fam-Choc-Sods" at Whit's End, going down a three-story slide, and then when Shona first read the script with the actors during a brief rehearsal and worked with director Paul McCusker. You can watch the video here. The official Adventures in Odyssey Facebook page has just reached 19,000 likes. The page was at 18,000 in December 2012 and if you remember it was only at 4,721 fans in January 2012 when Brock Eastman announced that the Labyrinth, Part 1 would be released as a free download when they reached 10,000 likes, which occurred on January 29th. If you're not already a fan of AIO on Facebook, you can like it here. You will have access to behind-the-scenes videos, photos, and details about upcoming events. And for instant news updates you can also follow us on Twitter: @AIOUpdate Adventures in Odyssey has been around since November 1987. Some fans started listening from the beginning and have continued to enjoy these worthwhile stories through the years. Others have more recently discovered this wonderful radio show from Focus on the Family. That's why we created our latest poll. We want to know how long you have been listening to Odyssey. Give your answer here. |