I will be writing Installment 10 today, as well as (finally) releasing the links page. But for now, here's my review of For Three Dollars More...
Dave of Dave's AIO Blog once said, "I think by the end of this album (Album 56) I'll be quite machined-out. The IS and ROC are best used occasionally, and having around five
episodes (three with the IS and two with the ROC) featuring these
inventions will probably be too much, especially since recently taking
trips in Whit's inventions has become a somewhat rare occurrence in
comparison with when these inventions were newer."
I'm not sure if I completely agree with this statement, or that I completely disagree with it. I just thought I'd start with it. I will say that having the first four episodes in an album be machine-related was not the smartest idea, but AIO still made these episodes interesting enough for me to not be too "machined out" by this fourth episode. I also think this episode exceeded "Great Expectations" (I'm sure Ben Warren would disagree. ;)) and came close to the greatness of "The Perfect Church".
The episode begins with Matthew and Connie. Matthew has become the standard AIO kid, as Jimmy, Sam Johnson, and Mandy Strausberg were before him. He's appeared in 38 episodes, and while his siblings seem to be fading away, he and Jay are only getting more popular. And I like him. He has a sense of humor not seen in previous Odyssey kids, and his personality is likeable and energetic. He rivals Jay for best kid character, and his sense of humor shined in this episode.
Barret walks in (with a seaseme seed stuck in his teeth) and explains his moral dilemma. I didn't realize that the Get in the Show! scene would actually be taking place in an episode, and I couldn't help but think of the kids when Barret was talking. And I have to say, some of the kids did it better than him! (And some, not so much...) I couldn't exactly sympathize with Barret's situation, but I was interested.
Matthew's adventure was overall rather predictable. I knew almost exactly what would happen a couple minutes before it happened. But I suppose the point of his adventure wasn't to be shocking and unpredictable, the point was - wait, what was the point? After all, there was really no need to have two adventures that basically communicated the same thing. Connie's adventure was funnier and more interesting, so I felt they could have removed Matthew's and the episode would have had the same effect. And so, having three adventures came off as a filler, as if AIO didn't know what to do in the first half of the episode, so they concocted two unrealistic yet funny stories. But, considering neither of these adventures taught anything worthwhile, I thought one of them could have been omitted. But, oh well. They were still funny.
Connie gives Barret the trip of his life! This line = priceless epicness-
Robber: If only someone had given three more dollars! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!
I was literally laughing about that for five minutes afterwards! And I love that Brandon Gilberstadt is back! I was just listening to a Jared episode (It's All About Me) last night, and I missed him. And though Matthew doesn't have Jared's humor, it was still great to hear Brandon's voice. He did a great job! And though it seemed to take Barret's older brother Jeremey a scene or two to get into the part, (His first scene seemed boring mostly because of his "Where am I? I'm old!" talking to himself bit.) I thought his performance in Whit's adventure was stellar.
It's interesting that, during Barret's third and final adventure, AIO would take ROC and turn it into more of a movie. I liked the new format, and, though I don't think it should be used too often, it worked well for this episode. I think Whit's version of the adventure made a valid point about tithing, one that should be taken to heart. I'm noticing AIO is experimenting with new morals and themes, instead of going back to lying and salvation, themes that they've done many times before. I admire this and hope it continues for future albums.
So overall, this was quite a great episode, with a few flaws. I enjoyed almost all of it, and look forward to more episodes like it. We'll just have to see if the remainder of the album lives up to the first four episodes...
For Three Dollars More Rating: 7.7/10
Hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
AIO News 10/22/12
Well, I officially have over 100 comments on this blog. I thank all of you for responding to my ramblings. Speaking of ramblings, I'm hoping to write some reviews using that site I told you about. I'll keep you posted on that. Anyway, here's the news...
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting live from the Official Site, where there is a new Official Podcast involving last week's episode, Great Expectations. Also, the three finalists for the Get In the Show! contest have been chosen. I won't give them away, but I'll say I was a bit surprised. The reviews of episodes are also flooding in, with three AIO blogs (JAAIOB, The Voice of Odyssey, The Changing Times) reviewing episodes week by week. Other than that, most unofficial blogs are not churning out the number of posts they usually make. This is surprising since the new season just started. Let's hope we get news from TNT, UAIOB, and BBP soon. Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
(P.S. I'm going to start work on a grand article, longer and better than anything I've ever done soon.)
Thanks for reading!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting live from the Official Site, where there is a new Official Podcast involving last week's episode, Great Expectations. Also, the three finalists for the Get In the Show! contest have been chosen. I won't give them away, but I'll say I was a bit surprised. The reviews of episodes are also flooding in, with three AIO blogs (JAAIOB, The Voice of Odyssey, The Changing Times) reviewing episodes week by week. Other than that, most unofficial blogs are not churning out the number of posts they usually make. This is surprising since the new season just started. Let's hope we get news from TNT, UAIOB, and BBP soon. Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
(P.S. I'm going to start work on a grand article, longer and better than anything I've ever done soon.)
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Weekly Review: Great Expectations 10/20/12
Alright. Today I shall be reviewing the episode Great Expectations. I'll be releasing Installment 10 and working on JAAIOP tomorrow, so expect more from this site in the near future. I will also try to get my links page going today. But for now, here's my review...
Young Whit episodes are always fascinating. Giving a peek into a character's past is something these writers, particularly Nathan Hoobler, do best. And I can let go of my bias for Emily quite quickly to sit down and listen to a truly good episode exploring the past of Whit further.
The episode begins with Whit and Connie at Whit's End, discussing Whit's list of things that he wanted to do as an adult that he compiled as a child. This was a good opening scene; I really have no thoughts on it. The episode progresses to Emily Jones and her relate-able predicament.
My first thoughts are: Joanne is back! Simon is back! Jim Custer is back! Following the trend there seems to be in this album, this episode seemed reminiscent of other episodes. And that's a good thing.
Emily's voice seems different to me. Almost... (dare I say it) less annoying. It seems higher-pitched. There was some discussion on SS (The Soda Shop) on whether or not this episode would show us Emily's true character. However, it did almost the opposite: it made us more confused about her. She is now unsure of what she wants to do. This is unsettling, and it makes me wonder where Emily's character will end up 3 or 4 years from now. Will she go back to solving mysteries and following her father's footsteps, or will she follow a different path? Or will she be dropped altogether by then? We don't know. Emily is quite possibly the most confusing character AIO has currently. I only hope she will become less confusing as time goes on.
But I'm ranting. The episode goes along nicely, with appearances by Joanne and Simon. I almost laughed at the scene in J & J Antiques. It was almost pointless to the story. I think AIO just wanted us to hear Joanne's voice, or to clarify she and Jack were leaving. But that's fine with me. I wanted to hear Joanne's voice, even if she had no incredibly significant role in either the episodes she was in.
Then, Emily gets into the IS to experience, though she doesn't know it when she steps in, Whit's past. I must say, I'm loving the new IS! The sound effect they use to transport the character from place to place is mindblowingly epic! And the doors are a very cool new feature, (pardon my use of the elementary word 'cool') as they allow characters to go places they could have never gone before, making the IS seems more like a time machine than ever.
I don't have very many thoughts on the young Whit scenes, except: they were pretty good. A couple tiny flaws, though... I'm wondering why the writers are showing us this. It seems as if we really didn't learn anything about Whit that we didn't already know, aside from that he wanted to write for National Geographic and went to a University in California. But these are minor details. I didn't get to see any experiences that Whit had; the whole episode was talking about what he did with his life, while not really showing what he did with his life, only mentioning various things. If that makes any sense.
But though that may seem like a big problem, it's really very minor. I loved Jim Custer's performance. When he was coming out of the Junior High School, he had a hint to his voice that made him really sound like a 50-year old. He sounded old yet young. And that was brilliant on Mr. Custer's part.
And at the end of the episode, we have yet another great moral that AIO hasn't exactly covered yet. I actually never really thought about this either. I suppose we all think as children that we will do exactly what we are dreaming of when we are an adult. But the truth is, in most cases, none of us end up doing what we thought we wanted to do. It's interesting to think about, and it's important. So I give an extra star for the great moral.
In conclusion, (it seems as if that's always the way I wrap up my reviews) this is a good episode, though not flawless. It gives a peek into Whit's past, which is always great, but I don't think it is even close to The Triangle in greatness. But that doesn't mean it isn't good...
Great Expectations Rating: 7/10
I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading!
Young Whit episodes are always fascinating. Giving a peek into a character's past is something these writers, particularly Nathan Hoobler, do best. And I can let go of my bias for Emily quite quickly to sit down and listen to a truly good episode exploring the past of Whit further.
The episode begins with Whit and Connie at Whit's End, discussing Whit's list of things that he wanted to do as an adult that he compiled as a child. This was a good opening scene; I really have no thoughts on it. The episode progresses to Emily Jones and her relate-able predicament.
My first thoughts are: Joanne is back! Simon is back! Jim Custer is back! Following the trend there seems to be in this album, this episode seemed reminiscent of other episodes. And that's a good thing.
Emily's voice seems different to me. Almost... (dare I say it) less annoying. It seems higher-pitched. There was some discussion on SS (The Soda Shop) on whether or not this episode would show us Emily's true character. However, it did almost the opposite: it made us more confused about her. She is now unsure of what she wants to do. This is unsettling, and it makes me wonder where Emily's character will end up 3 or 4 years from now. Will she go back to solving mysteries and following her father's footsteps, or will she follow a different path? Or will she be dropped altogether by then? We don't know. Emily is quite possibly the most confusing character AIO has currently. I only hope she will become less confusing as time goes on.
But I'm ranting. The episode goes along nicely, with appearances by Joanne and Simon. I almost laughed at the scene in J & J Antiques. It was almost pointless to the story. I think AIO just wanted us to hear Joanne's voice, or to clarify she and Jack were leaving. But that's fine with me. I wanted to hear Joanne's voice, even if she had no incredibly significant role in either the episodes she was in.
Then, Emily gets into the IS to experience, though she doesn't know it when she steps in, Whit's past. I must say, I'm loving the new IS! The sound effect they use to transport the character from place to place is mindblowingly epic! And the doors are a very cool new feature, (pardon my use of the elementary word 'cool') as they allow characters to go places they could have never gone before, making the IS seems more like a time machine than ever.
I don't have very many thoughts on the young Whit scenes, except: they were pretty good. A couple tiny flaws, though... I'm wondering why the writers are showing us this. It seems as if we really didn't learn anything about Whit that we didn't already know, aside from that he wanted to write for National Geographic and went to a University in California. But these are minor details. I didn't get to see any experiences that Whit had; the whole episode was talking about what he did with his life, while not really showing what he did with his life, only mentioning various things. If that makes any sense.
But though that may seem like a big problem, it's really very minor. I loved Jim Custer's performance. When he was coming out of the Junior High School, he had a hint to his voice that made him really sound like a 50-year old. He sounded old yet young. And that was brilliant on Mr. Custer's part.
And at the end of the episode, we have yet another great moral that AIO hasn't exactly covered yet. I actually never really thought about this either. I suppose we all think as children that we will do exactly what we are dreaming of when we are an adult. But the truth is, in most cases, none of us end up doing what we thought we wanted to do. It's interesting to think about, and it's important. So I give an extra star for the great moral.
In conclusion, (it seems as if that's always the way I wrap up my reviews) this is a good episode, though not flawless. It gives a peek into Whit's past, which is always great, but I don't think it is even close to The Triangle in greatness. But that doesn't mean it isn't good...
Great Expectations Rating: 7/10
I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
AIO Article: The Music of AIO 10/18/12
Having listened to a lot of music in the past couple weeks, I figured I should do an article on the music of AIO...
In the special episode 500, they (the Odyssey team) did a short documentary on the creation of the Odyssey theme song. Apparently John Campbell, AIO's brilliant composer, stumbled upon those seven signature notes while at the piano one day working hard at composing the Odyssey theme. Since then, those seven notes have been incorporated into every one of Odyssey's theme songs over the years. Let's take a quick look at all five theme songs, shall we?
#1: Classic Theme: This is the theme most Odyssey fans generalize the series with. It's a grand, loud affair, with Whit talking in the background. This is probably not my all-time favorite, but it's still good, if only because it's the first one. It was used from Albums 1 - 12
#2: Golden Theme: This is the theme used from Albums 13 - 31. It includes the seven notes familiarized with Odyssey and a preview of the episode. This is quite possibly my favorite theme, though I enjoy them all. It has a nice intro and closing.
#3: Jansen/Novacom Theme: This is the theme used from Albums 32 - 38? I'm not entirely sure where this theme stopped. This is a nice fast-paced modern theme, but it almost seems too fast-paced, so I'm quite honestly glad Odyssey dropped this and went for something more classic.
#4: Classic-Modern Theme: I call this the Classic-Modern Theme because it combines elements of the more classic Odyssey theme and the modern one. It is genius on John Campbell's part and was used from Albums 39 - 49. (Album 50 had a different theme song to itself, essentially.)
#5: Modern Theme: This is the latest theme now, but in 20 years, they'll probably be calling it the 'Classic theme'. It is a nice homage to the original while still sounding incredibly different. It's short and sweet, and I like it, though not as much as the Golden or Classic-Modern. It was used from 51 - I don't know, we'll find out when AIO switches themes.
Yes, I'm aware that was brief, but I only wanted to give a quick, simple rundown. But naturally, the themes at the beginning have not been the only music Odyssey has ever put out. Let's examine some other musical episodes...
The Great Wishy Woz: This was really the first episode with real songs, original songs I might add. It gave the classic Kids Radio episode a nice feel, as though you were watching a Broadway rendition of The Wizard of Oz. All of the remixes of the original Oz songs were brilliant and catchy. I sometimes find myself singing "Follow the Big Fat Road" instead of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". And the performances were all outstanding as well. Aria Curzon has a nice voice, though it was obvious she wasn't a professional singer.
Odyssey Sings!: This is the golden standard for all Odyssey episodes having to do with music. It's nearly perfect in every way, from the songs themselves to the performances, to Cryin' Bryan Dern's hilarious interruptions. I particularly loved Bart and Harlow's songs. And Eugene's performance at the end was a nice introduction to the Eugene Sings! CD. (Which I still haven't heard...) I only wish I could've heard Connie's song! The "I tripped" line was intriguing...
A Thankstaking Story: This is another nice little musical episode. Though the songs are not as grand as in The Great Wishy Woz, they are still fun and catchy. I think the song Good News was the best, with some sweet performances by Katie Leigh (who knew she could sing?) and Will Ryan. And Whit Hertford was surprisingly good as well.
Of course, there's always M'kalister Park, (which I'm listening to as I write this) but that's another article. Anyway, the music in Odyssey is amazing. Enough said.
Hope you enjoyed the article, and thanks for reading!
In the special episode 500, they (the Odyssey team) did a short documentary on the creation of the Odyssey theme song. Apparently John Campbell, AIO's brilliant composer, stumbled upon those seven signature notes while at the piano one day working hard at composing the Odyssey theme. Since then, those seven notes have been incorporated into every one of Odyssey's theme songs over the years. Let's take a quick look at all five theme songs, shall we?
#1: Classic Theme: This is the theme most Odyssey fans generalize the series with. It's a grand, loud affair, with Whit talking in the background. This is probably not my all-time favorite, but it's still good, if only because it's the first one. It was used from Albums 1 - 12
#2: Golden Theme: This is the theme used from Albums 13 - 31. It includes the seven notes familiarized with Odyssey and a preview of the episode. This is quite possibly my favorite theme, though I enjoy them all. It has a nice intro and closing.
#3: Jansen/Novacom Theme: This is the theme used from Albums 32 - 38? I'm not entirely sure where this theme stopped. This is a nice fast-paced modern theme, but it almost seems too fast-paced, so I'm quite honestly glad Odyssey dropped this and went for something more classic.
#4: Classic-Modern Theme: I call this the Classic-Modern Theme because it combines elements of the more classic Odyssey theme and the modern one. It is genius on John Campbell's part and was used from Albums 39 - 49. (Album 50 had a different theme song to itself, essentially.)
#5: Modern Theme: This is the latest theme now, but in 20 years, they'll probably be calling it the 'Classic theme'. It is a nice homage to the original while still sounding incredibly different. It's short and sweet, and I like it, though not as much as the Golden or Classic-Modern. It was used from 51 - I don't know, we'll find out when AIO switches themes.
Yes, I'm aware that was brief, but I only wanted to give a quick, simple rundown. But naturally, the themes at the beginning have not been the only music Odyssey has ever put out. Let's examine some other musical episodes...
The Great Wishy Woz: This was really the first episode with real songs, original songs I might add. It gave the classic Kids Radio episode a nice feel, as though you were watching a Broadway rendition of The Wizard of Oz. All of the remixes of the original Oz songs were brilliant and catchy. I sometimes find myself singing "Follow the Big Fat Road" instead of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". And the performances were all outstanding as well. Aria Curzon has a nice voice, though it was obvious she wasn't a professional singer.
Odyssey Sings!: This is the golden standard for all Odyssey episodes having to do with music. It's nearly perfect in every way, from the songs themselves to the performances, to Cryin' Bryan Dern's hilarious interruptions. I particularly loved Bart and Harlow's songs. And Eugene's performance at the end was a nice introduction to the Eugene Sings! CD. (Which I still haven't heard...) I only wish I could've heard Connie's song! The "I tripped" line was intriguing...
A Thankstaking Story: This is another nice little musical episode. Though the songs are not as grand as in The Great Wishy Woz, they are still fun and catchy. I think the song Good News was the best, with some sweet performances by Katie Leigh (who knew she could sing?) and Will Ryan. And Whit Hertford was surprisingly good as well.
Of course, there's always M'kalister Park, (which I'm listening to as I write this) but that's another article. Anyway, the music in Odyssey is amazing. Enough said.
Hope you enjoyed the article, and thanks for reading!
Monday, October 15, 2012
AIO News 10/15/12
Here I am again! And here is the news report...
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, coming at you live from... various - websites. *cough* Anyway, there have been a couple new sites popping up lately. That's why I'm organizing a links page! The first one is The Odyssey Gallery, a brilliant site dedicated to AIO and art. The second one is actually a site that I just created about five minutes ago. It has nothing to do with AIO, but I thought you might like it. Here's the link to it: Ranting and Raving Reviews.
Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, coming at you live from... various - websites. *cough* Anyway, there have been a couple new sites popping up lately. That's why I'm organizing a links page! The first one is The Odyssey Gallery, a brilliant site dedicated to AIO and art. The second one is actually a site that I just created about five minutes ago. It has nothing to do with AIO, but I thought you might like it. Here's the link to it: Ranting and Raving Reviews.
Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
JAAIOP and AIC
I'm sorry, but I don't have a feature. But that's the only bad news I have...
I just wanted to make a random post stating that JAAIOP Ep. 1 is finally out, as well as Installment 9. And, well... I'm back. For good. I want to post five times a week at least. So expect more than ever during the next few weeks. I thank all my readers for sticking with me, and I hope you all enjoy the new features.
Also, my Chain Links page is coming soon!
Thanks for reading!
I just wanted to make a random post stating that JAAIOP Ep. 1 is finally out, as well as Installment 9. And, well... I'm back. For good. I want to post five times a week at least. So expect more than ever during the next few weeks. I thank all my readers for sticking with me, and I hope you all enjoy the new features.
Also, my Chain Links page is coming soon!
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
AIO Review: The Perfect Church, Pt. 2 10/13/12
I'm back! I do hope this blog doesn't turn into something like The Changing Times or The Voice of Odyssey, that pretty much specifies in reviews, but, for now, reviewing Album 56 will be just about all you'll hear from me. But here's my review of The Perfect Church, Pt. 2 anyway...
After the cliffhanger ending of pt. 1, I was eager to hear this episode. Whoever came up with two-part radio and television episodes was an absolute genius. Not only are these super-sized episodes great for suspense, they can open up a story and take it to new heights. The Perfect Church, Pt. 2 is a perfect example of this. This next installment expanded on the original and illustrated some of the best stories in the New Testament, even if, as Ben Warren said in his excellent review, they were not witnessed by Matthew, but were told secondhandedly.
However, I feel as if the first five minutes were the worst minutes in the episode. They seemed rushed, as if there were so many stories to tell in the Book of Acts, that the writers decided to jam about three into five minutes of audio. This was probably a bad idea. I'm not saying they should have gone larger and made it a three-parter, but they could have shortened Stephen's speech and expanded on these stories. I didn't particularly love the prison scene for this reason. (Though the voice of the angel sounded pretty cool)
But the episode picked up after that. I enjoyed the deep discussions that the characters had. The argument between Stephen and Seth was done quite well, and some of the conversations that Matthew had with Rhoda were very interesting, and really illustrated the moral more than any scene in the first episode.
Speaking of the moral, I was a bit puzzled about what exactly the moral would be in pt. 1. I knew Matthew would see that the church wasn't perfect, but I wasn't sure what Whit would tell him at the end. And I have to say, this is one of those life lessons you don't really think about. But it's true that I do sometimes picture the saints and patriarchs of the Bible as nearly perfect. So I'm glad this episode is out there, as it points out a moral that's not quite as obvious as lying or stealing.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting that AIO would decide to stone Stephen... again. I honestly think that this episode bared a striking resemblance to St. Paul: The Man From Tarsaus, but I suppose AIO has illustrated many Bible stories twice, so I can forgive that. Besides, the trial was illustrated better here, I thought. Stephen's speech was fascinating and brilliant, but, as I said, it could have been shortened.
I really, really enjoyed Georgina Dolenz's performance in this episode. I am hoping she can appear in future episodes, and have a feeling she could become a fixture on AIO. I would even say her performance as Rhoda is better than her performance as Sue. She has the perfect voice for the part, and her emotion was well conveyed in every scene she was in. I could genuinely feel scared for Stephen, though I knew of his fate, because of her tone in the scene before the trial.
But, I said in the first episode that I noticed Matthew didn't play a big role in the episode and that I hoped he would at least do something in pt. 2. Well, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Matthew's role was to spectate and learn a lesson, and I suppose that's enough, though I do wish he could have gotten involved as Sam and Rodney did in St. Paul and Eugene and Connie did in Back to Bethlehem.
Whit's talk at the end was perfect as usual, and it wrapped the episode up nicely, before hearing the closing music, and those classic 6 notes. Those 6, beautiful notes! Ah... Never mind.
In conclusion, these are strong, inspirational, classic Biblical AIO episodes. And though I honestly preferred Pt. 1 to pt. 2, both were well-done, though they had a couple minor flaws. But I believe we as critics can forgive minor flaws and just sit back and enjoy an episode.
The Perfect Church (Pt. 2) Rating: 7/10
Thanks for reading!
After the cliffhanger ending of pt. 1, I was eager to hear this episode. Whoever came up with two-part radio and television episodes was an absolute genius. Not only are these super-sized episodes great for suspense, they can open up a story and take it to new heights. The Perfect Church, Pt. 2 is a perfect example of this. This next installment expanded on the original and illustrated some of the best stories in the New Testament, even if, as Ben Warren said in his excellent review, they were not witnessed by Matthew, but were told secondhandedly.
However, I feel as if the first five minutes were the worst minutes in the episode. They seemed rushed, as if there were so many stories to tell in the Book of Acts, that the writers decided to jam about three into five minutes of audio. This was probably a bad idea. I'm not saying they should have gone larger and made it a three-parter, but they could have shortened Stephen's speech and expanded on these stories. I didn't particularly love the prison scene for this reason. (Though the voice of the angel sounded pretty cool)
But the episode picked up after that. I enjoyed the deep discussions that the characters had. The argument between Stephen and Seth was done quite well, and some of the conversations that Matthew had with Rhoda were very interesting, and really illustrated the moral more than any scene in the first episode.
Speaking of the moral, I was a bit puzzled about what exactly the moral would be in pt. 1. I knew Matthew would see that the church wasn't perfect, but I wasn't sure what Whit would tell him at the end. And I have to say, this is one of those life lessons you don't really think about. But it's true that I do sometimes picture the saints and patriarchs of the Bible as nearly perfect. So I'm glad this episode is out there, as it points out a moral that's not quite as obvious as lying or stealing.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting that AIO would decide to stone Stephen... again. I honestly think that this episode bared a striking resemblance to St. Paul: The Man From Tarsaus, but I suppose AIO has illustrated many Bible stories twice, so I can forgive that. Besides, the trial was illustrated better here, I thought. Stephen's speech was fascinating and brilliant, but, as I said, it could have been shortened.
I really, really enjoyed Georgina Dolenz's performance in this episode. I am hoping she can appear in future episodes, and have a feeling she could become a fixture on AIO. I would even say her performance as Rhoda is better than her performance as Sue. She has the perfect voice for the part, and her emotion was well conveyed in every scene she was in. I could genuinely feel scared for Stephen, though I knew of his fate, because of her tone in the scene before the trial.
But, I said in the first episode that I noticed Matthew didn't play a big role in the episode and that I hoped he would at least do something in pt. 2. Well, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Matthew's role was to spectate and learn a lesson, and I suppose that's enough, though I do wish he could have gotten involved as Sam and Rodney did in St. Paul and Eugene and Connie did in Back to Bethlehem.
Whit's talk at the end was perfect as usual, and it wrapped the episode up nicely, before hearing the closing music, and those classic 6 notes. Those 6, beautiful notes! Ah... Never mind.
In conclusion, these are strong, inspirational, classic Biblical AIO episodes. And though I honestly preferred Pt. 1 to pt. 2, both were well-done, though they had a couple minor flaws. But I believe we as critics can forgive minor flaws and just sit back and enjoy an episode.
The Perfect Church (Pt. 2) Rating: 7/10
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Weekly Review: The Perfect Church Pt. 1 10/6/12
I never thought I'd take a two week break. Let's just say an alien attacked me and I broke free this morning. Anyway, here is my review of The Perfect Church Pt. 1...
The Imagination Station has been a staple of the Adventures in Odyssey canon ever since it was first introduced way back in the good ol' days, when AIO was new and the Barcalys were still around. It was used many times after that, taking Odyssey kids (and adults, in Back to Bethlehem and Moses, the Passover) back in time to witness the action-packed stories of the Bible, as well as history.
However, though the IS was always used infrequently, after The Imagination Station, Revisited, it was never given a second look, except in the rather dreadful Fast As I Can. Until now...
The Perfect Church is, in many ways, unlike any recent AIO episode. I notice, after listening to 8 of the 12 episodes in Album 56, that Odyssey is really going back to their roots with this album more than any album since... oh, I don't know when, with nostalgic episodes for the fans who have been listening for 10 years or more. The Perfect Church is one of these nostalgic episodes.
The nostalgia (I love that word!) started in the very first scene. I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but seems as if Whit hasn't been at the counter listening to one child's problems in a long while. But someone might find another recent occurrence.
I also noted that Matthew's voice had changed a bit, or was at least starting to change. I don't know how this will affect the character, but I hope he can stick around. I sure like that kid.
I noticed that Eugene replaced Mabel! I wonder what made the Odyssey team decide to do that. Perhaps so he could be the one to state the word definitions, very fitting for his character. I almost missed Mabel, but who knows? She could be back next time.
At this point, Matthew is meeting Seth and Rhoda. I was expecting a Georgina Dolenz role in this album, as Paul McCusker mentioned that she would have one in a podcast, and I think she did a fine job. Her voice was well-suited to the part, though it could get a bit annoying at times.
I originally thought Ananias would have a larger role in this episode, but it turned out he was just in two scenes. Perhaps in part 2 he'll be more prominent...
Anyway, Matthew is navigating the area and finding that this church isn't so perfect. I loved Eugene's dictionary, but I do hope it will be used sparingly. It could become overwhelming in a future adventure if Eugene comes on to give us a definition every couple of minutes. Thankfully, however, Paul McCusker didn't go overboard with this plot device.
I loved the scene where Steven talks about Pentacost, though I had already heard it from the podcast preview. It was brilliantly done, and the music was terrific during that part. Bravo to John Campbell for this episode! He went above and beyond and composed some truly great music that fit the mood of the story.
Later in the episode, (bear with me while I skip ahead a bit) Seth has an interesting breakdown of sorts after the blind man is healed. I think it was well-done, and truly showed the magnitude of spreading the gospel. I honestly thought that after that, Seth would stop following Jesus, so what he did next surprised me.
I actually feel like Matthew had almost no role in this episode. He was a mere spectator, watching everyone else while not really doing anything himself. This irked me, as I believe he could have had a big role in the adventure, as Sam and Rodney did in the Saint Paul episode. But, considering that's essentially my only complaint for this episode, it's pretty minor. And perhaps Matthew will have a larger role in the story in pt. 2.
I was simply captivated by this church, all the twists and turns of this church. Seth selling his house and giving the money to the poor was unpredictable. And the appearance of Saul was quite exciting at the end. I'm not sure whether they'll show his conversion experience again in Pt. 2, but, considering they already showed it in the Saint Paul episodes, I hope not.
In conclusion, this episode was a terrific season opener, with great music, great acting, and an interesting moral. I'm eagerly awaiting pt. 2 and have high expectations. I just hope Paul and Marshall don't let me down.
The Perfect Church Rating: 8/10
Well, that's it. Until next time, Thanks for reading!
The Imagination Station has been a staple of the Adventures in Odyssey canon ever since it was first introduced way back in the good ol' days, when AIO was new and the Barcalys were still around. It was used many times after that, taking Odyssey kids (and adults, in Back to Bethlehem and Moses, the Passover) back in time to witness the action-packed stories of the Bible, as well as history.
However, though the IS was always used infrequently, after The Imagination Station, Revisited, it was never given a second look, except in the rather dreadful Fast As I Can. Until now...
The Perfect Church is, in many ways, unlike any recent AIO episode. I notice, after listening to 8 of the 12 episodes in Album 56, that Odyssey is really going back to their roots with this album more than any album since... oh, I don't know when, with nostalgic episodes for the fans who have been listening for 10 years or more. The Perfect Church is one of these nostalgic episodes.
The nostalgia (I love that word!) started in the very first scene. I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but seems as if Whit hasn't been at the counter listening to one child's problems in a long while. But someone might find another recent occurrence.
I also noted that Matthew's voice had changed a bit, or was at least starting to change. I don't know how this will affect the character, but I hope he can stick around. I sure like that kid.
I noticed that Eugene replaced Mabel! I wonder what made the Odyssey team decide to do that. Perhaps so he could be the one to state the word definitions, very fitting for his character. I almost missed Mabel, but who knows? She could be back next time.
At this point, Matthew is meeting Seth and Rhoda. I was expecting a Georgina Dolenz role in this album, as Paul McCusker mentioned that she would have one in a podcast, and I think she did a fine job. Her voice was well-suited to the part, though it could get a bit annoying at times.
I originally thought Ananias would have a larger role in this episode, but it turned out he was just in two scenes. Perhaps in part 2 he'll be more prominent...
Anyway, Matthew is navigating the area and finding that this church isn't so perfect. I loved Eugene's dictionary, but I do hope it will be used sparingly. It could become overwhelming in a future adventure if Eugene comes on to give us a definition every couple of minutes. Thankfully, however, Paul McCusker didn't go overboard with this plot device.
I loved the scene where Steven talks about Pentacost, though I had already heard it from the podcast preview. It was brilliantly done, and the music was terrific during that part. Bravo to John Campbell for this episode! He went above and beyond and composed some truly great music that fit the mood of the story.
Later in the episode, (bear with me while I skip ahead a bit) Seth has an interesting breakdown of sorts after the blind man is healed. I think it was well-done, and truly showed the magnitude of spreading the gospel. I honestly thought that after that, Seth would stop following Jesus, so what he did next surprised me.
I actually feel like Matthew had almost no role in this episode. He was a mere spectator, watching everyone else while not really doing anything himself. This irked me, as I believe he could have had a big role in the adventure, as Sam and Rodney did in the Saint Paul episode. But, considering that's essentially my only complaint for this episode, it's pretty minor. And perhaps Matthew will have a larger role in the story in pt. 2.
I was simply captivated by this church, all the twists and turns of this church. Seth selling his house and giving the money to the poor was unpredictable. And the appearance of Saul was quite exciting at the end. I'm not sure whether they'll show his conversion experience again in Pt. 2, but, considering they already showed it in the Saint Paul episodes, I hope not.
In conclusion, this episode was a terrific season opener, with great music, great acting, and an interesting moral. I'm eagerly awaiting pt. 2 and have high expectations. I just hope Paul and Marshall don't let me down.
The Perfect Church Rating: 8/10
Well, that's it. Until next time, Thanks for reading!
Friday, September 21, 2012
AIO News 9/21/12
Well, for various reasons, (like life) I've taken my longest break ever, nearly a week. Now it is really time to get back into the swing of things with news!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from Clubhouse magazine, where the new Captain Absolutely comics in there have everyone excited. I do not get Clubhouse anymore, but I look forward to reading these comics on their website http://www.clubhousemagazine.com/. For more info, visit Whitsend.org and listen to the podcast.
In other news, a new ESK development will have the whole Emily-loving and Emily-hating world a frenzy. I shall not tell you what it is just yet, but it's pretty big.
Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm AJ, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading, and I'm really sorry I don't have the podcast up yet!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from Clubhouse magazine, where the new Captain Absolutely comics in there have everyone excited. I do not get Clubhouse anymore, but I look forward to reading these comics on their website http://www.clubhousemagazine.com/. For more info, visit Whitsend.org and listen to the podcast.
In other news, a new ESK development will have the whole Emily-loving and Emily-hating world a frenzy. I shall not tell you what it is just yet, but it's pretty big.
Well, that's about it. Until next time, I'm AJ, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading, and I'm really sorry I don't have the podcast up yet!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Weekly Feature 9/16/12
Sorry I didn't get this feature out for a while, but I have a truly awesome excuse. I've been listening to Odyssey! That's right! For just about the entire day, I've been indulging in the clean, hilarious, character-building entertainment that this amazing show offers! I just got a boatload of albums for my birthday yesterday, so I listened to some episodes I had actually never heard before (in Album 8), as well as revisiting the captivating Novacom Saga in Volume 38 and chuckling at all the unfortunate missteps in Album 51. (Including the character of Emily) But I also had time to record a podcast today. I'll have it out for you soon, though I'm afraid not tonight. I also am starting to get a guilty conscience about AIC, but I just can't bring myself to sit down and write it. I've had a busy weekend, though, it all seemed to fly by in just a couple of hours, what with my birthday party, listening to Odyssey, and recording a podcast. And after listening to the epic Novacom saga for hours, I simply had to do a feature on sagas! So here it is, my take on the Top 5 Best Saga Episodes:
5.
The Top Floor: In Nathan Hoobler's interview with me, he said this was the best episode that he had written. I wouldn't go that far, but it still deserves a spot on this list. Why? Quite simply, because it's great! The African scenes, the intensity of it all, Eugene's conversations with his Dad, the shocking revelation that Everret is alive, and the ending are all well-done. It is easily the best Eugene Searching For His Father episode and, in my opinion, is better than several Novacom and Blackgaard episodes. It's a true action-adventure masterpiece, and I love it! But the epic ep. that beat it is...
4.
Box of Miracles: Yes. Yes, I'm sure this is a bit of a surprise. You were probably thinking "Exit!" But I honestly think that the last three Novacom episodes were a little rushed, and the saga could've been given another several episodes to really develop. But Box of Miracles is a perfect example of an ideal Novacom episode: it's intense, chilling, it references God without being cliche about it, and it reveals more of the plot without seeming rushed. I love the idea of Tom and Whit butting heads about Novacom, and Bryan Dern and Arthur Dent just made this episode great. The acting was superb, the writing was perfect, and it set the stage for the last 5 episodes in an entertaining and satisfying way. I say it is one of the best Novacom episodes and it certainly exceeds Expect the Worst, Exactly As Planned, and even Exit. But it's not the best...
3.
The Battle: Ah yes, the Blackgaard episodes will always come late in the list. And while The Nemesis was good, I think The Battle is better. It certainly exceeded fan's expectations and got far bigger and more intense than anyone thought Odyssey could at the times. Blackgaard and Maxwell are ideal villians, and Lucy's conversation with Richard int eh hospital was fascinating. I just love this episode, it's a true example of a great, classic AIO episode of an era from days gone by. So what other saga episode got on the list?
2.
The Final Conflict: DBD always seems to finish in 2nd place in my lists. I am a big fan of Blackgaard, but I can't honestly say that The Final Conflict was the best saga episode ever. However, it was a mind-blowing conclusion that blew all previous saga episodes out of the water and set the standard for future saga endings. The way they picked off the villians one by one before it was just Blackgaard always excites me. The entire saga just makes me want to jump up and down with excitement. And, the winner is...
1.
Plan B: Collision Course: I'm just a sucker for this episode. I really am. There is no way I wouldn't give it first on a list like this. It's more exciting than any other episode in Odyssey history, (yes, that's a bold statement, but I believe it's true) and the way it was a ll sewn together to make way for the ending was great. It was unpredictable at every turn, and Arthur Dent put on another stellar, mad-man performance. Mr. Charles was just plain epic, and the emotion, intensity, and occasional comedy with the brilliant David Griffin all just came together to make the episode that is by a shadow of a doubt the best saga episode ever.
(Note: If you're wondering about The Time Has Come, I don't consider it a Blackgaard episode, and this list was for action-adventure sagas only.)
I hope you enjoyed that, cause I sure enjoyed writing it! I love these little lists, and I haven't done one in a while. I'll try to post more often, so you guys can get your daily dose of JAAIOB. And don't worry, the podcast should be out tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
5.
The Top Floor: In Nathan Hoobler's interview with me, he said this was the best episode that he had written. I wouldn't go that far, but it still deserves a spot on this list. Why? Quite simply, because it's great! The African scenes, the intensity of it all, Eugene's conversations with his Dad, the shocking revelation that Everret is alive, and the ending are all well-done. It is easily the best Eugene Searching For His Father episode and, in my opinion, is better than several Novacom and Blackgaard episodes. It's a true action-adventure masterpiece, and I love it! But the epic ep. that beat it is...4.
Box of Miracles: Yes. Yes, I'm sure this is a bit of a surprise. You were probably thinking "Exit!" But I honestly think that the last three Novacom episodes were a little rushed, and the saga could've been given another several episodes to really develop. But Box of Miracles is a perfect example of an ideal Novacom episode: it's intense, chilling, it references God without being cliche about it, and it reveals more of the plot without seeming rushed. I love the idea of Tom and Whit butting heads about Novacom, and Bryan Dern and Arthur Dent just made this episode great. The acting was superb, the writing was perfect, and it set the stage for the last 5 episodes in an entertaining and satisfying way. I say it is one of the best Novacom episodes and it certainly exceeds Expect the Worst, Exactly As Planned, and even Exit. But it's not the best...3.
The Battle: Ah yes, the Blackgaard episodes will always come late in the list. And while The Nemesis was good, I think The Battle is better. It certainly exceeded fan's expectations and got far bigger and more intense than anyone thought Odyssey could at the times. Blackgaard and Maxwell are ideal villians, and Lucy's conversation with Richard int eh hospital was fascinating. I just love this episode, it's a true example of a great, classic AIO episode of an era from days gone by. So what other saga episode got on the list?2.
The Final Conflict: DBD always seems to finish in 2nd place in my lists. I am a big fan of Blackgaard, but I can't honestly say that The Final Conflict was the best saga episode ever. However, it was a mind-blowing conclusion that blew all previous saga episodes out of the water and set the standard for future saga endings. The way they picked off the villians one by one before it was just Blackgaard always excites me. The entire saga just makes me want to jump up and down with excitement. And, the winner is...1.
Plan B: Collision Course: I'm just a sucker for this episode. I really am. There is no way I wouldn't give it first on a list like this. It's more exciting than any other episode in Odyssey history, (yes, that's a bold statement, but I believe it's true) and the way it was a ll sewn together to make way for the ending was great. It was unpredictable at every turn, and Arthur Dent put on another stellar, mad-man performance. Mr. Charles was just plain epic, and the emotion, intensity, and occasional comedy with the brilliant David Griffin all just came together to make the episode that is by a shadow of a doubt the best saga episode ever.(Note: If you're wondering about The Time Has Come, I don't consider it a Blackgaard episode, and this list was for action-adventure sagas only.)
I hope you enjoyed that, cause I sure enjoyed writing it! I love these little lists, and I haven't done one in a while. I'll try to post more often, so you guys can get your daily dose of JAAIOB. And don't worry, the podcast should be out tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
AIO Article: Jack's Partner: Joanne's Return 9/15/12
Well, everyone, my little blog is still living on. It's been almost 1/3 of a year since I started this thing, (Big milestone, huh?) so I've surpassed several AIO blogs with my supreme extended blogging time. Anyway, I have a couple announcements to make before I give you my amazing article...
First, I'd like to give a special shoutout to Hannah J., who is, of course, the blogger who started the half-AIO half-personal blog Me 4 the King (A truly great blog by the way, if you haven't checked it out, click that link right now!) as well as a prominent member of CC and SS. Why am I giving her a shoutout? Well, when on CC today, I mentioned JAAIOP, my AIO podcast. She replied that she was listening to it and commented on how good it was. It fueled my inspiration, and I have decided to get to work on JAAIOP as soon as possible. So thank you, Hannah J., if you're reading this. Because of you, I'll have a new episode soon.
Secondly, I'm so sorry about AIC. It's not lack of inspiration that I'm not writing it, it's mostly just laziness. I'm not making anymore promises, except that I will have the Installment out at some point.
Thirdly, I'm doing something unorthodox for my blog today. Last night, I started writing the article that you are reading right now. But I didn't get to finish it. So I thought I would do something crazy and release an article and a review on the same day. I might be doing this in the future.
Finally, I realize my blog has been on a bit of a lull since last month. I'm trying to fix that, but, like Christian A., I can be a bit of a procrastinator. But I want to pick things up. But if no one is reading this thing, there's no point in churning out post after post and spending hours a week keeping up with this thing. So, I would like to say that if you read this, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, leave a comment. I just want to know how many readers I have, and you don't have to have a Google account to comment, so just comment as Anonymous if you have to. I just want to know if anyone's reading this blog. And, if I do not get any comments at all, I'm going to do something incredibly drastic. I'm going to stop blogging, since there's no point in blogging if no one is reading this. So, if you don't want JAAIOB to shut down, comment right after you're done reading this!
Also, I would just like to thank whittaker96 for being the first person to sign up for JAAIOBS. If you would like to sign up for JAAIOB Scoop, contact me at CreativeThinker101@gmail.com or pm me on any major message board. Now, enough rambling. Here's my article...
The Decision that brought Joanne in (Joanne's first episode was called The Decision. That was an epic pun, wasn't it?) must not have been incredibly hard to make. After all, Eugene had a love interest, Jason had a love interest, Connie had had a love interest and would have a love interest, and Bernard had a wife. It was Jack's turn. So AIO brought a character much like him in. Joanne Woodston, soon to be Joanne Allen.
But, as the Official Guide said, Joanne's introduction was not just to give Jack a partner. They also wanted to give Janet Waldo (Who actually played Judy Jetson in The Jetsons) another recurring role on the show. Janet Waldo is what you might call a voiceover legend, as The Jetsons is one of the most acclaimed animated television shows in history. She played Maureen Hodges, Laurence's mother, and did a wonderful job at it. AIO didn't want to lose her, of course, so they created Joanne.
Joanne and Jack flirted a bit in The Decision, and then got married in For Whom the Wedding Bellls Toll. Now, you may think, from the first two paragraphs, that this is going to be a character analysis similar to Pound Foolish Wisdom. But that's not why I wanted to write this article. I wanted to explain my predictions for Joanne's return and look at the pros and cons of it. I figured I should give a brief history of the character first, however. But I shall now discuss what I was planning on discussing...
When I found out about Joanne's return on AIOwiki, (the spoiler destination for every AIO fan out there), I was ecstatic. I had always loved Joanne, and her and Jack's return was probably in my Top 10 List Of What Odyssey Should Do In The Future. (Hey, that's another good idea for an article!) I heard on The Voice of Odyssey that there was some big, important spoiler that we shouldn't check out. I, of course, immediately did check it out, as, like Connie, I don't like surprises. I believe I was one of the first fans to know about Joanne's return, and Mitch's return, as I find out all I can about new albums. No, I don't like to wait for things.
The question I immediately asked myself was: "Why is she returning?" I couldn't answer the question, and I still really can't. I'm always excited about characters returning, but in the case of Monty and Mitch, sometimes I ask myself why they returned.
It's very strange to me that Monty's return wasn't as big as Jason's, considering the writers made hints that Jason would be coming back in various podcasts. But Monty's return was straight out of the blue, considering he'd been gone for decades. Perhaps if they hadn't told us about his return in Part 1, it would have been more exciting. But I honestly saw no point whatsoever in Monty's return, as all he really did was leave the hospital, showing up at Whit's house later, and then telling Whit a couple things about the Green Ring before getting nabbed again. Then he talked to Derk at the end and that was that. I suppose I can understand that they wanted to bring Monty back, but it seemed quite pointless to me. Same with Mitch.
But I'm getting quite off-topic. I was worried that the same thing would happen to Joanne, and I'm still worrying, so I will compile a list of things that must happen in order for this return to be really great:
1. AIO must not simply dismiss the character of Jack and not mention him at all. I understand that the actor is very old, in his 90s in fact, but if they do not mention him, I think it would be doing Joanne's character injustice, as she was created to marry Jack and compliment his character.
2. Joanne must be involved with J & J Antiques. This shop is a big part of Joanne's character, and Joanne wouldn't be Joanne if she wasn't involved with her shop in her return episode. I know for a fact that Joanne will in fact be involved with J & J Antiques in Album 56, so this will come true.
3. Joanne should not be a very small character in her episodes, like Monty was. I am worried that, since Great Expectations is about young Whit and IS and Emily, Joanne will not be a big part of it. I will not stand for this! Joanne must be an important part in the episodes that she's in! Home Again is another problem, because it seems as if it's mostly about Jason, and I'm worried Joanne will be brushed aside.
You see, I originally thought Joanne was returning in Home Again and would not be in any other episodes. Miracle of miracles, she is returning in two episodes in 56! I am honestly looking forward to Home Again more than Great Expectations, for several reasons, but since Joanne is in Great Expectations, I don't think Emily will ruin it too horribly.
But the thing everyone is now asking themselves is: "Is this return permanent?" I honestly am not sure. That she is not returning in a grand, action-adventure or epic fashion like Mitch and Monty did is a good sign. Her return does not sound like it will be a big event in Odyssey, it sounds to me like she will settle right back in. And that she is in two episodes instead of one is another great sign, as most big returns are only in one episode.
But an issue is Janet Waldo's age. She is approaching her 90s as well. (She's 88, in fact.) So, I hate to say this, but Odyssey fans should expect a death announcement for Alan Young and Janet Waldo within 5 years or so. People don't live forever. So I don't think Joanne can realistically become a permanent fixture on the show. But we can always hope...
In conclusion, I think every AIO fan should be excited about Joanne's return, as it will be a true treat for old and new devoted Odyssey fans alike.
Did you like the article? Then, if you don't want there to be no more articles after this one, comment RIGHT NOW as Anonymous, or, if you have a Google account, comment with that! Expect a review later today...
Thanks for reading!
First, I'd like to give a special shoutout to Hannah J., who is, of course, the blogger who started the half-AIO half-personal blog Me 4 the King (A truly great blog by the way, if you haven't checked it out, click that link right now!) as well as a prominent member of CC and SS. Why am I giving her a shoutout? Well, when on CC today, I mentioned JAAIOP, my AIO podcast. She replied that she was listening to it and commented on how good it was. It fueled my inspiration, and I have decided to get to work on JAAIOP as soon as possible. So thank you, Hannah J., if you're reading this. Because of you, I'll have a new episode soon.
Secondly, I'm so sorry about AIC. It's not lack of inspiration that I'm not writing it, it's mostly just laziness. I'm not making anymore promises, except that I will have the Installment out at some point.
Thirdly, I'm doing something unorthodox for my blog today. Last night, I started writing the article that you are reading right now. But I didn't get to finish it. So I thought I would do something crazy and release an article and a review on the same day. I might be doing this in the future.
Finally, I realize my blog has been on a bit of a lull since last month. I'm trying to fix that, but, like Christian A., I can be a bit of a procrastinator. But I want to pick things up. But if no one is reading this thing, there's no point in churning out post after post and spending hours a week keeping up with this thing. So, I would like to say that if you read this, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, leave a comment. I just want to know how many readers I have, and you don't have to have a Google account to comment, so just comment as Anonymous if you have to. I just want to know if anyone's reading this blog. And, if I do not get any comments at all, I'm going to do something incredibly drastic. I'm going to stop blogging, since there's no point in blogging if no one is reading this. So, if you don't want JAAIOB to shut down, comment right after you're done reading this!
Also, I would just like to thank whittaker96 for being the first person to sign up for JAAIOBS. If you would like to sign up for JAAIOB Scoop, contact me at CreativeThinker101@gmail.com or pm me on any major message board. Now, enough rambling. Here's my article...
The Decision that brought Joanne in (Joanne's first episode was called The Decision. That was an epic pun, wasn't it?) must not have been incredibly hard to make. After all, Eugene had a love interest, Jason had a love interest, Connie had had a love interest and would have a love interest, and Bernard had a wife. It was Jack's turn. So AIO brought a character much like him in. Joanne Woodston, soon to be Joanne Allen.
But, as the Official Guide said, Joanne's introduction was not just to give Jack a partner. They also wanted to give Janet Waldo (Who actually played Judy Jetson in The Jetsons) another recurring role on the show. Janet Waldo is what you might call a voiceover legend, as The Jetsons is one of the most acclaimed animated television shows in history. She played Maureen Hodges, Laurence's mother, and did a wonderful job at it. AIO didn't want to lose her, of course, so they created Joanne.
Joanne and Jack flirted a bit in The Decision, and then got married in For Whom the Wedding Bellls Toll. Now, you may think, from the first two paragraphs, that this is going to be a character analysis similar to Pound Foolish Wisdom. But that's not why I wanted to write this article. I wanted to explain my predictions for Joanne's return and look at the pros and cons of it. I figured I should give a brief history of the character first, however. But I shall now discuss what I was planning on discussing...
When I found out about Joanne's return on AIOwiki, (the spoiler destination for every AIO fan out there), I was ecstatic. I had always loved Joanne, and her and Jack's return was probably in my Top 10 List Of What Odyssey Should Do In The Future. (Hey, that's another good idea for an article!) I heard on The Voice of Odyssey that there was some big, important spoiler that we shouldn't check out. I, of course, immediately did check it out, as, like Connie, I don't like surprises. I believe I was one of the first fans to know about Joanne's return, and Mitch's return, as I find out all I can about new albums. No, I don't like to wait for things.
The question I immediately asked myself was: "Why is she returning?" I couldn't answer the question, and I still really can't. I'm always excited about characters returning, but in the case of Monty and Mitch, sometimes I ask myself why they returned.
It's very strange to me that Monty's return wasn't as big as Jason's, considering the writers made hints that Jason would be coming back in various podcasts. But Monty's return was straight out of the blue, considering he'd been gone for decades. Perhaps if they hadn't told us about his return in Part 1, it would have been more exciting. But I honestly saw no point whatsoever in Monty's return, as all he really did was leave the hospital, showing up at Whit's house later, and then telling Whit a couple things about the Green Ring before getting nabbed again. Then he talked to Derk at the end and that was that. I suppose I can understand that they wanted to bring Monty back, but it seemed quite pointless to me. Same with Mitch.
But I'm getting quite off-topic. I was worried that the same thing would happen to Joanne, and I'm still worrying, so I will compile a list of things that must happen in order for this return to be really great:
1. AIO must not simply dismiss the character of Jack and not mention him at all. I understand that the actor is very old, in his 90s in fact, but if they do not mention him, I think it would be doing Joanne's character injustice, as she was created to marry Jack and compliment his character.
2. Joanne must be involved with J & J Antiques. This shop is a big part of Joanne's character, and Joanne wouldn't be Joanne if she wasn't involved with her shop in her return episode. I know for a fact that Joanne will in fact be involved with J & J Antiques in Album 56, so this will come true.
3. Joanne should not be a very small character in her episodes, like Monty was. I am worried that, since Great Expectations is about young Whit and IS and Emily, Joanne will not be a big part of it. I will not stand for this! Joanne must be an important part in the episodes that she's in! Home Again is another problem, because it seems as if it's mostly about Jason, and I'm worried Joanne will be brushed aside.
You see, I originally thought Joanne was returning in Home Again and would not be in any other episodes. Miracle of miracles, she is returning in two episodes in 56! I am honestly looking forward to Home Again more than Great Expectations, for several reasons, but since Joanne is in Great Expectations, I don't think Emily will ruin it too horribly.
But the thing everyone is now asking themselves is: "Is this return permanent?" I honestly am not sure. That she is not returning in a grand, action-adventure or epic fashion like Mitch and Monty did is a good sign. Her return does not sound like it will be a big event in Odyssey, it sounds to me like she will settle right back in. And that she is in two episodes instead of one is another great sign, as most big returns are only in one episode.
But an issue is Janet Waldo's age. She is approaching her 90s as well. (She's 88, in fact.) So, I hate to say this, but Odyssey fans should expect a death announcement for Alan Young and Janet Waldo within 5 years or so. People don't live forever. So I don't think Joanne can realistically become a permanent fixture on the show. But we can always hope...
In conclusion, I think every AIO fan should be excited about Joanne's return, as it will be a true treat for old and new devoted Odyssey fans alike.
Did you like the article? Then, if you don't want there to be no more articles after this one, comment RIGHT NOW as Anonymous, or, if you have a Google account, comment with that! Expect a review later today...
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
AIO Article: Pound Foolish Wisdom #2 9/11/12
Well, everyone, it's September 11th. 12 years ago, this would have seemed unimportant, but after the events of 2001, this is, of course, a day for remembering the loss of so many lives on that fateful day. But that's not what this blog post is about. I just figured I should commemorate the day somehow. Anyway, PF has an article on Liz for you today! I hope you enjoy it:
Pound Foolish Wisdom
Where AIO Characters Are Put Beneath the Microscope#2: Liz
by Pound Foolish
Femininity exists only in the mind.
A surprising statement, yes. There is no intended implication here that certain qualities, talents, and traits are unique to woman and, or instead, more common in women. However, to be feminine, that is, to actively attempt to reach femininity as a goal, by definition, means to “act like a lady.”
Well, if a girl acts like herself, seeking to do what she believes she must, she must, then, be acting like a female. Women are different from one another, are they not? If women act like themselves, they must then act very differently, must they not? How, then, can we generalize femininity, and call it being “ladylike” or “feminine” or “womanly”?
Perhaps seeking to define humans, saying they need to behave certain ways to fit into their certain groups, qualifies as one of the most foolish things people do, (well, it might be in the top five billion, anyway.)
But it’s not just young women. Of course, they’re the first that come to mind. Yet, society obsesses with classification of the human race. Another toy of society is men’s identity. Men are supposed to be masculine, manly, emotionally reserved, and conquest women.
There is a great deal of bleariness in the political swamp of defining the male identity when it comes to politically correct gender identity. Why, for instance, is it that women can wear men’s clothes without anyone raising an eyebrow, but men are assumed gay if they don any female habits? In actuality, men in general have some rather feminine tendencies. I won’t pretend to be an exception. I enjoy chic flicks, my philosophy in regards to books is the more romantic the better, I enjoy gardening, and I’ve even, with some interest, hidden myself away to secretly read bits of one of my sister’s books on cosmetology! After all, both genders are humans.
Supposedly, culture is about not stereotyping, not classifying, letting people be who they want to be. Being tolerant, accepting different races, religions, and behaviors.
Truth is, modern culture practically revolves around the opposite of all that. Stereotyping.
Brave liberated divorced women. Cool gay guys in neat clothes who give women “manly” affection without the danger of attraction. Party-happy, oh-so-glamorous teen revolutionaries.
This isn’t anything new. Our culture has never been about all that, and hopefully never will be. We are America, and America means individualism, capitalism, be who you can be and all you can be.
Wonderful speech, Mister Deep and Serious. I know you’re extremely busy trying to be sophisticated, but how about giving us that stupid Liz character analysis!?
Okay, okay, patience, that was all leading up to it. Liz breaths fire into her episodes. Her snappy, confident, bold voice strides aside her sharp, biting attitude. Ah! Her voice and attitude. As so often happens in AIO, they are as pearls and an oyster.
On the other hand, all good characters must be flawed. And Liz’s flaws lead to interesting contradictions in her character. Liz’s assertive frame of mind leads her to see her brother’s new fiancée as a rival and the fiancée’s relationship with him as a power struggle, after feeling replaced by the new woman. Her bold newspaper reporting springs a trap on her own behavior in Lost by a Nose, and we see even Liz can be wiled by recognition.
Liz speaks out with an admirable boldness. She takes action with toughness and caprice.
Many characters behave in a way known as passive aggressive. That is, they are shy of direct confrontation. Liz stands as the opposite.
Indeed, she can be seen as the opposite of many of the other well-beloved AIO girls. Such as the sweet, gentle Lucy, mild if at times somewhat grouchy or plucky Robyn, or… interestingly enough, Liz’s closest friend, Mandy.
How does a brave, outspoken girl like Liz work so well with a friend like Mandy? People often say opposites make for the best friendships. The contrast remains curious, still… and interesting. How come AIO once tended to focus on all sugar and spice girls? Why is Liz’s fire balanced in so many of her episodes by Mandy’s femaleness and reasoning?
Were writers and directors in the past more hesitant about grrrrl characters than today? One feels tempted to believe so when one observes the biggest AIO girl of today, the forceful Emily Jones, and the also recurring Olivia, with her occasional temper. Admittedly, such characters then had nowhere near as much popularity as they do today.
But perhaps, rather than seeing Mandy as the feminine voice of reason trying to steady Liz’s un-girlyness, she plays more the role of caution alongside strength. Strength that constantly wants out.
Strength is not folly, nor caution strength’s master.
Yes, Liz has her moments of timidity. For instance, why oh why did Liz have to be so helpless in Hindsight? Couldn’t she have displayed just a little of her forcefulness when the thief appeared when she was behind the counter? However, that took place in Liz’s relatively early years. One may be tempted to think if the thief showed his face to the later Liz, he would have been the one worried about a hurt head.
But that is one aggravating kink in the armor of Liz’s character. We never see her in any real danger. She got left out of the Nova Com Saga, along with a few other characters, like Bernard for the most part, and no episode can be heard where Liz has to do any true heroics.
But perhaps she has no need to.
Perhaps strength lies in strength.
Perhaps Liz’s strength lies in her ability to be Liz.
She stands out through her belief in herself. Her ability to say what she thinks. Her fierceness. Her open love of God. Her kindness.
That she dares to be herself.
You can tell Liz doesn’t try to be more tough than she really is naturally. Nor less good than she can be. She strives to reach her potential. By the end of her run, she stood as a changed and changing character.
And she’s still Liz.
For, when she changes, she changes more into herself. Who she is meant to be. Who she wants to be. Who she can be.
…. Well, apart from the fact she seems to have dyed her red hair super dark brown.
She refuses to be stereotyped.
I hope you enjoyed that fascinating and insightful article not only on Liz, but on women and feminity in general. Be watching for more articles from PF, possibly breaking out of the PF Wisdom realm. I'll try to get Installment 9 of AIC out very soon, but no promises.
Thanks for reading!
Pound Foolish Wisdom
Where AIO Characters Are Put Beneath the Microscope#2: Liz
by Pound Foolish
Femininity exists only in the mind.
A surprising statement, yes. There is no intended implication here that certain qualities, talents, and traits are unique to woman and, or instead, more common in women. However, to be feminine, that is, to actively attempt to reach femininity as a goal, by definition, means to “act like a lady.”
Well, if a girl acts like herself, seeking to do what she believes she must, she must, then, be acting like a female. Women are different from one another, are they not? If women act like themselves, they must then act very differently, must they not? How, then, can we generalize femininity, and call it being “ladylike” or “feminine” or “womanly”?
Perhaps seeking to define humans, saying they need to behave certain ways to fit into their certain groups, qualifies as one of the most foolish things people do, (well, it might be in the top five billion, anyway.)
But it’s not just young women. Of course, they’re the first that come to mind. Yet, society obsesses with classification of the human race. Another toy of society is men’s identity. Men are supposed to be masculine, manly, emotionally reserved, and conquest women.
There is a great deal of bleariness in the political swamp of defining the male identity when it comes to politically correct gender identity. Why, for instance, is it that women can wear men’s clothes without anyone raising an eyebrow, but men are assumed gay if they don any female habits? In actuality, men in general have some rather feminine tendencies. I won’t pretend to be an exception. I enjoy chic flicks, my philosophy in regards to books is the more romantic the better, I enjoy gardening, and I’ve even, with some interest, hidden myself away to secretly read bits of one of my sister’s books on cosmetology! After all, both genders are humans.
Supposedly, culture is about not stereotyping, not classifying, letting people be who they want to be. Being tolerant, accepting different races, religions, and behaviors.
Truth is, modern culture practically revolves around the opposite of all that. Stereotyping.
Brave liberated divorced women. Cool gay guys in neat clothes who give women “manly” affection without the danger of attraction. Party-happy, oh-so-glamorous teen revolutionaries.
This isn’t anything new. Our culture has never been about all that, and hopefully never will be. We are America, and America means individualism, capitalism, be who you can be and all you can be.
Wonderful speech, Mister Deep and Serious. I know you’re extremely busy trying to be sophisticated, but how about giving us that stupid Liz character analysis!?
Okay, okay, patience, that was all leading up to it. Liz breaths fire into her episodes. Her snappy, confident, bold voice strides aside her sharp, biting attitude. Ah! Her voice and attitude. As so often happens in AIO, they are as pearls and an oyster.
On the other hand, all good characters must be flawed. And Liz’s flaws lead to interesting contradictions in her character. Liz’s assertive frame of mind leads her to see her brother’s new fiancée as a rival and the fiancée’s relationship with him as a power struggle, after feeling replaced by the new woman. Her bold newspaper reporting springs a trap on her own behavior in Lost by a Nose, and we see even Liz can be wiled by recognition.
Liz speaks out with an admirable boldness. She takes action with toughness and caprice.
Many characters behave in a way known as passive aggressive. That is, they are shy of direct confrontation. Liz stands as the opposite.
Indeed, she can be seen as the opposite of many of the other well-beloved AIO girls. Such as the sweet, gentle Lucy, mild if at times somewhat grouchy or plucky Robyn, or… interestingly enough, Liz’s closest friend, Mandy.
How does a brave, outspoken girl like Liz work so well with a friend like Mandy? People often say opposites make for the best friendships. The contrast remains curious, still… and interesting. How come AIO once tended to focus on all sugar and spice girls? Why is Liz’s fire balanced in so many of her episodes by Mandy’s femaleness and reasoning?
Were writers and directors in the past more hesitant about grrrrl characters than today? One feels tempted to believe so when one observes the biggest AIO girl of today, the forceful Emily Jones, and the also recurring Olivia, with her occasional temper. Admittedly, such characters then had nowhere near as much popularity as they do today.
But perhaps, rather than seeing Mandy as the feminine voice of reason trying to steady Liz’s un-girlyness, she plays more the role of caution alongside strength. Strength that constantly wants out.
Strength is not folly, nor caution strength’s master.
Yes, Liz has her moments of timidity. For instance, why oh why did Liz have to be so helpless in Hindsight? Couldn’t she have displayed just a little of her forcefulness when the thief appeared when she was behind the counter? However, that took place in Liz’s relatively early years. One may be tempted to think if the thief showed his face to the later Liz, he would have been the one worried about a hurt head.
But that is one aggravating kink in the armor of Liz’s character. We never see her in any real danger. She got left out of the Nova Com Saga, along with a few other characters, like Bernard for the most part, and no episode can be heard where Liz has to do any true heroics.
But perhaps she has no need to.
Perhaps strength lies in strength.
Perhaps Liz’s strength lies in her ability to be Liz.
She stands out through her belief in herself. Her ability to say what she thinks. Her fierceness. Her open love of God. Her kindness.
That she dares to be herself.
You can tell Liz doesn’t try to be more tough than she really is naturally. Nor less good than she can be. She strives to reach her potential. By the end of her run, she stood as a changed and changing character.
And she’s still Liz.
For, when she changes, she changes more into herself. Who she is meant to be. Who she wants to be. Who she can be.
…. Well, apart from the fact she seems to have dyed her red hair super dark brown.
She refuses to be stereotyped.
I hope you enjoyed that fascinating and insightful article not only on Liz, but on women and feminity in general. Be watching for more articles from PF, possibly breaking out of the PF Wisdom realm. I'll try to get Installment 9 of AIC out very soon, but no promises.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
AIO News 9/5/12
Hey, everyone! Not really any news at all today, but I just wanted to say that JAAIOB will have two new pages/features in the near future. (As in, they'll be up by this weekend.) First off, we will be installing a very extensive link page, so you can get a list of every AIO blog/website/podcast out there. It will also include some non-related but related blogs. (Such as Brock Eastman's blog.) This page won't be The Imagination Station, but I'm still hoping I can get as massive of a link page as possible.
The second thing I wanted to say is that JAAIOB will be launching a inside group inspired by TOJ's TNT Insider. This will be called JAAIOB Scoop, and it will be distributed through all AIO MBs. (SS, ToO, CC) To sign up for JAAIOB Scoop, simply pm me on any of these MBs or contact me at CreativeThinker101@gmail.com. You will not only get an alert that a new post is out, but you will also have the opportunity to voice your opinions on JAAIOB and suggest new things and ways to improve my little blog. So sign up for that!
Well, that's about all... I might have an article for you tomorrow, but... we'll just have to see. Until next time, I'm Bryce, er - Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News! (I suppose it's more like JAAIOB News, but whatever.)
Thanks for reading!
The second thing I wanted to say is that JAAIOB will be launching a inside group inspired by TOJ's TNT Insider. This will be called JAAIOB Scoop, and it will be distributed through all AIO MBs. (SS, ToO, CC) To sign up for JAAIOB Scoop, simply pm me on any of these MBs or contact me at CreativeThinker101@gmail.com. You will not only get an alert that a new post is out, but you will also have the opportunity to voice your opinions on JAAIOB and suggest new things and ways to improve my little blog. So sign up for that!
Well, that's about all... I might have an article for you tomorrow, but... we'll just have to see. Until next time, I'm Bryce, er - Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News! (I suppose it's more like JAAIOB News, but whatever.)
Thanks for reading!
Monday, September 3, 2012
AIO News 9/3/12
Hello, everyone. It's Labor Day and JAAIOB is celebrating the holiday with... well, news. I know, I know, it's not too exciting, but that's why it's called AIO News! Also, sorry I didn't get the AIC out yesterday, but I promise I'll get it out before this Sunday...
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from the AIO Websters, where this new awards ceremony has caused quite a stir in the Odyssey community. It was a brilliant idea, and Bryce did such an amazing job presenting the awards... Oh, I just can't get over how amazing Bryce and his blog are! Honestly they - Oh, am I complimenting you too much, Bryce? I'm sorry.
Anyway, the Websters were great, particularly those acceptance speeches! In other news, TOJ released a new post that ranks the AIO MBs. He actually picked a winner, so go check out TNT to see which MB won!
Also, Out of Control In Odyssey has started a unique feature entitled The Odyssey Phone Book. It' s quite interesting, so you should check it out at Out of Control In Odyssey!
AIO Thoughts continues to produce great articles, as well as many other AIO blogs. Well, that's about all. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from the AIO Websters, where this new awards ceremony has caused quite a stir in the Odyssey community. It was a brilliant idea, and Bryce did such an amazing job presenting the awards... Oh, I just can't get over how amazing Bryce and his blog are! Honestly they - Oh, am I complimenting you too much, Bryce? I'm sorry.
Anyway, the Websters were great, particularly those acceptance speeches! In other news, TOJ released a new post that ranks the AIO MBs. He actually picked a winner, so go check out TNT to see which MB won!
Also, Out of Control In Odyssey has started a unique feature entitled The Odyssey Phone Book. It' s quite interesting, so you should check it out at Out of Control In Odyssey!
AIO Thoughts continues to produce great articles, as well as many other AIO blogs. Well, that's about all. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Weekly Feature 9/2/12
And it's finally here! The Webster ceremony will now be delivered to you in an epic fashion! Also, there will be a new AIC out later today! And now, for the Webster ceremony, I'll turn you over to the host of this event... Alex Jefferson!
Thanks, Bryce. I'm here at the Webster ceremony, where hundreds - I mean, thousands of AIO fans are here to listen to the brilliant acceptance speeches behind the brilliant AIO fans themselves. Everyone is dressed up for the occasion. Unfortunately, for this event, there will be no red carpet, but we've got a blue carpet. Oh, wait! The ceremony's about to start! I'd better start dishing out awards!
The first award is Best Feature. The nominees are:
Adventures in Connellsville (Just Another AIO Blog)
The Imagination Station (TNT and UAIOB)
The U.S.S. Response (Just Another AIO Blog and UAIOB)
The Courtroom (TNT)
Odyssey Addict (The Odyssey Scoop)
The AIO Search Engine (The AIO Blog)
Editorials (The AIO Update)
And the winner is... Editorials from The AIO Update! David Hilder, why don't you come on up!
David's acceptance speech:
Thanks, Bryce. I'm here at the Webster ceremony, where hundreds - I mean, thousands of AIO fans are here to listen to the brilliant acceptance speeches behind the brilliant AIO fans themselves. Everyone is dressed up for the occasion. Unfortunately, for this event, there will be no red carpet, but we've got a blue carpet. Oh, wait! The ceremony's about to start! I'd better start dishing out awards!
The first award is Best Feature. The nominees are:
Adventures in Connellsville (Just Another AIO Blog)
The Imagination Station (TNT and UAIOB)
The U.S.S. Response (Just Another AIO Blog and UAIOB)
The Courtroom (TNT)
Odyssey Addict (The Odyssey Scoop)
The AIO Search Engine (The AIO Blog)
Editorials (The AIO Update)
And the winner is... Editorials from The AIO Update! David Hilder, why don't you come on up!
David's acceptance speech:
Thanks so much to the voters! It’s been really fun sharing my thoughts
about Odyssey on the internet and getting a response. I’m so glad people are
enjoying my editorials and I hope to continue adding to the online discussion on
the best radio drama out there, Adventures in Odyssey.
-David Hilder
He didn't cry! Maybe the next person will... Thank you, David Hilder! Our next award is for Best Post! And the nominees are:
Best Post Nominees: This category narrows down the best posts of many AIO websites/blogs.
One Month Anniversary!… And I’m Celebrating with Orbs (TNT)
Nothing New, Nothing Old (The Voice of Odyssey)
Weekly Feature 7/1/12 (Interview with Wooton Basset and The Old Judge) (Just Another AIO Blog)
The Top 5 All-Time Best AIO Blogs and Websites (The Unofficial AIO Blog)
Celebrating Ten Year Since Novacom (The Changing Times)
One Month Anniversary!… And I’m Celebrating with Orbs (TNT)
Nothing New, Nothing Old (The Voice of Odyssey)
Weekly Feature 7/1/12 (Interview with Wooton Basset and The Old Judge) (Just Another AIO Blog)
The Top 5 All-Time Best AIO Blogs and Websites (The Unofficial AIO Blog)
Celebrating Ten Year Since Novacom (The Changing Times)
And the winner is... Celebrating Ten Years Since Novacom! Everyone, give Ben Warren a hand!
Ben's acceptance speech:
Interesting. Out of all the "articles" I've written, I'm surprised "10
Years Since Novacom" would be responsible for giving me any sort of
accolades. That said, I am honoured to accept this award. The "Changing
Times" website has been running for two years now and it's nice to see
people have responded well to it. I'd like to thank everyone who voted
and Just Another AIO Blog for organizing this poll!
Thank you very much, Ben! These speeches are quite good. Our next award is for Best Podcast! And the nominees are:
Best Podcast Nominees: This category picks the best podcast from quite a wide selection.
The Boredom Buster Podcast
The Whit’s End Podcast
The Ceiling Fan Podcast
Abby and Mandie’s AIO Podcast
The AIO Blogcast
The Odyssey ScoopCast
The Boredom Buster Podcast
The Whit’s End Podcast
The Ceiling Fan Podcast
Abby and Mandie’s AIO Podcast
The AIO Blogcast
The Odyssey ScoopCast
And the winner is... The Ceiling Fan Podcast! Garret Vandenburg, who plays Intern Aaron and writes episodes as well as composing epic songs, has something to say in audio form! Click the link below to hear his awesome words:
Isn't he great, folks? Let's all give Garret a hand! No, don't cut off your hand, Bryce! That's not what I meant. Oh, whatever. Our next award is for Best Podcast Episode! And the nominees are...
Best Podcast Episode Nominees: The Podcast Episode category will choose the best episode out of all the notable recent ones.
BBP Interview with David Griffin Pt. 1 - 4
AIO Blogcast Sibling Spies Audio Drama
The Ceiling Fan Podcast To Survive and Protect
The Odyssey ScoopCast Interview with Kimmy Robertson Pt. 1 - 3
BBP Interview with David Griffin Pt. 1 - 4
AIO Blogcast Sibling Spies Audio Drama
The Ceiling Fan Podcast To Survive and Protect
The Odyssey ScoopCast Interview with Kimmy Robertson Pt. 1 - 3
And the winner is... BBP Interview with Dave Griffin Pt. 1 - 4! Wow, that's a mouthful. Noah, come up here and say something!
Noah's acceptance speech:
First I would like to thank creativethinker for having these websters,
and letting us be apart of it. It's been hard and a lot of fun making
the BBP. And we thank every fan who voted for us. Before we started
doing the BBP one of the thing we said we wanted to do was to make a
podcast about AIO, and then lead on to interviewing David Giffin. So we
where so happy when it finally came, and super amazed when our interview
was nomanated for best episode. So where so thankful for the webster
and our listerners for voting for us, and were excited for the new
season and the new episodes to come. Thank you!.............also my
cohost wanted to say, AND IT WAS SUPER AWESOME TO MEET JIMMY
BARCLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
End
End
Thank you so much, Noah! Our next award is for Best MB (Message Board) And the nominees are...
Best Message Board Nominees: This category will pick the best of the best when it comes to AIO forums.
The Town of Odyssey
Campbell County
The Soda Shop Message Boards
Exclusive AIO Forum
The Town of Odyssey
Campbell County
The Soda Shop Message Boards
Exclusive AIO Forum
And the winner is... The Soda Shop Message Boards! We do not have an acceptance speech for this category, but congrats on winning anyway, SS! And, our next award is for Best Website! And the nominees are:
Best Website Nominees: This category includes the best active AIO websites. No blogs.
The Odyssey Scoop
Twists and Turns
The AIO Update
The Changing Times
The Odyssey Scoop
Twists and Turns
The AIO Update
The Changing Times
And the winner is... The Odyssey Scoop! I'm afraid Jacob Isom isn't here today, however, so no acceptance speech from him. I know, I know, you're disappointed, but maybe next ceremony! And, the final two categories, Best Blog and Best New Site/Blog/Podcast were won by the same blog, so I'll just give you the nominees for the Best Blog:
Best Blog Nominees: This category is similar to the best website category, except it deals only with blogs.
The Unofficial AIO Blog
Just Another AIO Blog
The Voice of Odyssey
Out of Control In Odyssey
Down Odyssey Lane
The AIO Fan’s Life
The Adventures in Odyssey Blog
The Unofficial AIO Blog
Just Another AIO Blog
The Voice of Odyssey
Out of Control In Odyssey
Down Odyssey Lane
The AIO Fan’s Life
The Adventures in Odyssey Blog
And the winner is... Out of Control In Odyssey! Josh and Ally, the webmasters of this blog, have an amazing video presentation acceptance speech for you! Here is the link to it:
That was amazing, wasn't it? Thank you very much, Josh and Ally! Well, I'm afraid the ceremony must come to a close now. Thanks to everyone who voted, won, and was nominated! Until next time, I'm your host, Alex Jefferson, and I'd like to get out of this tuxedo now! Bye!
That was interesting, wasn't it? I really enjoyed all the acceptance speeches! Anyway, so the winners won't be a giveaway next ceremony, I'm planning on using a different poll and perhaps recording the ceremony. But, for now, I hope you enjoyed it! And don't forget to check out the new AIC soon!
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Weekly Review: The Amazing Loser 9/1/12
Well, it's the beginning of a new month, and my blog is still alive! Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Anyway, a new U.S.S. Response will be out today, and I'm writing my AIC and hopefully the Webster ceremony will be a huge success tomorrow. But for now, sit back and enjoy a nice, longer than normal review from me!
This will be a little introductory paragraph before I start the review. When this episode first aired a year ago, I listened to it once and then never again. I don't know why I did that, as I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.I didn't really remember all that much of it, so I was really excited to listen to it today. I noticed things that I hadn't noticed the first time, as I was listening from a critique standpoint. But, as always, I also just wanted to sit back and enjoy the episode instead of taking notes on everything they did wrong. And I did. I'm also going for longer reviews, so expect more like this in the future. Anyway, here is my actual review:
Isn't competition hilarious? That may seem like an odd statement, but competition really can be pretty amusing. (Example: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. That is a hilarious movie and you may know it from It Happened At Four Corners) This episode is really no exception. I don't believe I was rolling on the floor, but several of Jay's lines made me chuckle, and I actually am not amused very easily. (Except by my brother)
The episode kicks off with a hint of competition. Honestly, I was just a bit disappointed when I heard Jay was pairing up with Matthew and Barret was pairing up with Priscilla. I thought it might be nice for Barret and Jay to attempt to overcome their differences and work together. It might have yielded hilarious results. But, since the theme of the episode is Competition, I guess it makes more sense to split the ultimate rivals up into two teams.
I would like to take just a moment to talk about Barret and Priscilla. With Barret and Priscilla's relationship (crush) coming up in quite a few episodes lately, I'm enjoying it more and more. I used to be repulsed in When You're Right, You're Right and Stage Fright, but now I'm seeing the great story opportunities AIO could open p with this sometimes funny, sometimes obnoxious crush. I have more thoughts on that on a topic on SS.
In this episode, I was quite amused by Priscilla's constant observations of Barret's facial expressions. But I was also confuse. I thought that Barret liked Priscilla more than Priscilla liked Barret, from the episode When You're Right, You're Right. This episode, in a way, proved my thoughts wrong. I suppose Barret was too focused on the competition to flirt with Priscilla like he does in many of their other episodes, and I don't necessarily want him to flirt with her, as flirting scenes can be very awkward for the listener, I was just surprised that Priscilla was the one flirting this time.
I also noticed something else, something pretty minor, but still interesting. Jay apparently only wanted to beat Barret and go to Water World, but I noticed that he didn't know at first that he would be going to Water World. Did that sentence just make sense? Perhaps I should phrase it differently. When Jay arrived at Whit's End or wherever they were in the opening scene, he asked what they would win and was surprised to see Barret. If Jay had wanted to compete simply for the sake of musical knowledge, he would have read the book. But he didn't know that Barret was coming, that the prize was a pass to Water World, or even that they would be competing. So I wonder.... why did he sign up for the scavenger hunt? Oh, I can just dismiss it, I suppose. This whole paragraph is probably pretty stupid. It's just something I noticed.
Barret and Matthew sure do know a lot about music, don't they? The first time I listened to this episode, I was just shocked by all the musical trivia. It was amazing and odd that Barret and Matthew knew so much, but I suppose they read the book of Obscure Music Trivia. This whole episode was a treat for music lovers, and as usual, Dave Arnold did his research.
The clues progress, and the race becomes more interesting. When Jay suggested to take all the clues from the statue, I thought he would. It would be good for the plot to narrow the competitors down to just Jay, Barret, Matthew, and Priscilla, since they were the only ones shown competing, but I guess it also would have made Jay seem unlikable, and some of the funny lines from him would have lost their humor.
I think the montage that showed the four children guessing the various clues was brilliant. It was a stroke of genius from Chris Diehl and Dave Arnold, as it featured so many, many sounds, all brilliantly engineered by Christopher Diehl. Diehl has truly rose from being a new sound designer in 2007 and 2008 to being an asset to the Odyssey crew, perhaps being the best sound designer that Odyssey has ever had.
Finally, in the epically climatic finale to the episode, (pardon my sarcasm, but I'm in a sarcastic mood) Barret sweetly gives money to a deceivingly poor little girl. This was the lesson of the episode, and a highlight, at least for me. And when I found out she wasn't poor, it didn't matter to me. It was the thought that counted.
But wait! A gumball costs a penny? What time period are these characters living in? Gumballs cost 25 cents! Oh, well. Anyway, Jay gets a victory gumball and loses the competition, and everything is alright in the end. I didn't feel that Barret and Priscilla had to win to make the episode satisfying, but I still liked that they did, unlike when Mellisa Syphers came in Wooton Knows Best.
The episode wraps up on a nice note. From Jay's amusing rendition of 'Hail to the Chief' to the many fascinating, funny, informative, and even touching scenes in this episode, it was truly a 54 highlight, for its sound design, its meticulous attention to detail, its fun characters, and its element of competition! 4 stars all the way!
The Amazing Loser Rating: 8/10
Thanks for reading, and don't forget about the last U.S.S. Response!
This will be a little introductory paragraph before I start the review. When this episode first aired a year ago, I listened to it once and then never again. I don't know why I did that, as I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.I didn't really remember all that much of it, so I was really excited to listen to it today. I noticed things that I hadn't noticed the first time, as I was listening from a critique standpoint. But, as always, I also just wanted to sit back and enjoy the episode instead of taking notes on everything they did wrong. And I did. I'm also going for longer reviews, so expect more like this in the future. Anyway, here is my actual review:
Isn't competition hilarious? That may seem like an odd statement, but competition really can be pretty amusing. (Example: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. That is a hilarious movie and you may know it from It Happened At Four Corners) This episode is really no exception. I don't believe I was rolling on the floor, but several of Jay's lines made me chuckle, and I actually am not amused very easily. (Except by my brother)
The episode kicks off with a hint of competition. Honestly, I was just a bit disappointed when I heard Jay was pairing up with Matthew and Barret was pairing up with Priscilla. I thought it might be nice for Barret and Jay to attempt to overcome their differences and work together. It might have yielded hilarious results. But, since the theme of the episode is Competition, I guess it makes more sense to split the ultimate rivals up into two teams.
I would like to take just a moment to talk about Barret and Priscilla. With Barret and Priscilla's relationship (crush) coming up in quite a few episodes lately, I'm enjoying it more and more. I used to be repulsed in When You're Right, You're Right and Stage Fright, but now I'm seeing the great story opportunities AIO could open p with this sometimes funny, sometimes obnoxious crush. I have more thoughts on that on a topic on SS.
In this episode, I was quite amused by Priscilla's constant observations of Barret's facial expressions. But I was also confuse. I thought that Barret liked Priscilla more than Priscilla liked Barret, from the episode When You're Right, You're Right. This episode, in a way, proved my thoughts wrong. I suppose Barret was too focused on the competition to flirt with Priscilla like he does in many of their other episodes, and I don't necessarily want him to flirt with her, as flirting scenes can be very awkward for the listener, I was just surprised that Priscilla was the one flirting this time.
I also noticed something else, something pretty minor, but still interesting. Jay apparently only wanted to beat Barret and go to Water World, but I noticed that he didn't know at first that he would be going to Water World. Did that sentence just make sense? Perhaps I should phrase it differently. When Jay arrived at Whit's End or wherever they were in the opening scene, he asked what they would win and was surprised to see Barret. If Jay had wanted to compete simply for the sake of musical knowledge, he would have read the book. But he didn't know that Barret was coming, that the prize was a pass to Water World, or even that they would be competing. So I wonder.... why did he sign up for the scavenger hunt? Oh, I can just dismiss it, I suppose. This whole paragraph is probably pretty stupid. It's just something I noticed.
Barret and Matthew sure do know a lot about music, don't they? The first time I listened to this episode, I was just shocked by all the musical trivia. It was amazing and odd that Barret and Matthew knew so much, but I suppose they read the book of Obscure Music Trivia. This whole episode was a treat for music lovers, and as usual, Dave Arnold did his research.
The clues progress, and the race becomes more interesting. When Jay suggested to take all the clues from the statue, I thought he would. It would be good for the plot to narrow the competitors down to just Jay, Barret, Matthew, and Priscilla, since they were the only ones shown competing, but I guess it also would have made Jay seem unlikable, and some of the funny lines from him would have lost their humor.
I think the montage that showed the four children guessing the various clues was brilliant. It was a stroke of genius from Chris Diehl and Dave Arnold, as it featured so many, many sounds, all brilliantly engineered by Christopher Diehl. Diehl has truly rose from being a new sound designer in 2007 and 2008 to being an asset to the Odyssey crew, perhaps being the best sound designer that Odyssey has ever had.
Finally, in the epically climatic finale to the episode, (pardon my sarcasm, but I'm in a sarcastic mood) Barret sweetly gives money to a deceivingly poor little girl. This was the lesson of the episode, and a highlight, at least for me. And when I found out she wasn't poor, it didn't matter to me. It was the thought that counted.
But wait! A gumball costs a penny? What time period are these characters living in? Gumballs cost 25 cents! Oh, well. Anyway, Jay gets a victory gumball and loses the competition, and everything is alright in the end. I didn't feel that Barret and Priscilla had to win to make the episode satisfying, but I still liked that they did, unlike when Mellisa Syphers came in Wooton Knows Best.
The episode wraps up on a nice note. From Jay's amusing rendition of 'Hail to the Chief' to the many fascinating, funny, informative, and even touching scenes in this episode, it was truly a 54 highlight, for its sound design, its meticulous attention to detail, its fun characters, and its element of competition! 4 stars all the way!
The Amazing Loser Rating: 8/10
Thanks for reading, and don't forget about the last U.S.S. Response!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
No Article Today, But... 8/30/12
I'm sorry to say that I can't write an article today. But that doesn't mean I didn't keep myself busy doing other things!
First of all, I wrote an article on CC through my new blog! It's an article celebrating CC and MBs in general, and I pride myself on writing it. You can check it out at Campbell County.
Second, I wrote a new, short and sweet AIC today. It involves Polehouse and a kidnapping, so check it out!
Thirdly, a new U.S.S. Response will be out tomorrow, but, as I said on SS, it will be the last one for a little while. I'm afraid I'm running out of time to do things like The U.S.S. Response, so I'm taking a little break from it. I know some of you Soda Shoppers are disappointed by that, but I promise I'll start it up again some day!
Anyway, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO Ne - Wait! This isn't AIO News! This is a boring post with no meaning!
Okay, that's about it, I'm afraid. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... A BORING POST WITH NO MEANING!
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out all that stuff and more on JAAIOB and AIO blogs everywhere!
First of all, I wrote an article on CC through my new blog! It's an article celebrating CC and MBs in general, and I pride myself on writing it. You can check it out at Campbell County.
Second, I wrote a new, short and sweet AIC today. It involves Polehouse and a kidnapping, so check it out!
Thirdly, a new U.S.S. Response will be out tomorrow, but, as I said on SS, it will be the last one for a little while. I'm afraid I'm running out of time to do things like The U.S.S. Response, so I'm taking a little break from it. I know some of you Soda Shoppers are disappointed by that, but I promise I'll start it up again some day!
Anyway, that's about it. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO Ne - Wait! This isn't AIO News! This is a boring post with no meaning!
Okay, that's about it, I'm afraid. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... A BORING POST WITH NO MEANING!
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out all that stuff and more on JAAIOB and AIO blogs everywhere!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
AIO News 8/29/12
Wow, it's been a while. You guys thought this blog was done for, didn't you? Well, it's not! I'm gonna be back after quite a hiatus in full swing! Sorry I haven't been posting, I was just lazy and busy. There's not much news, but I figured I had to do a post today. Also, I'll start doing a little unofficial news today! Also, expect some changes in my blog soon. I'm considering doing some different things with it. Anyway, I'll give you a little bit of news...
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from The Ceiling Fan Podcast, where Episode 46 was surprisingly released on iTunes, though it's still not up on their website. I just listened to it and loved it! It could be the best Season 4 episode yet, maybe even topping the live show.
And, in other news, Out of Control in Odyssey and TNT are going full steam ahead with their posts. TNT released a new post featuring more unofficial news from The Old Judge, the dedicated reader of nearly every AIO blog out there. And Out of Control in Odyssey has released an excellent review of Taken, the exciting new adventure book by Brock Eastman. Other websites continue to offer more great posts.
And, finally, the Webster ceromondy is being prepared even as I speak, as several AIO webmasters are graciously giving acceptance speeches, some written, some audio, and even a video one. Contributiors include Garret Vandenburg, Ben Warren, David Hilder, Noah and Hallie, and Josh and Ally from Out of Control in Odyssey, as well as the host of the awards, Alex Jefferson.
Well, thatr's about all. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from The Ceiling Fan Podcast, where Episode 46 was surprisingly released on iTunes, though it's still not up on their website. I just listened to it and loved it! It could be the best Season 4 episode yet, maybe even topping the live show.
And, in other news, Out of Control in Odyssey and TNT are going full steam ahead with their posts. TNT released a new post featuring more unofficial news from The Old Judge, the dedicated reader of nearly every AIO blog out there. And Out of Control in Odyssey has released an excellent review of Taken, the exciting new adventure book by Brock Eastman. Other websites continue to offer more great posts.
And, finally, the Webster ceromondy is being prepared even as I speak, as several AIO webmasters are graciously giving acceptance speeches, some written, some audio, and even a video one. Contributiors include Garret Vandenburg, Ben Warren, David Hilder, Noah and Hallie, and Josh and Ally from Out of Control in Odyssey, as well as the host of the awards, Alex Jefferson.
Well, thatr's about all. Until next time, I'm Alex Jefferson, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Friday, August 24, 2012
AIO News 8/24/12
Hello, I'm Alex Jefferson, reporting at you live from FOTF HQ in Colorado Springs, where Album 56 is in the hands of Brock Eastman. I'm eagerly awaiting to get my copy soon. More on that as the story unfolds.
And, in other news, a new Official video Podcast was released with yet another Get in the Show! update. I don't usually give my opinion on news, but I have to say I am honestly becoming quite tired of these constant, almost annoying, Get in the Show! updates. I wonder how many people watch/listen to these podcasts devoted almost entirely to going on and on about Get in the Show! I honestly don't, and I will be glad when this contest has come to an end. It'll be great to hear the winner in Album 58.
Well, that's about it, I'm afraid. Until next time, I'm AJ, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
And, in other news, a new Official video Podcast was released with yet another Get in the Show! update. I don't usually give my opinion on news, but I have to say I am honestly becoming quite tired of these constant, almost annoying, Get in the Show! updates. I wonder how many people watch/listen to these podcasts devoted almost entirely to going on and on about Get in the Show! I honestly don't, and I will be glad when this contest has come to an end. It'll be great to hear the winner in Album 58.
Well, that's about it, I'm afraid. Until next time, I'm AJ, and this is... AIO News!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
AIO Article: Pound Foolish Wisdom #1 8/21/12
Well, thankfully, PF saved me at the last minute from having to write an article. We decided to do an ongoing series exploring characters further pretty early on, and PF suggested it be called Closer Look, but once I saw Freddy Jay's feature exploring characters further called Deeper Look, I realized this PF feature would look like an unintentional ripoff of Freddy Jay's articles. So, he gave me many, many suggestions for names, but in the end I decided on Pound Foolish Wisdom. You will hopefully be seeing #2 in the future, so enjoy this fantastic article! It's really a masterpiece, possibly even better than his last one! (If that's possible.)
POUND FOOLISH WISDOM:
Where AIO Characters Are Put Beneath the Microscope
by Pound Foolish
Hi, it’s the nutty, the deep, the weird Pound Foolish. (Call me PF at your peril; it’s not necessary to abbreviate every single online name that’s more than one word.) I didn’t introduce myself in my first post. As, arguably, giving an in-depth look at a hot AIO topic is the best way for an AIO “dreamer”, as Alex calls us, to introduce themselves, I didn’t introduce myself on my first article. But now, I’ll say a few words on myself for you to skip over at your earliest convenience. I’ve been an avid AIO listener for years. As Alex said, I’m the founder of the Emily RULES! Klub. That is, ERK. Yes, it sounds just like “irk.” We’re here to irk the Emily Haters! Well, I’m occasionally mentioned in the AIO blogging community, as I am a moderator on The Soda Shop, and a controversial, somewhat popular one. And, like all dreamers, I aspire to my own AIO blog!
Alright here we go…
Many really just hate the new era. The way they talk, they are ready to ring Andre Stojka’s throat, join a CCCW protest, fill Kathy Buchanan’s office with dead cats, and form an Emily Stinks club. I used to feel the same way. (Well, not the Emily Stinks club, but most of it.)
I yawned at Matthew in Target of the Week. I only sort-of became endeared to him and the rest of the Parkers in Grandma’s Visit; as the cacophony of Mexican accents and music seemed positively alien in AIO. And while I enjoyed Priscilla in Stage Fright, she seemed rather bland in The Malted Milkball Falcon, and I thought she’d proven unsuited to the larger role. Perhaps the worst of it was Vance, insufferably awful at times, especially as my mind inevitably compared him to Rodney. I enjoy those episodes now, but at the time, it practically infuriated me.
But two characters seemed to be making up for a lot, and they rapidly won my heart over. One happened to be a girl with a pleasantly cartoony voice who fearlessly barked orders to males and solved cases with clever logic. The other was a fascinating oddball who, at first glance, seemed to be a bad-guy… and yet turned out to be more interesting than that. He always acted unpleasant, yet he seemed to like the other AIO kids pretty well, and enjoy being with them.
I will talk about the former, Emily, later. She’s become a RIDICULOUSLY controversial topic online, so I won’t talk about her till I feel like I’m ready to tackle a bomb. This article is about Jay Smouse.
Why do we think a bully is a bully? Because he picks on people? No, because, more specifically, he picks on people you like. Consider Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. To him, his fury was righteous, a deep hate against sworn enemies of his family that bred a longing for violence and terror. When he drew his sword on Mercutio and slayed him, to Romeo, Tybalt showed evil. (Romeo would’ve been even more mad if he knew Bart would make the event into a funny Electric Palace commercial.)
Mercutio loved Romeo. Tybalt hated Romeo.
Romeo learned to hate Tybalt. Tybalt believed himself in the right.
A villain is the product of point of view.
We are so easily wrong about a person’s behavior, because we can know so little of the circumstances surrounding a situation. In The Importance of Being Earnest, and Lady Windermere’s Fan, both plays by Oscar Wilde, the entire plot revolves around misunderstandings. A complete misconception of how good, and… and complexly, darkly bad, the characters are.
Lady Windermere’s Fan begins with her discovering, it seems, her husband is having an affair with a strange, elegant woman recently arrived the community. A woman interested in him because of money.
Lady Windermere, some hours after meeting the woman at a ball in Lady Windermere’s home, says
“You talk as if you had a heart. Women like you have no hearts. Heart is not in you. You are bought and sold.”
She later discovers the woman to indeed have past, and despicable in society’s eyes, but a brave, loving woman, with no attachments to her husband. In the final act, she has a significant discourse with her husband on the woman.
Lord Windermere: “Child, you and she belong to different worlds. Into your world, evil has never entered.”
Lady Windermere: “Don’t say that, Arthur. There is the same world for all of us, and good and evil, sin and innocence, go through it hand in hand. To shut one’s eyes to half of life that one may live securely is as though one blinded oneself that one might walk with more safety in a land of pit and precipice.”
Thus, through such a strange glass, partially clean, partially filthy and distorting, we must view Jay. Jay, in his first appearance, seems merely Vance’s rotten, meanness loving side-kick. It’s only later we discover he can do a rockathon for charity alongside Matthew, the very kid he picked on, and never once, as far as we see, even consider bullying him. He sides with Valerie, in How to Sink a Sub, and yet turns around becomes helpful. And, while, in Sub, he indirectly upsets Olivia, the main character of the episode, he talks to her. Not to say mean things to her, just to talk… and, well, yes, complain. But he never tries to bother her. As for Barrett, yes, Jay always throws insults and pranks at Barrett, but only through his sense of competition.
(What do we make of such a character? What do we do with Jay?)
Yet, when we again see Vance with Jay, in the much talked of Mistaken for Good, Jay moaningly goes along with him to do the dishonorable. It’s as if, away from Vance’s influence, Jay is just a fairly annoying, goofy, somewhat rude, oddball kid. One can’t help wondering if Vance led jay astray in the first place.
But, we all already knew this. Because many of us like him. Sure, we all like Rodney’s funny, slightly menacing character, but how many of us like him as a person? How many of us would like him as a friend? All who want Rodney Rathbone as a friend, show their hands!... Hmm, yes, that’s about the expected statistic.
What shall we make of Jay? Just what do we do with him?
Back to what I was saying, Jay, unlike Rodney, some of us do like. He’s a silly, sometimes friendly, even kind, (in Mistaken for Good), person who’s misguided and too competitive.
On the other hand, is Jay, when it comes right down to it, a bad person? No, because there’s no such thing. All people have the capacity for good.
Sin, then, is an action in which we open an absence of God and his goodness in ourselves, in the world, and, often, other people. However, in fiction, this is not the case. In fiction, there are antagonists and protagonists. The bad guy and the good guy. Part of the fun of fiction is we are able to absolutely despise people, something we cannot do in real life without some guilt.
Jay occasionally fits somewhat into this role. He’s the antagonist in Unbecoming Jay, How to Sink a Sub and The Amazing Loser.
In all of them, Jay does fabulously as a villain. And is a villain. We route for the “good” character, and hope Jay is going to be defeated. Well, perhaps not so much in The Amazing Loser. One may easily fail to care whether Emily’s addiction prone older brother is going to win a scavenger hunt. Especially as Matthew was really the one who would be the winner, as Jay was just a useless tag-along. They tried to center the conflict on Jay and Barrett, and have Matthew in the background, but Jay, in the end, was nothing but a baddie-wannabe. However, it worked. One may not be in suspense, necessarily, but Jay is both funny and a pain, as he should be. So the listener wants Jay to lose, getting a well-earned whop.
In How to Sink a Sub, Jay warns Olivia of oncoming trouble for them both. He is worried for himself, yet he seems worried for the other also, as he warns her. His worries are also justifiable. Some teachers are just no good, and being stuck with such a one is maddening. And, as it turned out, Katrina truly came off as authoritarian. One can’t help but sympathize with his and Valerie’s gleeful rebellion against Katrina’s new, strange, controlling ways.
Speaking of Valerie, is it a coincidence Jay, when he is the villain, is always either competing against Barrett, or in league with someone else? Let’s examine the former point first.
Just what is it with Jay and Barrett? How long have they been determinedly rivals, and why? I’m not suggesting AIO should devote an entire episode to how years ago Jay and Barrett’s glorious rivalry sprang to dramatic, furious life, but a few hints would be nice. We can assume it might have something to do with music, but it’s all up to our imaginations… Why does Barrett bring out a sometimes out of control sense of competition in Jay? The significance of this is… if it wasn’t for Jay’s competing with Barrett, Jay would only have been cast as the likeable, goofy villain… once.
Next, the latter part of the question. Jay being in league with other villains. As I said, Eugene comments Valerie and Jay “… influence each other in all the wrong ways.” Could it be influence is one of Jay’s key problems? We already saw Jay’s being led astray by Vance. Here, again, another baddie pulls Jay into questionable action. Valerie also brings out the worst in Olivia. Understandably so. Indeed, Valerie casts grows a frozen ice covering of chilly meanness and negativity over the lake of every show she’s in. She’s an affective, well rounded character that way, doing exactly what she’s supposed to do. She’s the sort of person, who, if on really knew her, one might despise but would also, in ways, admire. But we may talk more on Valerie later.
For now… it’s enough to observe this control has gone over onto Jay. She frees Jay to be mean, negative, and pull at first harmless enough but increasingly problematic pranks. Around her, he can be, well, his worst self. Give into his whims.
With Vance and Valerie, then, and with Barrett, Jay becomes, as we saw, just a misled, somewhat rude, goofy kid.
Could it be we’ve misjudged him?
Moving on, in the Soda Shop, people speculate on Jay’s beliefs. Suzylou, a writer on the Unofficial AIO Blog, says…
“… People can say they are Christians, but being a true Christian also means we desire to live a life like Christ...and we can't live a life like Christ if we aren't acting like one. And, while I don't think Jay is evil, he certainly isn't a kind person very often- therefore his isn't acting very Christ like, which is probably what is leading people to believe he isn't a real, true Christian under God's leading. Oh, and I also believe that a true, born-again Christian can and will stumble and fall at times- but he can be forgiven, but I also hope that person will try and learn from his mistakes to become a better person.”
I know, I quoted Suzy in my last article. I didn’t mean to do that, but she can be quite smart, and the quote fit perfectly, so what the hey.
Technically, a Christian, as far as the bare-bones definition goes, is just someone who believes in God and that Jesus Christ was our savior. Being Christian is an entirely different matter. For instance, Jay acts mean, but he seems to long to be a good person. One, by contrast, might act as a follower of Christ, but inwardly dwell unnecessarily on dark thoughts and desires, such as lust or imagining vengeance on someone.
Is Jay a Christian at heart?
Who can say?
We can’t see his heart.
If he is Christian, he’s AIO’s first major character to be Christian, and yet behave greatly questionably as a trademark. If he believes something other than Christianity, he is AIO’s first major character to belong to another religion. If he belongs to a different religion, he’s a somewhat poor bad start to representing other groups.
It would be a fascinating development, as well as a new and important one. How come AIO acknowledges racial diversity, (the Parkers, the Washingtons), but never religious diversity? Only minor characters have ever subscribed to a religion other than Christianity. Yes, Seth’s weirdo mom, for example, practiced a philosophy contradictory to philosophy. But she was little more than a walk-on.
A religious program need not focus entirely on religious characters to be religious. In fact, if used properly, religious diversity brings out the Christian messages still more. Acknowledging other’s belief’s, allows fiction to point out where they are right and wrong, thus strengthening the case for Christianity.
What’s the point of coming to a conclusion in fiction if no one ever truly challenges the conclusion?
Perhaps it’s time Odyssey gave up its habit of being inhabited entirely either by poor, drifting, clueless non-Christians without any religion who need us to “save” them, and sweet, “church-going” Christians.
So, either way, Jay is something new. He already stands out. I imagine we shall never discover Jay is, say, Mormon or a follower of Islam. Most likely, if he were to believe in a religion, just be something he’s going along with because, say, his parents believe it. All the same, it could be more fresh, complicated, and show more new sides of Jay’s character than just having him be another poor doesn’t-know-Jesus casualty.
So, who’s Jay? He’s never really given us reason to think he is Christian, or a religion other than Christian. Is he a mostly-good-person, or a mostly-bad-person?
Is he, in the end, a villain or an oddball, less than perfect good-guy?
Well, it depends. Is a person their actions’ in public? Or is a person their thoughts… their dreams… their hopes… Who they are at home?
We’ve never see Jay at home.
Perhaps, until we do, we cannot be sure who he is. That’s because he is so much like a real person. What makes him a good character is that we do not know what to make of him. What to do with him. He has something called soul. Heart. Being. Such things are complicated.
Perhaps we should instead ask what shall Jay do with himself.
Amazing, wasn't it? I look forward to more Pound Foolish Wisdoms, don't you? Anyway, that's it for today. But considering if PF hadn't saved me with this amazing piece of art, you would have had to endure no article at all or a short article from me.
Thanks for reading!
POUND FOOLISH WISDOM:
Where AIO Characters Are Put Beneath the Microscope
by Pound Foolish
Hi, it’s the nutty, the deep, the weird Pound Foolish. (Call me PF at your peril; it’s not necessary to abbreviate every single online name that’s more than one word.) I didn’t introduce myself in my first post. As, arguably, giving an in-depth look at a hot AIO topic is the best way for an AIO “dreamer”, as Alex calls us, to introduce themselves, I didn’t introduce myself on my first article. But now, I’ll say a few words on myself for you to skip over at your earliest convenience. I’ve been an avid AIO listener for years. As Alex said, I’m the founder of the Emily RULES! Klub. That is, ERK. Yes, it sounds just like “irk.” We’re here to irk the Emily Haters! Well, I’m occasionally mentioned in the AIO blogging community, as I am a moderator on The Soda Shop, and a controversial, somewhat popular one. And, like all dreamers, I aspire to my own AIO blog!
Alright here we go…
Many really just hate the new era. The way they talk, they are ready to ring Andre Stojka’s throat, join a CCCW protest, fill Kathy Buchanan’s office with dead cats, and form an Emily Stinks club. I used to feel the same way. (Well, not the Emily Stinks club, but most of it.)
I yawned at Matthew in Target of the Week. I only sort-of became endeared to him and the rest of the Parkers in Grandma’s Visit; as the cacophony of Mexican accents and music seemed positively alien in AIO. And while I enjoyed Priscilla in Stage Fright, she seemed rather bland in The Malted Milkball Falcon, and I thought she’d proven unsuited to the larger role. Perhaps the worst of it was Vance, insufferably awful at times, especially as my mind inevitably compared him to Rodney. I enjoy those episodes now, but at the time, it practically infuriated me.
But two characters seemed to be making up for a lot, and they rapidly won my heart over. One happened to be a girl with a pleasantly cartoony voice who fearlessly barked orders to males and solved cases with clever logic. The other was a fascinating oddball who, at first glance, seemed to be a bad-guy… and yet turned out to be more interesting than that. He always acted unpleasant, yet he seemed to like the other AIO kids pretty well, and enjoy being with them.
I will talk about the former, Emily, later. She’s become a RIDICULOUSLY controversial topic online, so I won’t talk about her till I feel like I’m ready to tackle a bomb. This article is about Jay Smouse.
Why do we think a bully is a bully? Because he picks on people? No, because, more specifically, he picks on people you like. Consider Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. To him, his fury was righteous, a deep hate against sworn enemies of his family that bred a longing for violence and terror. When he drew his sword on Mercutio and slayed him, to Romeo, Tybalt showed evil. (Romeo would’ve been even more mad if he knew Bart would make the event into a funny Electric Palace commercial.)
Mercutio loved Romeo. Tybalt hated Romeo.
Romeo learned to hate Tybalt. Tybalt believed himself in the right.
A villain is the product of point of view.
We are so easily wrong about a person’s behavior, because we can know so little of the circumstances surrounding a situation. In The Importance of Being Earnest, and Lady Windermere’s Fan, both plays by Oscar Wilde, the entire plot revolves around misunderstandings. A complete misconception of how good, and… and complexly, darkly bad, the characters are.
Lady Windermere’s Fan begins with her discovering, it seems, her husband is having an affair with a strange, elegant woman recently arrived the community. A woman interested in him because of money.
Lady Windermere, some hours after meeting the woman at a ball in Lady Windermere’s home, says
“You talk as if you had a heart. Women like you have no hearts. Heart is not in you. You are bought and sold.”
She later discovers the woman to indeed have past, and despicable in society’s eyes, but a brave, loving woman, with no attachments to her husband. In the final act, she has a significant discourse with her husband on the woman.
Lord Windermere: “Child, you and she belong to different worlds. Into your world, evil has never entered.”
Lady Windermere: “Don’t say that, Arthur. There is the same world for all of us, and good and evil, sin and innocence, go through it hand in hand. To shut one’s eyes to half of life that one may live securely is as though one blinded oneself that one might walk with more safety in a land of pit and precipice.”
Thus, through such a strange glass, partially clean, partially filthy and distorting, we must view Jay. Jay, in his first appearance, seems merely Vance’s rotten, meanness loving side-kick. It’s only later we discover he can do a rockathon for charity alongside Matthew, the very kid he picked on, and never once, as far as we see, even consider bullying him. He sides with Valerie, in How to Sink a Sub, and yet turns around becomes helpful. And, while, in Sub, he indirectly upsets Olivia, the main character of the episode, he talks to her. Not to say mean things to her, just to talk… and, well, yes, complain. But he never tries to bother her. As for Barrett, yes, Jay always throws insults and pranks at Barrett, but only through his sense of competition.
(What do we make of such a character? What do we do with Jay?)
Yet, when we again see Vance with Jay, in the much talked of Mistaken for Good, Jay moaningly goes along with him to do the dishonorable. It’s as if, away from Vance’s influence, Jay is just a fairly annoying, goofy, somewhat rude, oddball kid. One can’t help wondering if Vance led jay astray in the first place.
But, we all already knew this. Because many of us like him. Sure, we all like Rodney’s funny, slightly menacing character, but how many of us like him as a person? How many of us would like him as a friend? All who want Rodney Rathbone as a friend, show their hands!... Hmm, yes, that’s about the expected statistic.
What shall we make of Jay? Just what do we do with him?
Back to what I was saying, Jay, unlike Rodney, some of us do like. He’s a silly, sometimes friendly, even kind, (in Mistaken for Good), person who’s misguided and too competitive.
On the other hand, is Jay, when it comes right down to it, a bad person? No, because there’s no such thing. All people have the capacity for good.
Sin, then, is an action in which we open an absence of God and his goodness in ourselves, in the world, and, often, other people. However, in fiction, this is not the case. In fiction, there are antagonists and protagonists. The bad guy and the good guy. Part of the fun of fiction is we are able to absolutely despise people, something we cannot do in real life without some guilt.
Jay occasionally fits somewhat into this role. He’s the antagonist in Unbecoming Jay, How to Sink a Sub and The Amazing Loser.
In all of them, Jay does fabulously as a villain. And is a villain. We route for the “good” character, and hope Jay is going to be defeated. Well, perhaps not so much in The Amazing Loser. One may easily fail to care whether Emily’s addiction prone older brother is going to win a scavenger hunt. Especially as Matthew was really the one who would be the winner, as Jay was just a useless tag-along. They tried to center the conflict on Jay and Barrett, and have Matthew in the background, but Jay, in the end, was nothing but a baddie-wannabe. However, it worked. One may not be in suspense, necessarily, but Jay is both funny and a pain, as he should be. So the listener wants Jay to lose, getting a well-earned whop.
In How to Sink a Sub, Jay warns Olivia of oncoming trouble for them both. He is worried for himself, yet he seems worried for the other also, as he warns her. His worries are also justifiable. Some teachers are just no good, and being stuck with such a one is maddening. And, as it turned out, Katrina truly came off as authoritarian. One can’t help but sympathize with his and Valerie’s gleeful rebellion against Katrina’s new, strange, controlling ways.
Speaking of Valerie, is it a coincidence Jay, when he is the villain, is always either competing against Barrett, or in league with someone else? Let’s examine the former point first.
Just what is it with Jay and Barrett? How long have they been determinedly rivals, and why? I’m not suggesting AIO should devote an entire episode to how years ago Jay and Barrett’s glorious rivalry sprang to dramatic, furious life, but a few hints would be nice. We can assume it might have something to do with music, but it’s all up to our imaginations… Why does Barrett bring out a sometimes out of control sense of competition in Jay? The significance of this is… if it wasn’t for Jay’s competing with Barrett, Jay would only have been cast as the likeable, goofy villain… once.
Next, the latter part of the question. Jay being in league with other villains. As I said, Eugene comments Valerie and Jay “… influence each other in all the wrong ways.” Could it be influence is one of Jay’s key problems? We already saw Jay’s being led astray by Vance. Here, again, another baddie pulls Jay into questionable action. Valerie also brings out the worst in Olivia. Understandably so. Indeed, Valerie casts grows a frozen ice covering of chilly meanness and negativity over the lake of every show she’s in. She’s an affective, well rounded character that way, doing exactly what she’s supposed to do. She’s the sort of person, who, if on really knew her, one might despise but would also, in ways, admire. But we may talk more on Valerie later.
For now… it’s enough to observe this control has gone over onto Jay. She frees Jay to be mean, negative, and pull at first harmless enough but increasingly problematic pranks. Around her, he can be, well, his worst self. Give into his whims.
With Vance and Valerie, then, and with Barrett, Jay becomes, as we saw, just a misled, somewhat rude, goofy kid.
Could it be we’ve misjudged him?
Moving on, in the Soda Shop, people speculate on Jay’s beliefs. Suzylou, a writer on the Unofficial AIO Blog, says…
“… People can say they are Christians, but being a true Christian also means we desire to live a life like Christ...and we can't live a life like Christ if we aren't acting like one. And, while I don't think Jay is evil, he certainly isn't a kind person very often- therefore his isn't acting very Christ like, which is probably what is leading people to believe he isn't a real, true Christian under God's leading. Oh, and I also believe that a true, born-again Christian can and will stumble and fall at times- but he can be forgiven, but I also hope that person will try and learn from his mistakes to become a better person.”
I know, I quoted Suzy in my last article. I didn’t mean to do that, but she can be quite smart, and the quote fit perfectly, so what the hey.
Technically, a Christian, as far as the bare-bones definition goes, is just someone who believes in God and that Jesus Christ was our savior. Being Christian is an entirely different matter. For instance, Jay acts mean, but he seems to long to be a good person. One, by contrast, might act as a follower of Christ, but inwardly dwell unnecessarily on dark thoughts and desires, such as lust or imagining vengeance on someone.
Is Jay a Christian at heart?
Who can say?
We can’t see his heart.
If he is Christian, he’s AIO’s first major character to be Christian, and yet behave greatly questionably as a trademark. If he believes something other than Christianity, he is AIO’s first major character to belong to another religion. If he belongs to a different religion, he’s a somewhat poor bad start to representing other groups.
It would be a fascinating development, as well as a new and important one. How come AIO acknowledges racial diversity, (the Parkers, the Washingtons), but never religious diversity? Only minor characters have ever subscribed to a religion other than Christianity. Yes, Seth’s weirdo mom, for example, practiced a philosophy contradictory to philosophy. But she was little more than a walk-on.
A religious program need not focus entirely on religious characters to be religious. In fact, if used properly, religious diversity brings out the Christian messages still more. Acknowledging other’s belief’s, allows fiction to point out where they are right and wrong, thus strengthening the case for Christianity.
What’s the point of coming to a conclusion in fiction if no one ever truly challenges the conclusion?
Perhaps it’s time Odyssey gave up its habit of being inhabited entirely either by poor, drifting, clueless non-Christians without any religion who need us to “save” them, and sweet, “church-going” Christians.
So, either way, Jay is something new. He already stands out. I imagine we shall never discover Jay is, say, Mormon or a follower of Islam. Most likely, if he were to believe in a religion, just be something he’s going along with because, say, his parents believe it. All the same, it could be more fresh, complicated, and show more new sides of Jay’s character than just having him be another poor doesn’t-know-Jesus casualty.
So, who’s Jay? He’s never really given us reason to think he is Christian, or a religion other than Christian. Is he a mostly-good-person, or a mostly-bad-person?
Is he, in the end, a villain or an oddball, less than perfect good-guy?
Well, it depends. Is a person their actions’ in public? Or is a person their thoughts… their dreams… their hopes… Who they are at home?
We’ve never see Jay at home.
Perhaps, until we do, we cannot be sure who he is. That’s because he is so much like a real person. What makes him a good character is that we do not know what to make of him. What to do with him. He has something called soul. Heart. Being. Such things are complicated.
Perhaps we should instead ask what shall Jay do with himself.
Amazing, wasn't it? I look forward to more Pound Foolish Wisdoms, don't you? Anyway, that's it for today. But considering if PF hadn't saved me with this amazing piece of art, you would have had to endure no article at all or a short article from me.
Thanks for reading!
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