Review: "M'Kalister Park"

M'Kalister Park's self-titled debut album should satisfy fans of the show and also attract a few haters too.

The album's songs are what you'd find on the The Ceiling Fan Podcast, with a few changes, some lyrical, but mostly instrumental. For the most part, these changes are for the better. They are small enough that you shouldn't be disappointed by the changes, but large enough for the album to be worth purchasing.

There are a few new additions. The album includes remixes of "M'kalister Park" and "Communicate";  the former being not quite as good as its original, while the latter certainly exceeding the original version. A new song, "80995", unheard of at least by me, is included in the album, as well as "Intro" and "Goodbye", which bookend the album nicely.

What makes this album great for all Adventures in Odyssey Odyssey fans is that you really don't have to religiously follow the The Ceiling Fan podcast to enjoy these songs. The creators were smart about keeping their songs related to Odyssey issues ("Whit's End", "Come Back Jimmy", "Bring Mitch Back"...) or fan-related issues ("The Way Back", "Good things"). Non-fans may not quite get "Tooth Fairy Song", or the latter half of the acoustic version of "Communicate", but that's the least of their worries.

Nearly every song is catchy. Album highlights include podcast favourites, ''M'Kalister Park'', "Good Things", "Hiding" and "Bring Mitch Back". A few things I wish they had done was given the latter half of the "Communicate" its own track and extended "Rap Battle". Considering how many songs they were re-working, ''Rap Battle'' could have certainly benefited from a few additional verses.

Trust me, this album's worth the purchase. The Ceiling Fan is made up of talented individuals. So I'm going to give....wait, do I really need a rating system here? This is, after all, the only Adventures in Odyssey themed music album out there, and that's pretty impressive if you think about it. So, for fans of the show: . And for those who think rap is sinful:  . Overall, a great first album. You have my congratulations, and sincere thanks, Ceiling Fan Podcast.

A small, unrelated testimonial. As some of you may know, I planted trees in remote areas of Alberta and British Columbia this summer. A treeplanter's ultimate goal, aside from making money, is to beat his/her personal best. I hadn't done that since my first year, and I was now nearly completing my fourth year. And on one sunny, hot day I finally did beat my record. What's my point? Well, some planters listen to music, while others don't listen to anything. On that special day, I decided to put every single episode of "The Ceiling Fan Podcast" onto on my ipod. And from 9:00 o'clock in the morning to 7:00 o'clock in the evening, I listened to just the Ceiling Fan, entertained by its stories, inspired by the vocal talent, uplifted by the content, all the while keeping my mind off of my lonely situation. I planted a total of 4210 trees that day. That number still remains my personal best to this day.

"Clanging Cymbals" and 6 other inaccurate/misleading album covers

Our friends over at the Odysseyscoop recently announced that Album 54: "Clanging Cymbals ...and the Meaning of God's Love" is now available for release.

The album cover was not based on any specific episode; however, we know after listening to "The Amazing Loser", that it probably refers to the events that happen in it. In celebration of this album release, I take a glance at other album covers that are slightly misleading and/or plainly inaccurate!


"The Green Ring Conspiracy"

One of the show's most recent albums, The Green Ring Conspiracy, makes the list for most inaccurate album covers because we all expected Whit, Emily Jones and Matthew Parker to discover the bag of money together. What really happened? Well Emily Jones discovers the money in the woods, without Matthew, and goes to Whit's End to show Mr. Whitaker. Since Whit is called away to the hospital in the first episode, it takes him quite a while to even learn of the money's existence. Long story short, there is no way this scene could have taken place.


"The Search for Whit"

One of the best albums I ever received as a gift was "The Search for Whit". Long before message boards and fan websites existed, there were very few ways knowing that John Avery Whittaker was returning to the show. Imagine my surprise when fans finally saw the album cover! It is misleading, but probably purposefully so. You'd expect, by the expressions on Eugene and Jason's faces, they'd discover Whit inside a cave somewhere. Imagine our surprise when Eugene actually bumps into him, of all places, inside an elevator!

Through Thick and Thin:

We all know Whit fought in World War II, likes to go skydiving, and on a  busy day fights villains such as Dr. Blackgaard and Bennett Charles. But, how strong in this guy really? "Through Thick and Thin" depicts Whit channeling his inner Incredible Hulk, pulling up Rodney Rathbone and Jared DeWhite with his bare hands. What really happened? Well, in "A Case of Revenge", Whit actually lowers Jared DeWhite inside the abandoned well using his truck. Sure, maybe Whit helped out...


"Risks and Rewards":

"Risks and Rewards" is one of the few album covers that depicts a moment inside someone's story, which was a little misleading to some fans. So, as a young child, my first impression was: "Who were these men?" Well, after some thinking, I came to the conclusion that the middle figure must have been Jason Whittaker. He looked young enough and adventurous enough. But who were these other two men? And where in Odyssey was the explosion? Imagine my disappointment when I discover that no explosion took place in Odyssey, and that the artwork was from a story about the Underground Railroad . My disappointment did not last long, however; I love "The Underground Railroad I-II"!

Twists and Turns:

I love the old album cover to "Twists and Turns". Every character in it is, in my opinion, drawn and depicted accurately (although I'm not quite sure who the boy in the top right corner is). We know from the episode "Preacher's Kid" that there was a fair in town, but, unfortunately, there are no scenes in the album that remotely resemble what's on the cover. There are other albums which depict fictional scenes, like "Clanging Cymbals", but this album artwork is clearly the most ridiculously unconnected.

A Time of Discovery:
So what's so inaccurate about this album artwork? Well, nothing. However, taken from the episode "Terror from the Skies", we wonder, which one is Lawrence and which one is Jimmy? Hmm. Well the older looking must be Jimmy, right? The one with brown hair. However, take a look at album 17. Quite a different looking character, isn't he? His hair isn't curly, nor does he have blue eyes.  But wait, who is on the album 16? Is that Lawrence? But, now he's got brown hair and blue eyes? They aren't green anymore? And if you look at the album before--phew!--they're back to normal. I guess they were both going through some changes throughout those few albums.

I'm sure there are other examples, but what other albums do you personally find misleading? Would you prefer if the artwork depicted actual scenes? And what do you think of the newest album cover? Tell me in the comment section below!

The Changing Times joins Twitter

As I enter a new year of blog posting and reviewing, it's time to make a few changes to stay current. It was recently announced that Adventures in Odyssey joined Twitter to provide "insider peeks at current projects and ideas, and behind the scenes secrets". Well, someone has to comment on those ideas and secrets, now, right?

Because of the existence of other websites (odysseyscoop, aiowiki, AIOblog) this blog has never been about providing news and up-to-date reports. Why? People don't always want to read news. They sometimes want to read opinions. I try to make my posts long and have some substance. With the arrival of "Twitter", opinions can now communicated daily; they can be short and sweet. For instance, I would never write a whole blog post about whether or not I like a new album cover. However, including Twitter updates on this blog enables me to do that--to discuss the smaller aspects of the show.

In summary, if you have Twitter, follow me for up-to-date Odyssey news and small doses of snarky remarks! If you don't, keep watching the upper right corner of the blog for daily comments.

How to Win the "Adventures in Odyssey College Writer's Scholarship Contest''

...according to Me.

Exciting news in the Adventures in Odyssey world! Focus on the Family is announcing a writing contest where the winner gets to have their own Odyssey script made into an actual Adventures in Odyssey episode. Wow! It's about time, right? Bad news: Despite being an American citizen and attending a college, I am not eligible for this new contest (I live in Canada).

I have no clue what kind of script is going to win. I only have my own personal idea of what would lose. Even as we speak, college students around the US are brainstorming, sharpening their pencils, and pulling out their hair. I know what you're thinking:


Man, I've had so many ideas for episodes in the past, but now I can't think of any!


How important is this task? Crucial. Think of this as a test. Even if your script doesn't win, this is your chance of communicating to the writers the sort of episodes you like, and what sorts of Adventures you'd want to hear in the future.

Like I said, I have no idea what kind of script is going to win. I have no inside information, whatsoever. All I can do is guess, and give my advice...even though it may be bad advice. Therefore, WARNING: This may be bad advice!


Rule #10: Despite how clearly the rules state ''Only current characters should be used'', 20% of the scripts submitted will still be about Richard Maxwell or Mitch. That's life. However, resist the urge. Sure, it'd be nice if they showed up again, but how likely will it be that you're the one to do it?

#9. Second-guess your Odyssey references. Nathan Hoobler, back in the day, often referenced older episodes of Adventures in Odyssey in his scripts. There's a certain way of going about this. First, don't try to be too clever. If you choose to include references, make sure they do not take away from the rest of the episode. For instance, if a character is talking about the latest forest fires on TV, having Whit give a small one liner about not watching TV might not be such a bad idea. It may impress both the crew and fans. On the other hand, including direct references to The Transmuter, Whit's Boredom-buster, or any long forgotten idea, might be forcing it. Taking that chance might be risky.

#8. Understand what distinguishes the "new Odyssey" from "old Odyssey". Since you're a college student, you're old enough to have some sort of appreciation for the older shows. Because of nostalgia, you most likely find those older episodes better. It's only natural. And, because of that, you undoubtedly have ambitious, yet delusional, reasons for bringing back Odyssey to its glory days with this one script. However, before you say to yourself ''I will write a CLASSIC adventures in Odyssey episode'', it might be smart to sit down and study what made those episodes classics. Think in terms of pacing, humour and character development. Those are where the largest differences lie. Casting, and characters, I'm afraid, are out of your hands, and you'll just have to work with who today's characters are.

#7. Write what you want to hear. How do you know if your idea for an episode will be a good one? Write a brief synopsis and ask people whether they'd be interested in hearing more. Don't allow the fact that an episode called "Game for a Mystery" made it to the airwaves with the synopsis "Barrett can't tear himself away from his portable video game--until it disappears without a trace" give you a reason to write something just as simple. Don't get me wrong, it's not wrong to keep your plot simple, but listeners should never be wondering: "Why is this an episode?"

#6. Make sure it isn't too original. An episode with the synopsis: ''Penny spends a day with fire-fighters fighting the latest wildfires in McCalister park'' might sound like the coolest thing ever. You're bound to have an action packed ending, with a few deaths, and awesome sounding fire-fighter action scenes throughout. But...why would Penny be hanging around fire-fighters? That seems so random. Do something that makes sense. Do something that uses what we already know about the places, characters, and locations of Odyssey, and build onto those.

For instance, we know Penny is into art. Knowing that, what kind of interesting stories, mysteries, or morals surround the world of art? Or, what further adventures can happen to Katrina as she tutors students? Or, what sort of new mysteries could come from this new ''tinkering club''?


#5. ...but, on the other hand, be original enough. Don't have Barrett Jones off looking for the batteries for his video-game in ''Game for a Mystery Part II'' or ''Game for Another Mystery'' or ''Game for a Mystery 2: Game Over''. The instructions tell you to have a "compelling beginning, interesting middle, and satisfying conclusion." My guess is that they want an episode that pretty much can stand on its own.

#4. Write for an ''8-12'' audience...but just don't think about that when you're writing. You may have gotten nervous by the constant reminders on the website that Odyssey is a show geared for 8-12 year old. Don't let this get to you. As you're typing, you'll perhaps realize you had a child use a complicated word. You're thinking: Does that work? Can I do that? What if the kids won't understand this? or Wait, can they understand this plotline? Is this script too complicated? Relax. If you don't, you will end up writing something too simple. Don't be afraid of being smart, and of treating kids as smart individuals themselves. Like everyone else, kids simply like good, smart stories!

#3. Don't exagerate people's vocabulary. Throughout your scriptwriting, you'll undoubtedly try to capture the language of these characters. Fans will most likely start opening up the dictionaries when writing for Eugene, or start thinking of something random for Wooton to say. You'll be impressed with yourself for having established these characters in your script. However, you will have also forgotten that half of a character's personality comes from the actor and not your dialogue. Eugene, for instance, is, usually completely understandable to everyone at the college level, so just write more formally for him. There's no need to use complex words when writing for his character.

#2. The story should have 5-8 regular characters. That seems to the range in recent Odyssey episodes (although I'm sure it's perfectly possible to create an ingenious episode using only 1 regular character). And try not to create a story in which an actor needs to show up for only one or two lines.

#1. ''Slice of Life'' or Adventure? What genre of episode should you write? This, I admit, is a difficult question. There are plenty of terrific single-episode thrillers that have existed throughout the show. So, if you want to write the next ''Real Time'' or ''Hold Up'', go ahead. I wouldn't consider this an advantage, however. I imagine it's a lot more difficult to communicate themes well with those sorts of shows. Your average slice-of-life episodes are much more effective in dealing with themes.

What do you guys think? Will the winning script be something totally different from the usual crop of episodes, or something that mirrors the typical Odyssey adventure? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!