Chapter 213: Nomination

February 12th, 2002

I was sleeping peacefully when my phone rang.
I woke up, groaned and looked at the clock: it was 5:45 AM.
"Who the hell is calling me so early..."

I looked at the phone and saw it was Pepper.

"Morning, Jake," she greeted as soon as I answered.

"Pepper, it's still the middle of the night. What just happened?" I questioned, still groggy.

"Jake, you were nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay," she announced.

"What Oscar? What?" I muttered, still dazed, then I processed it. "What?? I was nominated?"

"Yes, David H., the youngest ever to be nominated for Original Screenplay at the Oscars," Pepper continued, "And I’ll say more, you have real chances of winning."

"Fuck! But I don't want that baldy golden prize! I barely care about the Grammys, and I love singing," I muttered.

"Jake..." she sighed.

"Oh, come on, Pepper. I'd be more famous for the thing I care the least about," I grumbled.

I could hear her amusement from across the line.

"So..." I began.

"You're going, Jake," she cut me off.

I huffed, "How many tickets do I have? And what were we nominated for?"

"We have 18 nominations. Brokeback Mountain received a total of 10, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heath Ledger), and Best Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal). But realistically, only Best Director (Ang Lee), Best Adapted Screenplay, and maybe some technical categories are within reach.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding has 2, for Original Screenplay and Best Actor (Joey Tribbiani), but no real chance of winning."

"Wait, Joey was nominated?" I gasped.

"Yes, he's up against Heath Ledger, Bill Murray, Denzel Washington, and Russell Crowe. I would bet on Denzel or Russell, with Bill as the underdog."

She carried on with the list.

"The Conjuring has 1 for Sound Editing, maybe a slight chance.

And finally, Lost in Translation has 5 nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Sofia Coppola), Best Actor (Bill Murray), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography."

"With all these nominations, JD gets around 20 tickets. With some lobbying and sponsors, we can get about 15 more. You, as a nominee, get yours and one guest ticket. I can offer you five additional ones, but if you really want, I can pull some more," she finished.

"Nah, I think seven in total is more than enough," I replied. 

"Next year will be even bigger. Chicago is being adored by the Academy, and The Pianist is also gaining momentum," she noted.

Oh, well. Chicago was the greatest winner from 2003. No surprises that we did the same. 

"Okay... not really my thing," I muttered.

"I need to wrap up preparations. Goodbye, Jake."

"Bye, Peps," I chuckled.

I began pondering who to take. Dad? No, he would surely embarrass us. Uncle Charlie? He would cause a scene with all the beautiful actresses there. Mom? Probably not interested in Oscar per se, unless she knew I had a real shot at winning.

Gramma?

"Hey, Peps, is Gramma on your list?" I called her back quickly.

"She is," she confirmed and promptly hung up.

"Rude! At least say goodbye," I mumbled.

The rest I would figure out at school.

---

After getting ready, I went for breakfast.

"Good morning," I greeted as I walked into the kitchen.

Mom and Paige were already at the table.

Judith stared at me, astonished. "You are up so early, without anyone waking you, and already dressed. Are you okay, son?"

"Heyy," I exclaimed, outraged.

Seeing Paige smirking at me, I approached and took a bite of the grilled cheese she was eating. She tried to kick me.

"Don't start, you two," Mom interjected, sounding mildly exasperated but with a smile on her face.

She handed me another sandwich, which I shared with Paige.

"Oh, I got an Oscar nomination. Either of you want to come?" I asked casually.

"You got what??" Paige blurted out, surprised.

"Oscar nomination. Original Screenplay. Lost in Translation," I clarified between bites.

"What are your chances, son?" Judith inquired.

"Mom! You'd only go if I were going to win? You should always support me..." I protested dramatically.

"Jake, I know you. You probably don't even want this prize. You'd certainly send a double if it weren’t for Pepper," Mom replied dryly.

"You know me well, woman!"

Mom glared at me

"I think I'll pass," Paige remarked. "Not really my thing, and four hours of ceremony..."

I gave her a pointed look.

Paige rolled her eyes. "You're thinking about making me go just to suffer with you, aren't you?"

"Good to know people in this house know me so well," I smirked, patting her head.

"But do you want me to go or not, Jake?" Mom questioned.

"Up to you, Mom. But I do have a shot at winning.", then I turned to Paige again, "How's the graphene research going, Paige?" I asked her, and her face lit up.

"Mrs. Dresselhaus is incredible. We're making good progress. In a month, the exclusive lab will be ready..." Paige continued excitedly talking about it.

---

Later at school, in the classroom, I motioned Carly and Freddie over.

"So, what's up?" Carly asked, smiling.

"Hold on," I said, nudging Sam awake.

"I got an Oscar nomination. Any of you want to go?" I offered.

"What??" Carly and Freddie shouted in unison. Pippa, overhearing nearby, reacted the same.

"Nah, I'm good," Sam responded, disinterested.

"It's for Lost in Translation, Original Screenplay" I added.

"I'm in," Carly declared enthusiastically.

Freddie seemed hesitant.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Freddie. I'm only attending because I was dragged into it."

Pippa remained silent. Since we weren’t romantically involved anymore, there was no reason for her to join. She is a good friend but not close enough for this.

Soon after, Cher and Regina appeared.

They walked over, giving me wide, expectant puppy eyes.

"Morning, you two," I greeted, then smirked. "And yes, you both can come."

"Jake, you are the best!" they squealed together, pulling me into a hug.