Thursday, November 20, 2010
Only one day remained before the big final.
And the atmosphere on the Mater Dei campus didn’t resemble anything Andrew had ever experienced as a student since arriving at the school.
Normally, in the days leading up to a game, the entire school buzzed with an almost festive energy: enthusiastic excitement in the hallways, smiling teachers, players walking around with confidence as everyone greeted them.
But not th...
2025-11-26 16:56:40 +0000 UTC
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Monday, October 3rd, 2022
The alarm vibrated at exactly eight o’clock, breaking the silence that filled the room.
Owen stretched his hand out from under the sheets and, with an automatic gesture, turned it off.
The room was still shrouded in darkness. The lowered blinds completely blocked the morning light.
He opened his eyes slowly, spending a few seconds staring up at the ceiling or rather, at the shadows above him.
'Another day…' ...
2025-11-26 16:26:38 +0000 UTC
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📰 Los Angeles Times — Sunday, November 16, 2010
Mater Dei returns to the championship game after eight years: Andrew Pritchett-Tucker breaks historic record and responds with class
SANTA ANA — Eight years after their last appearance in a Southern Section final, Mater Dei is back. And they did it behind their junior quarterback Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, who delivered yet another memorable performance in the Monarchs’ 36...
2025-11-25 16:56:30 +0000 UTC
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Sunday, October 2nd, 2022
9:37 p.m.
In one of the many movie theaters scattered across Los Angeles sat Melanie Meyer, Blumhouse’s Director of Acquisitions. She walked through the doors of the auditorium with a faint tiredness in her eyes. At thirty-nine, she had attended enough premieres in her life to recognize, before even sitting down, when a film wasn’t going to move the needle for the studio.
Even so, there she was...
2025-11-25 16:18:09 +0000 UTC
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Andrew was in an upstairs room with Madison, in the house where Mater Dei’s victory party was taking place. Outside, you could hear laughter, music, the clinking of glasses, and the distant echo of “To the finals!” But inside, the atmosphere was different.
He had already said everything. Quick, clear, and without beating around the bush. It wasn’t a breakup because it had never been a relationship. He explained that he wasn’t ready for anything serious, that he wanted to focus...
2025-11-23 16:47:50 +0000 UTC
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Jenna was riding in a black sedan alongside Evan, a junior assistant at CAA, the agency that had been representing her for a little over a year.
The drive to A24’s offices took just over ten minutes. Thankfully, Los Angeles traffic was lighter than usual.
CAA, Creative Artists Agency, was one of the most powerful talent agencies in the world.
Its headquarters were in Los Angeles, and it represented a wide range of talent, actors, directors, writers, and musicians. Founded ...
2025-11-23 16:17:15 +0000 UTC
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Andrew walked up to Nancy and said, “Hey, you came,” greeting her casually as he approached.
Nancy stopped leaning against the wall and took a couple of steps toward him. “Yeah, a big win. Congratulations,” she replied with a small smile.
Andrew smiled back. “Thanks,” he said, and immediately turned his eyes toward Barbara. She, caught off guard, stiffened slightly when their eyes met.
“Oh, she’s my best friend,” Nancy jumped in quickly. “Barbara, this is...
2025-11-21 15:18:14 +0000 UTC
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Monday, September 19, 2022
On Sunday night, as the last box office reports reached the studios, a notification popped up on thousands of film fans’ phones.
It was a new tweet from @BoxOfficeMojo, an account dedicated to box office reports and analysis:
@BoxOfficeMojo:
📽️ “Paranormal Activity” (A24) continues its unstoppable run in its 3rd weekend.
The horror ...
2025-11-21 14:47:57 +0000 UTC
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After the end of the game, Mater Dei had a quick celebration: hugs, high-fives, and the clatter of helmets crashing together.
When all that settled, Andrew, like so many other times, ended up right where everyone expected: in front of the ESPN cameras.
It wasn’t a surprise. He had just broken a historic record and led his team to the final. And even though games like this didn’t hand out trophies or physical awards, everyone knew what it meant to appear with that graphic on sc...
2025-11-19 17:08:45 +0000 UTC
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A24 Offices – Los Angeles
11:25 a.m.
The midday light streamed cleanly through the large windows, bathing the office in an even glow. The space was wide but understated: white walls, a light-wood desk, a bookshelf with a few film books, some discreet awards on the lower shelves, and a plant to one side that broke the monotony of the room.
There were no paintings, no unnecessary decorations. Just an open laptop, a couple o...
2025-11-19 16:44:26 +0000 UTC
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In one of the press boxes of the stadium, elevated above the main stands and with a direct view of the field, sat the two ESPNU commentators.
In front of them: microphones, headsets, sheets filled with stats, and a small return monitor showing the live broadcast.
[Good evening everyone from Orange, Mission Viejo at Saddleback Stadium, where the atmosphere is just incredible! Mater Dei and Mission Viejo are ready for this semifinal, which promises to be one of the best ...
2025-11-17 16:45:01 +0000 UTC
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As Owen drove back home, he couldn’t help thinking about the negotiation.
The payment was almost a hundred thousand dollars more than what he had earned on The Hunger Games.
Even the number of working days would be almost the same, just a few more. Four weeks of filming, roughly 24 actual shooting days, since Sundays would be off.
Saturdays would be half-days, so the effective shooting time was around 22 days, because the four Saturdays would be 4–5 hour sessions instead...
2025-11-17 16:40:44 +0000 UTC
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Friday, November 14, 2010
6:26 p.m.
A gray Mazda 3 was parked on the curb in front of a house with a sea-green façade and a slightly neglected garden.
Inside the car were Kevin, in the driver’s seat, and Archie beside him. Their destination was the stadium where the semifinal between Mater Dei and Mission Viejo would be played.
Kevin, who was staring at the house through the window, couldn’t take it anymore and s...
2025-11-15 16:49:26 +0000 UTC
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The next day, Larry arrived at Owen’s apartment around eight.
He was wearing a crisp white shirt, a gray tie, and dark dress pants. His shoes were shining, unusual for him.
He usually had that worn-out office-worker look, the kind of man who spent more time in cafés with Wi-Fi than in his own office. But ever since he’d signed Owen, something had changed. He no longer had deep eye bags or that expression of someone counting down the days until the end of the month.
His ...
2025-11-15 16:20:54 +0000 UTC
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Andrew returned home and parked the Camaro in the garage. The rain was still falling, but without strength now, ust an echo of the earlier storm.
His emotional state was hard to describe.
On one hand, he felt a strange calm, a quiet satisfaction at having been able to close the chapter with Pippa the right way.
Talking without resentment, without pride. Different from that afternoon at the café.
But on the other hand, something weighed on his chest. Seeing her again, ...
2025-11-13 16:50:15 +0000 UTC
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As soon as the short film was published, everyone, except Elizabeth, who watched from the couch with a proud smile, sprang into action.
Owen, Matt, Sarah, and Gaten posted on their social media that the short film was now on YouTube and ready to watch.
From the official Twitter account of the channel, @SecondTakeFilms, Owen launched the main announcement, direct and professional, almost like a press release:
@SecondTakeFilms:
🎬 ...
2025-11-13 16:45:29 +0000 UTC
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Monday, September 12, 2022
Ten days had passed since Paranormal Activity hit theaters.
The second weekend had ended, and the result was even better than the first.
On Friday the 9th it grossed $1.80 million, on Saturday $2.40 million, and on Sunday $1.60 million, adding up to a total of $5.8 million for that weekend alone.
To that, weekday earnings were added: on Monday the 5th, Labor Day, it had surprised everyone with $1.10 million, and from...
2025-11-11 16:41:24 +0000 UTC
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"Did you hear that?" Pippa asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and hope.
"Yeah," Andrew said, nodding as he looked toward the left side of the trail.
A new bark, clearer this time, cut through the sound of the rain. They ran in that direction, mud splashing with every step. Finally, they saw him.
"Barney!" Pippa cried, her voice breaking between relief and emotion.
The dog was only a few meters away, under a tree that barely shielded him from the rain. He was drenched,...
2025-11-11 16:03:58 +0000 UTC
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Finally, Sophie returned to Los Angeles with her mother. The filming of The Boogeyman had wrapped, and for the first time in weeks, she could finally breathe.
Owen went to pick them up at the airport.
The relationship between Owen and Margaret had changed a lot. There was no longer the same coldness or distance. The woman who had once watched him with suspicion now looked at him with a mix of respect and quiet admiration.
Over the past few months, Margaret had seen firsthand...
2025-11-09 17:16:06 +0000 UTC
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The quarterfinal game between Mater Dei and Lakewood (47–17), broadcast regionally on Fox Sports West, drew 205,000 viewers, a 25% increase compared to the first-round matchup against Crespi (165,000).
Another ratings record for the network.
Normally, Fox Sports West and its sister channel Prime Ticket don’t air quarterfinal games, let alone first-round ones. They usually reserve regional coverage for the semifinals or championship games of the playoffs.
However, after t...
2025-11-09 16:32:37 +0000 UTC
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The first day of shooting for the short film starring Sarah had arrived.
The sun was just beginning to rise over Los Angeles when Owen got out of bed. He had a quiet breakfast, in silence, mentally reviewing the details of the shoot ahead.
This time, it would be the first project where he wouldn’t act. His role would be purely as a producer, and, of course, he’d be present on set. Also, to serve as a kind of mentor for Sarah in case she got nervous or anything.
After a w...
2025-11-07 17:56:05 +0000 UTC
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12:57 a.m.
At Katie’s house, the party was in full swing after Mater Dei’s victory and their advance to the semifinals.
It was the second time Katie, one of the main cheerleaders and a close friend of Madison, had organized something like this.
The first was after the win against Servite, a night many still remembered as legendary: the league title, the crowd, the DJ, and the professional lighting that made the house look like a nightclub.
2025-11-07 16:03:26 +0000 UTC
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"Well, we’ve got our lead. Everything’s ready," said Matt as he came back into the apartment, dropping into one of the armchairs with a satisfied smile.
"Yeah. After the shoot, we dive straight into post-production," Owen nodded, settling onto the couch beside him.
"How long do you think that part will take? Three weeks?" Matt asked, in a tone that sounded more technical than it had months ago.
He’d grown a lot since their first projects. He and Owen had already comple...
2025-11-05 18:09:01 +0000 UTC
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Andrew was having dinner at Luigi’s Pizzeria, just a few minutes from Mater Dei Stadium, after the victory against Lakewood in the quarterfinals.
It had been another great night: six touchdowns, a packed stadium, and a 68-yard pass, Andrew’s personal record at the school, which had already gone viral on social media.
Now, the atmosphere was warm and familiar, a far cry from the adrenaline and noise of the stadium.
He was sharing dinner with his whole family: his parents,...
2025-11-05 16:08:16 +0000 UTC
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[General point of view]
In front of Owen stood Gaten Matarazzo, about to audition for the role of Nick in his upcoming short film: One-Minute Time Machine.
He looked a little nervous, though less tense than when Owen first heard him at the doorbell.
That was probably thanks to Matt, with his warm, hyperactive, contagious energy.
The curious thing was that Owen knew Gaten, though in a way that neither Matt, not even Gaten himself, could ever imagi...
2025-11-04 17:55:39 +0000 UTC
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Andrew arrived at school just in time. Ever since that one time he’d been a few minutes late, the first and only time, it had never happened again. It wasn’t that he went out of his way to arrive early, things just flowed naturally. There hadn’t been any unusual traffic or last-minute delays this morning.
Classes went by with the typical energy of a game day: an air of anticipation buzzed through the hallways, a mix of excitement, nerves, and nonstop talk about that night’s matc...
2025-11-03 17:31:04 +0000 UTC
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Monday, August 15, 2022
POV – Gaten Matarazzo (He’s the actor who plays Dustin in Stranger Things. As I mentioned in earlier chapters, the series doesn’t exist in this timeline, so Gaten hasn’t achieved stardom yet.)
I woke up early Monday morning. After getting ready, I looked at myself in the mirror for the fifth time.
The blue T-shirt I picked looks pretty good, right? Casual, but not careless. Youthful ...
2025-11-02 16:38:54 +0000 UTC
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November had begun, and as Mater Dei prepared for the quarterfinals of the playoffs, Andrew had closed out October in spectacular fashion.
Without a doubt, October had been one of the most successful months of his life.
With Mater Dei, they defeated both Bosco and Servite, each game nationally televised and both becoming the most-watched matchups in high-school football.
Against Servite, they were crowned league champions, undefeated and historic, even for a program of such ...
2025-11-02 16:06:02 +0000 UTC
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“One-Minute Time Machine?” Sarah repeated the title, her tone filled with surprise as she stared at the short film script in front of her.
And especially because of what Owen had said: this is your next step.
Did her brother want her to act in one of his short films? Had he already made another one? It was already impressive enough that he’d created Paperman and The Black Hole, not to mention the two feature-length scripts.
“Yes, a short film,” Owen nodded, sitting...
2025-10-31 17:05:01 +0000 UTC
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“Hey, Andrew. You finally made it. Heavy traffic?” Derrick asked, extending his hand.
Andrew returned the handshake with a firm grip. “Yeah, quite a bit,” he replied, glancing sideways at Madison, who was happily licking an ice pop without a care in the world.
The truth was, that was exactly why they’d been late, Madison had insisted on stopping for ice cream at a nearby stand, and between parking and walking, they’d lost nearly ten minutes.
“Were you able to f...
2025-10-31 16:23:15 +0000 UTC
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