Michael T. Mondak speaks: Small Battles, Big Victories Chapter 15: Premiere Night and Oscar Glory

The last post talked about the national spotlight on the bond between Cassie and Jackson, having come full circle back to State College where it began.  This one talks about premiere night of the movie about that bond that swept the major Oscars.

Finally, the night of the red carpet premiere of CASSIE STRONG arrived.  But it was not a typical red carpet premiere in Los Angeles.  It was in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.  Cassie arrived in a navy blue dress, and Jackson looked dapper in a sharp suit.  Entertainment Tonight sent hosts Kevin Frazier and Nichelle Turner, who had just recently returned from her vacation, to the Shenango Valley to cover the event.

Dignitaries such as city manager Gary Hinkson, governor Josh Shapiro, state representative Parke Wentling, congressman Mike Kelly, football coaches Bill Dungee, Terry Smith and Mike Tomlin, Lara Spencer from Good Morning America, Kirk Herbstreit from College Gameday, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell were in attendance.  Many who had watched Jackson grow in the Shenango Valley were also in attendance, as well as some of the nurses who cared for Cassie when she was a cancer patient.

The event benefited Penn State THON and Sharon Regional’s pediatric cancer fund.

The next morning, Good Morning America began with Lara Spencer saying:

"Good morning America - and good morning from Hermitage, Pennsylvania! Last night, this small city had a very big moment rolling out the red carpet for the premiere of Cassie & Jackson: A Championship Bond. And I can tell you, the energy here is still electric.”

Over B-roll, Lara recapped the events of the previous evening, from all the dignitaries that were in attendance, to Cassie and Jackson.  Then Lara interviewed the two friends to reflect on their night.

Jackson said, “Cassie’s my not-so-little lion anymore.  But the truth is, I never left her side at all!”

Cassie added, her ring shining in the sunrise, “If one person can be inspired by our story, we’ve already won.”

Lara Spencer presented Cassie a big bouquet of blue and white balloons as the crowd chanted - say it with me now - “WE ARE!  PENN STATE!”

“And there you have it, a small city story with a big-time heart.  Live from Hermitage, Pennsylvania, I’m Lara Spencer - now back to you in New York!”

Entertainment Tonight correspondent Bob Goen covered the premiere event, one that had celebrities from Jennifer Garner to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson giving kudos to the film.  They called it “the feel-good movie of the year” and a story that reminds us why we love sports and cinema”.

Three nights later, on Wheel of Fortune, round two began as host Ryan Seacrest introduced the category of MOVIE TITLE.

The puzzle board opened with:

______ & _______:

_ ____________ ____

The subject of the puzzle?

CASSIE & JACKSON:

A CHAMPIONSHIP BOND

The blockbuster movie had made it to the Sony lot on Wheel of Fortune.

Across the lot on the Alex Trebek Stage, we took SPORTS IN FILM for $2000, Ken.  The answer was:

This 2020s film tells the true story of a young girl named Cassie, whose bond carried her through cancer & him to 3 Super Bowl rings.

Mattea Roach gave the correct response of What is “Cassie & Jackson: A Championship Bond?”

“That’s correct!” said Ken Jennings happily, “and Mattea takes the lead!  What an inspiring story!”

Daily Variety praised the film in a report where the film went from small town premiere in Hermitage, Pennsylvania to a serious contender at the Oscars.  Critics had given the movie its kudos as “the Rudy of this generation” and “a soul-stirring testament to resilience and loyalty”.

That started up Oscar chatter, and a potential Oscars sweep!  But the biggest buzzword the movie generated was impact.  One member of the Motion Picture Academy said, “It’s a story that doesn’t just move you, it stays with you.”

Many also predicted a strong showing at the Golden Globes.

The Hollywood Reporter also reported praise for the film from those who attended the premiere which brought an overflow crowd to its feet.  A producer said that Hollywood loved an underdog.  But it wasn't just an underdog story.  It was about survival, loyalty and family, and that was what made the film Oscar-worthy.

But at the Oscars ceremony, the unthinkable happened.  Cassie & Jackson: A Championship Bond swept the major Oscars!  The film became only the fourth film to achieve such an accomplishment, joining the ranks of It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs in an elite club.

The city of Hermitage went wild after they had seen a film with a local impact win all the major Oscars!  At the Hickory High School auditorium, confetti was shot from cannons, and thousands of balloons were dropped in celebration.

A similar celebration occurred in Happy Valley.  Inside the Eisenhower Auditorium, blue and white confetti was shot from cannons and thousands of blue and white balloons were dropped from the ceiling.

Pittsburgh also celebrated the Oscar sweep inside the Benedum Center as black and gold confetti fluttered and thousands of black and gold balloons were dropped.

Cassie Day accepted the Oscar for Best Picture.  She reminded all of us: “This story was never about winning trophies of any kind.  It was more about hope.  About friendship.  And about never giving up.  If our story has given even one person strength, then we’ve already won.”

Jackson Pryts added, “I’ve played in Super Bowls.  I’ve won championships.  But nothing compares to this moment, sharing this stage with Cassie.  And… WE ARE CASSIE STRONG!!”

The New York Times played up the historic moment with praise from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television’s Dr. Elaine Whitman.  She said that “sports films almost never win Best Picture, let alone sweep all five major awards.  This isn’t just a cinematic achievement - it’s a cultural one.  It shows how deeply this story resonated with audiences around the world.”

Cassie and Jackson made the cover of People magazine with the headline: “Their biggest win yet!: Cassie and Jackson: From Cancer Battles to Oscar Gold”.

Back in Happy Valley, the Daily Collegian played up the historic moment because the Oscar-winning film had a big impact on the Penn State campus.  But since president Neeli Bendapudi was out on an indefinite medical leave of absence due to recurring pancreatitis, acting president Michael Wade Smith said, giving his kudos to Cassie and Jackson, “This is Penn State. It’s about resilience, family and never giving up.  Cassie and Jackson embody that spirit.”

In the Sharon Herald’s report playing up the Oscar sweep, a football coach named Mike Gallagher recalled seeing Jackson play in Pop Warner football.  “But this?” he exclaimed, “Sharing an Oscar with Cassie? This is bigger than anything we ever dreamed!”

The praise just kept on coming after Cassie & Jackson: A Championship Bond swept the major Oscars.  Sports Illustrated ran a cover story with praise from folks such as Kirk Herbstreit, Roger Goodell, coach Terry Smith, Darryl Clark, Todd Blackledge, John Shaffer, Shane Conlan, Bill O’Brien, Mike Tomlin, the Rooney family and even Sue Paterno!

The kudos would not stop there!  Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, Congressman Mike Kelly, state representative Parke Wentling and state senator Michele Brooks all praised Cassie Day and Jackson Pryts for their inspiring story!

CASSIE STRONG was no longer a battle cry on and off the field.  It was a global catchphrase that transcended cultures, including college football.  

SportsCenter ran the big story on one of its broadcasts with the historic Oscars sweep with a beautiful outro clip of Cassie and Jackson hugging backstage with blue and white balloons behind them!

On Good Morning America, Robin Roberts and Lara Spencer talked about the first Oscars sweep since 1991!

“What a night!” exclaimed Lara.

“And Lara,” said George Stephanopoulos, “you’ve followed this story since the early days at Penn State.”

“Aw, George,” said the Penn Stater, “the Whiteout where the two of them met - the bond grew - the national championship, Jackson’s Super Bowls, and now the Oscars!  It’s a full circle fairytale.”

“Nittany Nation is buzzing with excitement,” added Michael Strahan, “but it’s bigger than sports.  It’s about family, resilience and love.”

Outside, the crowd in Times Square shouted: “WE ARE! PENN STATE!”, and they sent blue and white balloons to the heavens.

Robin Roberts smiled.  “Well, I speak for all of us when I say, we are Cassie & Jackson fans now!”

Back home in Hermitage, city manager Gary Hinkson declared that day a community celebration day!  “Jackson Pryts represents the best of our city: grit, heart and loyalty,” he said.  “And Cassie?  She’s our hero, too!  Hermitage could not be prouder of the two of them!”

But Jackson took the praise in stride, never forgetting his roots.  “This is home,” he said in an interview with the Sharon Herald.  “I was born here, I was raised here, Penn State shaped me, and Cassie inspired me.  Those five Oscars belong here at home as much as they do in Hollywood.”

Cassie added, “The world may know us from the film, but our roots are always here at home.”

Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner played up the historic victory at the Oscars on Entertainment Tonight.

Two months later, on Wheel of Fortune, Ryan Seacrest guided that night’s winner, JoAnne Sellers from Erie, Pennsylvania through the bonus round.  JoAnne had already won $58,790 in cash and prizes.  Ryan said to her, “Spin that bonus wheel and see what we will play for tonight!”

JoAnne gave the wheel a spin.  The wheel landed on the C in AMERICA’S.

“Come over here with me,” said Ryan, pointing to a spot for JoAnne.

“Okay,” he continued.  “You selected PROPER NAME as your category.  And we will give you a head start with all the R’s, S’s, T’s, L’s, N’s and E’s, and Vanna will show those as we light them up.”

This is the head start JoAnne got:

____S_N

_R_TS

“Now it is your turn,” continued Ryan, “to give us three more consonants and one more vowel.”

“Okay, P… C… K… and A,” said JoAnne.

With the additional help, this is what she had:

_ACKS_N

PR_TS

The audience murmured with excitement as the letters were revealed.

“Audience, please,” said Ryan, “absolute silence from you.  It’s up to JoAnne to do this herself.  Oh, she’s looking at me… could this mean something?  JoAnne, it’s PROPER NAME… ten seconds… good luck!”

“JACKSON PRYTS!” shouted JoAnne.

“YES!” Ryan shouted with joy.  Ryan opened the envelope, and shouted:

“CONFETTI TIME!  $100,000!”

The confetti did come down.  JoAnne and her family celebrated as announcer Jim Thornton’s voice boomed:

“JOANNE, WAY TO BE STRONG!  ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!”

But there was a bigger surprise: Cassie and Jackson themselves walked on to the set with blue and white balloons for her!

“$158,790 in cash and prizes!” Ryan exclaimed.  “And Cassie and Jackson are here too!  What a night!”

Then, on Jeopardy! Masters, it was Final Jeopardy! between Victoria Groce, James Holzhauer and Amy Schneider.

“OSCAR-WINNING FILMS is the Final Jeopardy! category,” said Ken Jennings, “and here comes the answer.”

(P-TING!)

This inspiring sports drama became only the fourth film in history to sweep the “Big Five” Oscars - Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress & Screenplay - telling the story of a Penn State linebacker & the young girl whose fight against cancer inspired him.

“Thirty seconds, Masters… good luck.”

With those words, the famous Think! Music played.

After the music ended, the responses were reviewed.

Because she was in last place, Amy Schneider’s response was revealed first.  Her response was the correct one:  What is Cassie & Jackson: A Championship Bond?  Her wager?  Nothing.  She stood pat with 9000 points, not feeling at all confident about the category at all.

James Holzhauer, who was in a close second with 19,800, also gave the correct response, and he doubled his score to 39,600.  But to James’ dismay, Victoria Groce was also correct, and her final score was 39,601, edging out James by one point.

“From Beaver Stadium to the Oscars stage - and now to Jeopardy! Masters!” Ken Jennings exclaimed.  “That’s one hell of a story for the ages!”