Oscar: The next generation

Diablo Cody

Age: 29

Back story: Cody got a media studies degree from the University of Iowa and came to fame after she chronicled her yearlong stint working in strip clubs and peep shows in Minneapolis in her 2006 memoir, "Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper."

Nominated for:

Original screenplay ("Juno")

Noteworthy: Strike or no strike, Cody's enjoyed something of a charmed awards season run, with a raft of nominations and prizes from the Writers Guild of America and BAFTA for her script about a pregnant teen.