Good for me.

Above & Beyond score yet again with today's release of the "You Got To Go" remixes. Phenomenal.

I did something I hadn't done before, which was pre-order an album on iTunes. You buy it and then the day it's released, as soon as you launch iTunes it immediately hits your computer.

The best part of the story is that I had totally forgotten about the purchase. Which is to say I remembered I'd done a pre-order, but couldn't remember exactly what it was. Making any kind of financial decision late at night is rarely the best idea in the world, so as it started to download today I had to trust my own impeccable taste in music and assume that what was about to come soaring through the speakers was, in fact, a glaring exception to the Tired Eyes Purchase rule. I was right.

Such a purchase warranted going back in and shopping around for some other tracks I may have missed along the way. As expected, the search revealed more than a few choice nuggets. For example...

One day, I'm gonna have a reason to dedicate this song to someone. I have no idea who you are, young lady, but what I do know is this: I'm going to sit back and enjoy watching you melt like wax down a candle.

In the meantime, friends, we have this track. Which is more than enough to hold us over:

Greatest. Tour Poster. Ever.

Moz wins again.

Thanks, Mom.

There's a lot of noise in my life. Ambient textures, natural sounds, the white static of concrete and steel, all kinds of shit. I am not good at sitting in silence. As a result, the sonic overload I either create or can't ignore will build to such a distracting volume that will, inevitably, make the thorns in my side seem too painful to deal with.

If you're like me, when the burden is too heavy to carry alone you go to The Almighty. You ask - in the most humble way you can muster - for relief. Many times it doesn't come. He seems disinterested. Distant. Unwilling to help.

I called my mom this morning. Mostly out of a desire to be a good son, but also because I was struggling with the unknown. Which I hate. Out of nowhere, a realization hit us: the answer from God, out of His inability to do anything but furiously love us, is always yes - I've just been asking the wrong question.

We say, "Take this from me. It's too heavy to carry."

He says, "No. You need to hand it over to me."


They are, as Judith very eloquently told me, "two very, very different things."


Chew on that one for a bit. I know I am.

Fuzzy Math.

How is it that Toy Story 3 gets nominated for best Picture but The Town doesn't?

Hello, Park City.

Although I can't say I'm remotely surprised, I'm still very proud to announce that Little Birds - written and directed by my big brother Elgin James - has been selected for competition in the U.S. Dramatic Feature category at this year's Sundance Film Festival. I had a chance to see segments of it while I was in Los Angeles this past June and without a hint of exaggeration, I'll freely admit that it's the first film in a very, very long time that's had me on the edge of my seat, laughing out loud and in tears in a single sitting. You will be hearing an awful lot about both Elgin and the film in the coming months. Trust me.

Here's the "for immediate release" synopsis:

Starring Kay Panabaker and Juno Temple in the lead with a supporting cast of Kyle Gallner, Kate Bosworth and Leslie Mann, this is a semi-autobiographical drama set amidst the stark landscape of the Salton Sea, and sees two 15-year-old girls (Temple and Panabaker) test the limits of their friendship when one follows the other in an escape to Los Angeles. There they discover that the boredom of home may be better than learning to survive in the big city. There they hook up with skaters and street kids.

My take? Kate Bosworth is her usual amazing, Juno Temple is going to be the next Big Thing, Leslie Mann's performance made me cry and Kyle Gallner redefines the concept of Fragile Anti-Hero Hero. For me, Kay Panabaker was the most pleasant surprise - her character is the most effective, accurate and moving Christ Metaphor I've ever seen on celluloid.

Simply put, it's an absolutely remarkable film. This all sounds like hyperbole now. Once it hits theaters later this year it'll be a different story.

I'll be at Sundance for a few days working on a few things related to the film that I'm ecstatic over but can't (and don't) really want to talk about just yet. Suffice it to say that if you told me last January that I'd be at the Sundance Film Festival in a professional capacity - especially after the rollercoaster year I've had - I would have been skeptical. At this point, it would be unwise to put a roof on 2011.

Congrats to Elgin and the entire cast and crew of Little Birds. It's refreshing to know that there's still blood pumping in Hollywood's veins.

Why I Love Him More Every Day, Part 2.

SCENE:
It's particularly cold these days in New England. Trevor is running around the house with nothing but a pair of pants on and socks.


TREVOR
I was thinking about finding a blanket.

ME
I'll get you one. Do you want your SpongeBob blanket?

TREVOR
Oh yes, please!!

(Aaron brings Trevor his blanket, wraps it around him lovingly)

AARON
Why don't you just put a shirt on, goober?

TREVOR
Because I wanna look like a dude. It's my new look.

ME
Oh yeah?

TREVOR
Yeah. I was thinking about taking off my pants and underwear, too. I was gonna get a towel and wrap it around my neck. Then I could say, (in bad Asian accent) "SILENCE WHEN YOU SPEAK TO SUMO TREVOR!!!"

AARON
(laughing hysterically)
Sounds great.

TREVOR
Yeah. Think about that. Picture that in your head.

ME
Already did. And it's hilarious.

Why I love him more every day, Part 1.

Trevor: Dad, what were you like when you were a teenager?

Me: Not as cool as you.

Trevor: Seriously, Dad.

Me: What do you think I was like?

Trevor: Well, I've only seen one picture of you and you were in a tuxedo.

Me: Yeah, that's from when I went to prom.

Trevor: You went to a prom?

Me: Oh yeah, dude. My date was hot, too.

Trevor: Oh, reeeeeeeeally....

Me: Really. Hottest girl in school, actually.

Trevor: Like Miley Cyrus?

Me: Kinda.

Trevor: Wow.