I went to a screening of Hurt Locker, and afterward there was a great Q&A with director Kathryn Bigelow and 2 actors from the film.

I noticed the camera a lot more this time around; handheld and perspective. They really put together a fantastic film.

I think Renner was awesome in it, jus a natural on screen with some great moments. I’m sure there’s gonna be some Oscar buzz around this thing!

I watched the final cut of Couchgarden with rsw last night. It has come a long way since June ‘08. I remember the first cut, which had some really nice elements, but wasn’t tied together fully. Amazing how much work goes into editing — thank you Aleks! It looks beautiful, sounds beautiful, and hopefully it will do well in the festival circuit.

We’re submitting her to Sundance today, first of many festivals, so good vibes today! It was a magical set to work on, everyone working their asses off, pitching in, the creative juices flowing. I feel like all of this will be apparent on screen. We shall see…..

The parental units stayed at the beach this week and had a great time.

My pops and I had a lot of time to finish up the “final” revision of the business plan for WineDoctor. It’s looking good, real good!

We’ve toiled over this idea for 4 years now, and it’s time to get it off the ground.

Had a great 29th birthday at Janes House, and an unbelievable dmb concert @ verizon amphitheater…..played lots of old stuff, he rocked the house!

Have a new commercial agent now, and w/ my new reel, I’m poised to get new theatrical representation.

This will be a golden year. It must be.

I had an amazing time in Newport, RI this last weekend. I was there for a wedding. It was at the Rosecliff mansion, which was absolutely stunning, enormous and a blast. I met some amazing people I certainly will never forget .

Being back in Boston and then RI was a great release from the constant day to day here in hollywood. It sort of put things into perspective for me. I feel like waiting on these two projects I’ve been dolling over has me so stir crazy I can’t breathe.

As soon as one of or both of these babies pushes through I’m going to make some serious decisions as to where I want to be. Hollywood always has me on edge, I need to be around family and good friends more, connect with people and stay focused. People here are always “shopping.” Trying to get something, a piece. That’s just no good.

Got back from a whirlwind vegas trip late last night. The boys and I decided it would be a good idea after closing down madame royale fri night to get in the car and be rockstars.

After about 40 hrs of straight vegas debauchery I’m a bit cashed out. Pool parties @ wet republic and tao beach sat day, then bouncing from tao night club to lavo to xs a noche.

I feel like I’ve been gone for a week….time to take a vacation from my vacation.

When did it become socially acceptable to cancel on someone? Did I miss that class in high school? Is it just life in Los Angeles? I understand that we’re all built differently, we all have our own ideals, morals, dreams, body armor, but one of the things I uphold most is that when I make a plan, commit, I stick to it.

For the third time, the same friend of mine (lady friend) has cancelled on me last minute. When given the opportunity to admit loss of interest she denies, dolling out some sophomoric excuse, to then meet some other time and express the interest I think is gone. At the sound of this it looks like I’m the fool not taking a hint. Yet this has happened quite frequently with other friends.

It’s got to be a sign of something I’m doing wrong. We’re all responsible for that which happens to us (for the most part), and thus I must be putting something out there, causing it somehow.

With that in mind, I still know that when I make a plan, commitment, date, I stick to it. There’s a lesson here, I can conceptualize it, but the feeling remains. It’s disheartening.

Had a great day of films. Went to see kathryn bigelow’s “the hurt locker” this afternoon. She shot on super 16, and it added a griddy, rough and tumble, 70’s cinema quality to the film. Very well acted, the characters have some great moments. She did it with only 11 million, still a lit of money, but nice to see good films getting made for under 30 these days.

Finished the night with Truffaut’s “the 400 blows.” One of his first films, critical and commercial acclaim, and a best director award from Cannes. Just a great film to watch, his style and choices inspired many of the current greats. To think that just the year before he was banned from Cannes. I guess this industry has been fickle from the beginning.

Spielberg actually cast truffaut in “close encounters of the third kind,” because he wanted to portray the theme of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. He saw that theoughline in all of truffaut’s work. What a great choice.

My dear friend rsw said to me just now: ” you know what, you should carry a gun,” just out of the blue….”you know, you’d actually be a great assassin.” Just a random comment while folding his clothes, me with a glass of wine in my hands on the couch.

I said: “I’d love to be an assassin.” He said, “I know, you’d be great, I’m going to make a picture where you play an assassin, cause it would be believable. I’m actually scared right now.”

Great conversation. Who should I assassinate first?!

I went to the Iranian protests here in LA monday night with my friend sepi. It was a very powerful night. There were so many people in the streets to support a free Iran.

There was a candle-lit vigil for Neda, the 27 year old girl who was gunned down by a sniper in the streets of Teheran. It was a very moving experience. These were peaceful protests in Teheran until she was shot. This footage: Neda on YouTube, shows just how non-problematic Neda was with her father before the tragedy.

Iran is a prime example of a country where politics can’t be separated from religion. Ahmadinejad is a dangerous leader to say the least. “Put simply, Iranian governance is democratic in appearance, theocratic in character and dictatorial in intent….The system’s complexities is in large part an effective if paradoxical way of disarming criticism of Iranian ‘democracy’ while making it supremely difficult for reformers to break into the system and sway it their way.” -Pierre Tristam

Often I feel the world is so mixed up, I wonder if we’ll ever find our footing, wonder if we’ll ever find peace. In my heart I want to believe we can, but in my head I just don’t see how. Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity.

So my friend Terry tells me about this secret Malibu Oasis last week. Pools of water, cliff jumping, the whole nine yards. This sounds like bs to me, because I’ve lived in LA for 7 years now, and have never heard of this place.

I went last weekend for the first time, and it was amazing. It’s about a mile hike, and you have to go with someone who’s been there before to get to the right place. I’ve since been three times, I’m officially addicted.

It reminds me of the place I used to go as a kid, Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ. I love having a few places in the world that are secret or meaningful to yourself, places that you know will always be there.