Jason Reitman's Soundtracks Get Approval From David Crosby, Cameron Crowe

Though a heavy favorite earlier this month to take home an Oscar for his screenplay for 'Up in the Air,' writer/director Jason Reitman went home empty-handed. It's the second time Reitman, who was also a multiple nominee for 'Juno,' has gone through the Oscars without taking home a statue.

But Reitman, a die-hard music enthusiast, has gotten some pretty good consolation prizes, namely the blessings of a lot of musicians for the way he's used their work. "Some of the coolest mementos I have from making movies are the emails and letters I've gotten back from songwriters whose work I've used," Reitman tells Spinner.

Do any stand out in particular? "I got notes from Dave Crosby and Graham Nash on my use of Crosby, Stills and Nash in 'Up in the Air,' where they were both kind of floored by the usage and where it came in," he says. "It's unreal. It honestly feels like it's out of a dream. You have to reread the email about 20 times before you believe it's in your inbox. [Crosby and Nash] were both very, very kind."

With both 'Juno' and 'Up in the Air' earning box-office success, the films have made a big impact on musicians and some of those artists featured have gotten very creative in their thank you notes. "A tiny band called Junior James and the Late Guitars drew a comic book about me discovering their music, deciding whether or not to use it and then finally putting it on the 'Juno' addendum album," he recalls.

There is one gift Reitman received though that stands above all the others. "After 'Juno' Cameron Crowe sent me a vinyl of 'Harold and Maude,'" Reitman says. "Obviously, Cameron Crowe is one of the great music writers of all time whose soundtracks are second to none. For him to watch my movie, identify it with the lineage of 'Harold and Maude' and send me that record, which he was instrumental in getting published, it's a crowning moment."

Take that, Oscars.