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AFI FEST staff rolled out the red carpets, cordoned off the perimeters of the front entrance to Mann's Chinese Theatre, as black-suited security guards scouted the area for potential gate-crashers.
Shortly thereafter - sleek limos purred to the curb with their precious charges inside - a handful of celebrated actors ready to run the gauntlet past a frenzied gaggle of high-profile journalists and paparazzi on Safari and out for a kill.
Just about an hour earlier, the heavens opened up unexpectedly and a torrent of rain descended upon the city, heightened by streaks of lightning amid wild cracks of thunder.
I wondered, an auspicious sign from the Gods?
About an hour later, though, the skies cleared and I headed on up to the much-anticipated premiere of Che at Mann's Chinese Theatre.
When I heard the first shouts of the paparazzi at curbside one thing was evident.
It was showtime!
Up at my end of the carpet near the entrance to the Theatre, a reporter from People magazine scrutinized a sheet of "mug shots" I provided her so she could keep track of the Che stars as they paraded by.
Meanwhile, reporters from In Touch, US Weekly, and MTV jockeyed for their positions alongside me; after all, although all the press folks were given designated perches, face-space onto the carpet to facilitate interviews was still quite tight.
There was a strong turn-out by the Latino community , too.Che - for those who were not aware of it - was filmed entirely in Spanish with English subtitles.
Understandably, the Latino press was there to show support and bask in the glory.
The creative end didn't disappoint either.
All the lead actors who starred in the two-part four hour (plus!) bio - not only showed up to tout the much-ballyhooed feature - but strike up idle chit-chat with the media.
For the most part, it was quite the fashion show, too.
The ladies tended to saunter by in smart simple cocktail dresses with tasteful elegant jewellery - while their counterparts, the peacocks of the species - showed off a definite flair for designer suits and well-coordinated ensembles that sparked a touch of romanticism.
At one juncture - Steven Soderbergh, Benicio del Toro, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Joaquin De Almeida - posed for a "cast" photograph mid-runway.
Joaquim De Almedia - who often plays the bad guy in commercial popcorn movies out-of-Hollywood - was cast in Che as a politician in the ambitious offering from Steven Soderbergh.When I asked him how he liked playing those roles, he shrugged and smiled.
"That's the way they see me."
When I asked if there was a dream role he'd like to sink his teeth into, he noted that in Europe he has acted in over forty films playing a wide variety of characters.
"In one recent film, I'm quite a nice guy."
He's a charming fellow, unaffected by the trappings of Hollywood.
Fortunately, I screened Che last week - so I was able to ask a few intelligent questions of one of the original writers for Che biopic.
When I pointed out that I found the film a bit long, the articulate fellow was inclined to admit that the script originally started off quite modestly.
"It grew over time."
Gosh, I wonder why?
The tall elegant screenwriter's next project will be about a character by the name of David Livingstone who the Hollywood player appears to be fascinated with.
Although I was in an interview with a guest when Lou Diamond Phillips alighted next to me to chat with a reporter, I managed to overhear a funny story about celebrity he recalled for her.
Apparently, a woman once mistook the charismatic actor for the boxer, Oscar De La Hoya.
When the befuddled woman asked Phillips about his "moves" in the ring, he did not want to disappoint, so he played along.
Impromptu, he spun a yarn on the spot, which focused on his alleged strategies, and the "art" of boxing.
Jacqueline Bisset was so low-key on the carpet - that she nearly escaped my radar - as she strolled by with an unidentified man on her arm
Gorgeous, as ever!
But, a star that caught everyone's eye - and caused a buzz to ripple through the crowd - was Joaquin Phoenix.Suddenly, and without warning, he waltzed out of the dark recesses of the theatre - sort-of going upstream against the flow of celebrities heading the other way - and proceeded to take a drag on a cigarette.
At first, the Gladiator star wasn't recognizable!
If anything, he was "wild and woolly" in appearance.
The image he gave off - in the ubiquitous over-sized gold-tinted shades - was that of a reclusive rock star.
Then, oh my gosh, I spied the actor take a surreptitious swig from a flask, he casually spirited up from the inside of his jacket pocket.
HO2 or something with a little more kick to it?
Maybe those revelations about quitting the business are true.
Is the life of a superstar actor a strain for the psyche, do 'ya think?
News at 11!
Joaquin Phoenix & Gwyneth Paltrow star in "Two Lovers" at AFI Fest
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