Stars in the sky were not the only ones visible from the end of the pier at San Diego's Embarcadero Sunday evening, November 9, where many of Hollywood's elite graced the red carpet for the West Coast premiere of Russell's Crowe's new film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. 

As photographers from outlets such as ET and Access Hollywood -- some with cameras bigger than themselves -- jostled for space to capture the film's cast and crew arrivals, reporters took the other end of the carpet and waited for a chance to speak with the actors. Hundreds of VIP-invited guests strolled the carpet to take their seats for the outdoor screening.

Twentieth Century Fox did an amazing job of setting the backdrop for the gala. Flanking the sides of the huge movie screen were the historic Star of India on the port side and the HMS Rose, the ship used in the filming, on the starboard side. Watching the billowing sails with the title of the film projected on them and listening to the Irish folk band, Skelpin, made the time pass pleasantly while waiting for the big arrivals.

London's Max Benitz, an 18-year-old who played Calamy, one of the young officers in the film, was among the first to do the line. Benitz got the part after director Peter Weir saw an audition he did for Harry Potter. Making his first film was exciting, he said. "It was weird, as I had just finished school and a week later I was in Baja having dinner with Russell Crowe. Filming in Rosarita for six months was interesting, and I loved making the film."

Paul Bettany plays the ship's doctor Stephen, a very interesting character who catalogs bugs and animals. On the line, Bettany was more than generous with his time speaking to reporters. "I was so proud of this movie," Bettany told me. "It was an incredibly well-made film, made by an incredible director and with an enormously clever cast. We had 20 principal actors from England that are all marvelous."

So what was the Rosarita beach experience like for Bettany? "Amazing friendships were built, and I'm indebted to Peter for that. Also, it was seven months of my life, it was Peter Weir, one of the greatest filmmakers that ever lived with $135 million plus, so it was a playground -- cold, wet and dirty -- but marvelous."

Behind Bettany, but close on his heels, came Crowe, looking somewhat slimmer than he did in the picture. Perhaps he's getting in shape to chase after his new baby who's due to arrive soon. About Master and Commander, Crowe said, "The experience was fantastic."  Crowe also seemed happy to talk about his next film, Cinderella Man, the story of folk hero Jim Braddock, the depression-era fighter who defeated heavyweight champ Max Baer in a 15-round slugfest in 1935. "It's a boxing movie, directed by Ron Howard, but not really about boxing, it's about how one American family handled a great change in their circumstances."

As Bettany and Crowe made their way to the HMS Rose for the firing of the cannon, the guests settled into their seats ready to watch the high-seas adventure on the big screen. The light wind whirling around the crowd could have been made to order by a special effects department, and it was a toss up which were brighter, the stars waiting for the audience's reaction to the film or those dotting the sky above a beaming San Diego skyline -- all decked out for a grand Hollywood event.

(Photo: Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany in front of HMS Rose's sails at West Coast Premiere of Master and Commander. Photo credit: Lou Saenger.)