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The Diva came face to face with Russell Crowe this week on the set of his latest flick, "The Next Three Days". Boyfriend almost knocked a sister down, but it was all part of the scene 'cause I was an extra in the film, which also co-stars Liam Neeson and Brian Dennehy.

Of course, when I set out for Oakland at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, I didn't know if I'd just be some anonymous face walking down the street or somebody caught in traffic (they asked us to bring our cars but they didn't use mine 'cause it was black). Initially, they said they couldn't use white or red cars so the Diva brought my old car, which is black intead of the new one, which is white. Howevah, once I got there, they said they couldn't use black. Oh well, there goes that extra $35.

Anyway, production assistants picked the extras up in a van from the parking lot on Meyran Ave. in Oakland and drove us to the old Children's Hospital, where some of the extras got outfitted in scrubs or white doctor coats. The Diva was told to that I could wear the turtleneck, blazer and brown slacks I wore. They told us to wear business or business casual. I brought a black pant suit for my wardobe change.

First I was a woman waiting in the ER reading a magazine. Then whenever they brought Russell's co-star Elizabeth Banks out of an ambulance and started bringing her up the sidewalk, I was supposed to get up and pick up a new magazine. Other folks had to walk from one side of the room to the other or walk over to the admission desk, just make it look like what might usually happen in a waiting room. We did umpteen takes of that.

Finally, we got lunch - chicken with mushrooms, some shredded beef in gravy, rice (I skipped that), mixed vegetables and rolls, plus lemonade, ice tea and water.

But not the important stuff - my scene with Russell.

See, Russell's character is rushing through the doors of a hospital emergency room looking for is wife and The Diva and another woman are exiting the same doors. We encounter Mr. Crowe who's trying to get around us. He ends up running past us on my side. After he brushes past me, I turn and look back, as somone might naturally do in such a situation. The director, Paul Haggis, didn't even have to tell me that.

The Oscar-winning actor was pretty nice, at one point talking to another extra and sending regards to is wife.

We shot that scene about four times from one angle, then about two more times with us and Russell starting closer to the door. At one point, Russell asks us (me and my fellow extra) whether we remember if he rushes past us on the right or the left. It was our right, his left. And fortunately for me, I was to his left, so he has to come past the Diva.

Hopefully, that means I'll be in the movie.