'Milk' world premiere benefit at Castro Theatre

[Sequoia]

The guests came to the Castro Theatre on Tuesday dressed in Levi's and designer dresses, '70s-chic velvet jackets and drag-queen heels and glitter. It looked like a glamorous early start on Halloween, but actually it was a Hollywood affair complete with a red carpet and a who's-who invitation list.

And, it was all devoted to a sold-out, one-night-only, world-premiere benefit screening of "Milk," the hotly anticipated new film about the life, times and tragic death of controversial San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.

History came back home to where it started three decades ago. The Castro Theatre vibrated with gay rights past and present. As the creators and stars of the film and local politicians ran the red-carpet press gantlet, a throng of people across the street waved "Vote No on Prop. 8" signs and shouted at every passing car that honked. The measure will eliminate the right to same-sex marriage in California if it passes next week.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/29/MN2J13Q99C.DTL

I sure remember that day. I had just moved to Los Angeles and was getting ready for work when the announcment came on the news with Diane Feinstein speaking. It was a real shocker and though I didn't know either of the men who were shot it was pretty shattering news. Even more so because 9 days earlier the news showed all those bloated bodies on the ground of the Kool-Aid drinkers from the People's Temple of Jim Jones. Both events still upset me to this day because the ripples are still being felt.

[Tikki]

1. I remember....

I never will forget...:cry:

Tikki

[LynneSin]

2. I've seen the trailer and it looks really really good

I'd love for Sean Penn to get another Oscar. He's so fricking talented!

[Sequoia]

3. I've like Sean ever since he was in, "The Falcon and the Snowman".

Great movie, great book.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. That was a really rough time for the Bay Area.

The People's Temple had its roots in San Francisco, in fact it had been an active community group embraced by Mayor Moscone. And then the assassinations. A few months earlier, Dan White had spoken at my high school graduation ceremony. I had also recently met the Mayor at a benefit for the PAL group I was a part of -- very nice man. I remember the Feinstein press conference, the trial, the riots -- it was all so crazy.

That the movie is being released during our fight against Prop. 8 here in CA is a wonderful thing and timely reminder we are still the same fight all these years later.

Can't wait to see it.

[Sequoia]

6. Wow, riots? I didn't hear about those.

I can't believe the jury found him not guilty of pre-meditated murder. After all he had a gun. Some justice, heh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_White

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. The White Night riots...

They happened the night the White verdict was handed down. The verdict of manslaughter instead of Murder One was ridiculous.

http://thecastro.net/milk/whitenight.html

http://www.archive.org/details/ssfWhitent1

[Sequoia]

8. No kidding !! Twinkie Defense.....what the hell?!!

That lawyer of his....damn, how could he live with himself is beyond me. Dan White totally planned the whole thing. In the end he weaseals out of his life the easy way.

[Taverner]

5. Can't wait to see it - I was a kid during the 70's

I remember asking why the Fireman killed Harvey Milk, since he never hurt anyone else. The more Conservative folks in the family said "because he's a bad person who does bad things." They would not elaborate.

At that moment, I knew they were wrong.