‘Prayers for Bobby,’ shot in metro Detroit, demands our ears, but takes our hearts

  A child’s death is inconceivable. But Mary Griffith didn’t have to imagine it; she lived it. When her son, Bobby, leaned backward off a bridge into oncoming traffic, taking his life at just 20, the fervent churchgoer’s perfect world tumbled head-first too.

  With Sigourney Weaver at the gripping core of “Prayers for Bobby,” a true story shot over the summer in metro Detroit and premiering at 9 p.m. Jan. 24 on Lifetime, the tragic story of a son fighting for his mother’s acceptance – and the mother’s religious conflict to give it – remarkably escapes the doomed fate of TV movies.

  Thanks to Weaver, who is bitterly cold, playing Griffith as someone who, when Bobby (impeccably played by Ryan Kelley of indie gem “Mean Creek”) comes out, pretends he’s a stranger and dismisses him as casually as a foe. “I won’t have a gay son,” she lashes out moments before the expected climax – Bobby’s death, the instrument that makes Griffith re-examine her faith.

  As it should. But before undergoing her transformation, Mary’s all-American family, living in California during the ’80s, is caught dealing with Bobby’s revelation. And their picture-perfect six-some – achieved by an opening home-video of their smiley, happy kin frolicking in the yard – is pulverized. Divided, too.

  While most of the family is empathetic to Bobby, they’re mostly resistant to speaking up to Mary, who becomes increasingly frustrated, but still unflappable, when prayer and hanging with the boys doesn’t seem to beget the flip-flop she wants. Or needs, rather, if she wants to, as she says, see the family together in the afterlife.

  She goes to crazy extremes, trying to help Bobby rid himself of what she thinks is a mental disorder, to fight for her own self-deluded yearnings. She demands Bobby not stand with his hand on his hip – “like a girl,” she says. She sets him up on dates with chicks. All of it’s done out of love and desperation, and especially fear, and Weaver plays Griffith with such unwavering conviction, that she remarkably builds a sympathetic bond with us. We know she’s off her rocker, but we’re still rooting for her to change.

  Her wake-up call, unfortunately, comes too late. And when it does, Mary falls into an abyss of remorse, sinking deeper with each new misunderstood journal entry she reads from Bobby’s diary. And she takes us down with her.

For the complete review, visit www.pridesource.com or pick up Between The Lines now. And leave your reaction below, or write to chris@pridesource.com. 

Best Films of '08

1. Slumdog Millionaire 

2. Milk

3. The Dark Knight

4. Rachel Getting Married

5. Revolutionary Road

6. Doubt

7. Ghost Town and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (I know; I cheated)

8. Gran Torino

9. Wall-E

10. Burn After Reading

Now, your turn ...

Best Beats '08

Call it the Year of the Diva, or the Year I Became Just That Much Gayer, but how could you

 not feel overcome by big-female artist albums? Madonna, Mariah, Kylie, Celine, Cyndi – the list goes on, and so did that ear-to-ear smile on my face. For most of them, at least. But only two gay icons swooped into this annual year-end tally (Mariah, at No. 3; Cyndi, No. 6), which means I was left – happily – with divas-in-the-making, hot rock-lite dudes, a lesbian fave and a quasi-country cutie I’m probably too old to listen to.

1. Coldplay, ‘Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’

A little stylistic switcheroo never hurt – especially when everything starts sounding like it’s being engineered in a hit factory. Déjà vu might’ve marred their creatively-tired “X&Y,” but limiting the pop sheen – and invigorating their rock-lite sound with experimental tinkering and band-bellwether Chris Martin’s stray from distraught falsetto – Coldplay recorded an epic opus. Singles swoon, but "Vida"’s a ceaseless mesmerizer, knee-deep in mind-probing, ach

y, romantic sounds. The anthemic closer “Death and All His Friends” is a grandiose awakening, “Lost!” rides a catchy clap-groove, and “Lovers in Japan” offers up the kind of perseverance we need most now. Or, hell, whenever.

iPod it: “Lost!,” “Lovers in Japan,” “Violet Hill”

2. Robyn, ‘Robyn’

And the No. 2 album of the year is from … Robyn? No one would’ve guessed that the Swedish “Show Me Love” popster could muster anything of great significance. Which might be why she redefined her sound, and her image – self-titling her fourth disc, a contempo pop gem besting releases from Britney and Beyonce. Between bouncy in-your-face bits like “Konichiwa Bitches” and “Handle Me,” Robyn knows how to twist our heart, stinging us with the bittersweetness of “With Every Heartbeat” and the sparse “Eclipse.” So, show it love.

iPod it: “Robotboy,” “With Every Heartbeat,” “Eclipse”

3. Mariah Carey, ‘E=MC2’ 

Mariah, she’s so bad. Experimenting with her cheeky side – and who knows what else (this was MC at her horniest) – “Touch My Body” helped her reign over Elvis' record for No. 1 singles. And the rest of “Emancipation” Part Two? So good. And thuggish. And personal. She dishes on still living with ex-hubby “Side Effects” and laments her dad’s death on “Bye Bye.” Say bye bye to this album? Not

 anytime soon.

iPod it: “Migrate,” “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time,” “Side Effects”

4. Kathleen Edwards, ‘Asking for Flowers’

Four albums in, this alt-country Canadian goes quieter, letting the feistiness that marked previous rock-leaning releases fall to the wayside. But with more emotion than a funeral home, Edwards keeps her edge – in the songwriting. The joshing is left to “The Cheapest Key,” a brief, salty morsel. But, elsewhere, she’s an actress, playing the guy avoiding the draft on “Oil Man’s War,” and a woman kidnapped, beaten and left for dead (“Alicia Ross”). It’s powerful enough to leave a mark. And it obviously has.

iPod it: “Alicia Ross,” “Buffalo,” “Goodnight, California”

5. Duffy, ‘Rockferry’

Aimee Duffy was unjustly declared Amy Winehouse’s replacement. Sure, the structure, delivery and even the “yeah, yeah, yeah” might’ve coincidently – or even conveniently – matched the druggie’s “Rehab.” On the Welsh’s debut, though, she makes her name known, using her sweeter voice to accentuate a blistering, cloudy-day affair doused in neo-soul. Without the Winehouse sass, Duffy still knows how to nail a break-up ballad, like “Hanging on Too Long,” or a sweeping sweller like “Distant Dreamer.”

iPod it: “Mercy,” “Scared,” “Distant Dreamer”

6. Cyndi Lauper, ‘Bring Ya to the Brink’

Madonna’s “Hard Candy” went with the fad flow, but Lauper kept it so unusual, releasing an almost-entire retro dance album. And one of the best of her two-decade-plus career. “Rain on Me,” the only ballad (and a sublime one it is), is a “Time After Time” throwback, but the album’s brimming with disco-ball shimmer, like on the synthy, dizzying “Into the Nightlife.” Her elastic, expressive voice didn’t just lure us to the dance floor, especially on mood-lifter “Set Your Heart." It kept us moving in a different way.

iPod it: “Echo,” “Into the Nightlife,” “Rain on Me”

For the entire list, pick up Between The Lines now or visit www.pridesource.com. 

Sounds of the Season

No matter how many times you've heard the line "make the yuletide gay," it takes on a different - definitely more literal - meaning when Melissa Etheridge sings it. Yeah, I did go there, and if Kristin Chenoweth can turn a "Sesame Street" standard into a cutesy holiday tune, then let's call it even - OK? Both polar-opposite singers - one a lesbian, the other one lusted over by lesbians (she's adorable, ain't she?) - are making the yuletide gayer. I can't say the same for The Boxmasters or Faith Hill, who are also part of our annual Holiday Hear Me Out, but I'm betting, guys, you've had a fantasy or two involving Hill's hubby, Tim McGraw. And that's pretty gay. 

Melissa Etheridge, 'A New Thought for Christmas'

You like whiskey over wine to take the edge off the holidays? Based on her first-ever Christmas album (and, let's face it, she's probably no sipper), I'm betting Etheridge does, too. The lesbian leader's sandpaper-y tone on growlers - the sexy "Merry Christmas Baby," "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and original war-lament "Christmas in America" - frame her rock-out style, seemingly ill-fit for the sweet snowman-making of Christmas. But sprinkled between faithful classics like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Blue Christmas" (a perfectly picked ornament), her 10-song set isn't about frolicking in a winter wonderland; it's about love, war and peace - all as-of-late Etheridge muses. "Glorious," which borrows from "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night," is a love-spreader, while call-for-change "Ring the Bells" and "It's Christmas Time" sound like holiday-tinged takes from her sociopolitical album, "The Awakening," released last year. Closing with "O Night Divine," Etheridge's shoot-'em-dead delivery - that note near the end: holy lesbian! - is rousing, but who really expected anything less?

Aretha Franklin, 'This Christmas Aretha'

If oohs and aahs were decorative lights, our home-grown Queen of Soul would need a loan to pay her electricity bill. Heavily Aretha-ized, her first-ever-in-her-half-century-career (!) Christmastime album - generically titled, by the way - is wrapped in smooth soul ("This Christmas" - featuring son Eddie) and churchy gospel ("The Lord Will Make a Way"). And the bow? It's the sassy, gut-busting spoken-word "Twas the Night Before Christmas" - given her, ah, "personal" touch. (Available only at Borders and Waldenbooks)

Faith Hill, 'Joy to the World'

Gotta have Faith. If not for her last album (can't blame ya), then now with her traditional big-band-sounding Christmas debut. "Away in a Manger" and "O Holy Night," blanketed with strings and a choir, are tender beauts, but it's not all sleepy-time lullabies; it's worth strolling through her "Winter Wonderland," too. "A Baby Changes Everything" - no, not advice for Jamie Lynn Spears - is a baby Jesus parable. In fine voice throughout, Hill's un-country Christmas is a good (sleigh) ride.

For more holiday music reviews, pick up Between The Lines on Thursday or visit www.pridesource.com 

OBSESSED!

The latest single, "Long Distance," from Brandy's latest album, out 

Tuesday, has me singing in the shower (and in the car, on the potty, 

in my office, and in any other secluded location).

Adrien Brody, Uptight?

In the new issue of The Advocate, the actor, who's currently shooting a movie in Howell, is. Check out part of the interview below, and then click here for the complete Q-and-A.

What if a man had presented you with your Oscar instead of Halle Berry? Were you so wrapped up in the moment that you might have kissed him too?

That’s a pretty silly question. No, obviously not. Part of the excitement was that it was a beautiful woman presenting me with such a beautiful moment in my life.

Is there any actor for whom you would’ve made an exception?
No.

Let’s try another approach: For your next gay role, who’d you choose for your on-screen love interest? 
You want me to name an actor? No, I can’t answer that question, Brandon. See, you ask me how I deal with rumors, and I also have to deal with not adding fuel to them. Something that would be a completely innocuous comment on my part will be completely taken out of context by the next journalist, so I’d appreciate it if you were understanding about that.

Have I put you in a bad mood?
I’m still in a good mood, but I’m also a relatively serious person, so these questions are difficult for me.

So I guess I shouldn’t ask if it’s true what they say about a man with a prominent nose?
Why would you do that to somebody? You and I don’t know each other, right? We’re complete strangers, actually. I’m being respectful to you, so you have to extend the same courtesy.

Oh, Adrien, it’s all in good fun. I’m trying to show your sense of humor here.
I didn’t sign up for that.

Madge-ic Moments

“Make a hometown girl feel welcome,” Madonna urged at her long-time-coming return to Michigan Nov. 18 at Ford Field. And they did. All 30,000 of them. Amidst a undersold sea of girls and gays, the Rochester native performed, as part of her “Sticky & Sweet Tour,” her first home-state show in seven years, suggestively opening with her leg thrown over the side of a throne. For two zippy hours, she extended her unflappable energy through a short-on-sex spectacle that was, as expected, a grandiose, bipolar – but mostly hella fun – affair. It was easy to get lost in her labyrinth of awesomeness, and I did. Heck, even a few days later I'm still wow-ing over these moments (multiple Madonnas! “Material Girl”! Double Dutching!) – dreaming of them, waking up to them, bragging (endlessly) about them. Let’s hope it’s not another seven years before we do it again, Madonna. 

NEW OLDIES

The Queen of Reinvention lived up to that title. Toying with oldies-but-goodies – a punk-rock “Borderline” (with Madonna rocking the electric guitar), a on-speed “Into the Groove,” and a risky, but effing fab, hyper-Latin “La Isla Bonita” – was another reminder why wannabes continue trying to top her swagger, style and sophistication, but never come close.

THE ZINGERS 

Plenty escaped her unfiltered mouth – but not just when she sang (or pretended to). She harassed some dude with an allegedly bad ‘do, she sneered when people wouldn’t sing along, but, best of all, she recognized her Michigan MIA-ness: “I don’t come here very often – so, please, make a big deal out of it.” (No problem!).

JUMP ROPING

Jump roping double Dutch style, not just a thing for fifth grade girls. Even though she looked like one, (barely) dressed in teeny-tiny, apple-red shorts – and an ear-to-ear smile – she, during “Into the Groove,” gleefully made an elementary pastime part of a sly, old-school song section. Next tour: Hopscotch, please? 

For the complete list, check out Between The Lines on Thursday. And, Madonna fans, what were some of your Madge-ic moments?