Entertainment : In Depth: Eat, Pray, Love comes to Palace, but only for three days

“Eat, Pray, Love” plays the Palace THREE DAYS ONLY, on Friday, September 24 at 7 pm, and Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26 at 2 pm and 7 pm. This star-studded movie features Julia Roberts, as Liz Gilbert, and Richard Jenkins, Billy Crudup, James Franco, and Javier Bardem as the various men in her life. “Eat, Pray, Love” is rated PG-13 and runs 141 minutes. And, yes, this is a chick flick.

This movie is Elizabeth Gilbert’s own story. After making the decision to end her marriage and ensuing love affair, Liz spends one year of her life traveling in Italy, India and Bali, seeking a balance of body, mind and spirit.

SCHEDULE CHANGE

Please note we are unable to show the ISU vs UNI game on Saturday as previously scheduled. The game is only being shown by an Ames Mediacom station, and we are powered by DISH network for our alternative content.

PALACE CLOSED

The Palace will be closed for two weeks, beginning Monday, September 27 through Thursday, October 7. During that period we will be installing the rigging and lift required to raise the new silver screen for ACT I stage productions. We will also be updating our office, and painting and replacing linoleum in the lobby and restrooms. The October schedule will be online at www.vintonpalace.org asap.

FACEBOOK

A few years ago I had my daughter set up a Facebook page for me. I intended to use it to advertise for the Palace. Turns out I was ahead of my time. Facebook didn’t have business pages yet, and the only friends available were those of my children. Frankly, they were freaked out to get messages from me, a mom. The one and only cinema event I set up for teens, via Facebook, was a special midnight showing of a popular movie. It was attended by absolutely nobody. I know, sad, right?

So my page lay dormant, waiting patiently for my friends to ask their kids to create pages for them. Suddenly, in 2009, everything changed. Parents talked to other parents, and we all discovered that the best way to monitor our child’s Facebook account was to have one of our own.

I began to receive email from acquaintances, “friending” me. I quickly learned two things – Facebook is fun and addictive and I can find out what my Vinton friends are up to, and also chums from high school and college that I haven’t seen in decades. And, number two – my kids can choose NOT to be my friend. Sigh.

Anyway, once the ga-jillionaires at Facebook realized adults were using their social networking system, business pages became available. Bobbie and Wes at Monkeytown asked if I’d like one for the Palace. I said, “Of course! I wanted one two years ago!” (I know, I’m just so darned techno- savvy!)

Then I noticed that projectionist Tony Bopp was spending way too much time posting on his page, so I asked him to take over the Palace page. And the rest is history! Vinton Palace Theatre on Facebook now has 616 friends!

You, too, can be our friend! (FACEBOOK and The Palace) You’ll receive up-to-the-minute notices about movie happenings at the theatre, including last minute schedule changes, and info about crowd sizes so you’ll know if you need to line up early or purchase your tickets online.

Not sure how to get started? Ask your son, daughter, grandchildren or the teenager next door. He or she will have a little laugh at your expense, but you’ll quickly be set for hours and hours of useless enjoyment. Just be sure to remind your young helper to protect your privacy by enabling proper safety settings.

What does all this have to do with “Eat, Pray, Love?” Interestingly, about a month ago, I posted a comment on my Facebook page about trying to read the book and really not liking it. More than thirty friends posted back that they hated the book, too. Who liked this book and why did Elizabeth Gilbert end up on the New York Times bestseller list?

However, we all agreed - we love Julia Roberts and plan to see the movie. So, check it out, THIS WEEKEND ONLY, and post your thoughts at Vinton Palace Theatre on Facebook.