Entertainment : 'Sing' up next at Palace; brings animated 3D tale of singers and their stories

By Rose Trafford, Vinton Palace From the studio that brought us Despicable Me, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets, comes a new animated feature full of talking animals and their songs... Sing! Playing Friday, January 13 through Thursday, January 19 at 7 pm, with matinees on Saturday (3 pm) and Monday (2 pm), Sing is a 3D animated film featuring the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, and John C. Reilly. When the koala Buster Moon (McConaughey) falls into financial troubles, he decides to host a singing competition at his theater with a cash prize of $1,000. Buster orders some fliers promoting his competition, but his assistant accidentally prints them with a couple of extra zeros, offering a $100,000 cash prize. Already strapped for cash, Buster cannot afford this. To his dismay, the pile of incorrect fliers is blown out of an office window and out into the city streets. All around the city, different animals find the fliers and start preparing for the competition. Our characters include a busy pig mom juggling the responsibilities of life (Witherspoon), a porcupine that just left her cheating boyfriend (Johannson), a gorilla son of a gang-member father (Taron Egerton), a mouse that plays music on the street (MacFarlane), and an elephant that is so shy she doesn't know how she'll ever get the nerve to sing in front of people (Tori Kelly). To get the money for the show, Buster seeks the financial help of his best friend Eddie's grandmother, who was an actress and opera singer. She agrees to help only if she can see a private screening of the show beforehand, after which she will make her decision. Meanwhile, the singer's private issues are keeping them from coming to rehearsal on time. The show seems to be falling apart, and when bears seek out the money Buster owes them, the situation seems hopeless. The characters rally together behind Buster trying to cheer him up, but all seems lost. One by one, the characters confront their personal problems and give their all to the show, making it a great success. Sing features over 60 hit songs from dozens of artists, as well as a new song called "Faith" by Stevie Wonder. Sing is rated PG, runs 110 minutes, and will be shown in 3D every night but Tuesday. MORE SCHEDULE CHANGES Please note Moana and Sing have changed places on our original January calendar. Moana opened on Friday, January 6, and Sing will play this week, beginning Friday, January 13. We will also be keeping Rogue One for two weeks. TWO LOST SOULS Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 15 at 2 pm. Erin Horst and Adam Yankowy will perform Two Lost Souls, a cabaret, at the Palace, sponsored by ACT I. Tickets are $7 for adults and $2 for children, and may be purchased in advance at www.act1.org. 2D TUESDAY