Dolly Sings At Pre-Debate Event
Lending her voice to the political process, albeit in her usual non-partisan way, Dolly performed for a selection of dignitaries who included the current and four former governors of Tennessee during a pre-debate dinner Monday night at the Governor's Mansion in Nashville, The Tennessean reported here Tuesday. The audience of 400 also included one current U.S. senator, a former senator, national television journalists and members of the Commission on Presidential Debates. The two presidential candidates weren't present, but they were in town Tuesday night for their second debate.

Dolly Track On iTunes Chart
Thanks to Chad for alerting me that Dolly's “More Where That Came From” has returned to iTunes' top 100 country downloads chart thanks to its appearance in its second Target commercial that started airing a few days ago. The song clocks in at No. 95.

Dolly's Bag Up For Auction
Dolly's handbag auction to benefit breast cancer research has opened on eBay U.K. As of Tuesday evening, bids stood at £110 here. The auction ends Wednesday night British time. Other handbags for the charity auction are available here.

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Oct. 7:
Dolly Chats With N.C. Radio DJs
Dolly is back on the phones plugging her current CD, musical and more. She called in at Asheville, N.C., station 99.9 Kiss Country Monday morning to discuss 9 To 5: The Musical (she noted that its official Broadway "opening" has been pushed back a week, with producers now aiming for April 30 instead of April 23), making a movie or musical based on her own life and even her Christmas shopping habits. Take a listen here. Thanks, Greg!

Latest On '9 To 5'
Speaking of 9 To 5: The Musical, The West Hollywood News gave it a nice review this week here, saying that although the Los Angeles preview is a bit drawn out in the first act and needs a song or two that constitute "musical fluff" and distract from the story removed, it still pleases audiences. The critic singles out Dolly's music, saying she "crafts some fine songs that work well for the theater, all the while maintaining the brilliance that makes Dolly, Dolly." In related news, check out an interview with star Megan Hilty from Gannett News Service here. Finally, check out a story from FOX News about the show below.

Chart Updates From CMT, GAC
The video for Dolly's present single, "Shinola," from Backwoods Barbie, holds on at No. 2 for a second week on the Pure 12 Pack, the Internet-voted countdown for CMT's digital music channel, Pure Country. The video debuted at No. 1 in its first week and is now in its third week on the tally. You may vote for it here! In related news, the video has been added to the voting page for rival Great American Country (GAC) and its Internet-voted Top 20 Country Countdown. Vote for it on GAC here!

'Very Best' Returns To UK List, Too
Speaking of charts, Dolly makes a return this week to the British top 100 pop albums tally, it was announced on Monday. Last year's The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 makes an impressive leap of 104 points to re-enter the top 100 at No. 85, up from No. 189 the previous week. It's also the No. 1 country album – in fact it's the only country title in the UK top 100.

Coin Sales Stack Up
Sales of commemorative coins by the U.S. Mint to benefit the American Eagle Foundation's conservation efforts at its Dollywood eagle sanctuary have raised more than $6 million in endowed funds, it was announced Monday. Coins, available in a gold $5 piece and silver $1 in addition to a copper-nickel clad half-dollar featuring the park's most famous bird, Challenger, will remain available from the Mint through Dec. 12. The organization hopes to raise $10 million from sales. Order them here.

Can Rosie Do It?
The Washington Observer-Reporter is comparing Rosie O'Donnell's upcoming variety show with series of television past, most notably Dolly's failed attempt in 1987 to revive the genre, noting "Rosie just may succeed where Dolly Parton didn't." Read the piece here.

Oct. 6:
'Working' Backstage At '9 To 5'
Special thanks to The Lane Twins for sending in some shots from their backstage visit Friday night to Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical with their pal, Leslie Jordan (who won an Emmy for his role on Will & Grace and is hilarious on LOGO's new Sordid Lives: The Series). The guys tell me the show is much more polished than it was when they saw it on opening night of previews three weeks earlier. They tell me that the show has a new playbook out, which features a lot more photos and much additional Dolly info, although it's still not the full-sized book that will be released when the show opens on Broadway. Also, they were told that the cast album CD won't be released until after its New York debut next year. Check out their images, such as the one at left of the duo with Jordan and "Dorolee" Megan Hilty, here! Thanks again, Gary and Larry!

'Very Best' Returns Down Under
Last year's The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 appears once again on this week's Australian country albums chart, re-entering the 20-position tally at No. 18.

Vacation Recommended From England
Check out a great Dollywood travel story from The South Wales Echo across the Atlantic here.

Great Library Tale
When one Maryland couple couldn't find a local nonprofit organization to head up Dolly's Imagination Library in their home area, they started one up themselves! Read about the new Forest Hills chapter from The Baltimore Sun here.

Oct. 4:
Dolly Talks Politics On 'Extra'

Dolly Chats Up Music City Radio
Thanks to Nashville radio station WSIX for alerting Dollymania to Dolly's appearance on their morning show, "The House Foundation," with longtime Music City personality Gerry House. During the interview, Dolly revealed that Sha-Kon-O-Hey is not only the name of an album she has written for the Smokies' 75th anniversary as its official spokesperson but also an entire show which will be performed at Dollywood. She again spoke of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and once again appeared to make a less-than-serious comment about her which could easily be misconstrued, except this time it could be taken as a slam against her instead of an endorsement, as her previous joke on Extra was made to appear. When asked about the debates and Palin in particular, Dolly said that her physical attractiveness and "sparkly" nature make it easy for people to believe her even when she's lying. She quickly added, however, for the host to not drag her into politics because she avoids it and joked that she has to take a Valium before even shaking hands with a politician. However, she had very kind words for another politician, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, during the program. She also talked up her current single, "Shinola," which was played during the show, discussed 9 To 5: The Musical and took some listener calls. You may watch video of the entire interview in three parts from the station's website: part 1, part 2, part 3.

Foreign Chart Updates
A few charts outside of the U.S. updated their tallies on Friday, letting us know that last year's The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 re-enters the Irish pop albums chart this week at No. 47 to log its 59th week on the chart across the Atlantic. Up north, Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, for which Dolly wrote and sings on the title tune, holds steady at No. 2 country and slips 18 to No. 50 pop in its third week on the Canadian albums charts. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, featuring his Dolly duet, "When I Get Where I'm Going," loses five to No. 32 country. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, which includes Dolly guest vocals on "Gold," inches up one to No. 44 country, while Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, with her cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," drops a dozen spots to No. 46 country. George Jones sees his Burn Your Playhouse Down, featuring Dolly on "Rockin' Years," debut at No. 50 country.

Personnel Changes At Dollywood
Ken Bell, senior vice president of the Dollywood Company, on Thursday was named president of the company, it has been announced. In a press release, Dolly stated: "I am so proud of Ken. His leadership, new ideas and down home good sense are such an important role in the success of The Dollywood Company. He focuses on treating our guests and our employees with heart and hospitality, and that is what makes Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country such great places that just keep on growing!" Bell came on board in late 1985 as vice president and general manager of Silver Dollar City a few months before it was transformed into Dollywood. Read the release here and a story in The Knoxville News Sentinel based on it here.

Oct. 3:
'Barbie' Bounces Back
Dolly's recent appearances on The Tonight Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show caused her Backwoods Barbie to re-enter the 75-position country albums chart after falling back off again. In Billboard's Oct. 11 tallies released Thursday, the disc comes in at No. 60 in its 30th chart week. Her 16 Biggest Hits dips one to No. 52 country in its 51st week. Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, featuring Dolly on the title track she wrote, falls two to No. 5 country and 19 to No. 37 pop albums and comprehensive albums in its third week. The CD falls off the 25-position digital albums list, down from No. 21 the previous week. New Canadian charts were not available on Thursday. Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, including a cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," loses six to No. 27 country and falls off the 200-position pop albums chart in its third week, down from No. 144. George Jones' Burn Your Playhouse Down, featuring Dolly on "Rockin' Years," dips five to No. 46 country in its sixth week. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, with Dolly on "Gold," drops two to No. 48 country in its 16th week. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, including Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," rises one to No. 3 on the country catalog albums list, while 21 Number Ones by Kenny Rogers, with "Islands In The Stream," falls off the 25-position country catalog albums list from No. 22 the previous week. Eva Cassidy's Somewhere, featuring a cover of "Coat Of Many Colors," falls off the top 200 pop albums, down from No. 191 the previous week, and drops 13 to No. 40 on the independent albums chart in its fifth week. Darius Rucker's Learn To Love remains steady at No. 1 country and loses eight to No. 13 pop in its second week while Sugarland's Love on the Inside holds steady at No. 2 country in its 10th week and falls three to No. 18 pop.

Park: Dolly To Release '09 Benefit CD
It was revealed nearly a month ago that Dolly had been selected as the official Ambassador for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and had contributed a song to benefit the park, This week, more details came out. In a press release, it was announced that instead of one song, Dolly has written an entire album called Sha-Kon-O-Hey, the phoenetic spelling of "shaconage," a Cherokee word meaning "Land of the Blue Smoke," and will donate all proceeds from the CD to the Friends of the Smokies next year. Word on how to purchase the album has yet to be announced. The park superintendent noted in the release that Dolly will lend her name and face for events at the park, activities and publicity. "When we first sat down with our park partners and began brainstorming about how the Park's anniversary could best gain national stature we asked ourselves," Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said. "'If we could pick one person who is the most recognized and personifies the love of the Smokies, who would it be?' The answer was a resounding 'Dolly Parton!  But she's so much in demand; do you think she'll do it?" In the release, Dolly noted: "The Smokies are part of my DNA. I have always been an Ambassador, but I am particularly honored to become 'official' for this special 75th Anniversary." Read a story from The Seymour Herald based on the release here. Check out an Associated Press summary here.

TV Coverage
Thanks to Tony for passing along a note that Canada AM has posted Dolly's brief interview from Wednesday on its website here. Scroll down the list of videos on the middle of the page to click on Dolly's. And tune in on Friday to catch an interview with entertainment show Extra (it's syndicated, so check listings for station and time). The show plugged a comment she made about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the interview, playing it off as serious although it sounded like she was more likely making a joke. "I can relate to Sarah Palin," she said. "I always say we're very much alike. Both small town girls. Both a Pentecostalism, and we both carry an AK-47." Read the note here. Dolly often jokes about political issues but is always very careful to never openly advocate one political party over another or one politician over another. (Also, you may recall, while Dolly worked with Tennessee's governor to use state funding to take her Imagination Library statewide there, Gov. Palin earlier this year vetoed several individual parts from an Alaskan spending bill, and one of the specific items she singled out to remove was $90,000 for the program's Anchorage chapter complaining that the money was pork barrel politics and that state funding shouldn't be used for it.)

Latest On '9 To 5'
The 9 To 5: The Musical coverage continues this week. West Hollywood News interviewed star Megan Hilty here, The Gay and Lesbian Times reviewed it here saying, "With bounce, sass, a little skin here and there and women on a mission, there's no way 9 To 5: The Musical can fail." The Pasadena Star-News in Pasadena, Calif., said here the show "is such a highly entertaining comedy one can view it more than once." And The Palisadian Post in Pacific Palisades, Calif., opined here that Dolly "contributed her delightful sense of humor" in the songs, praising all of the actors and singling out Kathy Fitzgerald, who plays "Roz," as giving "the most delightful performance."

Memories Of Dottie
The Destin Log gives a great profile of Dottie Rambo's manager Larry Ferguson here this week, discussing his book Driving Miss Dottie, written prior to her recent death in a bus accident which severely injured Ferguson, and how blessed he was to have her as part of his life. He notes he plans to soon write another book about their time together and how life is proceeding without her.

Oct. 2:
Dolly On Candian TV
Attention Canadian readers: Be sure to catch Dolly on two programs this week. She'll be interviewed via satellite on CTV's national morning news program, Canada AM, Thursday morning and Entertainment Tonight Canada on Friday. In both appearances, she's expected to discuss her upcoming Canadian concerts on the Backwoods Barbie World Tour and the Canadian chapters of her international early childhood literacy program, the Imagination Library. (Speaking of the Library and lands up north, Juneau Empire reported here Wednesday about Alaskan artist Rie Muñoz and author Jean Rogers teaming up to promote the program in the state's capital.)

Another '9 To 5' Review
One more critic thinks Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical is amazing. LA Observed posted its review Wednesday, and while it agreed with several others' reviews that a few songs could be cut and the first act needs tightening, the show was noted as having "the elements of a likely hit: addictive music, reliable characters, mesmerizing sets, well-placed humor and lots of heart." Read the full review here.

Park's Gospel Fest About To Begin
Get ready for some old time religion! Dollywood opens its annual National Gospel and Harvest Celebration Friday. Dozens of artists will perform more than 250 concerts during the festival, which concludes Nov. 1.

Oct. 1:
'Dollymania' Reaches 12th, 10th Birthdays
Dollymania.net: The Online Dolly Parton Newsmagazine (www.dollymania.net), the Internet's oldest continually operating resource about Dolly Parton, today celebrates its 12th anniversary.
        The fan-operated site began in October 1996 as Duane's Dolly Pages, a section of the personal site of webmaster T. Duane Gordon, making it 12 years since its original creation. It was re-christened Dollymania in October 1998, making it 10 years since launching under that name.
         "It's hard to fathom the site has been going on for that long," noted Gordon, 33, of Middletown, Ohio. "I estimate it's taken up 15,000 hours of my life during the past dozen years! I'm sure most people find that excessive, but it's my hobby, my way to wind down after a hard day at work. Some folks collect stamps, some run marathons and I run a Dolly site!"
        Today, the site serves as the primary source of information about Parton for thousands of fans around the world and averages more than 250,000 monthly page views.
        At a 2006 appearance at Dollywood, Parton expressed her appreciation to Gordon. "I want to thank you right in public for being so good to me," she told him in front of more than 1,000 fans at the park. "I'm sure anybody wants to know anything about me you can ask Duane. I have to call him to see what I'm gonna do next!"
        The Web has a few dozen fan-operated sites about Parton, but Dollymania.net is the sole one updated on a regular basis, offering readers a daily update on its news page Monday though Saturday.
        In addition to the daily news page, the site boasts the largest collection of Parton photographs ever published, containing more than 9,000 images in approximately 900 individual galleries, and the only published list of all of the songs she has released in her career, with the nearly 1,000 titles listed both alphabetically and chronologically. Its more than 12,000 individual photographs, html pages and other files total nearly 500 megabytes.
        Gordon, who holds a degree in communications and journalism from Mississippi State University, created the site while a news editor at a suburban Jackson, Miss., newspaper. He continued to update it after changing jobs to work at a nearby charitable foundation, relying on the site to keep his journalistic skills up-to-date. In January, he moved to Ohio to become CEO of another charitable foundation, although he still continues his nightly ritual of maintaining the website.
        For most of Dollymania.net's existence, Parton did not have her own website. Consequently, her management and record label often used Dollymania.net in lieu of an official site. It was the first to announce a few CDs and a couple of tours. Parton used it several times to release official statements to her fans. In late 2007, an official website launched for her new record label, Dolly Records, making www.dollypartonmusic.net her first "authorized music website."
        Over the years, Dollymania.net has been used as source material for newspapers and magazines around the world in addition to programs on CMT, CNN's Larry King Live, the U.S. Library of Congress and even Parton's current official tour book. For the past two years, Gordon has also written a weekly "Dolly Column" for The Smoky Mountain Herald, a daily newspaper in her home county, Sevier County, Tenn., where Dollywood is located.
        Read the press release on the anniversary here from Yahoo News and here from PR Web.

Knoxville Mag Lauds Dolly
Thanks to Jeremy to alerting me to a special Dolly section in Knoxville's Metro Pulse magazine. He says the print edition runs about 20 pages and includes quizzes, quotes and more. The online edition features the special section "Dolly World: An Appreciation (and Celebration) of All Things Dolly" here. It includes an overview of her life and career here (although the writer didn't care for Backwoods Barbie), a timeline of her life here, a selected discography with reviews of a handful of definitive albums and singles here, a story on the current DollyPop exhibit in Los Angeles here (with a gallery of art pieces from the exhibit) and a cute "What Would Dolly Do" column here offering her sage advice from various interviews.

Sept. 30:
Check Out Another '9 To 5' Interview
Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical leads a new streaming video segment on the Broadway World online magazine, "Upright's West Side Stories," where LA's Upright Cabaret producer/hosts Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel interview theatre movers and shakers on the West Coast. At the media event at the theatre where the show is in a test run, they spoke with all four of its main stars as well as producer Robert Goldblatt, writer Patricia Resnick and Dolly herself. Watch it here.

Library Wins Another Award
Dolly's efforts in early childhood literacy are earning her another honor. She and her Imagination Library have been selected for the International Visionary Award this year by the Asian Rehabilitation Services (ASA). The award will be recognized during the organization's Ha Ha Hollywood costume party Sunday at the Twin Palms Restaurant in Pasadena, Calif. Their website makes no mention of whether Dolly plans to attend. Check it out here. Thanks, Harriet!

Helping Out Another Good Cause
Sony BMG UK has included a Dolly track in a compilation CD which is helping fight breast cancer. "9 To 5" appears on Girls Night In, released this week in Britain with £1 from every sale benefiting Breast Cancer Care's In The Pink campaign. Other artists on the two-CD collection include Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Pink, George Michael, Roy Orbison, Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tammy Wynette and more.

Sept. 29:
Down One On CMT
Although it started off in the pole position the previous week, Dolly's video for "Shinola" slipped one to No. 2 in its second week on the Pure 12 Pack countdown on CMT's digital cable channel, Pure Country, the network announced over the weekend. Vote for the video in next week's tally here!

Opposite Ends Of The '9 To 5' Spectrum
Two competing newspapers over the weekend in Los Angeles had completely opposite opinions on Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical, now in a test run in the West Coast city prior to next year's Broadway opening. The Los Angeles Daily News here summed up the show as "What a way not to make a musical." It slammed the production as "overlong, pushily directed, rarely funny and largely joyless," arguing that the script does match Dolly's score because it copies too much from the film that doesn't translate well to stage, thereby sinking the action. Also, while her songs are good, they rarely advance the plot or give greater insight into the characters, the reviewer claims. On the other hand, Downtown LA Scene praised it here, saying Dolly's songs stood out in the stellar production, explaining that even though there are some uneven parts, Dolly, scriptwriter Patricia Resnick and director Joe Mantello "offer enough visual and aural treats to hold interest from the raising of the curtain to the final bows." Its reviewer agreed with many other critics that a couple of songs could be cut and some lame jokes could be removed from the script, but otherwise it was found to be a great show.

Sept. 27:
More '9 To 5' Lovin'
Another media outlet has issued a glowingly positive review of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical. Publication Gay Wired here calls her score "infectious" and the overall show "a hit that's sure to take Broadway by storm when it debuts there in 2009." The reviewer adds that it is "possibly the most faithful adaptation of a film to a Broadway musical" and that Dolly "continues to successfully make her case as a Renaissance woman . . . it's tough to take umbrage with much of Parton's score, which induced audience members to foot-tapping and hand clapping and whoops and hollers."

We Want 'Dolly!'
A reader is urging fans to start an e-mail campaign to get satellite channel RFD-TV to begin airing Dolly's 1976-1977 television variety series. The same company that owns The Porter Wagoner Show, which does air on RFD, also owns Dolly's first solo TV series. E-mails may be directed to Assistant Program Director David Costner at davis@rfdtv.com and Program Director Jeremiah Davis at jeremiah@rfdtv.com.

Another Library Expansion
Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program is coming to Petal, Miss., The Hattiesburg American reports here.

Dolly Works Another 'Office'
Thanks to Don and Maggie for alerting me that Thursday night's premiere of The Office featured Dolly's "Here You Come Again" playing during a birthday party scene.

Sept. 26:
'Barbie' Is Gone From Charts Again
Although it had come back for two weeks, Dolly's Backwoods Barbie is once again gone, having fallen back off the 75-position country albums chart, Billboard revealed Thursday in the Oct. 4 numbers. The disc fell from its previous position of No. 74 in its 29th week on the tally. Hopefully it will come back with sales following last Friday's appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Monday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out when the first sales following those appearances are counted. In other chart developments, her 16 Biggest Hits drops two to No. 51 country in its 50th week. Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, with Dolly harmony on the Dolly-penned title track, loses two to No. 3 country and 14 to No. 18 pop albums and comprehensive albums in its second week. It also dips 18 to No. 21 on the digital albums list, one to No. 2 Candian country, 19 to No. 32 Canadian pop and off the Internet sales chart, down from No. 15. Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, with cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," loses 14 to No. 27 country, 58 points to No. 144 pop and 17 spots to No. 34 Canadian country in its second week. George Jones' Burn Your Playhouse Down, with Dolly on "Rockin' Years," drops 13 to No. 41 country in its fifth week and falls off the top 200 pop albums, down from No. 168, and off the Internet sales chart, down from No. 19. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, featuring Dolly on "Gold," loses two three No. 46 country in its 15th week and is down seven to No. 45 Canadian country. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, featuring Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," holds steady at No. 4 on the country catalog albums list and rises three to No. 27 Canadian country, while 21 Number Ones by Kenny Rogers, including "Islands In The Stream," inches down one on the country catalog albums list to No. 22. Eva Cassidy's Somewhere, with her cover of "Coat Of Many Colors," drops 31 to No. 191 pop in its fourth week, also falling five to No. 27 independent label albums. Former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker debuts at No. 1 country and No. 5 pop with 60,000 copies sold of his debut country CD, Learn To Love, while Sugarland's Love on the Inside holds steady at No. 2 country in its ninth week and declines two to No. 15 pop.

Another '9 To 5' Review, Interview
A very positive review of 9 To 5: The Musical, which calls Dolly "irrepressible" and says "hovering all over it is the down-home honesty and engaging spirit of Parton, who continues to prove that she can do just about anything and have fun along the way," appeared in Thursday's Ventura County Star here. And actress Megan Hilty is interviewed in The Gay and Lesbian Times in San Diego here about the show and what it's like to play a role originated by Dolly with her looking on. Broadway World has collected the press photos from opening night and posted them here, and Variety this week noted Dolly's sing-a-long saving of the unexpected stop in the opening night's performance with a piece here.

Thanks For Your Support!
Thanks everyone for your continued votes in the BT Digital Music People's Choice Awards. Voting ends on Saturday, so it's your last chance to cast a ballot. You may vote once per day per e-mail address here or by clicking on the icon below. Winners will be announced in early October.

Sept. 25:
Musical Gets First Pretty Bad Review
The only mostly negative review I've seen of 9 To 5: The Musical hit the web Wednesday from LA City Beat. Although the critic had a few nice things to say about the performers and Dolly's songs, that she accomplishes some character building through her music, the script by Patricia Resnick is slammed. "The script needs wholesale improvements before its scheduled Broadway opening next year," the paper opined. Read the full review here. Most reviews have been mixed but considerably more positive than this one. On a nicer note, the opening night is noted on Creators.com here with a mention that Dolly made a special appearance with a look-a-like who showed up at the theatre.

Patty Talks To CMT
Parry Loveless has spoken with CMT.com about her current CD, Sleepless Nights, and its inclusion of the Porter & Dolly classic "The Pain Of Loving You." She tells the site: "I was 14 when I met Porter and Dolly and they co-wrote this. I remember singing it then when I worked with them. There's a 15-year-old girl singing on this with me, Syndi Perry. When Dolly hears her, she's just gonna be blown away. Syndi took me back to that time when I was 15. Dolly was like a big sister to me. I want to be like that now, with this kind of music." Read more of the interview here.

Library Doc Gets Noticed
The Imagination Library documentary The Book Lady earns a mention on CMT's blogs here. The film premiered over the weekend at a film festival in Canada.

'Mountain Soul' 2009 Already Has Contestants
Thanks to Frances for sending a link to an item in Knoxville's Metro Pulse about next year's Mountain Soul Vocal Competition in Sevierville, which requires contestants sing songs which Dolly wrote. Organizer Amanda Maples Marr said here that a few contestants are already sending in their entries for next May's contest. (Contestants are asked to look up their song choice on Dollymania here to confirm Dolly wrote it.)

Sept. 24:
'9 To 5' Pics, Review, Revisit
Special thanks to Diane for sending in some photos of her night at the 9 To 5: The Musical opening in Los Angeles, including the one at left. Check out the other images in a gallery posted here! Also, one of the most shinning reviews of the production came out Tuesday from Backstage, calling it "a surprisingly fresh musical frolic that has Broadway blockbuster written all over it." The piece, available here, continues with praise for Dolly's songwriting ("highly appealing and skillfully integrated"), although the critic agrees with others who have opined that the first act is too long, that one or two songs could be cut and that a joke or two are in poor taste and should be taken out. And what did Jane Fonda think of the show? She was quoted by FOX News here saying: "Dolly wrote all the songs, and they're wonderful. And you have to see the actress who's playing Dolly, Megan Hilty. She steals the show." Finally, coverage of the musical prompted Slate to offer a look at the recent DVD of the classic film with an extended commentary about it here.

'Backwoods Barbie' Tour Update
The Green Bay pre-sale for members of the Dolly-ites online community at Dolly's official record company website, DollyPartonMusic.net, will be offered through the venue's own website starting Wednesday, her site announced Tuesday. The site also sent out an e-mail noting two other pre-sales that begin Wednesday but had already been announced on its tour itinerary page: Raleigh, N.C., and Des Moines, Iowa. The subject line of the message, however, called these the "final" pre-sales, indicating these may be the final dates to be added to her Backwoods Barbie World Tour this year. (One last pre-sale, for Milwaukee, is scheduled for Sept. 29 and has already been announced, so I suppose the e-mail was referring to these being the final pre-sales to be announced, not the final pre-sales chronologically.) In other tour news, only about 100 regular tickets to her Oct. 25 charity show in Richmond, Ky., remain available via Ticketmaster, but if you really want to get into things, there are about 10 VIP tickets left. These provide seats on the floor, valet parking and an exclusive reception after the show with food and drinks for the VIP ticketholders only. These tickets are available for $175 each by calling St. Mark Catholic Church directly at (859) 623-2989. Those who have already purchased VIP tickets should be receiving them in the mail this week.

Wal-Mart Drops CD Price
Dolly has teamed up with Wal-Mart to lower the price on her current CD, Backwoods Barbie, which is available at Wal-Mart stores with an exclusive bonus live track of "9 To 5." The title is now being offered by the retail giant for the reduced price of $8.98. See a report here.

Always A Giver
Dolly is among several dozen celebrities who have donated their purses to Handbag.com to raise money to fight breast cancer. The bags will be auctioned off via eBay Oct. 3-14 with the proceeds benefiting Cancer Research UK. Dolly's bag is pictured at left. Others participating in the campaign include America Ferrera, Annie Lenox, Ashley Simpson, Geri Halliwell, Judi Dench, Sharon and Kelly Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scarlett Johansson. Learn more here.

Not The Best Of Associations
Dolly's name has come up in a couple of places regarding a former Nashville minister whose compound was raided in recent days on charges of child pornography and child abuse. The connection is because in addition to his pastoring, flashy evangelist (and convicted felon) Tony Alamo used to run a very successful costuming business, making outfits for the stars including Dolly, Michael Jackson, James Brown and others. The Tennessean noted his arrest here, illustrating it with a photo of him and his wife with Dolly. ABC News reported on it here, recalling that he used to operate a restaurant in Alma, Ark., where then-Gov. Bill Clinton recalled in his autobiography seeing Dolly perform a concert.

Sept. 23:
New '9 To 5' Reviews, Stories, Video
Lots more tonight from the weekend's opening performance of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical. Image at left of Megan Hilty (Dorolee), Allison Janey (Violet) and Stephanie J. Block (Judy) with their box of "Rid 'O Rat" is a publicity image by Craig Schwartz and courtesy the Center Theatre Group. Click on it for a larger view.