Jan. 30:
'Ultimate' Earns Another Week In Country Top 40 Chart
The 2003 compilation Ultimate Dolly Parton inches down two spots on the Feb. 2 Billboard charts released Tuesday to No. 39 on the country albums tally to mark a 47th week, while Dailey & Vincent's The Sounds Of Christmas, featuring a Dolly collaboration on "Road To Bethlehem," loses two to No. 8 Bluegrass Albums in its 15th week.

Perry Talks To 'Rolling Stone' About Dolly Work
Rolling Stone spoke with producer Linda Perry about the 15 songs that encapsulate her career, including the Dolly collaborations "Girl In The Movies" and "Here You Come Again" from the Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and her discussion on each song, including what it was like to work with Dolly and how it changed her as a person. Check out the article here.

In Memoriam: James Ingram
Legendary R&B singer James Ingram died this week at the age of 66. He earned an Academy Award nomination as co-writer of "The Day I Fall In Love," a duet he recorded with Dolly for the soundtrack of the film Beethoven's Second. His obituary is available from Billboard here.

Jan. 29:
First Details On Dolly's Grammy Tribute
The tribute segment to Dolly as MusiCares Person of the Year during the Feb. 10 Grammy Awards will be that hour of the program's "big tentpole," according to the head of CBS Entertainment's executive vice president of specials, noting each hour of the awards ceremony will have one of these special segments "to bring special people into the building." Another segment to anchor another hour of the program will be a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, according to Billboard here. The main, night-long tribute to Dolly, however, will be two days earlier at the MusiCares gala. No announcement has been made yet as to whether that concert will air later on television or be issued on DVD.

'9 To 5: The Musical' Begins London Previews
The London West End production of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical on England's version of Broadway began its previews Monday in anticipation of its official opening Feb. 19. The Daily Mail caught actress Amber Davies leaving the theater after the show here and interviewed actress Bonnie Langford here.

Jan. 28:
'Hungry Again' Re-Issued For Digital Download
MCA Nashville on Friday released Dolly's 1998 critically-acclaimed album Hungry Again digitally for the first time in several years. Download the collection here!

Overseas Chart Updates
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack drops 10 places to No. 36 in its eighth week on the Australian country albums chart, it was revealed Sunday, while the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) inches up one to No. 16 in its 384th chart week since its original 2007 release. In its eighth week on the charts across the pond, Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack loses one to No. 3 British Country Albums and 13 spots to No. 31 British Soundtrack Albums Chart. In other overseas chart news, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 4 British country compilation albums chart in its 124th chart week. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 8, while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) drops seven to No. 17, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) moves up four to No. 9.

Jan. 25:
'Coat Of Many Colors' Goes To Grammy Hall Of Fame
The Recording Academy on Thursday announced yet another honor for Dolly this year, in addition to being this year's MusiCares Person of the Year and having an exhibit of her costumes at the Grammy Museum, they are inducting her 1971 song "Coat Of Many Colors" in this year's class of Grammy Hall of Fame recordings. Singles and albums at least 25 years old that have "qualitative or historical significance" are chosen each year by a committee of industry professionals and approved by the Academy's Board of Trustees prior to induction. A total of 25 recordings are being added this year, bringing the total in the Hall of Fame to 1,088 recordings in 46 years. This marks Dolly's fourth entry in the Hall of Fame. She has two other entries as singer and songwriter, her 1974 original version of "I Will Always Love You" and 1974 original version of "Jolene," and one as songwriter only, Whitney Houston's 1992 cover of "I Will Always Love You." In a press release, Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow said: "The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame is proud to be a pillar of musical excellence and diversity year after year, honoring some of the most iconic recordings of all time. We are proud to acknowledge the ever-changing landscape and evolution of musical expression for which the Academy has become known. We're honored to add these masterpieces to our growing catalog and are delighted to celebrate the impact they've had on our musical, social, and cultural history."

Jan. 24:
Grammys To Exhibit Dolly Costumes Next Month
The Grammy Museum on Wednesday announced a month-and-half exhibit of Dolly's costumes at its Los Angeles main location, "Diamond In A Rhinestone World: The Costumes Of Dolly Parton." Dolly will be on hand Feb. 4 for a Town Hall Program in the Museum's Clive Davis Theater to introduce the exhibit, which opens to the public Feb. 5 and runs through March 17. The Grammys are promoting it here as her first exhibit of costumes outside of Dollywood (while she has shown costumes at a couple of one-night events and as a bonus item on tour – and a fan-owned exhibit of costumes was on display in Nashville once and in Pigeon Forge for a while -- this would mark the first time multiple of her personally-owned costumes are shown in one spot for an extended period of time other than the theme park's museum or her former Nashville store). The exhibit will feature album cover costumes, music video outfits and stage clothes.

"I probably have thousands of dresses from over the years," Dolly said in a statement. "I had a hard time letting go of some of my favorites, but I'm excited for them to be included in this exhibit. I can't wait to see them on display at the GRAMMY Museum!"

"To say that it's an honor to showcase Dolly Parton's all-time greatest outfits and her first exhibit in the United States outside of Dollywood at the GRAMMY Museum is an understatement," said the Museum's Executive Director Michael Sticka. "Displaying these extraordinary costumes and pieces will take you through a career that has spanned decades of someone who is beloved as both a groundbreaking artist and a trendsetting pioneer. We are extremely grateful to Dolly for letting us feature some of the most memorable and innovative outfits in music history."

Exhibit highlights include costumes from her "Home" music video, Backwoods Barbie album cover and Live in London 2009 and Red Rocks concerts. USA Today previews some of those, and her Dumplin' premiere outfit, here.

Critics Respond To Dolly's Oscar Snub
Critics were left as surprised as fans when Oscar nominations were revealed on Tuesday and Dolly's "Girl In The Movies" wasn't among them. Numerous entertainment media outlets openly called the lack of a nomination a "snub" and The Los Angeles Times profiled why it felt that the other Netflix film's song got the nod over Dolly with a story here. Others including the development in their top "snubs" included Variety here, Yahoo here, USA Today here, OUT here and The Hollywood Reporter here. In related news, CBS announced it will repeat the episode Friday night of The Late Late Show With James Corden featuring Jennifer Aniston and Dolly to promote the film in which the song appears, Dumplin'.

'Ultimate Dolly' Still In Top 40 Country Albums
After showing up unexpectedly in the top 10 due to interest in "Here You Come Again" being used in an Applebee's commercial, the 2003 compilation Ultimate Dolly Parton falls 27 places on the Jan. 26 Billboard edition to No. 37 on the country albums chart to mark a 46th week, dropping off the all-genre top 200 albums chart, down from No. 112, digital albums chart, down from No. 14, catalog albums chart, down from No. 26, and overall album sales list, down from No. 33. "Jolene" falls off the top 25 country digital singles sales chart, down from No. 24, while Dailey & Vincent's The Sounds Of Christmas, featuring a Dolly collaboration on "Road To Bethlehem," drops four to No. 6 Bluegrass Albums in its 14th week.

Jan. 22:
Dolly Fails To Get Third Oscar Nomination
Third time won't be a charm, as Dolly did not earn her third Academy Award nomination Tuesday. Most insiders expected a nomination with co-writer Linda Perry for Best Song for "Girl In The Movies" from Dumplin'. Instead, the nominees are – as almost everyone predicted – "Shallow" by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt from A Star Is Born, "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar, Al Shux, Sounwave, SZA and Anthony Tiffith from Black Panther, "I'll Fight" by Diane Warren from RBG and "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman from Mary Poppins Returns plus the surprise inclusion of "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which only a handful of critics expected would take the spot all of the others had expected would be Dolly's. Dolly was previously nominated for "9 To 5" and "Travelin' Thru" and was a performer for the nominated song "The Day I Fall In Love" with James Ingram, but she didn't write it so she isn't credited with the nomination. Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be eligible for next year's Grammy Awards, though, since it was released after the cut-off date for this year's honorees. The selected song was nominated for a Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award and Georgia Film Critics Award, losing all three to "Shallow." It competes Feb. 13 for the Guild Of Music Supervisors Awards.

Maybe Dolly Has NBC Special In The Works?
Could Dolly be working with an old pal for a live holiday musical on television? Dolly had said in a recent podcast interview, Taste Of Country Nights With Sam Alex, that she was hoping to have a holiday special on television next year for which she wrote all of the music called Christmas On The Square. And Bob Greenblatt, who just retired as entertainment head of NBC, said in an interview this weekend with The Hollywood Reporter here that "we have an idea for a live musical for Christmas, but I can't talk about that yet" for NBC. Although nothing has been published to connect the two, Greenblatt has a history of working with Dolly, having developed the Broadway 9 To 5: The Musical with her as well as Dolly Parton's Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love and Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors.

Jan. 21:
Hollywood Reporter: Dolly Likely To Get Oscar Nod

Aussie Chart Updates
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack loses two spots to No. 26 in its seventh week on the Australian country albums chart, it was revealed Sunday, while the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) falls seven to No. 17 in its 383rd chart week since its original 2007 release.

Jan. 19:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOLLY!
Happy 73rd birthday, Dolly! Several media outlets celebrated with photo galleries and lists, but two of the most impressive featured previously unpublished shots: The Knoxville News Sentinel took images from its photographer Michael Patrick from the past 41 years and selected several "never-before-seen" images posted here, while The Tennessean opened its archives to share behind-the-scenes images for the 40th anniversary of filming Carol & Dolly In Nashville here. And a few more birthday parties showed up in the press Friday: the fifth annual Dolly Disco on Saturday to benefit the local Imagination Library in Vermillion, S.D., here, a series of parties throughout the Knox County Public Library System on Friday here and a Dolly Roller Skating Party in Duluth, Minn., here.

Variety: Dolly Likely To Get Oscar Nod
With Oscar nominations coming out on Tuesday, Variety on Friday released its final predictions for who will receive a nod, including Dolly and Linda Perry for "Girl In The Movies." Also expected by the publication for nominations are "All The Stars" from Black Panther, "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" from Mary Poppins Returns, "I'll Fight" from RBG and "Shallow" from A Star Is Born. See their full list here.

'Dumplin'' Still Strong On U.K. Charts
In its seventh week on the charts across the pond, Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack holds steady at No. 2 British Country Albums and inches down one to No. 18 British Soundtrack Albums Chart. In other overseas chart news, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 4 British country compilation albums chart in its 123rd chart week. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 8, while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) stays in place at No. 10, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) loses one to No. 13.

Dolly, Ronnie Duet Released
Ronnie Milsap's The Duets hit stores Friday featuring his new version of "Smokey Mountain Rain" with Dolly and her re-written "answer" lines. Take a listen on YouTube here or the media player below. And download the track from Amazon here or the full album here.

Jan. 17:
Sales: 'Ultimate' Was Really No. 1 Country Album For Week
Although it only ranked No. 10 on the country albums chart for the week due to inclusion of streaming data in compiling the charts, Ultimate Dolly Parton was actually last week's biggest-selling country album by far, according to SoundScan reports, with about 8,000 copies moved compared to just 3,200 units sold of the next-biggest selling title of the week, which ranked on the top of the chart once streaming data was added. For comparison, the No. 9 album only sold 2,000 CDs and downloads for the week, but streaming equivalents placed it one place above Dolly's 8,000 paid downloads on the tally. (Although Billboard changed the chart methodology a few years ago to include streaming data, which prevented Dolly from being No. 1 this week, it also allowed catalog albums to chart, so under the old rules where the chart was based on actual sales and downloads alone her album wouldn't have been shown, instead ranking on the country catalog albums tally.) The counts also showed Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which has fallen off the chart, sold 1,200 copies for the week to bring its cumulative sales total to 19,200 units. Over on the top 30 country song downloads list, Dolly had the most entries for the week with three songs (compared to just one on the 25-position Billboard chart). "Jolene" sold 4,000 downloads, bringing its digital total to 875,000, while "Here You Come Again" and "9 To 5" each sold 3,000 downloads, bringing their digital totals to 262,000 and 491,000 units each, respectively. In addition, "Islands In The Stream" sold 1,000 downloads for the week, bringing its digital total to 834,000. Observers credited the influx of Dolly tracks to her Applebee's commercial featuring "Here You Come Again" and the popularity of the Netflix film Dumplin' featuring her music.

Linda Perry: Dolly Skipped Globes For Family
Gossip magazine Closer Weekly caught up with Dolly's "Girl In The Movies" co-writer Linda Perry at the Golden Globes and asked why Dolly wasn't there with her to celebrate their nominated song, to which she replied: "There's family stuff going on, and her brother just passed away. There's some stuff going on health-wise with her family – that's why she's not here." Read more here.

Party For Dolly In Portland, Durham, Austin
Several additional communities across the country are planning to celebrate Dolly's 73rd birthday this weekend, according to media reports. The Portland Mercury notes here that The Fixin' To in Portland will host Dolly birthday parties both Friday and Saturday nights. Indy Week reports here that The Pinhook in Durham, N.C., will celebrate Friday night. And Austin 360 says here that Barracuda will party Saturday.

Keanu Talks Of Wearing Dolly's Clothes
The Daily Mail reported this week on Keanu Reeves' recent appearance on The Talk where he discussed wearing Dolly's Playboy cover bunny outfit for Halloween as a 16-year old. (His mother was a seamstress working in the entertainment industry at the time and sewed several of Dolly's outfits, including the bunny costume.) He had previously told the story a few years ago on The Graham Norton Show while on a visit to the U.K. Read more here.

Knoxville Shop To Hold Dolly Art Show
Knoxville artist shop Rala has put out a call for artists to submit works for a Dolly-inspired art show this spring, television station WBIR reported here.

Jan. 16:
'Ultimate' Becomes Dolly's 44th Top 10 Album
Thanks to Applebee's, a 16-year-old Dolly compilation is in the top 10 on the Billboard charts released Tuesday and dated Jan. 19, Dolly's 73rd birthday. With 8,000 album unit equivalents sold in the past week, a 172 percent increase over the previous week, 2003's Ultimate Dolly Parton re-entered the country albums chart at No. 10, besting its 2003 peak at No. 20 to earn a 45th week on the tally, and the all-genre top 200 albums chart at No. 112 for a third week, besting its 2003 peak at No. 130. The collection also debuts on the digital albums chart at No. 14 and catalog albums chart at No. 26 while re-entering the overall album sales list at No. 33 for a third week. Pushing the album is a revived interest in Dolly's first million-selling single, 1977's "Here You Come Again," which Applebee's is using for its all-you-can-eat promotion commercial. While the song itself didn't make the top 25 country digital song sales chart, it came close by selling 3,000 downloads for the week, a 39 percent increase. The album's performance increases her record for the most top 10 country albums for a female artist with 44 credited titles, Billboard noted here, and second only to Willie Nelson with 51 top 10 albums. (In May, Dollymania.net notified the magazine they were incorrectly stating Dolly's total at 40 instead of 43 due to mistakes in their online database identifying two top 10 Porter & Dolly duet albums as Porter solo albums and combining two top 10 Porter & Dolly duet albums with similar titles into one listing. This is the first news article where the record has been mentioned since that notification, and the total has been corrected. The magazine does not include two multi-artist Dolly albums that were listed on the charts as "various artists:" 1982's The Winning Hand with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Brenda Lee and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas soundtrack, which would raise her total to 46 and Nelson's to 52.) Dolly's current album, the Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, falls off the top 50 country albums chart, down from No. 37 in its fourth chart week, the top 25 soundtrack albums, down from No. 14 in its fifth week, and top 25 folk/Americana albums, down from No. 9 in its fifth week. "Jolene" re-enters the top 25 country digital singles sales chart at No. 24, while Dailey & Vincent's The Sounds Of Christmas, featuring a Dolly collaboration on "Road To Bethlehem," loses one to No. 2 Bluegrass Albums in its 13th week after 12 weeks at No. 1.

Final Chance To Enter Dolly Meet-And-Greet Contest
Thursday is the final day to enter Dolly's contest to win a meet-and-greet with her and VIP status for March's Dollywood season opening weekend. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest once, but "bonus" entries are available in exchange for charitable donations to support her Imagination Library early childhood literacy program. For example, a $25 donation earns 250 extra entries, while $50 gets 1,000 extra entries and $5,000 provides 50,000 extra entries. The winner and one guest receive airfare to Knoxville and ground transportation to Pigeon Forge, two nights in Dolly's Suite at DreamMore Resort, admission to Dollywood with front-of-line access for rides and shows, free spa treatments and two daily meals at DreamMore, passes to Pirate Voyage and Stampede, a private tour of Dolly's Suite by Dolly herself, and a photograph with her. The winner will be announced on or around Jan. 31. Learn more here.

'9 To 5' London Cast Change Announced
Officials with Dolly's London version of 9 To 5: The Musical announced Tuesday that Caroline Sheen, who has played the West End in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Witches Of Eastwick, will replace the injured Louise Redknapp in the lead as Violet from previews starting Jan. 28 until the end of March, when Redknapp is expected to return.

Jan. 14:
Dolly Still Strong On Chart Down Under
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack regains two spots to No. 24 in its sixth week on the Australian country albums chart, it was revealed Sunday, while the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) loses two to No. 10 in its 382nd chart week since its original 2007 release.

Lady Gaga Wins Critics Choice Award Over Dolly
"Shallow" from A Star Is Born won Best Song at the Critics' Choice Awards Sunday night, besting Dolly and Linda Perry's "Girl In The Movies" from the Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, "All The Stars" from Black Panther, "I'll Fight" from RBG, "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns and "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" from Mary Poppins Returns.

Bay St. Louis Dolly Party Returns
Television station WLOX reports that the Mississippi Gulf Coast's Dolly pre-birthday bash returned this year with the fourth annual Dolly Should Festival in Bay St. Louis over the weekend featuring a Dolly look-a-like contest. Check out their coverage here.

George Takei Celebrates Dolly
George Takei Presents on Thursday posted a video overview of Dolly's life and career. Watch it on Facebook here or in the media player below.

Jan. 12:
Linda Talks About Working With Dolly On 'Dumplin''

Dolly Re-Wrote 'Smoky Mountain Rain'
ABC News reports that Ronnie Milsap invited Dolly to write new lyrics to his hit "Smoky Mountain Rain" so that her lines would be answer lyrics from the woman his character in the song is chasing when the two recorded the song for Milsap's upcoming album Duets coming out next Friday, Jan. 18. Read more here.

U.K. Chart Updates
In its sixth week on the charts across the pond, Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack holds steady at No. 2 British Country Albums and falls six to No. 17 British Soundtrack Albums Chart. In other overseas chart news, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 4 British country compilation albums chart in its 122nd chart week. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) loses one to No. 8, while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains three to No. 10, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) rises five to No. 12.

Jan. 11:
Dolly Talks New Book, Christmas Special, More In Podcast Interview

Columnist Wants Dolly As Oscar Host, Song Get Another Nom
With The Academy Awards reportedly going ahead without a host, a critic for Esquire magazine published a column Thursday calling on them to tap Dolly for hosting duties. Read his well-reasoned argument here. In related news, the Guild Of Music Supervisors on Thursday released its nominees for its awards to be presented in Los Angeles Feb. 13 and Dolly and Linda Perry scored a nod for Best Song/Recording Created For A Film for "Girl In The Movies" from the Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It faces off against Golden Globe winner "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, "All The Stars" from Black Panther, "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" from Mary Poppins Returns and "Sunflower," the only track to be nominated by the Guild not on the Oscar's shortlist for possible nominations, from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The film Dumplin' also received a nomination for Buck Damon for Best Music Supervision For A Film Budgeted Under $25 Million along with Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Green Book, Love, Simon and The Hate U Give.

London '9 To 5' Loses Lead Actress After Accident
Unfortunately, the lead actress in Dolly's West End production of 9 To 5: The Musical fell on the sidewalk this week on her way to rehearsal and injured her face and wrist, forcing her to pull out of the show temporarily. The production's preview run is Jan. 28-Feb. 16, with its professional run on London's equivalent of Broadway set for Feb. 19-Aug. 31, but Louise Redknapp, who was to play Violet Newstead, will be out until at least late March or early April for recovery, the show's staff told The Sun here. Dolly is expected to be at the show for its official opening night in mid-February, the article added.

Jan. 10:
'Dumplin'' CD Passes 18,000, Re-Enters Country Albums Chart
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was the nation's 15th-best-selling country music album of last week, according to SoundScan numbers, moving 1,800 units and passing 18,000 units sold in its five weeks of release. However, when individual song downloads and streaming units are added in to create the official Billboard charts for Jan. 12 released on Tuesday, the collection only comes in at No. 37, re-entering the top 50 for a fourth chart week after having dropped off for one week. The album also rebounds eight to No. 14 soundtrack albums and six to No. 9 folk/Americana albums in its fifth week on each of those tallies. Once Upon A Christmas with Kenny Rogers falls off the 50-position Country Albums Chart, down from No. 46, and top 100 Canadian albums chart, down from No. 96, while the magazine has ended its annual holiday charts, where Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" was No. 40 Holiday Digital Song Sales last week. Dailey & Vincent's The Sounds Of Christmas, featuring a Dolly collaboration on "Road To Bethlehem," earns a 12th consecutive week at No. 1 Bluegrass Albums. And two Dolly tracks just missed the top 25 country digital sales chart by a few hundred downloads last week, with both "9 To 5" and "Jolene" clocking in 3,000 downloads each, bringing the first one's download total in the digital age to 488,000 and the latter's to 872,000.

Report: Dolly, Other Musicians, Expected Focus Of Hostless Oscars
The Academy Awards are expected to proceed without a host for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to a report Wednesday from Variety here, relying instead on "a crop of A-listers to introduce various segments" and a focus on "a high-profile year for music in film, thanks to likely nominees Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton and Kendrick Lamar." The awards ceremony will air live Feb. 24. Nominations will be announced Jan. 23. In related news, the lead singer of rock group Dorothy, who appeared on Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for "Two Doors Down" with Dolly and Macy Gray, was interviewed about the project and a few other things by The Orange County Register here, and the album's "Girl In The Movies" was nominated this week for Best Original Song at the Georgia Film Critics Association, facing off against "All The Stars" from Black Panther, "Maybe It's Time" and "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, "The Place Where The Lost Things Go" and "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" from Mary Poppins Returns and "Suspirium" from Suspiria.

Dolly To Appear In 'J.J. Sneed' Film
Dolly will act in another of her Heartstrings movies on Netflix, it has been revealed. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith spoke with a television reporter and most of the information had already been known, but he noted that she will appear as a "balladeer" in the Western adaptation of "J.J. Sneed" set in the 1880s. Read the full article here. Edit: I have been notified by a source who has read the script that instead of acting in the film, Dolly's introduction will be on the movie's set around a campfire as a balladeer telling the story though song, and several times throughout the film it will cut back to her singing at the campfire to introduce different parts of the story. In the other films in the series, she just appears as herself at the beginning and end to introduce them rather than a character telling the story and any singing she does throughout the other films is off camera. Thanks!

Vice Sings Dolly's Pigeon Forge Praises
Vice travelled to Pigeon Forge in search of all things Dolly and this week posted a report on Dollywood, her Celebration Dinner Theatre (which closed permanently a few nights ago so it may be renovated and reopen later this year as the second location of her Pirate Voyage dinner theatre), her philanthropy (the wildfire recovery My Peoples Fund, the Dolly Parton Scholarship, the Imagination Library, and her contributions to the local hospital), and the home of uberfans Harrell Gabehart and Patric Parkey. Check out the piece here.

'Steel Magnolias' Returns To Big Screen In May
If you want to see Dolly's film Steel Magnolias on the big screen, it has been announced that Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events will include a 30th anniversary nationwide screening in their TCM Big Screen Classics series this year. The series kicks off with the 80th anniversary of The Wizard Of Oz in January and continues with one or two anniversary films every month. Steel Magnolias will be seen May 19, 21, and 22 in 500 cinemas across the country. Tickets are on sale now via Fathom's website here.

Jan. 7:
Dolly Loses Best Original Song Golden Globe
Sixth time wasn't a charm as Dolly and Linda Perry's composition "Girl In The Movies" from the Netflix film Dumplin' lost the Golden Globe Award Sunday from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Best Original Song. The track was bested by this year's frontrunner, "Shallow" from A Star Is Born written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt. Other nominees were "Requiem For A Private War" from A Private War by Annie Lennox; Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Tiffith, Mark Spears, Solana Rowe and Al Shuckburgh for "All The Stars" from Black Panther; and "Revelation" by Troye Sivan, Jónsi, Jon Thor Birgisson and Brett McLaughlin from Boy Erased.This marked her sixth nomination and third in this category. Her most recent nod for Best Song was in 2005 for "Travelin' Thru," while her first was for "9 To 5" in 1981. Her acting nominations were Best New Film Star in 1981 and Best Actress for 9 To 5 in 1981 and for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas in 1983. (In addition, a song she performed but didn't write, "The Day I Fall In Love," a duet with James Ingram, was nominated for Best Song in 1994 but since she wasn't a composer on it, she isn't credited with the nomination.) Next up are the Critics Choice Awards Jan. 13, where the tune is also up for Best Song, followed by announcement of Oscar nominations on Jan. 23, where the song is considered by most critics as having a good chance at a nomination, which would be Dolly's third. At a pre-awards party, Perry was introduced to Henry Winkler, nominated for Barry, and realized they had Dolly in common, since his first directing job was her first made-for-television movie, A Smoky Mountain Christmas. Read more about that conversation from The Hollywood Reporter here.

Movement On Australian Country Albums Chart
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack falls seven spaces to No. 26 in its fifth week on the Australian country albums chart, it was revealed Sunday, while the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) inches up one to No. 8 in its 381st chart week since its original 2007 release.

'Dolly' On Get TV This Month
The Get TV network on Sunday returned Dolly's 1976-77 series Dolly to regular broadcast this month, with the episode featuring Ronnie Millsaps airing Sunday morning. The program will air at 6 a.m. Eastern each Sunday throughout the month with Chuck Woolery Jan. 13, Tom T. Hall Jan. 20 and Mel Tillis Jan. 28. In addition, the channel will repeat the old Mac Davis: Sounds Like Home special featuring Dolly, Tom Jones, Donna Summer and George Carlin at 11 p.m. Eastern Jan. 13. Thanks, Greg!

Jan. 5:
Two Porter & Dolly Albums Issued Digitally For First Time
Sony Music on Friday released two additional Porter & Dolly duet albums for digital download for the first time ever. The Right Combination/Burning The Midnight Oil and Together Always, both from 1972, were released this week, leaving just four of the duo's 13 albums unavailable digitally (We Found It, Love And Music, Say Forever You'll Be Mine and Porter & Dolly). Since Sony has begun remastering and digitally releasing her back catalog, the label has only a handful of titles in the vault. In addition to the four remaining Porter & Dolly albums, two RCA solo recordings, In The Good Old Days and Bubbling Over, and two Columbia-era solo albums, Slow Dancing With The Moon and Eagle When She Flies, are unavailable digitally. The label owns 52 of her studio, live, and holiday albums released between 1967 and 1995, not counting compilations, and has now made all but eight of them available for download.

Golden Globe Awards Coming Sunday
The Golden Globe Awards will be presented Sunday from Los Angeles, and we'll learn whether Dolly will take home a statue for her fifth nomination by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as "Girl In The Movies" from the Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is her third nod for Best Original Song. Entertainment Weekly previewed the nominees in the category with a story here this week, while The Hollywood Reporter opined on the Oscar chances of eligible tracks here. The film in which the song appears opened in South Africa as a theatrical release Friday, according to The South African here.

Opry 50th Anniversary Observed Friday
Dolly on Friday celebrated the 50th anniversary of her official induction as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, noting in a statement on social media: "50 years ago today I had the honor of joining the Grand Ole Opry family as an official member, and it's as much a dream come true today as it was back then. I can't wait to see y'all at the Opry in October!" As was previously reported here, the Opry will recognize the anniversary with a week of events in October, culminating in two Opry Saturday night shows featuring Dolly herself. Only seven women have lived long enough to celebrate a half-century of Opry membership: Dolly, Minnie Pearl, Jean Shepart, Wilma Lee Cooper, Loretta Lynn, Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely. The Opry itself recognized the milestone with a posting to Facebook here.

'Dumplin'' Still Doing Well On British Charts
In its fifth week on the charts across the pond, Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack holds steady at No. 2 British Country Albums and gains four to No. 11 British Soundtrack Albums Chart. In other overseas chart news, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt drops two to No. 4 British country compilation albums chart in its 121st chart week. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 7, while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) re-enters the top 20 at No. 13, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) loses two to No. 17. The Essential Dolly Parton drops out of the top 20 country compilation tally, down from No. 19.

Indie Dolly Birthday Bash Returns
In addition to the previously reported party in Columbus, Ohio, to celebrate Dolly's 73rd birthday on Jan. 19, organizers of the annual Indianapolis bash in her honor notified this site that they will be laughing, and drinking, and having a party for the eighth consecutive year at FortyFive Degrees. The festivities start at 1 p.m. and proceeds from the $10 donation at the door will go to Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program. Performers include the all-female band Crowd Therapy, Light Ministries Gospel Quartet and drag queen Miss Dolly Woods. Dolly and Burt Reynolds look-a-like contests will also take place. The Facebook event page is available here.

Jan. 3:
'Dumplin'' Suffers On U.S. Charts
Unfortunately, it appears the chart run for Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack may be reaching its end. After just three weeks on the top country albums tally, the CD falls out of the top 50 chart in the Jan. 5 numbers released Wednesday, down from No. 28. It loses nine places to No. 15 Americana/folk albums and eight spots to No. 22 soundtrack albums in its fourth week on each list. Once Upon A Christmas with Kenny Rogers drops six on the Country Albums Chart to No. 46 and re-enters the top 100 Canadian albums chart at No. 96, while Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" dips four to No. 40 Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart. Dailey & Vincent's The Sounds Of Christmas, featuring a Dolly collaboration on "Road To Bethlehem," earns an 11th consecutive week at No. 1 Bluegrass Albums.

Columbus Gets Dolly Art Exhibit
Dolly fans in the central Ohio area will want to check out the exhibit "Diamond In A Rhinestone World: A Dolly Parton Art Show," open this month at Wild Goose Creative at 2491 Summit Street in Columbus. Featuring several works by artists inspired by Dolly, a portion of any sales will be donated to local LGBTQ youth charity Kaleidoscope Youth Center. Events include an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, and a Dolly birthday dance party with DJ, drag, and costume contests on her 73rd birthday Jan. 19. Learn more from Columbus Alive here or Priz News here and check out the opening reception's Facebook event page here.

Jan. 2:
Dolly Gets 'Heartstrings' Story In 'TV Guide'
The new Jan. 7-20 issue of TV Guide features a full-page story and picture promoting Dolly's 2019 Netflix series Heartstrings. There's also a photo of her in the table of contents. The issue has Game Of Thrones on the cover in its 2019 season preview. Thanks, Greg!

Globes Prediction Thinks Dolly Will Win
Too Fab released its Golden Globe predictions and for Best Song its critics think "Shallow" by Lady Gaga "should win" but that Dolly "will win" with her "Girl In The Movies." Read the full article here.

Jan. 1:
Applebee's Uses Dolly In New Ad

Dollywood Coaster Among Most Anticipated
USA Today on Monday included Dollywood's 2019 addition of the Dragon Flyer suspended roller coaster to the nation's 13 most anticipated new coasters for the new year. Read the piece here.