Dolly Helping Others
And if you're in Nashville for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's (AACD) 21st annual convention this week, don't forget to see Dolly's charity concert Thursday night at the Opryland Hotel. Advance ticket sales at $100 each raised more than $100,000 for victims of domestic violence, and tickets are being sold on-site at $150 each, but only to conference registrants. The event is a fund-raiser for the AACD's Give Back A Smile foundation, which provides free cosmetic dentistry services for survivors of domestic abuse. (Call 1-800-773-4227 to apply for services through the program, or send donations to Give Back A Smile, 5401 World Dairy Drive, Madison, WI 53718.)

April 20:
'Viva' Opry!
As has been expected, Dolly will perform "Viva Las Vegas" with her former backing band, The Grascals, live on Saturday's Grand Ole Opry, which she will host, Great American Country (GAC) confirmed here Tuesday. The Dolly duet, from the album The Grascals, is the band's first single, which shipped to radio earlier this month. The band will also offer their moving tune, "Me And John And Paul," it was noted. I would expect Dolly to sing at least one more number during the performance. GAC will broadcast the show live at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tickets are almost gone for that segment of the show, although the 9:30 p.m. portion is a little further away from selling out. Get tickets here, and enter GAC's contest here to win a Dolly-autographed guitar in honor of her appearance. The program will also feature Catherine Britt, Ralph Stanley, Joe Nichols and George Hamilton IV. Image at left courtesy The Grascals. Used with permission.

Dolly Featured On BBC Special
BBC1 television across the pond promises to give Dolly her due next week with a special documentary Queens Of Country, I'm told. The hour-long program, scheduled to air at 10:45 p.m. British time on Monday night, is previewed in Tuesday's issue of the weekly BBC listings magazine, Radio Times, noting that it profiles Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Bobbie Gentry and the lady which the magazine notes is "the biggest star of them all," Dolly! Thanks, Steve!

Good News For Tenn. Libraries
Tennessee communities looking to start up chapters of Dolly's national Imagination Library literacy program are one step closer to continuing to have matching funds. WSMV reports here that the Tennessee House Education K-12 Subcommittee on Tuesday approved a bill to set up a fund to distribute an additional $2 million in state funding and to actively solicit private funds to supplement and promote the program. Over the past year, $2 million in state matching funds have allowed the program to expand to half of the state's 95 counties.

'Miss' Kiss Response
Dolly's supposed reaction to the tabloid-fueled reports that she passionately kissed Sandra Bullock in the film Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous (which doesn't happen -- Bullock just chases her through a casino and tackles her) makes the April 25 issue of People magazine, where she is quoted as saying: "Sandra Bullock and I did not kiss in the movie. In an interview, Sandra repeated stuff I said about the day she threw me down and was in my face. I said, 'We could show Madonna and Britney a thing or two!' And now Christians are up in arms because I supposedly kissed her. We don't kiss; she just throws my [butt] to the ground." I don't know how accurate the comment is, since it was circulated late last week on Contact Music, a British entertainment news outlet which bases most of its reports on U.S. tabloid stories. The tales, consequently, get syndicated to more mainstream media after appearing on Contact, which was apparently largely responsible for moving the original kiss story from the pages of the tabloids to newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Thanks, Bridget!

April 19:
'Reba' Spot Doesn't Bring Ratings
Dolly's guest spot didn't bring a huge ratings push for The WB's Reba on Friday night, according to preliminary numbers released by the Nielsen folks. Although the episode was the highest-rated WB program of the night, it brought only a 2.9 rating (roughly 4.6 million viewers) and 5 share (percentage of televisions turned on at that time which are tuned to the show). The ratings were almost identical to the show's numbers from the previous week: a 3.0 rating (4.7 million viewers) and 5 share. It came in 12th out of the 17 programs which aired on network television Friday night. Law & Order: Trial By Jury was No. 1 with an 8.3 rating (nearly 14 million people) and 15 share.

'Idols' Do Dolly Number
The finalists on FOX's American Idol 4 are releasing their version of a Dolly cover song. A single coming out on Tuesday to benefit the American Red Cross offers their take on "When You Tell Me That You Love Me," a tune Dolly and Julio Iglesias did in 1994, although it didn't chart when released as a single. It had previously been a No. 2 British hit for Diana Ross. The Idols' CD single also includes covers of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and Ray Stevens' "Everything Is Beautiful." Fifty cents from each CD sold will benefit the charity. Get your copy here.

April 18:
Dolly-Roy Duet Still No. 1 Overseas
"Thank God I'm A Country Boy," Dolly's duet cover of the John Denver classic with singer Roy Rivers, has earned a third week at No. 1 on the European CMA continent-wide country singles chart, it was announced in the April 1 tally released Saturday and reflecting airplay through March 20. While it dips one to No. 2 in overall continental airplay, it remains at the top spot on the official chart, which measures total continental penetration. The song also rebounds to the pole position for German country singles airplay, up from No. 3, and debuts at No. 1 in Poland. It slips one to No. 2 in Holland after three weeks at No. 1 and remains steady at No. 2 in Austria. It falls out of the top 20 singles in Ireland and Denmark, both places where it had been No. 1 in the previous chart, and falls out of the top 20 in France, where it was No. 4. The song returns to the top 20 in Belgium at No. 9 and Italy at No. 16. The former six-week No. 1 by Arly Karlsen and Pat Roden, their cover of Porter & Dolly's "Please Don't Stop Loving Me," falls a dozen spots to No. 64 for the week.

A Few More Pictures Posted
A few more photos of Dolly from Dollywood's 20th season opening weekend are available in that section of the site here thanks to reader Amber Eads, who sent in some of her shots. Image at left courtesy Amber Eads. Thanks, Amber! In addition, there are some new, exclusive Dollymania wallpapers for your computer based on images from the 20th season festivities available here. These include the site's first offerings at the 1280 x 1024 size for the newest flatscreen monitors!

6:30 'Opry' Show Close To Sell-Out
Saturday's 6:30 p.m. portion of The Grand Ole Opry with Dolly is almost completely sold out. On Sunday, the last of multiple-seat tickets were gone, leaving a handful of single-seat tickets available for the mezzanine and upper balcony. Unless several seats are released for sale over coming days (which is possible as people who cannot attend turn tickets back in), I would expect the show to completely sell out prior to Saturday. The 9:30 p.m. portion is also close to selling out, but a few rows of seats on the far sides of the mezzanine and in the upper balcony remain available for that segment. Get tickets here and enter GAC's Opry contest here for a Dolly guitar. Joining Dolly at next weekend's show will be The Grascals', Catherine Britt, Ralph Stanley, Joe Nichols and George Hamilton IV.

'Miss' Continues Slide
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous, the Sandra Bullock film with an important Dolly cameo, falls one place to No. 8 for the weekend box office receipts, it was announced Sunday. The movie took in $2.9 million in weekend ticket sales and about $600,000 during the week to push its gross since its March 24 release to total $41 million. The remake of The Amityville Horrow opened at No. 1 with $23.3 million.

Maybe She's Auditioning
I'm told that West Wing star Kristin Chenoweth was on The Late Show With David Letterman on Friday night, and she offered to do her impersonation of Dolly (to which Letterman replied he thought she was already doing it with her cleavage). The actress/singer, who does favor Dolly in appearance and voice, sang a few lines from "Here You Come Again" imitating Dolly. Thanks, Rodney! As you may recall, Dolly said in a recent interview that Chenoweth, a seasoned Broadway actress who already has one Tony Award on her shelf, is in talks to possibly portray her in a Broadway musical Dolly is currently penning about her life.

We Can Only Hope
It's been discussed again and again, but Lily Tomlin tells fans not to completely rule out a sequel to her hit film with Dolly and Jane Fonda, 9 To 5. In an interview with the Kansas City Star published over the weekend, the comedienne notes that with Fonda having come out of retirement, the trio joining forces again isn't "entirely" out of the question. Read the full story here.

April 16:
It's The Big Night!
For those of you reading this update early enough on Friday night, don't forget to catch Dolly on Reba at 9 p.m. Eastern on The WB! Coverage of the appearance continued on Friday, with a story on TV Guide Online's "Insider" section here (also available on Excite here). The Zap 2 It story on the show which was linked here a couple of nights ago also appeared in several newspapers around the country on Friday, and USA Today had a profile of the episode here from Thursday's edition.

More Library Coverage
There were a couple of newspaper mentions of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program on Friday. The Elizabethton Star in Carter County, Tenn., continued its coverage of the project's recent kick-off there, noting here that 10 percent of the county's eligible children enrolled its first month there and organizers say that it is possible they'll pass their entire first-year goal of 20 percent in the program's first four months. And The Decatur Daily News in Alabama profiled the program's efforts in Lawrence County there in a story available here.

Dolly In New Book
Longtime recording engineer Jim Malloy recently released a book titled Playback - A Collection of Stories and Musical Memories in which he says he offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions of dozens of artists with whom he worked over the years, including Dolly, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Chet Atkins and more. Find out more about the book, or order it, from his Web site here. For those of you reading this update early enough on Friday night, don't forget to catch Dolly on Reba at 9 p.m. Eastern on The WB! Coverage of the appearance continued on Friday, with a story on TV Guide Online's "Insider" section here (also available on Excite here). The Zap 2 It story on the show which was linked here a couple of nights ago also appeared in several newspapers around the country on Friday, and USA Today had a profile of the episode here from Thursday's edition.

More Library Coverage
There were a couple of newspaper mentions of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program on Friday. The Elizabethton Star in Carter County, Tenn., continued its coverage of the project's recent kick-off there, noting here that 10 percent of the county's eligible children enrolled its first month there and organizers say that it is possible they'll pass their entire first-year goal of 20 percent in the program's first four months. And The Decatur Daily News in Alabama profiled the program's efforts in Lawrence County there in a story available here.

Dolly In New Book
Longtime recording engineer Jim Malloy recently released a book titled Playback - A Collection of Stories and Musical Memories in which he says he offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions of dozens of artists with whom he worked over the years, including Dolly, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Chet Atkins and more. Find out more about the book, or order it, from his Web site here.

April 15:
'Reba' Interview Yields Broadway, Movie News
It's almost time for the big show: the episode of Reba built around a Dolly guest appearance. And continuing coverage of the show resulted in some interesting Dolly news Thursday. An interview with Dolly and Reba in The Chico Enterprise Record revealed that the two have informally agreed to collaborate on possibly starring together in a movie musical. In addition, when mentioning Dolly's current work to complete the scores for two new Broadway musicals -- a stage adaptation of her hit film 9 To 5 and a show based on the story of her life -- she disclosed that they are in talks with actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth to potentially play her in the latter project. Chenoweth, also a short blonde with a high-pitched voice, won a Tony Award in the 1999 Broadway production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and currently plays Deputy Press Secretary Annabeth Schott on the NBC drama The West Wing. She has made several statements in the media over the years about how big of a Dolly fan she is, and she was ecstatic to appear in the same program with Dolly when they both were featured on PBS' concert program A Capitol Fourth two years ago. Read the story here. In other coverage, the television reviewer for The San Jose Mercury News admitted on Thursday that while he is not a fan of Reba's show, Dolly's sassy guest appearance makes "the episode worth catching even if Reba isn't usually your idea of Southern comfort." Read that note here. And, finally, a friend alerted me that the April issue of Instinct magazine features a shot of Dolly and Reba from the show's set in its "Hot Shots Of The Month" section, complete with the caption: "Reba gets a dollop o'Dolly." Thanks, Greg! Dolly's guest appearance on Reba premieres at 9 p.m. Eastern Friday on The WB television network. Image courtesy The WB.

'Viva' Rides High Once Again
Dolly's bluegrass version of "Viva Las Vegas" with The Grascals shoots up five places to No. 4 on the country singles sales chart for its 15th chart week in the April 23 numbers released by Billboard on Thursday. Unfortunately, the album which contains the song, The Grascals, falls out of the 15-position bluegrass albums chart, down from No. 15 last week in its eighth chart week. Rhonda Vincent's concert CD, Ragin' Live, featuring her live cover of Dolly's "Jolene," remains steady at No. 2 bluegrass in its fifth chart week and re-enters the country albums chart at No. 55 to log a third week on that tally. Rod Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III, with its Dolly duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside," slips two to No. 154 pop and falls eight to No. 171 comprehensive in its 25th week. Norah Jones' Feels Like Home, featuring Dolly on the song "Creepin' In," gains five places to No. 136 pop and is up two digits to No. 146 comprehensive in its 61st chart week. Larry the Cable Guy's The Right To Bare Arms remains steady at No. 1 country in its second week but loses seven spots to No. 14 pop, while Rascal Flatts' Feels Like Today also remains steady at No. 2 country and slides one to No. 28 pop in its 28th chart week.

Gone To The North
After 24 weeks on the Canadian pop albums chart, Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III falls out of the top 100, down from No. 89 the previous week, it was announced Thursday. Also off the top 100 is Jones' Feels Like Home, which had been at No. 95 pop last week in its 61st chart week.

'Opry' Floor Sells Out
Tickets are nearly gone for Dolly's April 23 hosting gig at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. For the televised portion of the show (for which tickets show a 6:30 p.m. start time), the floor on Thursday completely sold out, although it is possible as the date draws nearer that a few additional seats will be released. For that portion of the show, the mezzanine is sold out except for a handful of single-ticket seats, and the balcony is almost completely sold out as well, with just a few tickets remaining on the very back row in the center and a few short rows on the far left and right sides. For the 9:30 p.m. performance, a few groups of floor seats became available on Thursday, but the main floor is otherwise sold out with a handful of single-seat tickets remaining. A few more seats are available for that portion in the mezzanine and the upper balcony, but they're also scarce. Get tickets here and don't forget to enter daily here for GAC's contest to win a Dolly guitar in honor of her appearance.

Tickets On Their Way
Dollywood season passholders who ordered tickets for Dolly's four charity benefit concerts at the park Sept. 24 and 25 started receiving them in the mail this week, so if yours haven't arrived yet, they should be there soon. Once all advance orders are processed, if any tickets remain available, they will be sold to the public via telephone starting at 8 a.m. Eastern on April 26.

Big Enough To Play Even With Dolly's Nails
Ten-foot-tall Gibson guitars have started popping up in Nashville for its public art project GuitarTown, on which The Tennessean on Thursday offered a story here. According to the story, artists including Dolly, George Jones, Brad Paisley and more have signed on to help design the guitars. A total of 26 guitars are already on display throughout the city, with 14 more expected to make their debut during the CMA Music Festival in June. They will remain on display through the end of the year.

Well, It Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
People magazine isn't alone in suggesting that Pamela Anderson tried to imitate Dolly at a recent media event to promote her participation in a fundraising cosmetic line. MSN's Undressed celebrity watching section has a note this week making the same observation. However, its fashion expert warns, "there's only one Dolly," and imitators tend to resemble more of a Dolly drag queen than the diva herself. Take a look here. Thanks, Greg!

April 14:
'Reba' Gig Getting Noticed
Dolly's stint on Friday's episode of Reba continues to get some coverage. Television site Zap 2 It on Wednesday offered a great interview with Dolly about her guest spot, describing some of the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the February taping. Read it here. The two talked about the program from the show's set on Tuesday night's CMT Insider (see left-hand column for repeat times). And Reba's official Web site on Wednesday posted a reprint of a story here which ran in Wednesday's The Tennessean in Nashville, although it originally appeared last week in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Read What She Had To Say
The full transcript from Dolly's remarks in honor of Dollywood's 20th anniversary earlier this month are now available in that section of the site here, alongside the 28 photo galleries previously posted there.

'Darling, You're The Highlight Of My Life'
Singer Billy Dean was the "20 Questions" subject Wednesday on CMT.com, and No. 20 was a question about what he remembered most from making the film Blue Valley Songbird with Dolly. His reply: "My love scene with Dolly. I just remember her lips being so soft and so wonderful. It was the best three minutes of my life." Read his full interview here.

April 13:
Latest Shots Available
We're getting close to the completion of our coverage of the big 20th anniversary season celebrations at Dollywood, but there are still a few more items for you to enjoy on the way, including some more great images from Harrell and Patric which have been added to that section of the site here. Thanks! In related news, the park's opening this year gets a brief story in the April 25 issue of Country Weekly on newsstands now, complete with a photo in her Oriental outfit from an appearance at last year's season opening. In addition, the magazine features a shot of her with her Country Radio Broadcasters' Artist Career Achievement Award handed out in Nashville last month. Image at left courtesy Harrell Gabehart.

Dolly's Music Featured On 'Norwegian Idol'
Most folks are aware that the Idol series of televised talent contests are hot around the globe, not just here in America and over in England, where the show originated. Until now, Dolly songs haven't been that popular of choices for contestants, but a reader alerted me that in his native Norway that has changed. The Norwegian version of Idol hosted a country-themed show on Friday for its seven finalists, and nearly half of the songs were Dolly's. Contestant Tone Damli Aaberge offered "Jolene," Cindy Hovde did "I Will Always Love You" and Jorun Stiansen chose "9 To 5." The other entries for the episode were covers of "When You Say Nothing At All" (Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss), "Hurt" (Johnny Cash and Nine Inch Nails), "Desperado" (The Eagles and Clint Black) and "Amazed" (Lonestar). Read coverage (albeit in Norwegian) here and here. Thanks, Terje!

See 'Reba' Commercial
The WB has made available online its official trailer for Dolly's appearance on Friday's episode of Reba, although it's just the very short commercial that aired during last week's show. See it here.

April 12:
Latest Pictures Posted
Thanks to reader Susan Blatzer for sending in some shots of Dolly from her brief waving at fans at Dollywood on March 31 and from her April 1 parade. See them in the Dollywood 20th anniversary season opening section of the site here. Thanks! In related news, CMT.com columnist Hazel Smith on Monday noted the park's anniversary (and word that at some point in the future Dolly may open a park in Nashville) as well as the shipping to radio of The Grascals' single "Viva Las Vegas" with Dolly. Read her "Hot Dish" column here. Image at left courtesy Susan Blatzer.

Gearing Up For 'Reba'
The WB has updated its Web site to show a very short description of Friday's episode of Reba with guest star Dolly as well as three images from the taping. View the page here.

Another Library Celebration
Dolly's Imagination Library in Carter County, Tenn., got a plug in Monday's Elizabethton Star with a story profiling last week's kick-off of the literacy program there. Read it here.

April 11:
More Dollywood Photo Galleries Posted
In the site's continuing coverage of Dolly's appearances for the 20th season opening of Dollywood, the first set of galleries from Dollymania official co-photographer Harrell Gabehart have been posted in that section of the site here, including shots from Dolly's commercial filming on the park's grounds from March 30. In addition, reader Jason Worley has submitted some pictures as well that are available there. Thanks! In related news, The Tennessean on Sunday offered a profile of the park and its 20th season, including an interview with Dolly's costumer, who notes that her peacock outfit she was to have worn in this year's Parade of Nations took 60 hours to create, and an announcement that Dollywood's Splash Country will pass 1 million guests early this season (it opens for its fourth season May 28) . The story concludes: "Pirates of the Caribbean it may never be, but Disneyland can't touch the down-hominess of Dolly's park in her Tennessee hills." Read it here. Image at left courtesy Harrell Gabehart.

Duet Remains At No. 1 In Europe
For the second week, Dolly's cover of "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" with Roy Rivers is the No. 1 country song in Europe, according to the March 17 European CMA charts issued Sunday. The tune also returns to No. 1 for actual continental airplay for a third week, up from No. 2 in the previous chart. The song also returns to the No. 1 spot for country singles airplay in Holland for a third week, up from No. 3, debuts at No. 1 in Ireland and returns to the chart in Denmark at No. 1 after falling out of the top 20 there the previous week. It debuts at No. 2 in Austria and slips one each in Germany and France to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Also on the overall chart, Arly Karlsen and Pat Roden's former No. 1 cover of Porter & Dolly's "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" falls 14 spots to No. 52.

'Reba' Coverage Continues
I'm told the episode of CMT Insider which premiered on Saturday did, in fact, include a couple of brief clips of Dolly from this Friday's episode of Reba to plug what is supposed to be a longer preview in Tuesday night's special CMT Music Awards edition of the country music news program. Saturday's show repeats at 11 p.m. Eastern Sunday and 11:30 a.m. Monday before the next episode premieres at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Thanks! In related news, Brad Schmidt's The Tennessean column on Saturday noted that one of the best lines in the episode was a Dolly adlib instead of coming from the show's writers: "We're not comparing melons and apples," which Dolly's character says to Reba when the two are compared for beauty. Read his full column here. And this week's issue of TV Guide lists Dolly's guest shot as one of three "Don't Miss" television moments of the week. The Dolly episode of Reba airs at 9 p.m. Eastern Friday on The WB.

'Opry' Tickets Going Fast
With less than two weeks to go before Dolly's April 23 Grand Ole Opry appearance, the show is very close to selling out. For the 6:30 p.m. show, only a handful of rows remains available on the far sides of the upper balcony, and the only ones that remain for sale either on the main floor or the first balcony (mezzanine) are single-seat tickets in the far back of each area. For the 9:30 p.m. performance, the main floor had been sold out except for single-seat tickets, but a handful of seats became available over the weekend on the floor and good seats are still for sale in both balconies. Get yours here. And don't forget to enter GAC's contest for a free Dolly guitar here!

'People' Notes
I'm told Dolly shows up in a couple of places in the April 18 issue of People magazine. First, her appearance on Friday's episode of Reba shows up in the "Don't Miss" section of the publication's "Picks and Pans." Also, fashion critics note in a brief on Pamela Anderson's appearance as M.A.C. cosmetics' new spokesmodel to launch an AIDS fundraising lipstick how much she looked like Dolly, appearing as "a dead ringer" except for her bronze tanner. Thanks, Bridget!

Continuing Library Coverage
Minnesota's St. Cloud Times on Sunday followed up its great profile of Dolly's Imagination Library program from Friday with a recap of kick-off festivities for local children held over the weekend. Read it here.

'Congeniality 2' Box Office Update
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous, the Sandra Bullock film with its Dolly cameo, slips another two spots to No. 7 for the weekend box office receipts, it was announced Sunday. The movie took in $4.1 million in weekend ticket sales and $2.1 million during the week to push its gross since its March 24 release to total $37.5 million.

Haskell Story
Dolly pal Mary Haskell, who offers the first commercially-available recording of Dolly's song "Try" on her new CD, Inspired (Standards - Good For The Soul), released last month, gets a profile of her own in Sunday's The Decatur Daily in Alabama. Read it here, and get the CD here.

April 9:
Another Set Of Pics Posted
Reader Noelle Carpenter sent in some awesome shots from Dolly's Friday appearance and parade during Dollywood's opening weekend. They have been added to that section of the site here. If you'd like to submit your photos from the festivities, please send them here. Coverage of the weekend continues in coming days with additional pictures and more! Image at left courtesy Noelle Carpenter. Thanks!

Dolly Raises $100K For Domestic Violence Victims
A private Dolly concert as part of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's (AACD) 21st annual convention, being held later this month at Nashville's Opryland Hotel, has already raised more than $100,000 for victims of domestic violence, officials confirm. Dolly and her band have donated their time to perform April 21 for the charitable foundation Give Back A Smile, described as "an anti-domestic violence program through which AACD member dental professionals donate their time and services to restore the smiles -- and the lives -- of survivors of domestic violence." This program has provided more than $1 million in free dental work over the years. Tickets are only available to registered participants in the conference, so no public seating is being offered. All proceeds go directly to the charity, and Eric Nelson, an AACD spokesperson, confirms that advance ticket sales at $100 each have already raised more than $100,000, and seats remain available for conference attendees to buy on-site during the April 19-23 convention at $150 each. Women and men whose front teeth and/or supporting structures of their front teeth have been damaged by a former partner or spouse through domestic violence may call 1-800-773-4227 to apply for services through the program. Donations for the charity may be sent to Give Back A Smile, 5401 World Dairy Drive, Madison, WI 53718. Thanks, Eric!

Minn. On Board For Dolly's Library
The St. Cloud Times in Minnesota on Friday offered a wonderful, in-depth profile of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program in recognition of the United Way of Central Minnesota's signing on to sponsor children there to take part in the program which provides one free monthly book for all kids in the community from birth to age 5. Local officials said they hope the project will raise the readiness of children to start kindergarten, as state reports show half of students there currently enter school unprepared. Read the full story here.

CMT Schedule Change
CMT announced Friday that it has moved its preview of Dolly's guest spot on the WB series Reba to its CMT Music Awards recap episode of CMT Insider, premiering at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The segment, which promises a "sneak peek" at Dolly's appearance on the April 15 sitcom, had originally been scheduled to air on the installment of CMT Insider which premieres this Saturday. (A very brief clip of Dolly from next week's Reba ran in a commercial during Friday night's broadcast.) Image of Dolly and Reba courtesy The WB.

Commercial Dolly?
A reader tells me when she was in her local Target in Charleston, S.C., she heard Dolly's "There's More Where That Came From" playing in a Target advertisement that was on the store TVs. Thanks, Francis Ray!

'Magnolias' Press
A reader pointed out a collection of review excerpts for the Broadway production of Steel Magnolias is available on Broadway.com here. Thanks!

April 8:
Even More Pictures Available
The first of the reader-submitted photos from Dollywood's season opening festivities last weekend are now available for your viewing pleasure in that section of the site here (send yours here). To also show up in coming days will be a transcript of Dolly's remarks at the park's 20th anniversary celebration and shots from Dollymania's official co-photographer for the weekend, Harrell Gabehart. In other news: The Herald Courier in Bristol, Tenn., on Thursday offered its recap of Dolly's opening weekend festivities at Dollywood. Read it here. Thanks to those who sent in photos! Image at left by Jamie Howard.

No New Gold For Dolly
Dolly has not earned an additional gold or platinum album certification, Dollymania has confirmed. As was reported here Wednesday night, the RIAA, which issues gold and platinum album awards, had listed Dolly's 1993 CD Honky Tonk Angels in a press release that day as having obtained gold status last month, but it had already achieved that level in 1994. The report here suggested that the press release was in error and that either no Dolly project had received a new award, that the CD in question may have proceeded to platinum status instead of gold, or that the wrong album title was included in the press release. A spokesperson for the RIAA confirmed Thursday that Dolly's inclusion in the press release was, in fact, a "blooper" and that there are no additions to her current total of 14 gold and six platinum albums or three gold and one platinum singles.

Library In Half Of Tennessee
The goal by Dolly and Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) to have her Imagination Library literacy program in all 95 of Tennessee's counties by year's end is half-way to fruition, a story in Union City's The Messenger says. The newspaper reports here that the recent addition of Trousdale County brings the total statewide to 48, pushing the program past the 50 percent mark. Last year, Bredesen and Dolly announced the plan to bring the project to all of the state's counties using a state-funded foundation to provide $2 million in dollar-for-dollar matching grants for counties there initiating the program in their communities, with the matching funds coming from local donors. In addition, Carroll County is expected to approve the program next week, according to a story from the Carroll County News here. The Dollywood Foundation administers the program nationwide, with local sponsors paying the cost of book purchase and shipping. The Library provides one free hardcover book per month from birth to age 5 for every child whose parents sign up in a participating community. It is now active in more than 500 communities across 40 states. (Photo of Dolly and Bredesen © Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net.)

Talkin' 'Bout 'Reba'
Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow this week offered a great chat with Dolly on her role next week on the sitcom Reba, including why she doesn't want her own television show right now. Read it here.

Grascals Duet Returns To Charts
Dolly's rollicking cover of "Viva Las Vegas" with The Grascals returns for a 14th week on the country singles sales chart after slipping out of the 10-position countdown the previous week. The song re-enters at No. 9, it was announced Thursday in the April 16 Billboard charts. The album which contains the song, The Grascals, inches down one digit to No. 15 on the bluegrass albums chart in its eighth chart week. Rhonda Vincent's concert CD, Ragin' Live, with her version of Dolly's "Jolene," remains steady at No. 2 bluegrass in its fourth chart week. Rod Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III, featuring the Dolly duet "Baby It's Cold Outside," drops a dozen places to No. 152 pop and No. 163 comprehensive in its 24th week. Norah Jones' Feels Like Home, with Dolly on "Creepin' In," falls 16 spots to No. 141 pop and 18 places to No. 148 comprehensive in its 60th chart week. Larry the Cable Guy's The Right To Bare Arms debuts at No. 1 county and No. 7 pop, while Rascal Flatts' Feels Like Today gains one to No. 2 country and rises three to No. 27 pop in its 27th chart week.

And In Canada
Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III drops 15 places to No. 89 in its 24th week on the Canadian pop albums chart, while Jones' Feels Like Home inches down two to No. 95 pop in its 61st week.

Another Dolly Duet Announced
Fan site Dolly On-Line got word and posted news on Wednesday that Dolly vocals will be featured on her the song "Cold," which she composed, for Darrell Webb's new CD, Behind The Scenes, coming out Tuesday on Lonesome Day Records. You can hear a clip of the song here or order a copy of the CD here.

2005 GLBT Event Scheduled
Organizers have announced details "OUT At The Park 2005," an unofficial "Gay Day" event which will visit Dollywood's Splash Country and Dollywood May 28 and 29. "Gay Day" events are unofficial gatherings of primarily gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender patrons at amusement parks around the country, usually where all participants are encouraged to wear the same color clothing. These occurrences are neither sanctioned nor organized by the parks themselves. The most famous of these is held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., each summer. This will be the third such gathering which includes a visit to Dolly's park. Organizers estimated about 1,300 participants in 2003 with little fanfare and more than 3,000 in 2004. Last year's event brought controversy, however, first because of press coverage resulting from the park's request that organizers stop using its logo and other registered trademarks without permission in advertising the event and secondly because of a small Ku Klux Klan protest held the morning of the event. Participants this year are encouraged to again wear red shirts and visit the park from 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. May 28 and the water park from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. May 29.

April 7:
More Pictures Available
Yet another set of photos of Dolly's appearances at the season opening of Dollywood from the weekend are now available in that section of the site here. This is the last group by your webmaster, so those sent in by readers (you may e-mail yours here) should be going up in the next few days. Thanks to those who have sent photos already!

Is It Or Isn't It Gold?
Dolly may have another gold or platinum album, although the circumstances around it aren't completely clear at this time. In a press release here dated Tuesday but issued on Wednesday, the RIAA, which awards gold and platinum albums, announced its March 2005 honors, including: "Music Row legend Dolly Parton added more sparkle to her wall with the Gold certification of 1993's Honky Tonk Angels, her 11th Gold record overall." However, her 1993 Columbia release Honky Tonk Angels was certified gold by the RIAA on Jan. 5, 1994, for shipping more than 500,000 units. In addition, the CD was a project with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, whose names were not mentioned in the press release. Also, Dolly has received 14 gold albums in her career (10 solo, one as a duo with Kenny Rogers, one as a trio with Lynn and Wynette and two as a trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris), so if she earns another one her total would be 15 (or 18 if her three gold singles were included). I suspect either the note in the release was mistaken and another Dolly project has not reached gold status, or the previously-gold album has now gone platinum for selling more than 1 million copies (which would make it Dolly's seventh platinum album), or the release stated the wrong title and it's a different Dolly CD that has reached the gold mark. A reply to requests for clarification had not been received from the RIAA as of the time of this posting Wednesday night. Look for more details as they become available.

'Angel' Flying Back To Stores
Fans wanting Dolly's now-out-of-print film Unlikely Angel will soon be in luck, as Goldhil Home Media has announced it will re-issue the 1996 made-for-television holiday classic on June 28. Reserve your copy here. Released on DVD and VHS in 1998, the film remained available at many stores until about a year or two ago. The new one will apparently be a DVD-only issue.

Park Named Magazine 'Favorite'
Dollywood has announced that the editors of Southern Living magazine have named the park one of their favorite places in the South. The "Favorite Spots" feature runs in the April 15 issue of the publication.

Nashville Ponders Possible Park Expansion
In an editorial Wednesday, Nashville's The Tennessean cautiously welcomed the very, very preliminary news that Dolly may at some point in the future expand Dollywood into additional parks and might consider Music City as one such location (contrary to some published reports now making the rounds in newspapers which sound as if she plans to open Dollywood II and Dollywood III next week). In addition, the paper notes that it will provide special coverage of the park's season opening festivities from last weekend in Sunday's edition this weekend. Read their editorial here.

April 6:
Latest Photos Added
Another set of photos from Dolly's appearances at Dollywood's 20th anniversary season opening from the past weekend have been posted to that section of the site here. Look for even more Dolly shots in coming days, a transcript of Dolly's remarks to the crowd in honor of the anniversary and pictures from the amazing Moscow Circus performances as part of this year's Festival of Nations, which continues through May 8, in addition to reader-submitted photos as well later in the week (e-mail them here).

Win A Dolly Guitar
Great American Country (GAC) and the Grand Ole Opry are giving away a Dolly prize pack in honor of her April 23 appearance on the country music institution. Entries are now being accepted for the contest, the winner of which will receive roundtrip airfare for two to Nashville, two VIP tickets to performance at the Grand Ole Opry during its 80th anniversary celebration this summer, two nights at the Opryland Hotel, a t-shirt and, best of all, a guitar autographed by Dolly herself. The winner will be announced during the television broadcast of Dolly's performance on the show later this month (tickets for which remain available here). You must be 21 years of age or older to enter, and individuals are limited to one entry per day. Enter here.

Another Library City On Board
Jackson, Tenn., is the latest community in the state to sign up for Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, The Jackson Sun reported Tuesday. The city's Optimist Club is spearheading the effort there, which kicked-off on Tuesday. Read the story here.

Not So Strong 'Magnolias'
The Broadway premiere of Steel Magnolias, the beloved stage play upon which the 1989 film starring Dolly was based, earned mostly poor reviews on Tuesday. Among the major papers, The New York Post hated it here, The New York Times called it "flat" here, and New York Newsday offered a mixed opinion here. Still, most reviewers noted, the audience seemed to love the show. The revival of the play, on Broadway for the first time, stars Delta Burke as Truvy, the role Dolly played in the movie adaptation.

U.K. Site Relaunched
My friend Paul across the pond in England has revamped his former Dolly Parton World fan site under the new moniker Ultimate Dolly U.K.. Visit it here.

April 5:
More From Dollywood
Additional photos from the 20th anniversary season opening of Dollywood have been posted in that section of the site here, and look for more photos as the week progresses! The park also this week issued a press release in honor of the anniversary. Read it from Yahoo here. And any readers who wish to submit photos from the past weekend are encouraged to do so. Just e-mail them here and I'll work to get most of them posted later in the week. Thanks!

Jane Tells All
I'm told that Jane Fonda's new autobiography, My Life So Far, which hits stores on Tuesday, includes not only a photo with her 9 To 5 co-star Dolly at the 2003 charity "Retro Premiere" of the film in Atlanta, but Fonda tells the story of touring Appalachia with Dolly acting as a personal guide. Get your copy of the book here.

And In Another Book
I am also told that Dolly is among the artists featured in journalist Michael Joseph Gross' new book, Starstruck: When A Fan Gets Close To Fame about the lives of fans of celebrities. Apparently the book features a lengthy section about her, including parallels she shares with Michael Jackson. The book will be released on April 11 by Bloomsbury USA. Reserve your copy here. Thanks, Brian!

Chattanooga Library Takes Off
The United Way of Greater Chattanooga is celebrating success in its participation in Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program. Just one month after kicking off the project in Marion County, Tenn., nearly 150 children have enrolled, according to The Chattanoogan.com. Dolly's program, active in more than 500 communities across 40 states, will distribute more than 2 million books nationwide this year. It provides one free hardcover book per month from birth to age 5 for any child in a participating community whose parents sign up. Read the story here.

April 4:
Hooray For Dollywood!
It was a day 20 years in the making, as Dollywood celebrated the start of its 20th operating season over the weekend with special appearances by Dolly herself, a very generous gift for more than 1,600 people at the park and some uncooperative weather, unfortunately, but damp conditions didn't damper spirits at the park. See the Dollymania coverage beginning here, with additional items to be added throughout the week. (See a larger version of photo at left and more in that section.)
In other coverage:

Also In Town
I'm told that The Grascals, Dolly's backing band and opening act on the most recent tour, gave an amazing show Friday night in Pigeon Forge at the Ole Smoky Hoedown. Unfortunately, I didn't go (because I was exhausted after running the length of the parade to get photos), but I wanted to send a note of appreciation out to the guys, as I understand they recognized Dollymania from the stage for helping publicize their shows and CD. The band's self-titled album, which contains the cover of "Viva Las Vegas" with Dolly, gets three stars in a new review by the Providence Phoenix here, and The Mountain Press in Sevierville, Tenn., recently made available online an interview with the band from last week's paper here.

Opry Adds To Dolly Show Line-Up
Grand Ole Opry officials have announced two additional acts for its April 23 shows, which will feature Dolly acting as host. Joe Nichols has been added to the prime-time portion, which airs on Great American Country (GAC), and George Hamilton IV will also perform, although the schedule does not state at what time during the show. Previously announced guests are The Grascals, Catherine Britt and Ralph Stanley. Tickets remain available on the far left and right sides of both balconies for the 6:30 p.m. show, and in both balconies and the very back of the floor section for the 9:30 p.m. portion here.

U.S. Chart Updates
After 13 weeks on the country singles sales chart, Dolly's cover of "Viva Las Vegas" with The Grascals falls back off the 10-position tally, down from No. 10 the previous week, it was announced Thursday in the April 9 Billboard charts. The album which contains the song, The Grascals, falls nine spots to No. 14 on the bluegrass albums chart in its seventh chart week. Rhonda Vincent's concert CD, Ragin' Live, featuring her version of "Jolene," remains steady at No. 2 bluegrass in its third chart week but falls out of the top 75 country albums, down from No. 62 the previous week. Rod Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III, featuring the Dolly duet "Baby It's Cold Outside," loses 35 notches to No. 140 pop and 39 places to No. 151 comprehensive in its 23rd week. Norah Jones' Feels Like Home, with Dolly on "Creepin' In," drops 22 digits to No. 125 pop and 20 spots to No. 130 comprehensive in its 59th chart week. Trace Adkins' Songs About Me debuts at No. 1 county and No. 11 pop with nearly 63,000 copies sold in its first week, while Kenny Chesney's Be As You Are rises two to No. 2 country and is up 11 to No. 20 pop in its ninth chart week.

And In Canada
Stewart's Stardust: The Great American Songbook: Volume III gains five spots to No. 74 in its 23rd week on the Canadian pop albums chart, while Jones' Feels Like Home plummets 27 places to No. 93 pop in its 60th week.

Dolly On CMT
CMT has announced Dolly's inclusion in two upcoming programs. Her April 15 appearance on the WB sitcom Reba will be spotlighted in next weekend's CMT Insider, premiering at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday. In addition, she'll have a video in the ninth installment of CMT's new alt-country/Americana program, Wide Open Country, premiering at 10:30 a.m. next Sunday.

Sandra's Movie Slips
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous, the Sandra Bullock feature with a major Dolly cameo, falls three spots to the fifth-most popular film this weekend, it was announced Sunday. The movie took in $8.3 million in weekend ticket sales and $5.4 million during the week to push its gross since its March 24 release to total $31.3 million. Sin City opened at No. 1 with $28.1 million over the weekend, followed by Beauty Shop debuting at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Last weekend's No. 1, Guess Who, falls to third place with $13 million, while Robots held fourth place at $10 million.

Broadway Bound
The first-ever Broadway production of Steel Magnolias opens Monday, with former Designing Women star Delta Burke taking over the role of Truvy, made famous by Dolly in the film version of the play.