Down On GAC Tally
After rebounding nine places last week to capture a second week at No. 1 on the fan-voted Great American Country (GAC) Top Twenty Countdown, the video for "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley with Dolly tumbles back down 14 spots to No. 15 this week, the network revealed Friday. Cast your vote here for next week's list! And on the Power Source Christian country singles chart, the former No. 1 collaboration there slides four more digits to No. 20 for the week, it was also announced Friday.

Dolly Fans: Dallas, Here We Come!
If you're going to be in the Dallas area early next week, be sure to catch the screening of the Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly at the USA Film Festival at 7 p.m. Monday at AMC Northpark 15 cinema. The film's Dallas couple, Harrell and Patric, are profiled this week in local LGBT publication The Dallas Voice. Read the story here, which also includes a mini-review of the film, giving it a "B+." It is also noted in "the best of the rest" preview of the festival in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Star Telegram here.

'Idol' Gossip
Had Kellie Pickler, the American Idol contestant Simon Crowell attempted to insult by saying one outfit made her look like she went to the Dolly Parton school of fashion, not gotten voted off the show this week and gone on to win, Dolly is the star she would have asked to perform with her on the finale, she revealed this week in an interview with The News-Observer in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. When asked about the insult, Pickler said she didn't see a resemblance to Dolly but she took the comment as a compliment "because Dolly Parton is a legend . . . Compare me to Dolly all you want! Because it makes me feel good." Read the whole interview here.

TV Reminder
Don't forget to catch Dolly at the fashion show for her new "Dolly's Closet" dress shop at Dollywood from the park's season opening earlier this month airing on CMT's Insider. The program premieres at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday with repeats Sunday and Monday.

April 28:
Win Meet-And-Greet With Dolly
Dolly is among a dozen artists associated with Welk Music Group, parent company to Sugar Hill Records, named as participants in a new contest from regional soft drink manufacturer Cheerwine. Once a quarter over the next year (July and October 2006 and January and April 2007), a grand prize winner will be selected to win a VIP concert trip -- airfare, hotel, concert tickets and backstage passes for two -- and one second prize winner will receive an autographed guitar. Each of the eight winners will be allowed to choose which artist they want to see in concert and meet in person (if the grand prize winner) or which artist they want to sign their guitar (if the second prize winner). The artists from which they may choose are Dolly, "Jolene" coverer Mindy Smith, Hootie and the Blowfish, Blues Traveler, Edwin McCain, Shawn Mullins, Deana Carter, Reckless Kelly, Scott Miller, the Duhks, Garrison Starr and Carbon Leaf. The contest rules (available here) state that the artist selection by each of the four grand prize winners is subject to the artist's tour schedule availability -- and since Dolly is not touring in 2006, any winner who selects her would have to wait until to see if she tours in 2007, or I guess they might settle for a meet-and-greet at Dollywood :) Contestants must live in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin or Minnesota. Entries, which are submitted here, may be obtained by either collecting codes from the bottles of the drinks that are sold in portions of the states listed above or by writing an address in the contest rules to obtain free game pieces.

'Going' Slips On CMT
After two weeks on top, the video for Dolly and Brad Paisley's hit song "When I Get Where I'm Going" dips two this week to No. 3 on the CMT Top Twenty Countdown, it was announced Thursday night. Over on the May 6 Billboard charts, also revealed Thursday, the tune gains two to No. 87 on the genre-specific Pop 100 chart, the only main chart on which it remains, as it has been removed from all other regular lists under chart rules for single longevity, placing it on the magazine's "recurrent" charts. On the all-genre recurrent Hot 100 pop chart, it slides two to No. 19, also losing two to No. 13 for Hot 100 recurrent airplay. As was previously reported here, the collaboration remains steady at No. 4 on the recurrent country singles tally. On the albums side, Paisley's Time Well Wasted, which contains the song, inches up one to No. 15 country, six to No. 73 pop and No. 74 comprehensive in its 36th week. In Canada, the disc remains steady at No. 23 country. Martina McBride's Timeless, with Dolly on "I Still Miss Someone," moves up one to No. 41 country in its 26th chart week. In Canada, it tumbles 10 to No. 42 country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, featuring "Islands In The Stream," rises five to No. 24 country in its 13th week, four to No. 110 pop and six to No. 113 comprehensive. In Canada, it shoots up 13 to No. 37 country. Thanks to his recent appearance on American Idol, Rod Stewart sees his 2004 collection Stardust . . . The Great American Songbook: Volume III, which includes his hit No. 2 adult contemporary duet with Dolly on "Baby It's Cold Outside," re-enter the pop albums chart at No. 113 and comprehensive chart at No. 117 after a nearly six-month absence. On the bluegrass chart, Rhonda Vincent's Ragin' Live, with her live version of "Jolene," dips one to No. 7 in its 58th week, and Sarah Harmer's I'm A Mountain, featuring "Will He Be Waiting For Me," remains steady at No. 5 in its 10th week. Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell To Raise, with her amazing R&B take on Dolly's "Little Sparrow," re-enters the 15-position blues albums chart at No. 15 to earn a 28th chart week. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang remains steady at No. 1 country and pop with 143,000 units moved in its third week, and Toby Keith's White Trash With Money remains steady at to No. 2 country but slides two to No. 4 pop with second-week sales of 109,000 copies sold.

More From Film Festival
A reviewer from Indie Wire covering this month's Nashville Film Festival singled out the Dolly fan film For The Love Of Dolly as one of two stand-outs from the selections of music-related documentaries presented at the event, calling it "a sweet, generous and humorous portrait of several Dolly Parton fanatics who attend the annual Dollywood parade at Pigeon Forge, Tenn." Read more here.

Dolly Dress Offered For Auction
Always one to help a friend in need, Dolly has added a dress for this weekend's silent auction to help pay for artist Donna Davis Carter's cancer treatments, members of Carter's family tell Dollymania. The dress is described as a black, long-sleeved, short, sequined mini-dress featuring her "Dolly" butterfly logo label which is autographed by her. The auction will be held from 4:30 until 7:30 Saturday at the Smyrna Church of the Nazarene behind the K-Mart and Big Lots in Smyrna, Tenn., outside of Nashville. (A spaghetti supper will also be served for $5 per person.) As was previously reported here, Dolly has also donated several autographed items from "The Vintage Tour" for the auction. Thanks!

TV Reminder
Don't forget to catch the world premiere of Dolly's two-hour episode of the A&E series Biography at 8 p.m. Eastern Friday on the cable network. The show repeats at midnight Eastern Saturday morning and 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. It will follow Dolly from her humble Smoky Mountain beginnings and her work with Porter Wagoner to her rise to superstardom and her living legend status of today while featuring interviews from friends including Lee Ann Womack, Henry Winkler, Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker, Darryl Hannah, Lily Tomlin, Olympia Dukakis, Steve Buckingham, Billy Ray Cyrus and more.

April 27:
Dipping On 'R&R' Tally
Dolly and Brad Paisley see their song, "When I Get Where I'm Going," slip one more spot to No. 5 on the Radio & Records country recurrent singles list, it was announced Wednesday. This is the list for songs that due to chart rules have been removed from the regular singles tally. Were it still on the main country singles chart, it would have come in at No. 21 this week, compared to the equivalent of No. 20 last week. As the publication only lists its top five recurrent singles, I suspect it will fall off that chart in the next couple of weeks.

Fan Doc Added To Two More Festivals
The Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly is getting lots of play on the alternative film circuit, director Tai Uhlmann confirms. The film has just been added to NewFest: The 18th New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Film Festival, which goes June 1-11, and OutFest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, taking place July 6-17, she said. As was previously reported here, it will play the USA Film Festival in Dallas at 7 p.m. Monday and Frameline30: The San Francisco LGBT International Film Festival, with its screening date to be announced later (the festival runs June 15-25). It premiered last month at the Miami International Film Festival and played last week at the Nashville Film Festival. Also, see a brief news-style film on the Nashville fest posted on My Space here which includes an interview with Uhlmann and most of the cast of the film.

'Parton' Her Unmentionables
How do you categorize Dolly? Well, according to one of the music industry's top critics, she's a "pop unmentionable." It isn't as bad as it sounds :) The critic, Eric Weisbard, organizer of Seattle's Experience Music Project's Pop Music Studies Conference, used the phrase to describe Dolly and the legendary Isley Brothers. He further explained he meant these are artists "who, because they go in so many directions, are very hard to place. Everyone says, 'Yeah, they certainly have had a magnificent career,' and then beyond that, they're like, 'Huh, I wonder how we're supposed to think about them.'" Read a profile on Weisbard and his wife, fellow critic Ann Powers, from Seattle Weekly here.

April 26:
Porter & Dolly: Together Again
The famed duo of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton have completed their first duet in more than a quarter-century. The pair have recorded the song, which is slated to appear on a new album Wagoner is currently working on in the studio, it has been confirmed. More information is expected to be released on the project in the near future. "It's always wonderful to sing with Dolly," Wagoner told Dollymania. "Our voices blend together like family." One of country music's top duos of all time, Porter & Dolly, as they were known, released 13 full-length albums and scored 13 top 10 singles from 1967 through 1976. During most of this time, Wagoner served as the uncredited producer of Dolly's albums and she appeared as the "girl singer" on his weekly nationally-syndicated television program and touring road show. They both covered solo versions of dozens of each other's songs and Dolly even wrote her classic "I Will Always Love You" as the farewell song to her longtime partner and mentor. Their split, however, was acrimonious, and Wagoner sued her for breach of contract, resulting in a $1 million out-of-court settlement and the release of a final album of duets, which spawned one final top 10 hit in 1980. They reunited for a taping of Dolly's ABC television series in 1988 and rekindled their friendship. Since then, they have appeared on television and in concert together a handful of times and have even recorded together in groups (Dolly with a couple of solo lines and singing in a group on the chorus of a Wagoner tribute song to the Grand Ole Opry in the '90s called "The Mother Church of Country Music" and Wagoner with a duet line and singing in a group on the chorus of the title track to Dolly's current CD, Those Were The Days), but this will mark their first full duet since 1980's Porter & Dolly album. Image of the two at The Grand Ole Opry in April 2005 is copyright © 2005 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

Complete Elvis Commercial Posted
The Tennessee Department of Tourism Development on Tuesday posted the full-length commercial of Dolly and a digitized Elvis Presley on its official www.tnvacation.com Web site. Also, coverage of the technologically-inserted Dolly next to vintage Elvis footage to tout Tennessee as a tourist destination made USA Today with a story here, Nashville's The Tennessean (which also posted the full commercial online) here and another press release, this one from Elvis Presley Enterprises here (which happens to use some facts and figures provided directly from Dollymania).

A Legal Eagle When She Flies?
Dolly gets a prominent place in the new book Captured! Inside The World Of Celebrity Trials, which features the drawings and recollections of courtroom sketch artist Mona Shafer Edwards. The book, which came out earlier this month, features artwork of Dolly in her "9 To 5" copyright infringement trial (a case which Dolly won). According to ABC News here, Edwards also recounts that toward the end of the proceedings, she ran into Dolly in the restroom, and Dolly asked to buy one of her sketches, paying her right there. "It's the first and last business transaction I've ever conducted in the ladies' room," she said. Others featured in the book include Winona Rider, Dustin Hoffman, Courtney Love, Clint Eastwood, Snoop Dog, Steven Spielberg, Tommy Lee, Farrah Fawcett and more. Order it here.

No Dolly On Gang's New CD
Although she had been originally listed as one of the stars who had planned to work with the current members of the legendary gospel group The Chuck Wagon Gang for its 70th Anniversary CD, Dolly apparently wasn't able to join them for the project, as she does not appear on the final album which was released this week. Guest artists on the CD are The Sons of the Pioneers, The Gatlin Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lulu Roman, John Conlee, The Jordonaires, Billy Walker, The Brooks Brothers, George Jones, Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs and Jack Greene. As had been reported here last year, a member of the band confirmed Dolly had tentatively agreed to sing on "Down The Road" and was expected to record her vocals for the track in December. While the song made the final product, which was released about three months later than originally planned, Dolly does not appear to be on it.

CMT To Look At Dolly's Wardrobe Offerings
CMT on Tuesday revealed a bit more about Dolly's weekend appearance on the next episode of its Insider program, premiering at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday. It promises a look "inside the wonderful world of Dolly Parton's closet." A CMT crew was filming the fashion show to celebrate the new Dollywood Dolly's Closet clothing store at the park's seasonal grand opening earlier this month, so that should be the footage which airs. (Check out photos from the fashion show here.)

Check Out Dollywood
And speaking of Dollywood, the park is getting quite techie here lately! It has posted online both an audio podcast on the new Timber Tower ride here (as an MP3 file) and a video "vodcast" from grand opening here (as a Wave movie file). The movie includes a web interview Dolly had during opening weekend with several reporters who could not attend, and in it she says, among other things, that "Heartbreaker's Alibi" with Rhonda Vincent is expected to be Vincent's next single and she has committed to recording a video with her for it; the track she recorded this month with soul legend Solomon Burke is a cover of her classic "Tomorrow Is Forever;" and she plans to attend the opening of the park's new Babes In Toyland stage production in November.

Ark. Paper Loves Library
Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program gets some good kudos this week in the Batesville Daily Guard in Arkansas. The assistant managing editor of the paper offers an editorial which begins simply: "Dolly Parton is one of my heroes." She continues to explain what the program is, how Dolly came to create it and why it is so special in her community. Read the full article here.

Mag: 'AI' Star Should Try To Be Dolly
Entertainment Weekly is offering advice to the remaining American Idol contestants as to which celebrities they should emulate, and for Kellie Pickler, they think she should seek to be like Dolly. The magazine says here that like Dolly she has "pleasingly twangy vocals, eye-catching fashion sense, and impeccable comic timing" but that she should remember that Dolly's career wasn't "built solely on the basis of a larger-than-life persona. Indeed, Parton's always delivered the genuine musical goods."

April 25:
'I Dreamed About Elvis'
Well, Dolly doesn't have to "dream" about The King any longer (in reference to the song she sang with an Elvis impersonator on one of her recent tours), as she now stars with him in Tennessee's new tourism commercial. Thanks to the wonders of technology, Dolly was able to take a drive with Elvis Presley in the new TV spot touting her home state and the adopted home of Mississippi native Presley, who died in 1977. The commercial, an excerpt from which premiered Monday on the syndicated program Entertainment Tonight, shows the pair riding in a convertible down the back roads of Tennessee. The program also offered a brief overview of how Dolly was filmed before a green screen in Knoxville and her image inserted via computer to altered footage of Presley from his 1967 film Clambake. In a press release Monday, Dolly remarked that it was "a once in a lifetime experience. Riding in a convertible with Elvis? What more could a girl ask for? I am so proud of my Tennessee heritage and I am thrilled and incredibly honoured to be promoting our great state along side the world's most legendary superstar." This marked the first time Elvis Presley Enterprises, which administers his estate, has authorized his likeness to be used in a television commercial with another celebrity. Read a story from Entertainment Tonight's Web site here, catch a brief clip in the show's preview for Monday's episode here and take in a story from Memphis' Commercial Appeal here (in which the head of Elvis Presley Enterprises said one reason they authorized the clip was because "we know that Elvis admired Dolly."). Image at left courtesy the State of Tennessee's Department of Tourist Development.

Steady On 'Billboard' Recurrent List
"When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley with Dolly is holding on for the most part, the May 6 charts will show, Billboard revealed Monday. The tune will remain steady at No. 4 on the country recurrent singles chart, which tracks those songs that have been removed from the main singles tally due to chart rules. For the past week, the song saw a decrease of 1 million listeners to 16.0 million. If the main chart and recurrent chart were combined, the former No. 1 song would rank at No. 23, compared with the equivalent of No. 21 the previous week. Over on the Power Source Christian country singles chart, the former No. 1 collaboration tumbles seven to No. 16, it was also announced Monday.

Dolly In Print
Dolly pops up several places in the new Country Weekly dated May 8 and out this week. A review of the recently-released anniversary DVD 9 To 5: The Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition earns three-and-a-half stars out of five. The Q&A section asks whether she and the reclusive Carl Dean are still married or divorced (married, of course, although the answer notes that he shuns the spotlight and that she took Transamerica director Duncan Tucker as her date to the Oscars -- they are shown at the awards show in an accompanying photo). The "I Love My Country" profile talks with Will & Grace star Megan Mullally, who says that Dolly's "Little Sparrow" is "one of my all-time favorites." Finally, the issue's look back into country music history leads with the 35th anniversary of Dolly's recording of her classic "Coat Of Many Colors" on Thursday.

Dolly On TV
CMT Insider will celebrate its 100th episode this weekend with well-wishes from Nashville's many celebrities, apparently including Dolly, the cable network announced Monday. The new installment, which lists Dolly among its guest stars, premieres at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday with repeats throughout the weekend. And that's not the only Dolly TV date coming up. CMT repeats its MWL: Stacked episode focusing on Dolly videos at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and her Crossroads with Melissa Etheridge at 10:30 that night. Don't forget that her two-hour episode of A&E's Biography premieres Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern, and The Food Network this week said it will feature Dollywood in its The Best Of . . . Fun Foods on May 3 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

Library Notes
Another Dolly Imagination Library literacy program is reaching its first milestone. The Kingsport Times-News reported Monday that Sullivan County, Tenn., this month will deliver its 50,000th free book to a child there. Dolly's nationwide literacy program, which provides one free, hardcover, age-appropriate book each month to every child in a participating community from birth to age 5 whose parents register, is expected to distribute 4 million books to kids this year. Read about Sullivan County's participation, which began in September 2004, here.

Lending A Helping Hand
I'm told Dolly has signed on to help an artist friend who is entering her second battle with a rare form of cancer. A silent auction and spaghetti supper to benefit Donna Davis Carter will be held from 4:30 until 7:30 Saturday at the Smyrna Church of the Nazarene behind the K-Mart and Big Lots in Smyrna, Tenn., outside of Nashville. Known for decorative murals, historic Santas and as designer of the Murfreesboro bicentennial poster, Carter will be unable to work for several months as she undergoes treatment for myxoninflammatory fibroblasticsarcoma. As the artist has worked for Dolly several times in the past painting murals in her home, Dolly agreed to donate several items for the silent auction, Carter's family said. These include an autographed pink shirt from her most recent tour, an autographed tour book, an autographed oversized guitar pick and several unsigned items from the tour, including a magnet and keychain. She is also one of several celebrities who signed a copy of Walt Trott's The Country Music World of Charlie Lamb, an out-of-print book focusing on The Grand Ole Opry. Read a little more about Carter and her family's efforts to help raise funds for her treatment from The Nashville City Paper here, and call 615-895-8958 for more information or learn other ways to help.

A Singer, A Daughter And 'Dolly' The Dog
I'm told bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent gave a preview of her upcoming Dolly duet "Heartbreaker's Alibi" on The Grand Ole Opry Saturday night. Her daughter, Sally, sang Dolly's part on the song during their appearance on the program, which aired on Great American Country (GAC). In the interview portion of the show, I'm told that Sally had with her a little black and white puppy which she said was named "Dolly" in honor of Dolly Parton. The version of the song with Dolly will appear on Vincent's May 23 release, All American Bluegrass Girl. Thanks, Jonathan!

April 24:
Video Tops At CMT, GAC
It was a very good end of the week for Brad Paisley's collaboration with Dolly, "When I Get Where I'm Going." The video for the former No. 1 single held onto the top spot for a second week in a row on the CMT Top Twenty Countdown, it was revealed Thursday night, and it rebounded nine spots to recapture the No. 1 position for a second week on the rival Great American Country (GAC) viewer-voted Top 20 Country Countdown Friday night (cast your ballot here). Overseas, the European CMA country singles airplay countdowns released over the weekend saw the tune enter the top 20 in the U.K. at No. 3, Holland at No. 9 and France at No. 11. It fell out of the top 20 in Spain, down from No. 5 the previous week. Elsewhere on their charts, her recording of "I Still Miss Someone" with Martina McBride re-entered the chart in Holland at No. 11 and debuted at No. 9 in Germany and No. 1 in Austria, and "9 To 5," which apparently had garnered some airplay in Germany after the publicity from the U.S. anniversary DVD release earlier this month, fell out of the top 20 in that country, down from No. 14 the previous week.

Dolly Doc Brings Applause, Laughs
The Music City audience seemed to just fall in love with For The Love Of Dolly, the documentary focusing on the lives of three sets of Dolly's most dedicated fans, which screened Friday night as one of the features of the 37th annual Nashville Film Festival. Check out the Dollymania recap of the evening, including pictures, here, and visit the site's section dedicated to the film, including a review, here. The film screens again at noon Monday in Nashville and will next show at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, May 1.

A Few More Pictures
Thanks to Jason Worley for sending in some more images of Dolly from her Dollywood season opening festivities from earlier this month, which have been posted to that section of the site here. Look for continuing coverage later in the week!

Vote For Dolly Cover
Living A Dream, last year's CD by Katherine Jenkins which featured her Italian opera cover of Dolly's classic "I Will Always Love You" under the title "Ti Amero Per Sempre," has been nominated for Album of the Year at the Classical BRIT Awards, it has been announced. The only fan-voted category in the awards competition, Jenkins won it last year with her album Second Nature. This year's recipient will be announced May 4. Vote here!

Signed Guitar Up For Charity
A guitar autographed by Dolly is among the raffle items at the Hughen Center's annual fund-raiser in Port Arthur, Texas, next month, the Port Arthur News reports. The Center provides services to children and adults from around the world with physical disabilities. Read more about the May 7 event here.

April 21:
Newest Photos Added
The next group of Dolly shots from Dollywood's opening weekend festivities earlier this month have been added in new galleries to that section of the site here. These, including the image at left, are more great pictures from Dollymania assistant photographer Harrell Gabehart. And, as the song says, "There's more where that came from," so watch for even more additions next week.

Falling On Pop 100
Well, "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly and Brad Paisley manages to stay on the genre-specific Pop 100 singles chart this week, slipping four to No. 89 in the April 29 numbers, Billboard announced Thursday. This is the final main singles chart on which it remains. The collaboration falls nine to No. 17 on the recurrent Hot 100, the all-genre pop chart of songs that have been removed from the main Hot 100 pop tally under chart rules, and loses three to No. 11 for Hot 100 recurrent airplay. As was previously reported here, the tune dips two to No. 4 for country recurrent singles. Elsewhere on the charts this week, Paisley's Time Well Wasted, featuring the song, dips three to No. 16 country, 13 to No. 79 pop and 13 to No. 80 comprehensive in its 35th week. In Canada, the disc inches down one to No. 23 country. Martina McBride's Timeless, featuring Dolly harmony on "I Still Miss Someone," gains two to No. 42 country in its 25th chart week. Up north, it falls seven to No. 32 country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, which includes "Islands In The Stream," drops seven to No. 24 country in its 12th week, falling 27 to No. 114 pop and 30 to No. 119 comprehensive. In Canada, it loses seven to No. 50. On the bluegrass chart, Rhonda Vincent's Ragin' Live, featuring "Jolene," rises one to No. 6 in its 57th week, while Sarah Harmer's I'm A Mountain, with a cover of "Will He Be Waiting For Me," moves up three to No. 5 in its ninth week. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang remains steady at No. 1 country and pop with 345,000 copies sold in its second week, followed by the debut of Toby Keith's White Trash With Money at to No. 2 country and pop with first-week sales of 330,000 units.

A Brief Hiatus
As was noted here earlier, your webmaster will be in Nashville for a couple of days to attend Friday's screening of the fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly, so this update -- traditionally posted in the very late hours of Thursday night or very early hours of Friday morning -- is going up a bit earlier than usual, and Friday night's update will not be posted. Please check back Sunday night for a recap from Music City!

April 20:
Fonda Hints At Sequel Considerations
The possibility of a 9 To 5 sequel still looms, the original film's co-star and producer confirmed Tuesday on CNN's Larry King Live. King asked Jane Fonda about the film's popularity in the gay community (to which she commented that some places are showing it where people dress up like the characters and shout the lines a la Rocky Horror Picture Show), and he followed up with a question about a sequel. "Well, things are being talked about," she said. "Still?" he asked. "Yes . . . It wouldn't be a remake. It would [be], you know, 30 years later," she explained.

Next Galleries From Dollywood
As promised, the first of official Dollymania assistant photographer Harrell Gabehart's images from the opening weekend festivities at Dollywood have been added in new galleries to that section of the site here, including a larger version of the shot at left. Look for more shots Thursday and even more next week! In addition, I expect sometime next week to post the transcriptions from her appearances as well. Keep your eyes peeled!

'R&R' Singles Update
Dolly's award-winning collaboration with Brad Paisley, "When I Get Where I'm Going," continues to lose airplay, the new Radio & Records charts released Wednesday confirm. The tune slides one to No. 4 on the country recurrent singles list, the chart for songs that due to chart rules have been removed from the regular singles tally. Had it been allowed to remain on the main country singles chart, it would have logged in at No. 20 for the week, compared to the equivalent of a No. 16 ranking the previous week.

Fan Doc Gets Notice
The Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly is one of 50 top entries chosen for a profile in this week's Nashville Scene guide to the Nashville Film Festival (which will show a total of about 140 features and shorts). The paper notes it follows Dolly's "most rabid fans" but adds: "Rather than mock these individuals, though, (director Tai) Uhlmann provides a delightful glimpse of how one performer can touch so many people's lives in so many unexpected ways." Read more here. The film screens at 9:35 p.m. Friday and noon Monday at Regal Green Hills 16 Cinemas in Nashville. Tickets are available online here. (Your webmaster will be in attendance at Friday night's screening, so there will be no Friday night update on the site, and as I will be heading to Nashville on Thursday, Thursday night's update will be posted earlier in the day.)

April 19:
Last Reader Pics Posted
What are currently the final galleries of reader-submitted shots from this month's Dollywood season opening weekend have been added to that part of the site here, including the one at left by Susan Blatzer. Next up will be images from Dollymania's official assistant photographer, Harrell Gabehart, and then, finally, transcripts from Dolly's various appearances. Keep your eyes peeled for the additions as they go up! (And, of course, if anyone else sends in their shots, they'll be added, too!)

CMA Touts Dolly Work
The Country Music Association's CMA Close Up News Service this week issued a Dolly story to the press, mentioning her current CD (Those Were The Days), her birthday earlier this year and her new cookbook in a good overview of the current phase of her career. Her recent collaborators have praise for her in the story, too. Joe Nichols, who sings with her on "If I Were A Carpenter" from the CD, compares singing with her to a baseball fan getting to play with Mickey Mantle, and Rhonda Vincent, who performs on "Both Sides Now" from Dolly's album and on whose upcoming CD, All American Bluegrass Girl, Dolly returns the favor, offered: "I'm continually amazed at her involvement in so many aspects of the music business. She always creates something unique and exciting with each new recording project." Read the story as posted on The Los Angeles Chronicle here. (It even includes a Dollymania link for more information!)

April 18:
Dolly And Soul 'King' Collaborate
Dolly has signed on for yet another guest appearance, this time with the "king of rock and soul." Billboard.com reported Monday that she is among the artists who have cut tracks with soul legend Solomon Burke for his first country CD. The yet-to-be-titled project, produced by Buddy Miller, will hit stores Sept. 26 on the Shout! Factory label. No word yet on what song Dolly sings, but others participating include pal Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Patty Griffin, according to the article. Read more here.

New Dollywood Pics!
Your next set of reader-submitted galleries from Dolly's appearances at the recent Dollywood season opening weekend are now available in that area of the site here, including the one at left by Jason Worley. As promised, more will be coming soon! Thanks to the reader photographers!

'Going' Slips On 'Billboard'
"When I Get Where I'm Going" with Brad Paisley continues to slide down the recurrent country singles chart in its fourth week, the April 29 numbers will reveal when released later this week, Billboard announced Monday. With an audience drop of 700,000 listeners for the week to 17.0 million, the tune dips two to No. 4 on the chart of songs that due to chart rules have been removed from the main country singles list. Had it been allowed to remain on the overall country chart, the former No. 1 hit would have fallen six to No. 21 for the week.

Asking The Real Tough Questions
The recent 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition DVD release party even made "shock jock" Howard Stern's show on Monday, I was alerted. The Sirius satellite radio program sent its correspondent Gary Garver, who is apparently known for ambushing celebrities with embarrassing questions, to the bash in Hollywood, where he encountered all three of the film's leading ladies. Of them, only Dolly got into the joke and gave the answers that brought the laughs. He began innocently enough asking for her remembrances of the recently-deceased Buck Owens. Then he moved into asking what it would take for her to pose nude for Playboy: she laughed that she was too old to do that now. He proceeded to ask if co-star Lily Tomlin had ever made a pass at her, to which she laughed and said not to her knowledge. Finally, he asked when she lost her virginity. Once again, she let out a hoot and asked, "What kind of show is this!? Well, I was very young," and laughed again. Tomlin was much more serious -- sounding almost annoyed -- when asked if she considered herself a role model for recent gay comediennes like Ellen DeGeneres (she said she had never really thought about it), if she regretted not becoming a doctor (no) and if she could do a gay film scene with anyone who would it be (she'd exclude her present company co-stars and she doesn't know who it would be), he asked if she would like to do one with Angelina Jolie (which seems to be the most common answer for actresses to give since this question became popular with celebrity interviewers in the past couple of years), but Tomlin said no. It was also explained that Jane Fonda refused to answer his first question, in which he asked for her opinion on the differences between the war in Iraq and Vietnam, and walked away. Thanks, Al!

Fan Doc Reminder
Don't forget if you're going to be in the Music City area later this week to catch the Nashville Film Festival screening of the Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly at 9:35 p.m. Friday at Green Hills Cinema. This is just the film's second festival, after having premiered last month in Miami. The hour-long movie offers an honest and revealing look into the lives and minds of some of Dolly's most extreme and dedicated fans (and, remember, "fan" is short for "fanatic"). Certainly many will see them as overly obsessed, but the picture presents them as real people and looks at their humanity rather than turning them into caricatures. Plus, it contains a good deal of great Dolly footage and clips along the way! Tickets are available at the festival Website here for both the Friday show (which your webmaster will be attending) and the repeat screening at noon next Monday. Check out the section of Dollymania dedicated to the project here!

April 17:
'Going' Slips On GAC
After spending one week at No. 1 on the fan-voted Great American Country (GAC) countdown last week, the video for "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly and Brad Paisley slides nine to No. 10 this week, it was announced Friday. You may cast a ballot for next week's chart daily here. Elsewhere, the new Power Source Christian country singles tally released over the weekend saw the former No. 1 single there dip two to No. 9 for the week.

More From Dollywood!
Several new galleries of shots from the opening weekend festivities at Dollywood have been added to that section of the site here, featuring many images sent in by readers, including the one at left by Diane Blount. Look for even more in coming days, as these are just the first reader galleries -- many more have been sent in! Thanks to everyone who did!

Cookbook, Library In The Press
Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program earned some press over the weekend. The Kingsport Times News in East Tennessee reported here on celebration over the program's 50,000th book in Sullivan County mailed this month two years after the program expanded into that community. The Hastings Star Gazette in Hastings, Minn., reported here on that community's United Way signing up to launch the program there, while The Bradenton Herald in Bradenton, Fla., reminded parents here how to sign up for the new program there. The longer version of an Associated Press story about Dolly's upcoming cookbook to raise funds for the library, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's, was published in several newspapers and via other media outlets. Read it from CBS News here. And CMT.com also posted an abbreviated version of the story on its Web site here. Remember that reserving your copy of the cookbook enters you and 100 of your friends for a barbeque with Dolly at your house! Note: Please be aware that the deadline to enter the contest has passed, so entried are no longer being accepted. You may still, however, order the book here WITHOUT being entered in the contest.

Another Report From '9 To 5' Party
This is actually a few days after the story was posted, but MSN last week offered a great recap from the launch party for the 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition anniversary DVD, with the reporter apparently being the most struck by Dolly and her personality, also noting that she "looks as good as she did 20 years ago, even from six inches away." Read the full piece here.

April 14:
'Going' No. 1 On CMT, Gone From Pop Charts
A week after hitting No. 1 on its competitor's top 20 list, CMT gives Brad Paisley and Dolly the top spot on its weekly Top Twenty Countdown, the network revealed Thursday. The video for their collaboration, "When I Get Where I'm Going," rises one to take the pole position, six days after it reached the top spot on Great American Country's weekly countdown. On the radio charts, on the other hand, it's almost all over. The song this week falls off the main pop singles tally in the April 22 edition of the Billboard charts, reverting to the "recurrent" status there, too. Previously No. 63 on the all-genre Hot 100 pop songs chart and No. 68 in that chart's airplay-only list, this week sees it removed from both so it may debut at No. 8 on the Hot 100 recurrent singles chart and Hot 100 recurrent airplay chart. The only main chart on which the song remains is the genre-specific Pop 100, where it slides seven to No. 85 for the week. As was previously reported here, the tune slips one to No. 2 in its third week on the recurrent country singles chart. The song peaked at No. 1 country, No. 39 pop to become Dolly's record-breaking 25th No. 1 country hit (her first in 15 years) and her first top 40 pop single in 23 years. Elsewhere on the charts this week, Paisley's Time Well Wasted, which contains "Going," rises two to No. 13 country, 10 to No. 66 pop and a dozen to No. 67 comprehensive in its 34th week. Up north, the disc dips one to No. 22 Canadian country. Martina McBride's Timeless, with Dolly on "I Still Miss Someone," falls two to No. 44 country in its 24th chart week. In Canada, it loses seven to No. 25 country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, including "Islands In The Stream," gains two to No. 17 country in its 11th week, climbing two to No. 87 pop and three to No. 89 comprehensive. In Canada, it re-enters the country top 50 at No. 43. After 27 weeks on the blues albums chart, Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell To Raise, featuring her cover of "Little Sparrow," falls off the 15-position tally, down from No. 12 the previous week. Rhonda Vincent's Ragin' Live, with her take on "Jolene," remains steady at No. 7 for its 56th week on the bluegrass albums chart, while Sarah Harmer's I'm A Mountain, featuring "Will He Be Waiting For Me," tumbles four to No. 8 in its eighth week on that chart. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang debuts at No. 1 country and pop with 722,000 copies sold in its first week, while Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 slips one to No. 2 country and three to No. 5 pop with second-week sales of 128,000 units.

Next Set Of Dollywood Pics Posted
For your viewing pleasure tonight, I offer four new galleries: pictures from Dolly's media event last Friday to celebrate the season's grand opening festivities at Dollywood with a catfish lunch for the press and shots from her annual parade through the city of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Friday evening. Take a peak at that section of the site here!

Cookbook Gets Notice
The Associated Press this week picked up a very brief item about Dolly's new cookbook, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's. Read it from Knoxville TV station WATE here. For those who are unfamiliar with the project, since Dolly is not performing her annual benefit concerts at Dollywood this year to raise money for the educational programs of her Dollywood Foundation, specifically its nationwide Imagination Library literacy project, she decided to give herself away for this year's fund-raiser! First, she collected more than 125 of her favorite food recipes -- including many from her mother and mother-in-law as well as dishes from her favorite restaurants out on the road, the restaurants at Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede -- and has put them together in the soon-to-be-released book. To be published by Penguin Group USA in September, the advance ordering of the book also gives each person an entry into a contest to have Dolly come to your house. On a date to be arranged after the contest is over, a party will be held in the winner's back yard for 100 of his or her family members and friends. Dolly will bring the barbeque, tables, chairs and tents as well as serve some of the food, take photographs with the guests and perform a couple of songs at the event! Each cookbook purchased until midnight Eastern time Sept. 1 will allow one entry in the contest. Dolly will announce the winner at the kick-off for the park's Bluegrass and BBQ Festival on Sept. 15. Order forms are available exclusively at Dollywood and her Dixie Stampede dinner theatres in Pigeon Forge, Branson and Myrtle Beach in addition to being accepted online. Note: Please be aware that the deadline to enter the contest has passed, so entried are no longer being accepted. You may still, however, order the book here WITHOUT being entered in the contest.

April 13:
'Dollyized' Fashion On The Runway
Several ladies have been inquiring about what types of fashions are available at the new Dolly's Closet dress shop at Dollywood, so that's what tonight's photo update from the park's grand opening celebration last weekend focuses on. You'll see not only images of Dolly on the catwalk to promote the new store, but you'll get to see some ladies wearing items from the store -- including some with a "before" look as sold off the rack and an "after" look where the store's seamstress has "Dollyized" them. Visit that section of the site here! And Sevier County's The Smoky Mountain Herald on Wednesday posted its coverage of the weekend's events, including a few photos by your webmaster. Take a look here. Image at left is copyright © 2006 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

'EW' Hearts '9 To 5'
Entertainment Weekly gives the new 25th anniversary 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition DVD an "A" in a review released this week. The reviewer recalls the film as a "perfectly plotted paean to overworked, underestimated, sexually harassed secretaries" and praises the commentary on the new disc as "a dream." She adds that while the featurette on the film "covers some of the same ground," it's "fun." Read the full review, available from CNN.com, here.

'R&R' Update
A day after winning a CMT Music Award, "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly and Brad Paisley slips one more digit on the recurrent country singles chart at Radio & Records, the magazine announced Wednesday. The former No. 1 dips to No. 3 on the chart of songs that due to chart rules have been removed from the main singles tally. Had it remained on the main country list, the song had the airplay that it would have been No. 16 for the week.

Another Chart Item
Although there's no Dolly image on the cover this time, Rascal Flatts will see their new disc, Me And My Gang, debut at No. 1 on both the country and pop albums charts this week with sales of 722,000 copies, Billboard announced Wednesday. Their most recent hit CD, Feels Like Today, featured band member Jay DeMarcus donning a retro-image Dolly t-shirt -- which Dolly made available to fans on her tour last year (and is being sold now from her online tour merchandise store here).In a Billboard story about the new CD's impressive debut, DeMarcus still brings up Dolly, explaining: "I was at a Dolly Parton concert when I was about 9 years old. I saw her at the Ohio State Fair, and it was my first real concert that I'd been to. I saw that crowd and how they reacted and how great of a performer she was and the band. Just the energy of the whole thing collectively really captured me. I remember specifically that night telling my mom that that's exactly what I want to do someday." Read the full interview on Yahoo here.

Tribute Show Announced
If you're up in Newfoundland, be sure to check out "Coat Of Many Colours," a musical tribute to Dolly, which will be performed April 21 and 22 at the St. John's Arts & Cultural Centre, The Express reports here.

And A Party In Sunny Florida
And if you're down in the Melbourne, Fla., area, check out my pal Leigh Shannon's 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition DVD release party at Cold Keg Nite Club with free give-a-ways of the DVD. Click here for more information!

April 12:
Dolly Opens 'Vintage Tour' Store
Did you not get to see Dolly on last year's "Vintage Tour" but want one of her cute t-shirts or caps? Well, she has joined the ranks of most other big-name stars who take their left over merchandise once the tour has ended and offer it at a discounted price to fans via the Internet. Total Fan Shop.com announced Tuesday the opening of its Dolly Official Online Store. However, reps confirm, the store will sell tour items only. Visit it here for your t-shirts, caps, wristbands, tour books, key chains and more! Image of Dolly at left from her "Vintage Tour" stop in Atlanta is copyright © 2005 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

More Shots From Dollywood!
Check out the next set of Dolly images from last weekend's season Grand Opening festivities at Dollywood added to that section of the site here. The galleries updated tonight focus on photos from the park's Sweet Shoppe opening. Look for even more pictures throughout the rest of this week from Dolly's parade through Pigeon Forge, her fashion show and her World Record lunch media event as well as several galleries of shots submitted by readers. I'm a-gettin' these posted as quickly as I can! Image at left is copyright © 2006 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?'
Dolly is among the 25 ladies whom Country Weekly thinks should vie for the title of the genre's sexiest star. The magazine's issue out this week revealed a new poll for the sexiest man and sexiest woman in country music. Voting began Monday online here and will continue through May 15. The winners will be revealed in the magazine in June.

April 11:
Dolly And Brad Take Home Award
Well, Dolly and Brad Paisley won one and lost one Monday night at the CMT Music Awards. Their song, "When I Get Where I'm Going," took home the prize for Most Inspiring Video of the Year. Unfortunately, neither artist could attend, so presenter Martina McBride accepted the trophy on their behalf. The category's other nominees were Brooks & Dunn's "Believe," Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and Reba McEntire's "You're Gonna Be." The viewer-voted awards, however, chose another video, Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland with "Who Says You Can't Go Home," for Collaborative Video of the Year. That category's other nominees with Dolly and Paisley were Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for "Jackson" and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw for "Like We Never Loved At All."

Next Set Of Dollywood Pics
Your second sets of photos from the annual season grand opening festivities at Dollywood have been posted to that section of the site here. Look for more images to be added each night throughout the week and several sets of reader-submitted pics toward the end of the week! (Thanks to those who are sending them in!)

'Going' Chart Updates
"When I Get Where I'm Going" with Paisley will slip one to No. 2 in its third week on the recurrent country singles chart when the April 22 tally is released later this week, Billboard revealed Monday. Losing 1 million listeners for the week to 17.7 million, it would have remained steady at No. 15 on the main country singles chart had chart rules not forced the former No. 1's move to the recurrent list. Josh Turner's "Your Man," in its first week to be dropped from the main country chart and moved to the recurrent list, debuts at No. 1 on that tally. In other news, the new European CMA charts released Monday found the song gaining two to No. 5 in Spain for country singles airplay this week and saw "9 To 5" remaining steady at No. 14 in Germany. Also, Hazel Smith, who just loves both Dolly and Paisley to death, reported in her weekly CMT.com column Monday on the tune's No. 1 party last week. Read that here.

April 10:
Dolly To Grant One Fan's Wish, Literally
Yep, that's I Dream Of . . . Dolly, as Dollywood's matriarch observed her theme park's 21st season opening with her own magic carpet ride, a mouth full of taffy and an announcement of how you could win a barbeque with her at your house! Check out the Dollymania coverage starting here! (And look for more pictures and transcripts to be posted throughout the week, including reader-submitted shots, which you may send here.) Image at left is copyright © 2006 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

'Going' Hits Another No. 1, Loses Dove
Although it is slipping on the singles charts, the video for "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley with Dolly is still gaining ground. The song shot up eight points to No. 1 on the Great American Country (GAC) viewer-voted top 20 chart last week, it was announced Friday, and gained one to No. 2 on CMT's top 20 countdown, that network revealed Thursday. Vote for it in GAC's list here. On the Power Source Christian country tally, the former four-week No. 1 tune slips one to No. 7. It falls off the 30-position Canadian country singles list, down from No. 27 the previous week, its 19th, and remains steady at No. 2 on the Radio & Records recurrent country singles chart (had it still been on the main country chart, it would have been No. 14). Over at Billboard, the April 15 numbers announced Thursday saw the tune dip five to No. 63 on the all-genre Hot 100 pop singles chart, fall nine to No. 68 for the Hot 100 airplay-only list and lose five to No. 78 on the genre-specific Pop 100 tally. As was previously reported here, the song remained at No. 1 for country recurrents for a third week.

Other Chart Round-Ups
Elsewhere on Billboard, Time Well Wasted, Paisley's CD which contains the song, gains four to No. 15 country, seven to No. 76 pop and six to No. 79 comprehensive in its 33rd week. In Canada, it drops four to No. 21 country. Martina McBride's Timeless, featuring Dolly on "I Still Miss Someone," remains steady at No. 42 country in its 23rd chart week. It inches down one to No. 18 on the Canadian country chart. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, with "Islands In The Stream," falls three to No. 19 country in its 10th week, sliding nine to No. 89 pop and 10 to No. 92 comprehensive. In Canada, it falls off the top 50 country CDs. Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell To Raise, which includes "Little Sparrow," loses one to No. 12 in its 27th week on the blues albums chart. Rhonda Vincent's Ragin' Live, featuring "Jolene," remains steady at No. 7 in its 55th week on the bluegrass albums chart, while Sarah Harmer's I'm A Mountain, with her cover of "Will He Be Waiting For Me," also remains steady at No. 4 in its seventh week on that chart. Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 debuts at No. 1 country and No. 2 pop on first-week sales of 242,000 copies, while Alan Jackson's Precious Memories falls one to No. 2 country and No. 10 pop in its fifth fourth week.

Fan Doc Headed To Dallas
The Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly has been added to another film festival, its director confirms. The film is set to be shown the evening of Monday, May 1, at the USA Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, where two of its featured fans, Harrell and Patric, live. The film premiered in Miami last month and will be screened later this month at the Nashville Film Festival (get tickets at their Web site for the April 21 or April 24 showings) and in June at the Frameline30: The San Francisco LGBT International Film Festival.

Library Happenings
Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program made the papers again in the past few days, with a recap of the kick-off efforts in Rutherford County, Tenn., appearing in Murfreesboro's The Daily News Journal here and its expansion into Manatee County, Fla., as covered by The Bradenton Herald here.

Dolly On TV
I'm told Dolly got a couple of mentions in an A&E Biography which premiered Friday titled Hairdos and Heartache: The Women of Country Music. The two-hour program profiled the history of female country performers from the past five decades. Don't forget that Dolly's own two-hour Biography installment premieres toward the end of the month.

April 5-9:
Dollywood, Here We Come!
Legions of fans will descend upon Pigeon Forge, Tenn., in coming days to make their annual pilgrimage for the Dollywood season opening festivities. This will be the site's last update for a few days, as your webmaster is headed up to Tennessee for the events. As always, Dolly will make her way through Pigeon Forge in her annual parade down the city's main Parkway starting at 6 p.m. Friday, and her Parade of Nations through the grounds of the park itself is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday (weather-permitting). The Festival of Nations, featuring several spectacular performers from around the globe, remains in full swing, and the new $6.5 million Timber Tower ride, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, debuts on Saturday. Also new this year is the Sweet Shoppe candy center on Showstreet. Dolly is expected to make additional public appearances on Saturday, although further details were not available at press time, as her schedule is usually not released prior to the events. Look for full coverage here starting Sunday evening (reader photos will also be accepted -- e-mail them here)! And if you wish to relive last year's opening, visit that section of the site here. Image at left of Dolly from last year's opening is copyright © 2005 Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

'Early' Praise For DVD
CBS got into the 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition coverage Tuesday, celebrating the DVD's release date with a story on The Early Show taped at last week's DVD launch party. Read a text version of the story, and watch streaming video of the entire four-and-a-half-minute piece, here!
In other news:

And More From The Park
Sevier County's Smoky Mountain Herald offers a few more details on the Mystery Mine ride, next year's major expansion at Dollywood, in a story available online here. (If you're heading up to the park for Grand Opening, be sure to check out the paper's Parade Guide, with which your webmaster helped out!)

April 4:
'Going' At Least Tops Among Former Hits
Although Dolly's 25th career No. 1 single is no longer on the main country singles tally, the tune retains its top spot among former-charted songs, Billboard revealed Monday. "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Brad Paisley remains at No. 1 on the recurrent country singles charts for those songs which due to the magazine's rules are no longer eligible to be on the actual country singles chart but are still receiving massive amounts of airplay. It is its second week as a recurrent single. Had it remained on the main chart, its audience of 18.7 million listeners would have allowed it to be No. 15, down from the previous week, when it would have been at No. 11 had it been kept on the main chart. On some other lists, the song re-enters the top 20 for country airplay in Spain at No. 7, according to the European CMA this week. That chart's German list shows Dolly's 1980 classic "9 To 5" getting some airplay as well, coming in at No. 14 for the week on country radio there (which I suspect may have been due to the publicity in recent days surrounding the U.S. special edition DVD release).

'9 To 5' Anniversary Edition In Stores Now
Good reviews continue this week on Tuesday's 9 To 5: The Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition DVD release. Monday's Los Angeles Times gave it a positive spin here, calling the "Nine @ 25" retrospective "cheery" and the gag reel "above-average." North Jersey.com, the Web site of The Record and The Herald News, also singled out the gag reel in its review here, calling it "funny." And for the winners of the Dollymania contest for the free DVDs, they were mailed Monday morning, so keep your eyes peeled for them. Check out the names of the lucky 10 readers, and lots more on the DVD, in that section of the site here!

April 3:
And The Winners Are . . .
Well, the Dollymania contest to a free copy of the 25th anniversary DVD 9 To 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition, which hits stores on Tuesday, has ended. Several hundred entries were received over the past week, but only 10 could win, and their names are revealed on that contest's page here. Congratulations! Thanks to all who entered and thanks again to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for providing the contest DVDs! (Visit the site's section on the DVD here, and if you didn't win, you may order your copy of the DVD, chock full of special features, here.)
In other news:

Another Note On Walker
Another writer over the weekend favorably compared Dolly the songwriter with fellow Hall of Famer Cindy Walker, who passed away about a week ago. As The New York Times did in its obituary, The Philadelphia Inquirer noted here that Walker "alongside Dolly Parton, stands as the greatest of female country songwriters."

Library Reminders
The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal in Tennessee once again over the weekend profiled the several events in a week-long series of observations to celebrate the kick-off of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program in the community there. See the schedule here. In related news, read about the "Dolly Imagination Playhouse," a live-action musical presentation based on one of the library's selections, and its performances this month in the Knoxville area from The Knoxville News Sentinel here.

'Help, Help Me Rhonda'
You may now reserve your copy of Rhonda Vincent's upcoming CD, All American Bluegrass Girl, which will feature a Dolly vocal guest appearance when it drops May 23 on Rounder Records. Get yours here!

April 1:
DVD Party Gets Tons Of Coverage
The folks behind Thursday night's party to celebrate next week's DVD release of 9 To 5" The Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition certainly got their wishes fulfilled as the event was all over the place Friday. Dolly, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin chatted with the press, talked about the film from the stage and sang the theme song to the karaoke version contained in the DVD (Dolly joked they were too cheap to get her a band -- and Fonda and Tomlin sang only on the chorus). The film's male lead, Dabney Coleman, had been scheduled to attend but had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency.

Good Deeds Bring Another Honor
Dolly is receiving yet another big honor for her efforts to make the world a better place. The Stennis Center for Public Service has announced that Dolly has been selected as its 2006 recipient of the Lindy Boggs Award, which honors "a woman from the South who has demonstrated the ideals of patriotism, courage, integrity and leadership through public service that have characterized the life and career of Lindy Boggs," who was Louisiana's first female member of Congress, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and chair of the National Democratic Convention that resulted in the election of President Jimmy Carter. Dolly's recognition pays tribute to her educational programs through the Dollywood Foundation in her native Sevier County, Tenn., her nationwide Imagination Library literacy program, her Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation for healthcare and the economic stimulus which her businesses brought to East Tennessee. Dolly becomes the award's first non-political winner. Previous honorees are former First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson and Rosalyn Carter, Secretary of State Condi Rice, former Attorney General Janet Reno, Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Elizabeth Dole, Governors Martha Collins (of Kentucky) and Dolly pal Ann Richardson (of Texas), former Mississippi Lt. Gov. Evelyn Gandy and former NAACP Chair and political activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers. She will receive the award at the Stennis Center's Southern Women in Public Service Conference, which will be held May 7-9 in Nashville. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) will present it during an hour-and-a-half ceremony on May 9. Read the Center's tribute to Dolly here. (On an unrelated note, I'm proud to say that the Stennis Center is housed at your webmaster's alma mater.)

Dolly On Magazine Cover For 'Power'
And an artistic rendering of Dolly will grace the cover of April's Business Tennessee magazine. Focusing on the year's annual Power 100 list of the state's 100 most powerful individuals, the magazine chose Dolly as the cover story for the issue. A three-page article, an electronic version of which is available on the publication's Web site (you must become a registered user to access it), touches on Dolly's music and film career, business interests and philanthropic endeavors. Also, she rises on the Power 100 list into the top 25. For 2006, the person described by the magazine as "Tennessee's triple threat" comes in at No. 23. That's a 12-point jump from last year's No. 36 position and 24 spots from her No. 47 listing two years ago. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) is No. 1 this year.

Down On GAC List
Already gone from the country singles chart, it looks like the video for "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly and Brad Paisley could be headed off the music channel tallies as well. The song falls six this week to No. 9 on the fan-voted Great American Country (GAC) countdown, it was announced Friday. Cast your daily ballot here for next week's program.