April 30: Dolly-izing The D.C. Area Dolly was at her best Monday night in Fairfax, Va., by all accounts. Several readers wrote in Tuesday with their comments on the show. Again, cameras were prohibited, and security was reportedly very strict with attendees who tried to snap any. Still, a few got theirs in, such as the one at left courtesy Robert Hodge. Additional shots from him are available here. Thanks! Check out a glowing review from Washington Blade news editor Joey DiGuglielmo on the paper's blog here, where he notes there was even a drag queen decked out in a perfect replica of the new CD's cover costume who posed for photos during intermission. Andrew tells Dollymania, "She sounded AMAZING." Brian comments that missing from the line-up were "Me And Little Andy," "I'm Little But I'm Loud" and "Drives Me Crazy" but that it was still a spectacular night. Kim says the night can be summed up as: "One word WOW!!!!!" The tour rolled into Atlanta on Tuesday for a sold out gig, and next up is her sold out engagement Thursday in New York City.
Joining Forces With Emmy Again Although on which exact song she performs has not been disclosed, it was announced this week that Dolly has provided guest vocals for the upcoming Emmylou Harris CD All I Intended To Be, due June 10 from Nonesuch Records. Also on the collection are Vince Gill, Buddy Miller and Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Reserve your copy here!
Giving Don His Due Details of former Porter Wagoner band member and Dolly road manager Don Warden's induction into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame have been released. The ceremony, which Dolly is expected to attend, will take place at 2 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis, Mo., as part of the International Steel Guitar Convention. Admission will be $25 per person. Thanks, Amber!
Even More Dollywood Coverage The first set of images from Dollymania photo correspondent Harrell Gabehart from Dolly's recent Dollywood appearances are now available in that section of the site here. Thanks!
April 29: Another Calif. Date Added For Fall The next date on the second U.S. leg of Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour was announced Monday. An Aug. 5 date will take her to the Greek Theater at the University of California at Berkley. Pre-sale tickets will be available to Dolly-ite online fan club members at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday ending at 10 p.m. Friday prior to the public sale, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific on Sunday.
In related news:
Thanks to reader Trevor Martin for sending in the shot at left of Dolly on stage in Binghamton, N.Y., over the weekend. He also managed to snap a quick glimpse at the backstage dressing room here.
A few previously unavailable seats were released Monday for Dolly's Tuesday night engagement in Atlanta, which had been sold out over the weekend. The better part of two rows in the middle of the main floor became available in the morning, but all of those seats were gone by early evening. As of press time Monday night, a few seats remained available in the second balcony. (It is common for tickets to become available to "sold out" shows the day before or the day of a concert, primarily due to the performer's management and the venue releasing for sale tickets that had been held for special guests when it is learned that the extra seats won't be needed.)
Dolly's Friday concert in Uncasville, Conn., earned another positive review Monday from The Republican in nearby Springfield, Mass. The critic noted here that she was "thoroughly entertaining" and provided a stunning show with the exception of a "dreadful" oldies medley showcasing the band.
In advance of Atlanta on Tuesday, the tour was to stop in at Fairfax, Va., in the D.C. metro area Monday night, but as of the time of this update, word on how that show went had not been received.
More From Dollywood Two additional sets of reader-submitted Dolly galleries from her recent Dollywood appearances have been posted to that section of the site here. Thanks, again!
Win ACM Tix Thanks to Mike for alerting me that LA-area readers will want to check out the newest contest from Go Country 105 FM. The country station is giving away tickets to the May 18 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, where Dolly will be performing.
Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear! One year after the main page of Dollymania.net hit the 2 million mark, the site's front page on Monday night registered its 2.5 millionth visitor since opening in October 1998. A very sizeable number of the site's regular visitors, though, access it directly from the news page, bypassing the front page, so their visits aren't counted in that total. Consequently, the actual number of visitors to the site over the past 12 months is closer to 1 million. Thanks for coming back again and again!
April 28: 'Barbie' Tour Hits New York State Dolly once again received rave reviews for her 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour show, this time from The Press & Sun Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y., where she played Saturday night. The paper said that the shouts of "I love you" echoed throughout the evening, but watching her on stage "it is difficult not to love her . . . it is obvious she loves what she does -- as do her fans." Read the full review here. The tour next moves to Fairfax, Va., on Monday, for which several rows are still available. Tuesday's engagement in Atlanta sold out over the weekend, and Thursday's sold out Radio City Music Hall show led this week's preview of entertainment events in The Big Apple from The New York Timeshere on Saturday.
More From 'Marcia' Thanks to Jonathan for pointing out another video of overreaction by Maureen McCormick interviewing Dolly for Access Hollywood. Check it out here!
More Dolly Shots Posted Another reader-submitted gallery of images from Dolly's Dollywood appearance earlier this month has been added to that section of the site here. Thanks! I believe there's one more reader-submitted group of shots to get posted and then we head on to Dollymania's contributing photographers.
April 26: Tour Rolls On The 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour rolled into Uncasville, Conn., Friday night, and I'm told Dolly changed up the set list a bit from her previous two shows on the tour. Gone were "Me and Little Andy," "White Limozeen" and "Drive Me Crazy," while her cover of "Turn, Turn, Turn" was added to the mix. (The concert was at the Mohegan Sun casino, and almost all casinos require artists to reduce the length of their shows when compared to concerts at non-casino venues, and Dolly confirmed on stage that this was the case there as well.) Someone threw his shirt on the stage for her, which she picked up, looked at and put back down, she at first asked if it was one of the crew's shirts, then if it was a pair of boxer shorts. When the man yelled that it was his shirt he was giving to her, she said she'd take it and wash it because it has little "fuzzy things" all over it. Someone else shouted out a question of if she plans to work with Loretta Lynn again, to which she replied she hadn't seen Loretta in many years but would have to get in touch with her and catch up. Thanks, Al!
Special thanks to Rebecca Miller of Westover, W.V., for sending in her photo at left with Dolly backstage in Pittsburgh this week (click on it for a larger version). She was one of the winners of the meet-and-greet contest for members of the Dolly-ite online fan club of her official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net. "Dolly was just amazing to meet in person," she explained. "Just SO kind and friendly and it just seemed like I had known her forever! It was just SO incredible meeting Dolly and one of the most special days in my life." Thanks to Debbie Poole for sending in a couple of shots taken at her Pittsburgh show (an image of the crowd outside here and her new bus parked there here) And Dolly landed the cover story on Atlanta LGBT publication Southern Voicehere in advance of her stop in the city on Tuesday. Thanks, Dennis! Next on the itinerary is Binghamton, N.Y., Saturday night. Tickets are still available.
Video Making The Rounds CMT has added the video for Dolly's single "Jesus & Gravity" for voting on its countdowns, and I'm told the song is getting some airtime on the network. Cast your ballot for the main CMT Top 20 Countdown here and the 12 Pack countdown on digital channel CMT Pure Country here. And while Great American Country (GAC) hasn't added it yet to its countdown voting page, the network did show the video in Friday's countdown as a bonus airing in recognition of the episode being filmed at Dollywood. The episode repeats at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the song debuts this week on the PowerSource magazine chart of Christian country singles, coming in at No. 18.
Emerald Isle Chart Update The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 continues to barely hold on in the top 100 across the pond, tumbling 24 places to No. 93 in its 54th week on the Irish pop albums chart, it was revealed Friday.
Here's A Story, Of A Lovely Lady Access Hollywood on Friday showed part two of Dolly's interview with a gushing Maureen McCormick, also posting it on their website here.
April 25: 'Barbie' Slips On The Charts Dolly's Backwoods Barbie drops on the charts this week, falling seven to No. 26 country in its ninth week on the Billboard tally, the May 3 charts released Thursday showed. On the other side, though, the decrease is much more dramatic. The album plummets 60 points to No. 184 pop in its eighth week and falls completely off the 200-position comprehensive chart, down from No. 139 the previous week. Over on the independent labels albums chart, the collection loses 13 to No. 28 in its eighth week, while up north it slips 15 to No. 40 Canadian country. As was previously reported, the album's second single, "Jesus & Gravity," inches up one to No. 57 in its fourth week on the country singles chart. On other lists, her 16 Biggest Hits collection falls four to No. 40 country albums. The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 falls off the 50-position country albums chart in Canada, down from No. 39 the previous week. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, featuring Dolly, gains one to No. 14 on the country catalog albums list. The self-titled debut from Lady Antebellum lands at No. 1 country and No. 4 pop with 43,000 units sold in its first week, while Troubadour dips one to No. 2 country and four to No. 6 pop with 38,000 copies sold in its third week.
Hershey Goes Great Fans were in for a treat Wednesday night in Hershey, Pa., as Dolly repeated the set list as the 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour opener the previous evening in Pittsburgh with the same energy and vigor. Aaron gushes: "The sound was great - she was great . . . The show went too quick!!!" Brian says: "WOW! She is just the most amazing performer." A "wardrobe malfunction" hit in the middle of "Eagle When She Flies." Never fear, Dolly held her top in place, ran off stage to ask Judy to repair a button and returned to the stage to tell everyone what happened. I'm told security was strict, using metal detectors to find cameras or cell phones with cameras. Harrisburg's The Patriot-News noted here that "Jesus & Gravity" "displayed humility and gratitude, giving credit where credit was due without a stitch of artificiality, but with deep sincerity. A perfect encapsulation of the artist herself." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Tuesday's show was "the way you feel after a great night with your best friend" here. Next up is Friday's concert in Uncasville, Conn. The Day offers a preview here.
Latest Photo Galleries Up More reader-submitted shots from Dolly's recent Dollywood appearance have been added to that section of the site here. And they're still not the last! Thanks!
Dolly's Director Talks Fan site Dolly On-Line
has posted a Q&A with "Jesus & Gravity" director Steven Lippman above the video. Take a look here.
Another Positive Review Catch a review of Backwoods Barbie from New Brunswick, Canada, magazine Herehere.
Meeting Dolly Tennessee's Cleveland Daily Banner this week profiles a local man with mental difficulties who fulfilled his dream the of meeting Dolly the other weekend at Dollywood. Read it here.
April 24: Dolly Rocks Pittsburgh By all accounts, Dolly put on a stunning show Tuesday night in Pittsburgh kicking off her 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour and was expected to duplicate that effort Wednesday at the Hershey Theatre in Hershey. The next show is Friday night in Uncasville, Conn. Thanks to Matthew Black for sending in the photo at left (click on it for a larger version) from Pittsburgh. He says the "awesome" show lasted more than two hours with a 20-minute intermission for a costume change, which she joked was her "pee break." Cameras were prohibited, and security was reportedly fairly strict to get people to stop, shining flashlights in the eyes of anyone who was seen taking pictures. Still, some got snapped. One fan posted a gallery of images here. The standard jokes and stories were there, along with comments that people should go easy on Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan because it's a difficult industry to be young in with a lot of money and other people controlling them. With rare political humor, she said if Hillary Clinton becomes president, the terrorists better run and hide each month when she gets PMS. Songs in the set included "Better Get To Livin'," "Backwoods Barbie," "The Lonesomes," "She Drives Me Crazy," "Baby I'm Burnin'," "Coat Of Many Colors," "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," "Here You Come Again," "9 To 5," "Islands In The Stream," "Two Doors Down" and several songs added to the show that haven't been included in a while like "Eagle When She Flies," "Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man," "Me And Little Andy," "White Limozeen" and "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That?" "Jesus & Gravity" was the finale. A shot from Hershey's show made it Wednesday night onto The Patriot News' website here.
'Jesus' Rises A Tad Meanwhile, Dolly's single "Jesus & Gravity" lands a fourth week on the country singles chart, inching up one to No. 57 in the May 3 tally, Billboard revealed Wednesday. The track saw 72 spins during the week of April 14-20, a drop from 88 the previous week. However, its audience increased by 32,000 to a total of 537,000 listeners, so the spins it lost must have been in smaller markets or airtimes when fewer people listen to the radio when compared to the stations that either added it to rotation last week or increased its airplay. (The charts are based on audience impressions rather than actual airplay, so, for instance, a song played on a station heard by 15,000 listeners at 1 p.m. counts a great deal more than a song being heard by 2,000 listeners at midnight. So if a song picks up two spins at that first type for 30,000 listeners but loses 10 from the second type for a total of 20,000, it would still see an increase in audience of 10,000 that week and could rise on the chart even though it lost seven spins over the previous week.)
Next Sets Of Dolly Shots Available Check out more new galleries of reader-submitted Dollywood pictures in that section of the site here. Thanks, again, all! And, yes, more to come!
TV Reminder Don't forget to catch Maureen McCormick's interview with Dolly on Access Hollywood Thursday. Apparently, the interview is being split into two parts and is slated to air on both Thursday and Friday. Check local listings for stations and times, as the program is syndicated.
Get Fan Doc Now Amazon has gotten its DVD order pages for For The Love Of Dolly down to one instead of three. The final order page to reserve your copy of the July 8 release of the fan documentary is available here.
April 23: 'Jesus' Video On TV Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour kicked off Tuesday in the Keystone State, but as of the time of this update Tuesday night, no reports had been received of how the show went. Still, it was pretty much assured one tune performed from the stage would be her current single, "Jesus & Gravity." The song's video, though, is also making waves. Thanks to David for alerting me that it has found its way to televised broadcast on CMT, having appeared in its Power Picks program this week. In addition, Great American Country (GAC) has announced that the video will make an appearance on that network's Top 20 Country Countdown show on Friday.
More Reader Galleries Posted The next galleries of reader-submitted photos from Dollywood's recent Dolly appearances are now available in that section of the site here. Thanks, everyone! And, no, we're not done yet! Image at left of the ribbon cutting for the Porter Wagoner tribute in Dolly's Chasing Rainbows museum is courtesy LeeAnn Lallone. Used with permission.
April 22: 'Billboard' Promotes Dolly In Mag Dolly's getting a good bit of press from her Billboard story. The magazine posted the entire story online for its subscribers Monday, while making available to the public the complete, unedited question-and-answer interview on which the story was based here. In addition to several small stories based on single quotes from the article, an abbreviated version of the full story was issued by the magazine via Reuters news service and available here. However, you may note a few errors, some of which are a little surprising since it comes from chart magazine Billboard, such as stating that Backwoods Barbie debuted at No. 3 country (technically, it debuted at No. 48 due to Internet shipments before its store release, and with the first week of sales after hitting stores, it leaped to No. 2, not No. 3) and that No. 48-peaking "Better Get To Livin'" was her highest-charting song since 1992 (it's her highest-charting "solo" track, since she had three collaborations chart higher between then and now: No. 27 "Romeo", No. 15 "I Will Always Love You" with Vince Gill and No. 1 "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Brad Paisley).
Dolly MySpace Contest Offered Wanna be in Dolly's MySpace Top 8? Her official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, is running a new contest where they'll select eight fans from the entrants to make up the top 8 on her MySpace profile. Visit the site here and look for the link on the right side of the page.
New Dollywood Images Available The first set of reader-submitted images from Dolly's recent Dollywood appearances have been added to that section of the site here. Thanks, guys! More are to come!
Tour Kicks Off Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour kicks off Tuesday night with a sold-out engagement in Pittsburgh, and The Pittsburgh Post Gazette prepares for her appearance with an entertaining story and interview here.
'Imagine' On YouTube A filmmaker overseas this week posted to YouTube footage she shot of Dolly performing "Imagine" for the BBC series Heaven and Earth. Watch it here.
'Saddest Song Ever' Canadian magazine Walrus this week released its list of the saddest songs ever, ranking Dolly's "Down From Dover" at No. 11. See what they had to say here.
Stella Has Her Say Thanks to Michele for passing along a new blog entry from Dolly's sister Stella where she addresses recent tabloid reports of a strained relationship with Dolly that were based on a brief interview she gave which appeared in part in the biography Smart Blonde: The Life of Dolly Parton, although she didn't believe her relationship with Dolly was accurately portrayed. (In the interest of disclosure, your webmaster is thanked in the book's forward for assisting in its preparation, although my only involvement was limited to a handful of e-mails which the author sent asking factual questions dates, locations, etc. about Dolly's career and which I answered just as I would for any reader who e-mails me.) The blog also references their brother Randy's experience with his theatre in North Carolina and coverage of it as well. Take a read from her MySpace page here and official website here. Ed. Note: It was pointed out to me that the time frame Stella noted in her blog stated that the interview took place about a year and a half after her interview for the book. However, I'm fairly certain the tabloid report was based on the book, so she must have confused the later interview with the earlier interview for the book.
April 21: Hershey Sells Out Another date on Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour sold out over the weekend: The tour's second show, Wednesday night in Hershey, Pa. The tour opener Tuesday in Pittsburgh has been sold out for a couple of weeks. Dolly's official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, updated its official tour itinerary Saturday to reflect the newest sell-out, but it mistakenly also listed her May 8 Chicago engagement as sold out (Ticketmaster shows many seats all over the venue remaining available) and her Aug. 1 San Diego concert as sold out (although nearly completely sold out, the show does have a handful of single-ticket seats left, so it will likely reach the actual sold-out status in a few days).
Get 'Love' DVD For Less At Amazon Amazon.com over the weekend added ordering pages for the DVD release of the fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly, which it was reported here previously has been slated for a July 8 release from Wolfe Video. The Amazon pre-order, which for some reason is available on three separate order pages here, here and here (you should only need to order it from one), is $4 less than the pre-order directly from Wolfe. The video follows three sets of Dolly's biggest fans over the course of one year and features several appearances by Dolly herself interacting with them.
And From Overseas Britain's The Guardian newspaper over the weekend offered a little piece on Dolly's recent career achievements, including some quotes from an interview with the paper a couple of years back. The story, available here, contains some errors, though, such as saying she has had No. 1 singles in three different decades (it's four), that she's 61 (she's 62) and that she owns a radio station (she sold WDLY many years ago).
Dolly In Print Dolly lands herself a prominent interview in the new issue of Billboard magazine, according to a couple of stories Friday. The issue, which should be making its way to newsstands Monday, is profiled in E! Online's Marc Malkin column here and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazettehere.
'Jesus' On CMT.com I don't know if it has aired on the televised network yet, but Dolly's video for "Jesus & Gravity" is now available here to stream online at CMT.com.
CD Up In Ireland The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 is still holding on overseas, rising five to No. 69 in its 53rd week on the Irish pop albums chart, it was announced Friday.
Library Proves Worth In Tenn. Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program definitely prepares children for school, a new study by the Tennessee Board of Regents has found. According to The Jackson Sunhere, the body found that 48 percent of kindergarten teachers and 64 percent of pre-K teachers rated students who had participated in the Library as performing "better than expected" or "much better than expected" when compared to students in previous classes. As a control, performance was also measured for students who had not participated in the program, and teachers rated just 10 percent of kindergarteners and 11 percent of pre-K at that level.
April 18: Two Meet-And-Greets Per Show Dolly's official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, on Thursday posted its meet-and-greet policy, more than a week after the site began accepting meet-and-greet reservations from its Dolly-ite fan club members for specific shows. The new policy states that only two fan club members at each concert will be provided backstage passes to meet Dolly. The two winners will be randomly selected from all reservations placed for each individual show during the 24-hour period when each date accepts submissions. (The New York City period remains open until 8:59 a.m. Friday, and the next period coming up is for Atlantic City starting at 9 a.m. Monday.) In addition, the rules state that each person will only have the opportunity to take a photograph with Dolly using their own personal camera no autographs will be allowed, and winners may not bring gifts for her backstage or take their purses or other bags due to security concerns. Passholders also may not bring any guests with them backstage unless the winner is under the age of 13, in which circumstance an adult escort may accompany him or her. Although you may register for as many meet-and-greet opportunities as you want, members are only allowed one backstage pass each membership year, so those who are selected must wait until their membership expires and is renewed before making any additional requests. In other news, the website on Thursday added behind-the-scenes footage to its video section for fan club members featuring an interview with Amy Sedaris from the set of the "Better Get To Livin'" video shoot and footage of Dolly at the "Jesus & Gravity" video shoot.
'Barbie' Still In Top 20 Dolly's Backwoods Barbie falls for the week but remains in country's top 20, Billboard revealed Thursday. The album loses six to No. 19 country albums in its eighth week on the tally, the April 26 charts showed. The collection drops 53 spots to No. 124 pop in its seventh week on that list, also tumbling 64 to No. 139 comprehensive and nine to No. 15 independent labels albums in its seventh week on each of those charts. Across the border, it decreases seven to No. 29 Canadian country in its seventh week up north. As was also previously reported, the album's second single, "Jesus & Gravity," inches down two to No. 58 in its third week on the country singles chart. In other chart news, Dolly's 16 Biggest Hits falls four to No. 36 country albums, but the 2003 collection Ultimate Dolly Parton drops off the 25-position country catalog albums list, down from one week at No. 25 thanks to post American Idol sales. The foreign CD The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 loses nine to No. 39 Canadian country. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, with a Dolly duet, rises two to No. 15 on the country catalog albums list. George Strait's Troubadour remains steady at No. 1 country in its second week but slides one to No. 2 pop, while James Otto's Sunset Man debuts at No. 2 country, No. 3 pop.
'Love' DVD Coming This Summer LGBT distributor Wolfe Video has announced a July 8 release date for the DVD of the fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly. The disc will feature the hour-long documentary which follows the lives of a handful of Dolly's most dedicated fans and their interactions with her in addition to the film's trailer and a featurette titled "Dolly Fans From Around The World," which I presume will include some interview footage they shot for the project with other fans who were not on screen in the final version.
More Greatest Hits Collections On Their Way Some new Dolly compilations are heading our way. Although a track listing has not been revealed yet, the cover art is out (at left) for a three-disc set from Madacy Records hitting shelves June 24 titled Collector's Edition. British re-issue label Edsel Records has delayed the street date for Hello I'm Dolly . . . Plus & As Long As I Love, which was originally slated to come out May 6. Unofficial word is that the label is still in negotiations to try and add all of Dolly's non-album singles from her 1965-1967 period on Monument Records to the double CD set in addition to the two full-length albums that came out on the label. The new date has yet to be announced. Also, a new SonyBMG collection called Playlist will be released April 29 through its Legacy imprint. It features the following track listing:
Joshua
Coat Of Many Colors
Touch Your Woman
Mission Chapel Memories
In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
My Tennessee Mountain Home
Jolene
I Will Always Love You
Lonely Coming Down
Love Is Like A Butterfly
The Bargain Store
Here You Come Again
9 To 5
Islands In The Stream
Pittsburgh Loves Dolly In advance of her 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour opener next week in the city, Pittsburgh Live on Thursday profiled her new CD here.
GAC Moments Great American Country (GAC) posted a brief story on its website here Thursday taken from Dolly's interview on its GAC Nights program Wednesday night.
April 17: 'Jesus' Falls Two On Chart After re-entering the top-60 country singles chart at a new peak position last week following her American Idol appearance, Dolly's new single "Jesus & Gravity" slips down two to No. 58 in the April 26 numbers released Wednesday. For airplay the week of April 7-13, stations that report to the chart logged 88 spins, down from 106 the previous week, garnering an audience of 505,000, down 167,000 from a week earlier. In related news, the song's video got its television premiere Wednesday night on Great American Country's (GAC) GAC Nights interview with her. The episode repeats at 2 a.m. Thursday morning if you're seeing this update early enough Wednesday night. Meanwhile, E! Online columnist Marc Malkin praises the video and speaks with the director here.
Warhol Pic Donated To Gallery The Polaroid photograph from which artist Andy Warhol based his series of portraits of Dolly has a new home. It is among a collection of original Warhol Polaroid snapshots donated to the Hearst Art Gallery of St. Mary's College in California by the Andy Warhol Foundation. The images will be displayed in the gallery in October 2009, according to The Contra Costa Timeshere.
April 16: ACM To Welcome Dolly In May Dolly will perform on the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards live from Las Vegas next month, the ACM announced Tuesday. Also singing on the program will be Rodney Atkins, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, the announcement noted. In a press release, the Academy touted that Dolly has been nominated for ACM trophies 40 times and has won eight. Her most recent honor from the Academy was last year's Pioneer Award. (For some reason, her official music website and her publicist only count five ACM wins, but the correct total is eight.) The show airs live (tape-delayed on the West Coast) May 18 at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
April 15: 'Jesus & Gravity' Gets Internet Premiere
Although an air date on either CMT or Great American Country has yet to be announced, the video for Dolly's second single from Backwoods Barbie, the song "Jesus & Gravity," got its world premiere Monday online. First, members of her Dolly-ite fan club got to see it on DollyPartonMusic.net in the morning before its official public world premiere on the website of gossip guru Perez Hilton in the afternoon, after which Dolly Records posted it on YouTube in the clip available above.
Dollywood Video Report Posted Instead of the usual photo gallery or written recap, tonight's coverage from the weekend's Dolly appearances at Dollywood takes the form of a video report from the park. Take a look at it, and the other galleries already posted, in that section of the site here! Look for more Dollymania photo galleries over the next several days, followed by the posting of galleries of reader-submitted images! Other coverage out on Monday included two more stories from The Mountain Press (one on the Porter rose ceremony and museum exhibit here and one on the Porter and Don tribute concert here) and a review with some wonderful photos from Country Stars Centralhere.
L.A. Pre-Sale Coming Members of the Dolly-ite fan club will have access to pre-sale tickets for Dolly's Aug. 3 Los Angeles concert beginning at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, it was announced Monday. The pre-sale will conclude at 10 p.m. Friday prior to the public ticket sale starting Saturday.
A Unique Transition For Radio Station I love the song, but even I will admit this would have gotten annoying pretty fast. To hint at its format switch from hard rock to adult contemporary, Indiana radio station WZOW 102.3 FM for five straight days played nothing but Kenny Rogers and Dolly's "Islands In The Stream" over and over and over and over, according to The South Bend Tributehere. Station officials were forbidden from saying anything about the format change during that time or explain why the song was the only thing on its airwaves. Strangely, the police were even called to the station to make sure everything was okay.
Access Hollywood has announced that Dolly's interview with former Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick ("Marcia" from the show) which they taped in Chasing Rainbows on Saturday will air on Thursday's program. The show is syndicated, so check local listings for times and channels.
The local papers continued their coverage over the weekend, with The Knoxville News Sentinel publishing several items courtesy television reporter Terry Morrow. His piece on Dolly's Porter Wagoner tribute and her remembrances of him is available here, which also features a video of her comments and those of former Wagonmaster Don Warden here. (He makes a touching comment about the weekend in his blog here.) The Kingsport Times News provides a video story here on the new ride, and The Mountain Press offers stories on the new ride launch here and her Friday evening parade here.
Another famous guest on the park was former Dollywood performer and American Idol finalist Diana DeGarmo, who also starred on Broadway in Hairspray. Morrow also spoke with her about the show's current season in an interview available here.
Meet-And-Greet Reminder Dolly-ite fan club members planning to attend Dolly's April 26 Binghamton, N.Y., concert and want to get backstage to see her, her official music website DollyPartonMusic.net will be taking reservations for its meet-and-greets at the show starting at 9 a.m. Central time Monday (the same time as the site will preview her new video for "Jesus & Gravity"). Meet-and-greet reservations for Fairfax, Va., will be taken Tuesday morning, with those for Atlanta being Wednesday morning.
Win Tix For LA Thanks to Mike for alerting me that Los Angeles country powerhouse Go Country 105 is launching yet another Dolly contest. Be the 25th caller each time they play a Dolly song on the air, and you'll get tickets to her Aug. 3 show at the city's Greek Theatre.
Video To Be Seen Mon., Tour Goodies Coming Dolly's official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, announced on Saturday that although her music video for the single "Jesus & Gravity" will officially premiere on the gossip site Perez Hilton, members of her site's Dolly-ites fan club will get to see the video first starting at 9 a.m. Central Monday. (The e-mail to the website's mailing list mistakenly stated that the Hilton premiere would be the afternoon of Monday, April 11, but since April 11 was Friday, it was unclear whether the e-mail meant to state the afternoon of Monday, April 14, or Monday, April 21 for Hilton. The Dolly-ite preview, however, is April 14.) In related news, several pieces of her upcoming tour merchandise were available following the Wagoner tribute Saturday, and I'm told they will be available online via the website's store within a week.
A Year Marked On Irish Tally The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 has managed to snag an entire year on the Irish pop albums chart, it was revealed Friday. The collection jumps 11 this week to No. 74 in its 52nd week on the Emerald Isle's chart.
FOX News Gets Dolly Friday Dolly began the day Friday with a satellite hook-up with FOX News, where she talked about the new ride, 9 To 5: The Musical, American Idol and more. The interview contained a couple of surprises: a phone call with Lily Tomlin and a talk with Michael Johns, who was booted off Idol this week. Check out the interview video below courtesy FOX News.
Dolly Talks To 'Idol' Castoff After the on-air portion of the interview, the discussion with former Idol contestant Johns continued, as he told several media outlets, including USA Todayhere, in interviews later in the day that she told him that morning that she's a fan of his and can't wait to sing a duet with him one day. He also told the newspaper that he thought his performance of her "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" was the one on the show that most turned out the way he planned.
April 11: Not Much Change On Country For 'Barbie' Well, although American Idol gave Dolly a more than 50 percent increase in sales last week, that didn't translate to much of a bump on the country albums chart for Backwoods Barbie, Billboard announced Thursday. The April 19 chart sees the disc inch up just one spot to No. 13 in its seventh week on the tally. As was previously reported here, the album shoots up 41 places to No. 71 pop in its sixth week there. It earns the "Pace Setter" designation on the comprehensive albums list for the largest leap in chart position, gaining 49 to No. 75. It also got the "Greatest Gainer" slot on the independent albums chart for largest percentage increase in sales, rising eight to No. 6 in its sixth week. Up north, it slides four to No. 22 Canadian country in its sixth week there. As was also previously reported, the collection's second single, "Jesus & Gravity," re-enters the 60-position country singles chart at No. 56 in its second week.
'16 Biggest' Gets New Peak Other Dolly projects saw the post-Idol bump as well, with her 16 Biggest Hits setting a new peak position in its 14-point jump to No. 32 in its 26th chart week on the country albums side. It also takes the week's "Pace Setter" designation on that chart. In addition, her 2003 compilation Ultimate Dolly Parton makes its first appearance on the country catalog albums list, coming in at No. 25 on the 25-position tally, due mostly to digital downloads after the show. The foreign greatest hits collection The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 rises 10 to No. 30 Canadian country. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, featuring Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," inches down one to No. 17 on the country catalog albums list. George Strait's Troubadour debuts at No. 1 country and pop, while the self-titled debut from Taylor Swift loses one to No. 2 country and two to No. 16 pop in its 76th chart week.
Eagle When She Flies To celebrate the 90th young eagle released from the American Eagle Foundation's Dollywood sanctuary into the wild in the Great Smoky Mountains and in observance of the U.S. Mint's release of a new half-dollar commemorative featuring the park's famous resident, Challenger, Dolly was on hand along the shores of Douglas Lake Thursday to pull the cord and release the latest bald eagle re-introduced into the wild through the program. Coverage is available from Knoxville TV station WBIR here (with video), USA Todayhere and Nashville's News Channel 5 here.
Video Vixen Dolly's official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, on Thursday posted some exclusive behind-the-scenes video for its Dolly-ite fan club members of Dolly being interviewed for Great American Country's recent Top 20 Country Countdown broadcast. View it on their site under "Videos."
The Parade Must Go On The forecast is for rain, but the downpours have always stopped just prior to Dolly's annual Pigeon Forge parade, so fingers are crossed!
Dolly will be at Dollywood on Friday, taking her Pigeon Forge parade Friday evening and back to the park on Saturday! Catch a story on the parade from The Mountain Presshere.
April 10: 'Barbie' Gains More Than 50 Percent Post-'Idol' No word on where it will land on the country side, but according to USA Today, a sales jump following her American Idol appearance last week allows Dolly's Backwoods Barbie to leap 41 places on the pop albums charts in the April 19 numbers coming out this week to stand at No. 71. For the week, the collection sold 10,000 copies, up from the 6,400 units it moved the week before. The post-Idol sales bring its six-week U.S. sales total since its release to 77,000 copies, the paper reports here. In related news, Dolly's original "Jolene" shoots onto the top 200 digital downloads chart at No. 139 with 9,000 downloads sold last week, and Whitney Houston's cover of her "I Will Always Love You" shows up at No. 113 with 11,000 downloads, it noted here.
More 'Jesus' Details, Too Speaking of the charts, Billboard on Wednesday released a little more detail on the country singles charts, which will see Dolly re-enter at No. 56 for a second week with "Jesus & Gravity," the song she performed on Idol. For the week of airplay of March 31 through April 6, which covered the four days following the national television appearance, radio stations which report to the magazine for the chart recorded 106 spins of the song, resulting in an audience of 672,000 listeners. This represented an increase of 282,000 from the previous week.
Reserve Dolly's Kids' Book Amazon.com is now accepting advance orders for Dolly's upcoming children's book, I Am A Rainbow, which is to come out from G.P. Putnam's Sons publishing. Although Dolly has said in recent interviews that it will hit store bookshelves this summer, the retailer is showing a tentative release date of January 2009. Get your copy here!Thanks, Tony!
Dollywood, Here I Come Again! Your webmaster will be heading to Dollywood on Thursday to cover Dolly's appearances at the park on Friday and Saturday, so be sure to check back here for coverage. I expect to have Internet service while in Pigeon Forge, so there shouldn't be any interruption in site updates. I plan to post a few things from the appearances each day, with additional material to be posted throughout most of next week as well.
April 9: Millions Tuned In For 'Idol' The final television ratings are in, and Dolly's episode mentoring on American Idol last Tuesday was the week's most watched program with 26.1 million viewers. Her live appearance on the program last Wednesday was the week's second-most watched program with 24.8 million viewers.
Dolly In Print Country Weekly on Tuesday posted its review of Backwoods Barbiehere that had appeared in the print edition of the magazine a week or so ago, and the current issue on newsstands now features a photo of Dolly in a section on stars' bedrooms (although the photo is the same one published a year or two back in OK magazine).
April 8: 'Jesus' Back In Top 60 It's not as dramatic a re-appearance as I had hoped given her American Idol performance of the song for more than 25 million viewers, but the increase in airplay of Dolly's second single from Backwoods Barbie, the gospel-flavored "Jesus & Gravity," was enough in the four days following the broadcast to return it to the 60-position country singles chart, Billboard magazine revealed Monday. When the full April 19 charts are released later this week, the song will re-enter at No. 56 on the country singles chart, garnering a second week on the tally and besting its previous debut at No. 58. The ranking held fairly close to the airplay monitoring by competing chart MediaBase, which uses a slightly different set of country radio stations to compile its numbers and had the tune at No. 55 for the same period of airplay. Whether it sticks around for a third week depends on how listeners react to it, which will either result in airplay increasing over this week and the song moving up the chart, or decreasing this week and the song descending or falling back off.
Meet-And-Greet Reservations Delayed Although Dolly's official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net, had planned to start taking reservations for backstage meet-and-greets with Dolly on Monday, that process has been delayed until Tuesday. Beginning at 9 a.m. Central that morning, reservations will be taken from members of her Dolly-ite fan cub for chances at meet-and-greet passes for both her April 22 Pittsburgh show and April 23 Hershey, Pa.., concert. Chances for the April 25 Uncasville, Conn., performance will be available Wednesday morning. The site also promises to soon post its official meet-and-greet policy, but it was not available as of press time Monday night.
Dolly Talks With Kix Dolly stopped in with Kix Brooks for his American Country Countdown radio program Sunday. They played segments from several of her tracks, including the new ones. Check out clips from the show's review podcast here. Thanks, Dawn!
April 7: Boy, Dolly's A 'Blue Ridge Mountain' Honoree Dolly's writing skills have earned her a place in the inaugural class of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, it was announced Saturday. She will be inducted into the Hall for this year's songwriter category. Unfortunately, she will not be in attendance at the ceremony for the honorees, as it will take place in Wilkesboro, N.C., on June 13, the opening night for the European leg of her 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour. The Hall celebrates musical heritage in the mountain region stretching from north Georgia through north Virginia. Other inductees in the first class include Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs, national artist category; the Carter Family, pioneer artist category; Tommy Jarrell, master musician category; David Johnson, sideman/session musician category; Ralph Rinzler, promoter category; Ralph Epperson, media and scholar category; Wayne Henderson, recorder/producer category; and Sam Love Queen Sr., dance category.
Meet-And-Greet Reminder Don't forget if you're a member of the Dolly-ite fan club and plan to attend her April 22 tour opener in Pittsburgh that your chance to register to win meet-and-greet passes for that show is at 9 a.m. Central time Monday on her official music website, DollyPartonMusic.net. Backstage pass reservations for her Hershey, Pa., show will be taken on the site Tuesday and Uncasville, Conn., Wednesday.
You Put Your Left Foot In Dolly and Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) do the Hokey Pokey together in a new series of commercials airing statewide on Comcast cable systems to promote the Tennessee chapters of her Imagination Library literacy program. The Commercial Appeal in Memphis over the weekend reported here that the ad run is valued as a $1 million contribution by the cable operator.
Attention Irish Readers The Irish Independent is giving away 10 pairs of tickets to Dolly's June 22 concert in Kilkenny on the Emerald Isle. Irish readers, learn how to enter the contest here!
Up On The Emerald Isle The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, Dolly's wildly successful foreign compilation released for last year's European tour, remains strong overseas, rising two to No. 85 on the Irish pop albums chart in its 51st week, it was revealed Friday.
Folks Having Fun If you want to see who came to the Backwoods Barbie CD release party show at the Roxy in Hollywood last week, check out photo galleries of attendees posted by hosting radio station Go Country 105 here. (Also, visit the station's website here, click on the "5 @ 5" banner, and vote for "Jesus & Gravity" to try and get it played during LA rush hour!) Thanks, Mike!
April 4: 'Barbie' Loses One On Chart Dolly's current CD, Backwoods Barbie, should get a bump next week following her American Idol performance, but this week, sales remained strong enough to keep it close to steady on the major charts, Billboard revealed Thursday. The collection dips one to No. 14 in its sixth week on the country albums chart and three to No. 14 in its fifth week on the top independent labels albums list in the April 12 charts. It falls out of the top 100 pop and comprehensive, though, tumbling 27 to No. 112 pop and 33 to No. 124 comprehensive in its fifth week. Up north, the album gains two to No. 18 Canadian country in its fifth week there. As was reported here Wednesday night, its second single, "Jesus & Gravity," falls off the 60-position country singles chart, down from one week at No. 58.
'Idol' Ratings Steady For Dolly Dolly's appearance Wednesday night on American Idol saw pretty steady ratings from the previous night's mentoring sessions episode, although viewership was down from previous installments of the program. Preliminary numbers gave the show a 14.6 rating (percentage tuned into the program out of all households in the U.S. with televisions), compared to 14.4 Tuesday, and a 22 share (percentage tuned into the program out of all televisions on at the time it aired), compared to a 23 share Tuesday. That translates to between 25 and 26 million people watching, although that was about 1 million less than the total who tuned in for the March 19 and March 26 results shows. Meanwhile, her appearance and the voting off of Ramiele Malubay resulted in a lot of coverage on Thursday. Samples include pieces from Entertainment Weekly, The St. Paul Pioneer Press, CMT's blog, All Your TV and Star Pulse. Image at left by Frank Micelotta. Courtesy FOX.
Other Chart News Elsewhere on the charts, Dolly's 16 Biggest Hits loses one to No. 46 country albums in its 25th chart week in the U.S., while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 40 Canadian country. I Will Always Love You: 17 Inspirational Love Songs From Today's Top Country Artists, with Dolly's title track, falls out of the 75-position U.S. country chart, down from No. 75 the previous week, its 10th. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, with Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," loses six to No. 16 on the country catalog albums list. The self-titled debut from Taylor Swift remains steady at No. 1 country in its 75th chart week and drops six to No. 14 pop, while Alan Jackson's Good Time remains steady at No. 2 country and dips one to No. 15 pop in its fourth week.
Dolly On GAC Dolly will be featured April 16 on GAC Nights on cable network Great American Country, the channel has announced. The show will consist of what is described as a "very intimate sit-down" with her to discuss the new tour, songwriting and her best quotes. The episode premieres at 10 p.m. Eastern that night.
Jones Talks Some Dolly Pride Norah Jones, who has collaborated a couple of times with Dolly since hitting it big, pays tribute to her in the new issue of Q Magazine, singling her out as her ultimate female inspiration in a piece which she wrote for its Women in Music special edition. Read about the story from Virgin Media here.
Irish Tickets Released Due to high demand, some rare extra seats for Dolly's June 22 performance in Kilkenny, Ireland, were released this week to Ticketmaster Ireland, according to The Kilkenny Advertiserhere.
Another Great Review I'm told British magazine Country Music People has a review of Backwoods Barbie, giving the collection four out of five stars and saying it deserves to be a hit and serves as a lesson to the new, young female performers of how country is supposed to be sung. Thanks, Dale!
April 3: Chart: 'Jesus' Gone For Now While I would expect it to garner some radio airplay this week following the American Idol appearance, "Jesus & Gravity" from Backwoods Barbie didn't keep it up high enough last week to remain on this week's charts, it was revealed Wednesday. The song will fall off of the 60-position country singles tally in the April 12 edition to be released Thursday by Billboard magazine. The song had debuted the previous week at No. 58, with 57 spins from reporting radio stations resulting in an audience of 591,000 listeners. However, for the week of March 24 through 30, the song didn't register enough airplay to make the chart. As the lowest-ranking song had an audience of 473,000, Dolly's fell somewhere below that number for the week. We'll find out next Monday whether the post-Idol push brings it back.
Dolly Drops By 'Idol' Again Dolly looked gorgeous and appeared energetic and fully-recovered from her earlier back injury, appearing on American Idol Wednesday night on the Dolly theme week's elimination episode. Unfortunately, it wasn't necessarily one of her stronger performances, as she sounded out of breath as she sang "Jesus & Gravity." The cast performed her "9 To 5" to open the show. Ramiele Malubay, who performed "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" in Tuesday night's program, was sent home based on viewer votes. Also in the bottom three were Brooke White ("Jolene") and Kristy Lee Cook ("Coat of Many Colors").
In related news:
Ratings for the Dolly covers episode improved over the previous week's viewership. Preliminary numbers gave Tuesday night's show a 14.4 rating (percent tuned into the program out of total households in the U.S. with televisions) and 23 share (percent tuned into the program out of total televisions turned on in the U.S. at the time it aired). That translates to somewhere between 25 and 26 million viewers, which was up from 23.8 million for the March 25 show but still down from the 27.2 million who tuned in two weeks ago on March 18.
Tuesday's appearance launched two Dolly titles into the country top 10 albums on iTunes and four classic Dolly tracks in the country top 100 singles. In addition, the Idol covers of her songs made the charts as well. The performance videos became available early Wednesday for downloading, with "Smoky Mountain Memories" and "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" both in the top 15, "Little Sparrow" in the top 40, "Travelin' Thru" in the top 60 and "Here You Come Again" in the top 70. Pre-orders for the studio-recorded singles, which were scheduled for release for downloading on Thursday but ended up becoming available late Wednesday night instead, saw "Smoky Mountain Memories" in the top 10, "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" and "Little Sparrow" in the top 15, "Travelin' Thru" in the top 20, "Here You Come Again" in the top 30 and "Jolene" in the top 50. However, under an agreement with Idol, the sales rankings for the performances are not supposed to be released in the retailer's charts, and once the mistake was caught Wednesday night, they were quickly removed from the countdowns, but you may download them here!
Dolly must've been too much for him to handle, as contestant David Cook was briefly hospitalized for high blood pressure complications after his Tuesday night performance of "Little Sparrow." Read the story here.
The show drew some publicity for East Tennessee technology group SD Professionals LLC, which created the shimmering Dolly logo for the show. The iconic animation was adapted from the opening of Dolly's official DollyParton.com website which the firm created and will fully launch later this year. Read a story about it in The Knoxville News-Sentinelhere.
'9 To 5' Coverage Continues Coverage of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical appearance last week continued Wednesday with a video posted by The Hollywood Reporter available below.
Looking For Dolly In All The Wrong Places Check out a video here from Blender magazine of "art-pop" group De Novo Dahl's frantic search for Dolly at South by Southwest (of course, she wasn't there because she had to cancel her performance due to back problems).
April 2: 'IDOL' UPDATES
8 p.m. The show begins with an April Fool's joke that it is being pre-empted. Dolly is introduced as pop culture icon, with a brief bio recounting her childhood and her successes. In interview segments, she discusses her songs as her children and that she can't criticize anyone. She meets the contestants and leads them in a chorus of "9 To 5." Brooke White offers "Jolene" with her own guitar. Afterward, Randy says she had pitch problems and rushes, but it was "alright." Paula lauds her consistency. Simon thought emotions were lacking. Vote at show's end at 1-886- IDOLS01.
8:12 p.m. Returns from commercial break. David Cook says "Little Sparrow" will be his own arrangement. Dolly says his voice is beautiful for the song. He performs it with his guitar. Randy says how he likes his range and calls the performance "hot." Paula complements his hair and says it's fantastic to hear a guy do the song. Simon says not as good as last week but that he made the song good. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS02.
8:15 p.m. Dolly sings some harmony with Ramiele Malubay on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Dolly says she's so cute and tiny. Ramiele says it's the first time she's ever been completely star struck. She performs the song. Randy says he wasn't jumping up and down but he wasn't mad at her for it, giving her 6.5 out of 10. Paula says she was worried that she wouldn't connect but she did. Simon says it was cute but overall it was forgettable and compares her to cruise ship entertainment. Vote after the show at 1-886-IDOLS03.
8:24 p.m. Jason Castro sees some fan mail. Dolly pulls at his hair and jokes she'd "dread" to do those "locks." She sings a little harmony with him for her Oscar-nominated "Travelin' Thru," and says the song fits his funky appearance. He performs the track with his guitar. Randy says it started rough but by the middle he got it. Paula calls it one of his strongest performances. Simon jokes he'll lose his season pass to Dollywood because he didn't like it. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS04.
8:29 p.m. Carly Smithson sings a somber "Here You Come Again" for Dolly, who notes it is one of the few hits she had that she didn't write. Carly comments Dolly recorded it to change her career with her pop crossover, so she thought it appropriate for her to do on Idol. She performs it for the crowd. Randy says it is one of the better performances of the night. Paula calls it "glorious." Simon says it was good but not great and criticizes her wardrobe. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS05.
8:37 p.m. David Archuleta starts "Smoky Mountain Memories." Dolly says the song is so special to her and he was so into the song. "It's all I can do to keep from crying," she tells him. He sings it for the audience. Randy says that is the best performance of the night. Paula calls it strong and glorious. Simon says his song choice was "absolutely on the money." Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS06.
8:41 p.m.: Kristy Lee Cook brings Dolly her favorite song, "Coat Of Many Colors," while she notes is a true story from her childhood. With tears in her eyes, Dolly tells her that her mother will be so proud of her, which she said she hopes she impresses Dolly more than her mother. She does the song. Randy says very nice performance. Paula compliments her stunning appearance and beautiful performance. Simon totally disagrees and says it was pleasant but forgettable. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS07.
8:48 p.m. Dolly says Syesha Mercado makes a good choice of combining her original version and Whitney Houston's cover in "I Will Always Love You." Dolly calls her a pretty girl and good singer. She sings it sitting atop a piano. Randy says she took on the biggest tiger of the night but did alright. Paula says she has a velvety tone and growing. Simon says you forget what a brilliant songwriter Dolly is because this is one of the greatest pop songs in history and that she did a great job at the start but the second half paled in comparison to Whitney's version. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS08.
8:56 p.m. Michael Johns prepares to close the night with "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," telling her she was his first concert in 1986. She says he must have been a baby. Dolly says she could write some good songs for his voice so she hopes he becomes a star. His soulful version is sung. Randy calls it blazing hot. Paula says because they're great melodies and great hooks and Dolly is amazing, everyone can sing them, and he did wonderfully. Simon says it is the best he has sung on the show. Vote after the show at 1-866-IDOLS09.
My opinion: David Archuleta offered the night's most amazing performance with "Smoky Mountain Memories." (I was moved to tears.) I'd put by Michael Johns' "It's All Wrong But It's All Right," next, followed by Carly Smithson with "Here You Come Again." The bottom three? If I were the judge, it would be Ramiele Malubay, Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha Mercado (the song is so iconic, it's a bad idea to try and do it).
(The TMZ list was right; Entertainment Weekly wrong.) Remember, Dolly appears again on the live results show Wednesday night, during which she'll perform "Jesus & Gravity" from Backwoods Barbie, and you'll also be able to download performance videos of each contestant as well as studio-recorded, full-length audio versions of the American Idol cover versions of her songs from iTunes here starting Thursday (although you may pre-order them now)!
What Will They Sing On 'Idol'? With the world watching American Idol, or at least it seems that way, coverage in advance of Dolly's appearance Tuesday night was all over the place. (Look here for updates as the show progresses Tuesday night.) Just a couple of the stories available came from The Washington Post's Reader Expresshere and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Georgia here. Back in Dolly's neck of the woods, Knoxville News-Sentinel television columnist Terry Morrow offered what songs he thinks the contestants should take on with a piece here, and a couple of sites even posted what they claim to be the leaked list of what will be sung although the two are different. The lists are posted below with the first song by each contestant's name being the one listed by TMZ and the second song being the one listed by Entertainment Weekly. Of course, both lists are unconfirmed, so we'll have to wait and see if either one is correct. Photo at left by Michael Becker. Courtesy FOX.
David Archuleta -- Appalachian Memories/Travelin' Thru
Syesha Mercado -- I Will Always Love You/Eagle When She Flies
Carly Smithson -- Here You Come Again/Jolene
Kristy Lee Cook -- Coat of Many Colors/Two Doors Down
Ramiele Malubay -- Do I Ever Cross Your Mind/9 To 5
Michael Johns -- It's All Wrong, But It's All Right/Islands In The Stream
Jason Castro -- Travelin' Thru/I Will Always Love You
Brooke White Jolene/Coat Of Many Colors
David Cook -- Little Sparrow/But You Know That I Love You
New Musical Gets Own Website A new website launched this week to promote the upcoming 9 To 5: The Musical, but its primary focus is on the show's composer, Dolly. You may read a letter from her about the show or listen to her read it. You may also send a friend a "Dolly-Ecard" and sign up for "9 To 5 Memos" e-mail updates, which enters you in a contest to win tickets to the premiere. Video of Friday's House of Blues performance to promote the show is promised to be added soon to the site, as are song clips from the musical. The show opens in Los Angeles this fall before an anticipated Broadway move to New York next year. Visit the new site here! And check out additional coverage of her Friday appearance for the show with a story from Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insiderhere.
Dollywood Plans Revealed Dollywood has announced a couple of Dolly's appearances during her April 11-12 Homecoming at the park. Weather permitting, a park tour (when she comes through in the little Dewitt car) is planned for 4 p.m. that Friday in advance of her regular 6 p.m. parade through Pigeon Forge. On Saturday, her Festival of Nations Parade at Dollywood is scheduled for 5 p.m. As was previously reported here, there will be some limited public seating available for her Porter Wagoner tribute on Saturday as well. Traditionally, she makes a few other public appearances during the weekend which are not announced in advance and a handful of private appearances for the media and special VIP guests which are not open to the public. To accommodate some of these non-public events, her Chasing Rainbows museum will be closed on Thursday and Friday and will not open until 4 p.m. Saturday (a new Porter exhibit is to be installed), the Wilderness Pass and new River Battle ride will be closed until 11 a.m. Friday and Adventures in Imagination won't open until 11 a.m. Saturday.
You Gotta Eat! Thanks to Jonathan for sending in a paparazzi video posted this week on YouTube of Dolly leaving Beverly Hills restaurant Flavor Of India, which promotes its chicken tikka masala as one of Dolly's favorite dishes. Watch how cordial she is to the videographer here.
April 1: '9 To 5,' Roxy Show Coverage Continues The 9 To 5:The Musical party in Los Angeles Friday afternoon got coverage Monday from Broadway stalwart Playbill with a recap here, and Entertainment Tonight interviewed her at the event in a piece that ran on Monday's show (with correspondent Julianne Hough from Dancing With The Stars, not Kevin Frazier, who the show said over the weekend had conducted the Q&A). An extended version of the interview, containing some comments that didn't make the broadcast but missing any of the musical performances that were excerpted on the show Monday, is available from the program here. U.K. entertainment website NME offered its coverage Monday of Friday night's CD release party/mini-concert at LA's Roxy Theatre with a story posted here. Meanwhile, E! Online reports Dolly took in dinner at West Hollywood's Blowfish Sushi between the two engagements on Friday. I'm told she also called in on Monday to Go Country 105, which sponsored the show, to say how much she enjoyed the show, especially being able in the small venue to see her fans in the eye and even touch several of them from the stage. Thanks, Mike!
'Idol' Readies To Say 'Hello Dolly' Excitement is building over Dolly's appearance as the season's first mentor on Tuesday and Wednesday's episodes of American Idol on FOX, prompting Entertainment Weekly on Monday to re-post a collection of photos and their favorite quotes from her over the years which first appeared on the magazine's website in February in celebration of the release of Backwoods Barbie. Take a look here! And hometown paper The Mountain Press back in Tennessee gives her "three cheers" for the impending appearance, saying here its editors are sure she'll "brighten up" the program. After the show, you'll be able to download the contestants' performances of Dolly's songs from iTunes here. Tuesday night's show airs at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central, while Wednesday's live results program begins at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central.
Louisiana Library Ready Folks down in Louisiana are gearing up to welcome that state's first-ever chapter of Dolly's international Imagination Library literacy program. The project kicks off April 12 in the community of Eunice, according to the local newspaper, The Daily Advertiser, here.
Dolly's Not The Only Parton On The Web Thanks to Michelle for alerting me that Dolly's sister Stella is slated to launch her completely revamped website on Wednesday. Look for it here!
Dolly was at her best Monday night in Fairfax, Va., by all accounts. Several readers wrote in Tuesday with their comments on the show. Again, cameras were prohibited, and security was reportedly very strict with attendees who tried to snap any. Still, a few got theirs in, such as the one at left courtesy Robert Hodge. Additional shots from him are available 
The next date on the second U.S. leg of Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour was announced Monday. An Aug. 5 date will take her to the Greek Theater at the University of California at Berkley. Pre-sale tickets will be available to Dolly-ite online fan club members at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday ending at 10 p.m. Friday prior to the public sale, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific on Sunday.
The next galleries of reader-submitted photos from 
Dolly's getting a good bit of press from her 
Another date on Dolly's 2008-2009 Backwoods Barbie World Tour sold out over the weekend: The tour's second show, Wednesday night in Hershey, Pa. The tour opener Tuesday in Pittsburgh has been sold out for a couple of weeks. Dolly's official music website, 
Dolly's tribute concert to Porter Wagoner was her longest appearance at 
Additional galleries from 
Yes, more photos have been posted tonight from Dolly's appearances a few days ago at 
Your next group of photos from the 
Dolly will perform on the 43rd Annual 
The next set of photos from Dolly's homecoming at 
The first full Dollymania galleries from Dolly's weekend 
Dolly's writing skills have earned her a place in the inaugural class of the 
Dolly's appearance Wednesday night on American Idol saw pretty steady ratings from the previous night's mentoring sessions episode, although viewership was down from previous installments of the program. Preliminary numbers gave the show a 14.6 rating (percentage tuned into the program out of all households in the U.S. with televisions), compared to 14.4 Tuesday, and a 22 share (percentage tuned into the program out of all televisions on at the time it aired), compared to a 23 share Tuesday. That translates to between 25 and 26 million people watching, although that was about 1 million less than the total who tuned in for the March 19 and March 26 results shows. Meanwhile, her appearance and the voting off of Ramiele Malubay resulted in a lot of coverage on Thursday. Samples include pieces from 
With the world watching American Idol, or at least it seems that way, coverage in advance of Dolly's appearance Tuesday night was all over the place. (Look here for updates as the show progresses Tuesday night.) Just a couple of the stories available came from The Washington Post's Reader Express 
