Aug. 31: 'Going' Earns Dolly Three CMA Nods, Record With three nods at this year's Country Music Association Awards, Dolly has regained the record for the most career nominations for a female artist, the CMA confirmed after nominees were announced Wednesday morning. As was predicted here Tuesday, "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Brad Paisley earned nominations for the duo in the Single of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Musical Event of the Year categories, and the tune's composers, Rivers Rutherford and George Teren, are up for Song of the Year. The three nominations credited to Dolly bring her career total to 43, passing former record holder Reba McEntire's 42 nods to take the crown as the woman with the most nominations in the award show's 40-year history. (McEntire initially took the record from her in 1994 when Dolly earned her 36th nomination and Reba passed No. 37.) In her career, Dolly has won 10 CMAs, including two special awards (the CMA Country Music Honors in 1993 and the International Artist Achievement Award in 2004). Her most recent nomination was Musical Event of the Year with Norah Jones in 2004, and her most recent regular CMA win was Vocal Event of the Year (now known as Musical Event of the Year) with Vince Gill in 1996.
Paisley, who announced the top categories' nominees live on ABC's Good Morning America with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, also earned noms for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Time Well Wasted, the CD which includes the Dolly collaboration. Brooks & Dunn, who will host the awards on ABC Nov. 6, earned six nominations to tie with Paisley for the second-most of the year (Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn earned an additional nomination as co-writer of their song "Believe," giving him a total of seven). In third place with four nominations were American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban, while Dolly tied with Rascal Flatts and Big & Rich next with three nominations each. Facing "Going" for Single are "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn, "Better Life" by Urban, "Jesus, Take The Wheel" by Underwood and "Summertime" by Chesney. Up against them for Musical Event are Brooks & Dunn with Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill for "Building Bridges," Faith Hill and Tim McGraw with "Like We Never Loved At All," Gretchen Wilson and Merle Haggard for "Politically Uncorrect" and Bon Jovi and Nettles with "Who Says You Can't Go Home." Facing off with it for Video are "8th of November" by Big & Rich, "Believe," "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and Miranda Lambert's "Kerosene." Nominated with the tune's writers for Song are "8th of November" (written by Big & Rich -- Big Kenny and John Rich), "Believe" by Craig Wiseman and Dunn, "Jesus, Take The Wheel" by Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Gordie Sampson and "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Urban and Monty Powell. Although it hasn't been revealed yet whether Dolly will attend or perform on the ceremony, tickets will be offered to the public starting Sept. 15. Other coverage on Wednesday included a press release from the CMA recapping the nominations and touting Dolly's record-breaking accomplishment here, the Associated Press here, Reuters news service here, CMT here, Nashville City Paperhere and Billboard magazine here. Image at upper left of ABC's Diane Sawyer with Nettles and Paisley announcing this year's CMA nominees shows a photo of Dolly performing on the 1984 awards show in the background. Photo by Ida Mae Astute/ABC-TV and provided by the CMA. CMA logo courtesy of CMA. Used with permission.
Vincent Disc Tops Bluegrass Chart Rhonda Vincent's new CD, All American Bluegrass Girl, featuring Dolly on the single "Heartbreaker's Alibi," shoots up 13 places to No. 1 in its second month on the Bluegrass Unlimited bluegrass albums chart, the magazine announced Wednesday in its September listings. The month also sees the album's title track reach No. 1 on the publication's singles chart and "Alibi" with Dolly enter the top 30 at No. 29.
A Little More On 'Hannah' The Disney Channel has revealed a few more details about Dolly's upcoming appearance on its Hannah Montana series starring Miley Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. As has been noted several times, the episode, titled "Good Golly, Miss Dolly," premieres on the cable network at 8 p.m. Eastern Sept. 29. The latest episode description from Disney explains that Dolly plays herself as Miley's godmother, whom they call "Aunt Dolly," and it's up to her to lead "a covert operation with skill and acrobatics to help Miley and Lilly retrieve a videotape of Miley expressing her true feelings for Jake Ryan." Sounds like a blast!
Don't Forget To Vote! Remember to vote daily for Dollymania in the 2006 BT Digital Music Awards by clicking here or on the logo below. Thanks!
Aug. 30: Paisley Duet Still On Chart Still inching closer to falling off its final chart, "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley with Dolly will slide one more digit to No. 18 on the Sept. 9 Billboard/Radio & Records recurrent country singles chart, it was announced Tuesday. The former chart-topper lost about 200,000 audience members for the week to be heard by about 6.8 million listeners, as tracked by the 20-position list which gauges radio popularity of songs that have been removed from the main singles tally under chart longevity rules.
CMA Noms Coming Wednesday Don't forget to check out the Country Music Association nominations Wednesday morning, as I suspect Dolly and Brad Paisley will nab several nods for "When I Get Where I'm Going." I'd expect the collaboration to almost assuredly be up for Musical Event of the Year and likely to also score noms for Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year for the duo and probably Song of the Year for its composers. It was nominated for the equivalent of Musical Event, Video and Song at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards, taking home the first two of the three there in May. The nominations for several top CMA categories will be announced live on ABC's Good Morning America by Paisley himself with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland from New York starting at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Those up for the remaining categories will be revealed in a special 10 a.m. Eastern broadcast of CMT Insider on CMT (which would likely include all of the categories for which Dolly will probably receive nominations) . Winners for the 40th Annual CMA Awards will be announced in a live telecast from Nashville on ABC Nov. 6 with hosts Brooks & Dunn.
Final Entry Day For Dolly BBQ Contest It's your absolute, final, last chance to get your name in the hat for Dolly's big back yard barbeque contest! Entries will only be accepted through midnight Eastern Sept. 1 (that's 12 a.m. Friday morning, or 11 a.m. Central time Thursday night). Every advance order for the upcoming Dolly's Dixie Fixin's before that time will get one entry in the contest. The winner, to be drawn by Dolly at the kickoff of the Dollywood Bluegrass & BBQ Fest on Sept. 15, will receive a free back yard party for 100 family members and friends with top-quality barbeque, plates, drinks, etc. all supplied by Dolly, who will attend herself to help serve the food and sing for the crowd with her Kinfolks Band. Plus, everyone who spends the $27.50 to enter gets a copy of Dolly's cookbook, featuring 125 of her favorite recipes, ranging from family dishes from her late mother and mother-in-law to selections from restaurants she frequents when on tour. All proceeds from the book benefit the Dollywood Foundation and its Imagination Library nationwide literacy program. 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.
Support This Site It's that time of year again, as the annual BT Digital Music Awards kicks off. The awards, sponsored by British Telecommunications, will be handed out in London on Oct. 3 celebrating the best music on the Internet, mobile telephones and interactive television. In addition to honors for the best artists, radio stations, magazines and more, the contest also recognizes the best music-related Websites with its publicly-voted People's Choice Award. For the past several years, Dollymania has ranked in or near the top 100 out of the several thousand sites worldwide for which votes are cast. We were No. 108 last year -- making it the highest-ranking site in 2005 dedicated to a country music artist. Cast your vote daily here or by clicking on the DMA logo below or on the front page! Thanks!
Aug. 29: Dolly's Coaster Again Ranked No. 1 In World Dollywood has done it again! Although many watchers had expected the new Voyage roller coaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., to take home the prize for the world's best wooden coaster this year, the honor at the ninth annual Golden Ticket Awards went once again to Thunderhead, the $7 million 2004 addition to Dolly's park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The ride had won the honor last year as well. The winners are chosen by a panel of international expert amusement park fans selected by Amusement Today magazine. Thunderhead amassed a total of 904 points out of the total 11,246 received by the top 50 wooden coasters worldwide, with Voyage coming in a respectable second at 844 points. No other coasters scored above 750, and only seven had scores of 500 or higher. The park also fared well in several other categories, taking a very close second place finish in the Best Shows category, with 21 percent of the vote, compared to first-place Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio's 28 percent. It also finished second for Friendliest Staff with 20 percent of the vote (compared to 44 percent for Holiday World), third place in each Best Food and Best Water Ride (Mountain Slidewinder) and fifth place for Best Landscaping. In a press release, Gary Slade, Amusement Today publisher and editor-in-chief, noted: "We take great pride that the Golden Ticket Awards have become the Academy Awards of the amusement industry. The winners, and all of the finalists, in our annual survey are to be congratulated on their achievements … these are truly the 'best of the best' as voted by amusement park fans around the world."
'Hannah' Repeat Might Take A While It looks like ABC's Saturday morning repeats of Hannah Montana (which begin Sept. 9) are starting with the second episode of the series instead of airing the show which premieres the Friday before, so it could be several weeks after Dolly's next month's Disney appearance on the program before it repeats on ABC. As was previously reported, Dolly guests on an episode airing at 7 p.m. Eastern Sept. 29 on The Disney Channel.
Across The Pond The European CMA updated its charts Monday, and Dolly's collaboration with the Bellamy Brothers on "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body" falls out of the top 10 country airplay singles chart in Holland, down from No. 8 the previous week.
Aug. 28: Another Story On Mich. Library The expansion of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program into Livingston County, Mich., made the Detroit Free Press on Sunday. A profile of the efforts there is available here, which notes 660 children will receive books there when it starts. The program, active in 600 communities across 41 states, provides one free, hardcover, age-appropriate book each month for every child birth to age 5 whose parents sign up in a participating community. It is expected to give out more than 4 million books in 2006.
Splash Country's Latest Coverage Sevier County's The Mountain Press on Sunday offered a few more details on next year's big expansion at Dollywood's Splash Country adjacent to Dollywood. As was previously noted, the $2.75 million Cascades pool will be the largest addition to the water park since its opening. Take a look here.
And Now For Something Completely Different A straw likeness of Dolly on horseback won an annual scarecrow contest in Stirlingshire village in Scotland, the BBC News noted in a cute little story available here. You may also click on the "scarecrow contest in pictures" link to see several of the entries (the Dolly item is third in the photos). The runner-up was "Piddler on the Roof," a dog scarecrow relieving himself on the roof of a cottage.
Aug. 26: 'Alibi' Takes A Fall Dolly and Rhonda Vincent won't be No. 1, at least not this week, as their video for "Heartbreaker's Alibi" from Vincent's new CD, All American Bluegrass Girl, slips two to No. 5 on the viewer-voted Great American Country (GAC) Top 20 Country Countdown, the cable network announced Friday for the video's third week on the chart. Vote for the song in next week's countdown here!
Another 'Hannah' Mention Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow on Friday picked up on the story of Dolly's upcoming Hannah Montana appearance on The Disney Channel, adding in a plug for her contest to win a barbeque lunch with her if you advance order a copy of her charity fund-raiser cookbook by Sept. 1 (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.). Take a read here.
Aug. 25: 'Going' Stays For Another Week "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley with Dolly nets another week on the recurrent country singles chart, Billboard revealed Thursday with the Sept. 2 numbers. The former chart-topper slides two to No. 17 for the week on the list which tracks radio airplay of songs that have been removed from the main singles tally due to chart longevity rules. On the albums side, the CD which contains the track, Paisley's Time Well Wasted, enters its second year on the chart by inching down one to No. 20 country in its 53rd chart week, slipping six to No. 89 pop and No. 91 comprehensive. Up north, it loses six to No. 35 Canadian country. Martina McBride's Timeless, featuring the Dolly collaboration "I Still Miss Someone," shoots up 16 places to No. 51 country in its 43rd chart week, gaining five to No. 22 Canadian country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, with "Islands In The Stream," moves up four to No. 36 country in its 30th week, falling three to No. 68 Canadian country. Rhonda Vincent's All American Bluegrass Girl, with Dolly on "Heartbreaker's Alibi," loses one to No. 4 bluegrass in its 12th week, while her Ragin' Live, featuring "Jolene," loses four to No. 15 bluegrass for a 73rd week on the 15-position tally. Trace Adkins' Dangerous Man debuts at No. 1 country and No. 3 pop with 115,000 copies sold in its first week, while Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang dips one to No. 2 country and four No. 16 pop for its 20th week.
'Sexty' Woman Dolly has shown up as one of the best bodies of the '70s, according to a survey by a lingerie chain in the U.K. La Senza asked 2,500 women to identify the sexiest women of each decade. Dolly came in fifth for the 1970s, a period which saw Farrah Fawsett, Diane Keaton, Linda Carter and Britt Ekland in the top four spots. No. 1 for the other decades were Marilyn Monroe for the 1950s, Twiggy for the 1960s, Elle Macpherson in the 1980s, Kate Moss in the 1990s and Kelly Brook in the 2000s. Read more from Glascow, Scotland's, The Daily Recordhere.
'Come Back' Gets Another Great Review Another paper has given its approval to the 9 To 5 spoof Come Back to the Nine-to-Five, Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton, with a review of the gender-bending send-up at Kansas City's Late Night Theatre. The Johnson County Sun in Kansas calls the show "exceptionally funny." Read the full review here.
Dolly Track On New Compilation "When I Get Where I'm Going" has made it into a new CD of spiritual tunes, Believe: Songs of Faith From Today's Top Country and Christian Artists, which came out on Tuesday. The disc also contains the Brooks & Dunn title track and Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel," among others.
More Library News Livingston County, Mich., has signed up for Dolly's national literacy program, the Imagination Library, The Livingston Country Daily Press & Argus reported Thursday. Read more here. And over in Columbus, Neb., the program in two years has passed 1,000 children, The Columbus Telegram reported. Read about that here.
Aug. 24: Dolly Talks Of Plans, TV, Broadway See a photo of Dolly on the set of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana (as was previously reported, to air Sept. 29), read another set of quotes on her thoughts of turning "sexty" earlier this year and look at a list of the projects she's still planning for the near future (the children's book, the children's album, the Broadway shows, the children's television show, etc.) in a cute, little interview from Wednesday's celebrities column in The Tennesseanhere. "I am better off when I work a lot," she tells the paper. "Because I have a lot of energy and I have time. It doesn't seem like I am a workaholic; it just seems like just a way of life for me. I seem to do everything I want to do. It's not like work."
'Dream A Little Dream Of' Dolly Former BR549 front man Gary Bennett, promoting his solo effort Human Condition, was asked by the Country Music Association's CMA Close Up News Service who is his dream duet partner. Not only did he reply Dolly, but he said she'd be his dream duet partner if he could be Porter Wagoner. "To have been Porter Wagoner getting to sing all those great harmonies with Dolly Parton, I mean you know, if we're dreaming," he said. Read the full interview in The Los Angeles Chroniclehere.
Pals Sign Book Gospel legend and good Dolly friend Dottie Rambo and her manager, Larry Ferguson, held their first late-night booksigning party over the weekend at Nashville institution the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. Prior to the event, Rambo hosted the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree. The two were signing copies of Ferguson's new book Driving Ms. Dottie, which chronicles their adventures together and features several stories involving Miss Dolly. Look for a review here soon, and get your copy from Rambo's website here! Image at left courtesy Larry and Dottie. Thanks!
Aug. 23: Dolly's 'Reba' Spot Coming To Lifetime, DVD For those who enjoyed Dolly's guest spot on the WB sitcom Reba last year, or for those who missed it, you're in luck, as there are two chances to see it again in coming months. First, it was announced Tuesday that the episode will repeat at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Sept. 1 on the Lifetime cable network. Also, it was revealed this week that the Season 4 DVD set of the series, which features Dolly's show, will hit stores Nov. 14 from 20th Century Fox. Reserve your copy here! Image of Dolly and Reba on the show courtesy The WB.
New York Gets Women's Music Revue A new musical revue on women's songwriting includes at least one Dolly number, Playbill reported Tuesday. The show, Her Song, opens at Birdland jazz club in New York City (315 West 44th Street) Sept. 24 with tunes composed by several top female tunesmiths including, among others, Dolly, Billie Holliday, Peggy Lee, Edith Piaf, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon, and two songwriters whose songs Dolly made hits: Donna Summer and Cynthia Weil, co-writers of her No. 1 hits "Starting Over Again" and "Here You Come Again," respectively.
Aug. 22: Dolly's Beginnings, Therapy Coming On 'Naomi' Look for lots of Dolly in the upcoming Naomi's New Morning show next month, I'm told. A producer for the program says much never-before-seen footage from host Naomi Judd's interview with her will be included in this second installment. She is slated to discuss her family, upbringing, background and more. In addition, in a celebrities column here in The Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., Judd notes they also talk about therapy and recounts their first meeting. The show airs at 11 a.m. Eastern Sept. 3. The earlier portions of her Dolly interview aired in March.
'SNL' Musician Loved Working With Dolly Trombonist Steve Turre has performed on Saturday Night Live for more than 20 years, and in that time, who was his favorite guest star? The first name off his lips was Dolly's, saying she "was so genuinely nice." Others he enjoyed working with included Willie Nelson, Patrick Stewart and U2. Read an interview with All About Jazzhere.
European Update The European CMA updated its charts Monday, and while the Dolly classic "I Will Always Love You" falls out of the top 10 airplay singles tally in the U.K., down from No. 6 the previous week, her track with the Bellamy Brothers, "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body," comes in at No. 8 on the top 10 in Holland.
Aug. 21: Catch Dolly On 'Naomi' Again Dolly will be making another appearance on The Hallmark Channel's Naomi's New Morning hosted by good friend Naomi Judd, the network announced Sunday. Portions of a February interview with Dolly previously aired on Judd's program in March as part of an episode on secrets and confessions. The new installment, slated to premiere at 11 a.m. Eastern Sept. 3, revolves around having a strong foundation in family and religion but will also feature "the conclusion" of her Dolly interview, indicating it should consist of footage which did not air in the earlier show. Image at left courtesy The Hallmark Channel. Used with permission.
'Hannah' Guest Spot Coming Next Month The air date has been set for Dolly's guest spot episode of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, TV Guide and E! both reported over the weekend. Her show is slated to air at 7 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 29. The tween series stars Dolly friend Billy Ray Cyrus and his real-life daughter, Miley, as father and daughter entertainers relocated to California from Nashville. TV Guide reported Dolly visits as Miley's/Hannah's godmother, while E! says she guests as her aunt. Also, starting Sept. 9, the series airs Saturday mornings on ABC. Assuming they are repeating the episodes that appeared the night before on the Disney Channel, that would mean Dolly's show would be part of the ABC Saturday morning block of programming at 11 a.m. Sept. 30.
Aug. 19: 'Alibi' Just Three From The Top The girls are a-movin' on up! "Heartbreaker's Alibi," the new video by bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent and good pal Dolly, gains two to No. 3 this week on the viewer-voted Great American Country (GAC) Top 20 Country Countdown, the cable network announced Friday in the video's second week on the chart. Vote for the song in next week's countdown here!
Mine Ride Previewed At Park Thanks to reader Chris for telling me Dollywood has put up some television screens at the covered walkway where visitors wait to catch the trams back to their cars in the parking lot. While standing there, guests get to see preview animation of next year's huge addition, the $17.5 million roller coaster Mystery Mine, which the park has already taken to advertising on billboards in town eight months before the park's 2007 seasonal Grand Opening on Friday the 13th of April. Image at left of a billboard promoting the ride is courtesy Chris Goff. Thanks!
See Warhol Pic In Exhibit You can see the Polaroid picture which artist Andy Warhol took of Dolly and used to create his series of portraits of her for then-manager Sandy Gallin in an exhibit through Oct. 22 at Guild Hall in East Hampton, N.Y. A review this week in The New York Times says the collection of about 40 photos is the highlight of the larger Warhol exhibit at the museum. Read more here.
Famous Friends The Duke of Hamilton in Scotland just loves Dolly, according to a little profile in The Edinburgh News. He met the singer a couple of years ago and reports she's "a real charmer." Read the piece here.
Aug. 18: Dolly-Charlie Collaboration Announced Charlie Pride's gospel-inspired CD which features a Dolly guest appearance should be out sometime in the fall, the singer has revealed. You may recall it reported back in May that Pride said he was working on a new album which would feature a Dolly cover song with guest vocals from Dolly herself. Well, he recently announced on his official website here that the song is her classic "God's Coloring Book" and that the CD, to be titled Pride & Joy (A Gospel Selection), should hit stores sometime in October or November. Also catch a profile of the legendary singer this week, which notes the collaboration, from BBC News here.
Paisley Slips A Bit Celebrating one year on the charts, Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, the disc with his No. 1 hit with Dolly, "When I Get Where I'm Going," slips one to No. 19 in the Aug. 26 Billboard country albums charts in its 52nd chart week, the magazine announced Thursday. The album dips 14 to No. 83 pop and No. 85 comprehensive, gaining three to No. 29 Canadian country. As was previously reported here, their collaboration rises two to No. 15 on the country recurrent singles tally. Martina McBride's Timeless, with Dolly on "I Still Miss Someone," loses eight to No. 67 country in its 42nd chart week, but it moves up 11 to No. 27 Canadian country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, featuring "Islands In The Stream," remains steady at No. 40 country in its 29th week. Rhonda Vincent's All American Bluegrass Girl, featuring Dolly harmonies on its first single, "Heartbreaker's Alibi," moves back up one to No. 3 bluegrass in its 11th week, while her live album, Ragin' Live, including a cover of "Jolene," remains steady at No. 11 bluegrass for a 72nd week. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang remains steady at No. 1 country and No. 12 pop for its 19th week, and Steve Holy's Brand New Girlfriend debuts at No. 2 country and No. 19 pop with 37,000 units sold in its first week.
Getting Those Last-Minute Buyers The Dollywood Foundation folks are putting in one last plug for the upcoming Dolly's Dixie Fixin's cookbook fund-raiser for the Imagination Library and its contest to win a barbeque with Dolly. They issued a press release Thursday to remind the media of the contest, which ends midnight Sept. 1 with the winner announced at Dollywood by Dolly on Sept. 15. Read the full press release here courtesy Yahoo. 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.
Aug. 17: 'Going' Gains For The Week Even though it lost a few listeners for the week, "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley and Dolly will move up two spots to No. 15 this week on the Aug. 26 Billboard/Radio & Records recurrent country singles chart. The former No. 1 dipped about 350,000 audience members to 7.5 million for the previous week, as gauged by the list which tracks radio popularity of songs that have been removed from the main singles tally under chart longevity rules.
Park Confirms Dolly Appearance Although it's been known since materials released in April for her cookbook contest stated that she would personally draw the winning name Sept. 15 at Dollywood, the park officially announced on Wednesday that Dolly will be in attendance for the opening of the new Bluegrass & BBQ Festival that day. The note, posted online here, reminds folks she will announce the winner of the contest (for a backyard barbeque at your home featuring Dolly herself), says that she'll tour the park (she always does a drive-through parade of the grounds when she's making appearances there) and adds that a few "surprise appearances" may also be coming that day as well! 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.
Reserve Boxed Set Now Its release is still nearly two months away, but Amazon.com this week began accepting advance orders for the upcoming Sugar Hill Records Dolly boxed set The Acoustic Collection, 1999-2002. Thanks, Tony! As the label had previously announced on Dollymania, the set is slated to feature full-length re-issues of her three Sugar Hill roots music collections (1999's The Grass Is Blue, 2001's Little Sparrow and 2002's Halos & Horns) plus a bonus disc containing the music videos for "Shine," "I'm Gone" and "Dagger Through The Heart;" new remixes of "Seven Bridges Road," "Travelin' Prayer," "Train, Train," "Shine" and "I'm Gone;" Kasey Chambers's version of "Little Sparrow" and Sinead O'Conner's take on "Dagger Through The Heart" from the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton; and the video footage of Dolly's performance of "The Grass Is Blue" with Norah Jones on the 2003 Country Music Association Awards. Reserve your copy here!
Fan Doc Gets Another Showing Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly has been selected for another screening in coming weeks, film director Tai Uhlmann tells the site. It will be shown at 7:45 p.m. Aug. 24 as part of the Santa Fe Film Festival's year-long film series, Santa Fe Film Center at Cinemacafe, held at the former Cinemacafe in St. Michael's Village West Shopping Mall (1616 St. Michael's Drive) in the New Mexico city. Thanks!
Another Inspiration Thanks to reader Russell for directing me to an interview Wednesday on New York City's public radio program Sound Check on WNYC with a Dolly mention. Singer-songwriter Vienna Teng was interviewed about her music and was asked about her new song "City Hall," which celebrates the 2004 decision by the mayor of San Francisco to begin marrying same-sex couples in the city before he was ordered by the courts to stop. She said a couple of friends told her they were driving to the city to wed, and she decided she should write about the momentous cultural occasion but over months and months had a great deal of trouble finding the song's voice. Eventually, she decided to listen to Dolly's CD Little Sparrow for inspiration, and that enabled her to finish her song. She calls Dolly's album "gorgeous," adding, "She has such a wonderful generous spirit just, you know, overflowing in everything she does." Take a listen to the complete interview here.
Aug. 16: Auction To Offer Dolly Dinner If you don't want to take your chances with the thousands of others trying to get the Dolly barbeque from sales of her cookbook charity fund-raiser, or if you prefer a more intimate setting with your favorite entertainer and have the bucks to burn, make a point to attend the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation 17th annual Evening of Elegance on Saturday. The 6 p.m. event at the Gatlinburg Convention Center will once again feature a dinner with Dolly as one of its auction items to benefit the nonprofit organization named after the doctor who delivered her as a baby and for which she serves as honorary national chairperson. Last year's auction also featured a dinner for two with Dolly, and it was one of the night's biggest-ticket items, bringing in a whopping $10,000. Tickets, $150 each, for the black tie event are available at 865-429-6715. Read more from The Mountain Presshere.
Fan Doc Austin Date Set The director of the Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly reports that the film's screening time has been set for the 19th Austin Gay Lesbian International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 29-Oct. 8 in the Texas city. The film will be shown at 9:15 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Regal Arbor Cinema. Thanks!
Aug. 15: First Canadian Show Selling Well Tickets for what will be Dolly's first concerts in nearly a year went on sale at noon Monday, with brisk activity for the first of three engagements at the Toronto-area Casino Rama but slower sales for the other two nights. Dolly will play three 8 p.m. shows at the Canadian gaming establishment Nov. 20-22. The venue, which seats 5,000, is divided into about a third on the main floor, a fifth in an upper mezzanine, and half in two raised sections in the middle. Tickets are currently not being sold for the mezzanine level, which would result in the venue seating around 4,000 per night, or 12,000 total for the three concerts. For the first show in the series, it appeared (based on available tickets on Ticketmaster as of Monday night) that the main floor was sold out except for a handful of single-seat tickets, the first half of the raised section was about two-thirds sold out and just a few rows were gone in the second half of raised seats. For the second performance, sales looked to be less than half that many with plenty of seats left on the main floor, and sales for the third concert were even a little lower. Get your seats here! Also, Dollymania has learned it may be a bit longer before many additional engagements are booked. I'm told Dolly is still working out the exact content for the concerts and wants her new show to be "excellent" before "getting aggressive" in scheduling other performances. Keep checking back here in the near future for additional developments as they become known.
Across The Pond Although no new Dolly tunes show up in this week's European CMA charts, one older one does. Her classic "I Will Always Love You" makes its way into the top 10 country airplay tally in the U.K., coming in at No. 6.
Dolly's BBQ Winner Just One Month Away! We're now just one month from when Dolly is scheduled to draw the winner of her big backyard barbeque contest! Remember that to enter you have to advance order a copy of Dolly's upcoming cookbook, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's, before midnight Eastern time Sept. 1. Each book ordered gets you one entry in the contest. The winner will receive a backyard barbeque at his or her home for 100 friends and family members. Dolly will bring the food, help serve it, and sing with members of her Kinfolks Band to entertain your guests. Also, come mid-September, you'll receive your copy of the cookbook in the mail, chock full of 125 of Dolly's favorite mouthwatering recipes -- from Appalachian homecookin' to dishes from her favorite restaurants on the road. And, best of all, all proceeds support the Dollywood Foundation and Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, so it's all for a good cause. Dolly is slated to select the contest winner at the kick-off of Dollywood's Bluegrass and BBQ Fest on Sept. 15. 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.
Aug. 14: Casino Rama Seats On Sale Monday Don't forget if you're in the Toronto area or planning to travel there for Dolly's three nightly concerts Nov. 20-22 at Casino Rama, tickets for all three dates go on sale at noon Eastern Monday via Ticketmaster and the casino box office. As was previously revealed here, a few additional concert dates in other cities are expected to be announced, although they will not be organized into a full tour.
Vincent Duet Debuts In Top 5 The video for Dolly's current collaboration with Rhonda Vincent, "Heartbreaker's Alibi" from Vincent's CD All American Bluegrass Girl, debuts at No. 5 on this week's Top 20 Country Countdown on cable network Great American Country (GAC), it was announced Friday. Both ladies look stunning throughout the video, which features both of them singing on each chorus. Cast your ballot for it in next week's fan-voted countdown here!
Another Rare Song Coming on DVD A rare Dolly performance of an Elvis classic will hit DVD shelves this fall, it was announced Friday. Passport on Oct. 3 will release Best Of Country Live!, an hour-long DVD which will include Dolly and Richard Dennison performing "Suspicious Minds" from a 1977 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. Other rare television clips featured, most of which also come from The Mike Douglas Show, will include songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Kenny Rogers, the Oak Ridge Boys and Dottie West, and it will also offer new interviews with Arnold and Rogers. Reserve your copy here! (In a sad coincidence, Douglas, who hosted his syndicated program from 1961 to 1982, died Friday morning on his 81st birthday.)
Also Reserve Burke Duet Dropping Sept. 26, the Nashville project of country tunes by legendary "King of Rock and Soul" Solomon Burke is now available for pre-ordering. As was previously reported, Dolly joins Burke on the CD for a cover of her 1970 duet with Porter Wagoner "Tomorrow Is Forever." Pals Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless also contribute vocals for other tracks on the disc. Get yours here!
Aug. 11: Billy Gilman To Introduce Fan Doc Billy Gilman, the child singing star who is now re-entering the music world as an 18-year-old with a new album next month, will introduce the Dolly fan documentary For The Love Of Dolly at the Rhode Island International Film Festival this weekend, according to The Westerly Sun. The block of movies Gilman will host kicks off with a short film previewing his next CD, followed by Rex Trailer's Boomtown about a legendary Boston television host before Gilman introduces the hour-long documentary about several of Dolly's most dedicated fans. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at The Columbus Theatre's Upstairs Cinematheque in Providence. Doors open at noon. Read more here.
Billboard Chart Updates The album which contains Dolly's most recent No. 1 single, "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Brad Paisley on his Time Well Wasted, inches back up one to No. 18 in the Aug. 19 Billboard country albums charts in its 51st week, the magazine announced Thursday. The CD slides one to No. 69 pop and three to No. 71 comprehensive but jumps up 23 points to No. 32 Canadian country. As was previously reported here, the song slips one to No. 17 on the country recurrent singles tally. Martina McBride's Timeless, including Dolly guest vocals on "I Still Miss Someone," falls two to No. 59 country in its 41st chart week, and it loses three to No. 38 Canadian country. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, with "Islands In The Stream," moves up two to No. 40 country in its 28th week. Rhonda Vincent's All American Bluegrass Girl, with the Dolly collaboration "Heartbreaker's Alibi" as its current single, remains steady at No. 4 bluegrass in its 10th week, while Vincent's concert CD, Ragin' Live, which has her cover of "Jolene," re-enters the 15-position bluegrass list at No. 11 for a 71st chart week. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang remains steady at No. 1 country but dips two to No. 12 pop for its 18th week, and The Dixie Chicks' Taking The Long Way remains steady at No. 2 country and dips five to No. 14 pop in its 12th week.
Helping Out Another Charity Folks working with the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in Sevier County, Tenn., will get a little extra push this year to raise funds for the Oct. 14 Smoky Mountain Regional Memory Walk. Each participant who raises more than $500 for the event will be entered in a contest to win a guitar autographed by Dolly. Participants are also being offered free Dollywood tickets as rewards as well. Read more from The Mountain Presshere.
Aug. 10: Dolly's NOT Dead Dolly fans in the D.C. and Richmond, Va., areas received a shock Wednesday when a local radio host apparently broadcasted a false report that Dolly had died. The comment reportedly came on the program Elliot in the Morning, which airs on one rock station in the Washington market and one in the Richmond market. A listener tells Dollymania that someone called in to the show and his claim to have heard on FOX News that Dolly had passed away that morning from congestive heart failure was put on the air. Thanks, Charlotte! The "news" quickly circulated in the area, with calls apparently coming in to several other local radio stations asking whether it was true. The rumor received so much attention that one country station, K95 in Richmond, which doesn't even air the program, posted at the top of its website: "Dolly is fine! There are crazy rumors that Dolly Parton has passed, but rest assured, the 60-year-old country music legend is alive and well."
'Going' To Hang On Another Week They're not going to go away just yet, as Brad Paisley and Dolly's former No. 1 collaboration "When I Get Where I'm Going" will stick around at least one more week on the charts. The song will dip one to No. 17 in the Aug. 19 recurrent country singles chart, the newly-merged Billboard and Radio & Records magazines announced in preliminary numbers released Wednesday. Even though it dropped in position, the song gained about 200,000 listeners for the week for a total of 7.85 million. The 20-position chart, the last main tally to include the song, ranks radio popularity of entries that have been removed from the main singles list due to chart longevity rules.
Call Her 'Puff Dolly' Legendary spoken word poet Nikki Giovanni says had Dolly come from an urban community, she'd be a rapper. Asked by alt-newspaper Creative Loafing Charlotte in North Carolina about her love for rap music and her tattoo in honor of the late Tupac Shakur, Giovanni noted that she is from Knoxville, Tenn., originally, where one particular person rules. "Of course, the greatest storyteller in my area is Dolly Parton and she tells stories in songs. Rap is the urban extension," she offered. "If Dolly Parton had been born in the Bronx, she would be doing rap and if Master P had been born in Knoxville, he would be doing country. You find the voice where you are." Read the full interview here.
Atkins Sings Of Dolly I'm told yet another young newcomer is singing Dolly's praises, literally. Thanks to Tony for alerting me to the track "About The South" on Rodney Atkins' disc If You're Going Through Hell. The tune, which lists several things the songwriter loves about the region, lists off some of its greatest singers as representative of the South, including Dolly, Loretta Lynn and Charlie Daniels.
Eagles When They Fly Continuing its work to preserve America's birds of prey, the American Eagle Foundation this week released two bald eaglets and two golden eaglets into the woods at Douglas Lake near Dollywood, according to The Smoky Mountain Herald. The 14-week-old birds were born and had been cared for at the organization's eagle sanctuary located on the park's grounds. Read more about the program in a story here.
Putting Together A Gift My pal Michelle asked if I could pass along word of a project she's working on where she and some other friends are putting together a fan book to send to Dolly. They're seeking other fans to submit letters, pictures, whatever via e-mail to include in the book. Send your submissions to dollysnumber1fan@hotmail.com, bpressler90@hotmail.com or dollylovesme@wowmail.com.
Splash Country Gets $3 Million Cement Pond Dollywood's Splash Country, Dolly's water park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., adjacent to her Dollywood theme park, will add The Cascades, a $2.75 million leisure pool, for its 2007 season, it was announced Tuesday. It marks the park's largest expansion since opening five years ago. "The Cascades takes me back to my childhood when me and my brothers and sisters were lucky enough to discover a little mountain cove where we could cool off from the summertime heat," Dolly observed in a press release. "We'd keep that swimming hole a secret as long as we could, but I'm looking forward to sharing The Cascades with everybody!" The lagoon-style, beach-entry pool will occupy 7,500 square-feet and feature surrounding landscaping, a waterfall spilling from a rock grotto and a 20-foot geyser at the pool's edge. Other amenities will include slides throughout the grotto, smaller coves around the pool's edges for younger children and rentable cabana-style units nearby. Splash Country operates from late May through late September. A posting of the press release is available via Business Wire here, and catch a story from local TV station WATE here.
Aug. 8: Swedish Town Taps Dolly Is Dolly up there with Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa? Well, according to the folks in Piteå, Sweden, she is! A jury from the local newspaper in the town located in northern Scandinavia selected Dolly to be 2006's Honorary Citizen of the Year. The award has previously been bestowed upon the likes of Mandela, Theresa, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and others, according to Swedish news site The Localhere. The article notes that Dolly wrote the townspeople a letter thanking them for the honor and adding she isn't sure she deserves to be in the company of such esteemed leaders. "I have always wanted God and my family to be proud of me. But to think that I have touched people all over the world is more than I can put into words. I hope I can visit Piteå some day and thank you in person," she wrote.
'Get Your Motor Running' Dolly's love of jumping in the RV with hubby Carl Dean and cruising the highways and backroads of the country to find a nice spot to stop is well known, so it's only right that she grace the cover of this month's RV View magazine. The well-written piece offers a nice little overview of her life and career, closing with a brief Q&A interview on her RV experiences, her marriage and her career (including a note that she hopes her children's book is out next year and repeating her current consideration of possibly recording a full gospel album). Read more here. Thanks, Bridget and Nick!
More Library Coverage Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program's chapter serving the Murfreesboro, Tenn., area got a plug in Monday's Daily News Journalhere.
Aug. 7: 'The Last Frontier' Getting Dolly's Library I'm told preparations are underway to kick-off just the second Alaskan community's participation in Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program. The Aug. 25 ceremony welcomes the Library to Nome, Alaska, and it will reportedly be the first chapter to be sponsored by the federal U.S. Department of Justice. Thanks!
Aug. 5: Arista: Don't Give Dolly Credit Although the song was listed by the label on its CD single, all of the major music charts and Brad Paisley's full-length album as a collaboration "featuring" Dolly, Arista Nashville apparently decided when it applied for certification of "When I Get Where I'm Going" by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) that it would leave Dolly's name off. Songs are certified gold or platinum in the style requested by the record label, and the RIAA on Friday updated its online database to include June certifications, listing the song as a solo recording by Paisley in its gold certification for passing 100,000 paid downloads. (It apparently passed the platinum level a few weeks later, although the RIAA list doesn't reflect that certification yet.) Therefore, the award is not credited to Dolly and technically should not be counted toward her total gold and platinum honors. For comparison, "Whiskey Lullaby," his collaboration with Alison Krauss from a little over a year ago -- that was also listed on the album, CD single and charts as "featuring" her -- was certified by the RIAA last year for its downloads as a duet in the name of "Brad Paisley featuring Alison Krauss."
And A Tearful Tale On a related note, when a columnist warns you in the first sentence to get a hankie before reading further, you know what you're in for. A piece in Denver's Rocky Mountain News on Friday told the story of a woman who called into a local radio station to ask them to play "When I Get Where I'm Going" as her dying father's last wish. He passed away as soon as the song was over. Read the moving tale here. And in other news, the song falls back out of the top 10 country airplay singles chart in Spain this week, down from No. 6 the previous week, the European CMA announced Friday.
Huffman Dishes About Dolly Wanna know just how big of a Dolly fan TransAmerica star Felicity Huffman is? Find out from Knoxville News Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow here.
Library Hits Texas Town Wichita Falls, Texas, plans to combat illiteracy and prepare children for school with a four-pronged attack, one important prong for which is Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, The Times Record News reports this week. Read more here.
Aug. 4: 'Going' Remains For Another Week Well, Brad Paisley and Dolly get another week on their final chart together for their song "When I Get Where I'm Going," as the song remains steady at No. 16 in the Aug. 12 Billboard country recurrent singles chart, the magazine revealed Thursday. The 20-position tally, the last main chart to include the song, ranks radio popularity of entries that have been removed from the main singles list due to chart longevity rules. The album which contains the tune, Paisley's Time Well Wasted, inches down one to No. 19 country and three to No. 68 pop and comprehensive in its 50th week, also falling back out of the top 50 Canadian country albums chart, down from No. 50 the previous week. Martina McBride's Timeless, featuring Dolly on "I Still Miss Someone," dips two to No. 57 country in its 40th chart week, also re-entering the Canadian country top 50 at No. 35, a 47-point jump from the previous week. Kenny Rogers's 21 Number Ones, including "Islands In The Stream," slides four to No. 42 country in its 27th week, also falling out of the 200-position pop list, down from No. 196 the previous week. Rhonda Vincent's All American Bluegrass Girl, with its current single, "Heartbreaker's Alibi" featuring Dolly, remains steady at No. 4 bluegrass in its ninth week. After hovering at No. 2 and No. 3 for several weeks, Rascal Flatts recaptures the country top spot as Me And My Gang moves up one, although the set falls four to No. 10 pop for the week, and The Dixie Chicks' Taking The Long Way moves up one to No. 2 country but falls four to No. 13 pop in its 11th week.
Here Clay Comes Again American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken will cover the hit which catapulted Dolly to superstardom, it was announced on Thursday. His third CD, A Thousand Different Ways, to be released Sept. 19, will feature a cover of "Here You Come Again," the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil-penned tune which Dolly made famous. Released in 1977 on RCA, the same label to which Aiken is signed, the song held onto the No. 1 spot on the country chart for five weeks, the longest of any Dolly song before or since, and was her first to crack the pop top 40, going all the way to No. 3. It was also Dolly's first million-selling single and propelled the full-length record of the same name past the million-copy mark as well for her first gold single and first platinum album. This is the song which led Dolly past her solely country audience and launched her on her way toward pop icon status. Aiken has always hinted at his appreciation for Dolly, noting that one of his first public performances was at a high school dance when he was 5 years old and sang a solo version of her hit duet with Kenny Rogers "Islands In the Stream." In a press release announcing the set list for the CD (read the full release here), Aiken explained: "I've always loved that song. But for this album, we didn't use a country arrangement. It's a ballad version now. Adam Anders produced the most amazing arrangement and I couldn't wait to sing it." (Actually, Dolly's original wasn't a country arrangement either, but rather a standard late '70s adult contemporary/easy listening arrangement.) The album will contain nine other cover tunes (including Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me") and four new songs as well. Reserve your copy here! Image courtesy RCA Records.
Another Library Celebration Ashe County, N.C., had a nice day over the weekend to kick off its participation in Dolly's nationwide Imagination Library literacy program, according to a piece in Thursday's The Mountain Times in the town of Boone. Take a look here.
Aug. 3: 'Come Back' For Laughs In K.C. Kansas City alt-weekly The Pitch this week offers a strong review of Late Night Theatre's revival of its 9 To 5 send-up, Come Back To The 9 To 5 Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton. The show follows the basic plot of the original film, with men in drag playing the female leads, but adds in a more exaggerated telling of it, plus some Dolly songs to boot. The show runs through Sept. 2. Also, the reviewer is apparently a huge Dolly fan himself because he mentions once in the review that the audience came out largely because of the "unfathomable greatness" of the real Dolly and that loving Dolly is "a prerequisite for basic human decency." Read the irreverent review of the equally irreverent show here.
Cast Your Ballot For Dolly! Cable network Great American Country (GAC) on Tuesday added the video of "Heartbreaker's Alibi" by Rhonda Vincent and Dolly to the selection of choices from which one may vote in the channel's weekly viewer-decided countdown. Vote for "Alibi" in the GAC Top 20 Country Countdownhere!
Aug. 2: Dolly's A Stevie Fan I guess they're something of kindred gypsy souls, as Dolly has now professed Stevie Nicks is her "fantasy friend" with whom she would love to write and record music. The revelation comes on the dust jacket of a new biography on the Fleetwood Mac songstress, Read Between My Lines: The Musical And Life Journey of Stevie Nicks by Sandra Halliburton, which was released last week. On the back cover, Dolly offers the following praise for the singer: "While I am nowhere near the writer and/or singer that Stevie Nicks is, I still feel very connected to her because of the fact that we both do write, sing and perform. We are both similar in other ways. We're basically blonde, short and have to watch our weight because we love to eat! We can't do anything just a little. We both have to do it full out. She's my fantasy friend that I'd love to spend time with, maybe write some songs and record them with her. Well, I can dream, can't I?" The tome also notes that when Nicks was first starting out in the early 1970s, she attempted to get Dolly to record her song "After The Glitter Fades" but was apparently unsuccessful in the song reaching Dolly for consideration. Nicks recorded the song herself in 1981, with the single reaching No. 32 on the pop charts. Get your copy of the book here! Thanks, Al!
Play British Dolly Game Again Although it was originally noted here about two weeks ago, the PR folks drumming up potential viewers for the U.K. premiere of Biography: Dolly Parton on the British version of The Biography Channel asked me to remind everyone of their cute and creative "Dolly For A Day" game, available online here, which is promoting the airing there of the program. As was previously reported, the show anchors an evening of country divas on Sunday called "Country Music Queens" night for the network, starting with Dolly's episode at 7 p.m. local time and followed by two other programs which feature interviews with her: Biography: Hairdos & Heartaches: The Women of Country Music at 9 p.m. and Biography: Shania Twain at 11 p.m.
'CW' Offers Dolly Shots, Quotes Dolly shows up a few places in the Aug. 14 issue of Country Weekly magazine on newsstands now. There's a shot from her KidsFest opening appearance at Dollywood in June, a photo from this year's Oscars in a section offering the secrets of country's "best dressed" stars (which notes her best assets are her legs) and a few comments about Keith Urban in a cover story on what country's leading ladies find the sexiest about him (among Dolly's quotes is: "He's handsome, he's sexy, he's talented, he's warm."). In addition, the issue's flashback section features the chart from 17 years ago when Dolly's "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That?" was No. 1.
Bluegrass Chart Update Bluegrass Unlimited on Monday issued its August charts, and Rhonda Vincent's All American Bluegrass Girl, which features Dolly on its first single, "Heartbreaker's Alibi," jumps 10 spots to No. 4 for the month.
Another 'Hannah Montana' Note I haven't seen it, but I'm told Billy Ray Cyrus talks up Dolly and her upcoming appearance on his Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana, in the current episode of GAC's My Music Mix. Apparently, he said on the show that she plays "Aunt Dolly" and that the crew was nervous and intimidated because she's such a huge star, but she immediately made them all feel at home. Thanks, Jonathan!
'CMT Greatest Moments' To Repeat For the many fans who've asked when CMT plans to repeat its Greatest Moments: Dolly Parton show, the network this week revealed the episode will air again at 10 p.m. Eastern Aug. 21.
With three nods at this year's 
Paisley, who announced the top categories' nominees live on ABC's Good Morning America with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, also earned noms for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for 
Gospel legend and good Dolly friend 
For those who enjoyed Dolly's guest spot on the WB sitcom 
Dolly will be making another appearance on The Hallmark Channel's Naomi's New Morning hosted by good friend Naomi Judd, the network announced Sunday. Portions of a February interview with Dolly previously aired on Judd's program in March as part of an episode on secrets and confessions. The new installment, slated to premiere at 11 a.m. Eastern Sept. 3, revolves around having a strong foundation in family and religion but will also feature "the conclusion" of her Dolly interview, indicating it should consist of footage which did not air in the earlier show. Image at left courtesy The Hallmark Channel. Used with permission.
Thanks to reader Chris for telling me 
Dolly is not putting together a full-fledged tour in the immediate future, Dollymania confirmed Friday, although fans will get to see her in a few additional public concerts in coming months. A Dolly spokesperson confirmed to the site that she is working on a new concert show, but its primary audience will be "private corporate" bookings -- such as were the concert she gave for mega-wealthy Texas attorney Mark Lanier's Christmas party in December and a benefit show for a domestic violence charity last year a national dentists' convention. Even so, the site was told, a few public performances of the new show will be booked at some individual venues such as casinos, including the three November concerts in Toronto announced on Tuesday (which go on sale Monday at 
Two years after performing a set of three sold-out shows in a casino near Toronto, Ont., as part of her "Hello I'm Dolly" Tour, Dolly will return this fall for three more, a surprise announcement revealed Tuesday. Although Dolly had said late last year that she would not be touring in 2006 to focus on other projects and didn't anticipate performing any concerts, she has signed on for 8 p.m. shows Nov. 20-22 at Canada's Casino Rama. Tickets, which will go on sale via 
Dolly's love of jumping in the RV with hubby Carl Dean and cruising the highways and backroads of the country to find a nice spot to stop is well known, so it's only right that she grace the cover of this month's RV View magazine. The well-written piece offers a nice little overview of her life and career, closing with a brief Q&A interview on her RV experiences, her marriage and her career (including a note that she hopes her children's book is out next year and repeating her current consideration of possibly recording a full gospel album). Read more 
American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken will cover the hit which catapulted Dolly to superstardom, it was announced on Thursday. His third CD, 
Although she won't quantify it with information about exactly how much money she's given away, all signs point to Dolly being "one of the most generous musicians in the United States," according to a cover story on her charitable works, chiefly her national 
Dolly shows up a few places in the Aug. 14 issue of Country Weekly magazine on newsstands now. There's a shot from her KidsFest opening appearance at