British, Australian Charts Updated
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 slips five places this week to No. 23 Australian country albums in its 234th week in the top 40, while The Essential Dolly Parton drops back off the top 40, down from No. 40 Australian country albums the previous week, its 45th. Also Down Under, the late Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, featuring her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," shoots up 10 to No. 11 Australian catalog albums. On the other side of the globe, the Dolly boxed set The Tour Collection falls out of the top 20 British country compilation albums tally, down from No. 19 in its 25th chart week. Also in the U.K., Houston's The Ultimate Collection holds steady at No. 98 pop.

Aug. 25:
'Evening,' 'Joyful' Sales Fairly Steady
Sales of Dolly's two main products on shelves at present remained almost steady for the week, SoundScan numbers showed. An Evening With . . . Dolly gained 2 percent in sales at Cracker Barrels nationwide for the week with 335 copies sold, which as was reported here Thursday night allowed it to maintain its No. 25 position on the DVD music video sales chart. The CD/DVD set has moved 47,865 units in its 20 weeks since release. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack likewise saw a very small gain, 4 percent, to 997 copies sold, giving it a 33-week sales total of 106,007.

Irish Chart Update
Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, featuring the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," gains one digit to No. 24 on this week's Irish top 100 pop albums chart.

Aug. 24:
Steady Week For 'Evening' On The Charts
An Evening With . . . Dolly remains steady on the chart this week, sticking around at No. 25 for its 20th week, the Sept. 1 Billboard music video DVD chart showed Thursday. Dolly's Joyful Noise Soundtrack gains one to No. 44 Christian and gospel albums in its 31st week there, remains steady at No. 17 gospel albums in its 32nd week there and rises one to No. 29 Christian albums in its 31st week there. The late Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," falls 32 to No. 155 pop, seven to No. 27 pop catalog albums and one to No. 6 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, The Zac Brown Band's Uncaged rises one to No. 1 country and slips three to No. 9 pop with 25,000 copies sold in its sixth week, while Carrie Underwood's Blown Away gains two to No. 2 country and slides one to No. 16 pop in its 16th week.

Black 'Steel Magnolias' Coming Oct. 7
Perez Hilton on Thursday revealed the premiere date for Queen Latifah's Lifetime television remake of the classic 1989 Dolly film Steel Magnolias. The co-star of Dolly's most recent film, Joyful Noise, told the gossip blogger that her all-African-American remake will air on the cable network Oct. 7. Read more here. (And order the limited edition Blu-Ray issue of the original film coming out Sept. 11 here!)

Aug. 23:
Ken Bell Announces Dollywood Retirement
Although word had slipped in the media back around Dollywood's opening weekend in the spring, the park on Wednesday officially announced the retirement of its president, Ken Bell, at the end of the current year and promotion of park general manager Craig Ross to the role of president. Ross previously replaced vice president and general manager Barbara Joines upon her retirement in December of last year. In a press release, Dolly said: "After nearly two years of working with Craig, I know he's the person who can continue the successes Ken has built for my Dollywood Company over the years. I am looking forward to the future!" In the release, Ross, who has worked in the theme park industry for 30 years, noted: "I am honored to soon have this very special opportunity to carry on the high level of quality and balanced leadership that the Dollywood team has come to expect. I am thrilled to have such a wonderful and talented team to help me grow The Dollywood Company and its world-class brand." Photo of Dolly with Bell celebrating Dollywood's winning the 2007 Golden Ticket as the world's Park of the Year is courtesy Business Wire.

Bootleg Dolly Concert Available For Purchase
Thanks to a reader for pointing me to the availability of an apparent bootleg Dolly concert from the start of her late-1970s crossover period. Live at the Boarding House was released by Craze Productions and SRI Records in 2006 but is currently being promoted on the independent label's website. The CD is available from the website here and for download from iTunes here. It appears the show is taken from one of her April 21-23, 1977, concerts at San Francisco club The Boarding House. The track listing is:

Latest Development On Dolly's '9 To 5: The Musical'
Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical continued to get publicity this week, with stories in Playbill here and Broadway World here noting Wednesday night's opening of the Ogunquit Playhouse's production, which runs through Sept. 15 at the Maine theatre featuring Sally Struthers in the role of Roz, which she had also played in a July-through-early-August production of the show in Bellport, N.Y., on Long Island. Deseret News reviews the Salt Lake City-area version here, and Southwest Londoner previews the London stop of the British touring show in October here.

Aug. 20:
Dolly Has Several Titles On Overseas Charts
The Dolly boxed set The Tour Collection re-enters the British country catalog albums chart this week at No. 19 to log a 25th chart week since release, it was revealed Sunday. Also in the U.K., the late Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, featuring her of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," drops 28 spots to No. 98 pop albums. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 inches up one to No. 18 Australian country albums in its 109th week in the top 20 and 233rd week in the top 40, while The Essential Dolly Parton re-enters the top 40 at No. 40 Australian country albums for a 45th chart week. Also in Australia, Houston's The Ultimate Collection remains steady at No. 21 catalog albums.

Another '9 To 5' Review Released
The Salt Lake Tribune reviews the local production of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical at Hale Centre Theatre. Check out what they have to say about it here.

Aug. 18:
'Steel Magnolias' Blu-Ray Orders Open
Screen Archives on Friday began taking advance orders here for the BluRay edition of Dolly's Steel Magnolias limited to just 3,000 copies to be sold. The listing revealed that the release will have just two special features: director Herbert Ross's audio commentary and an isolated score track. In addition, it will include liner notes from Julie Kirgo and film art packaged with the disc, although further details were not available. Also, the listing showed different cover art (click on it at left for a larger view) than the artwork that had previously been released by the distributor, Twilight Time. The collectors' edition Blu-Ray will be released Sept. 11.

UK 'Joyful Noise' DVD Coming Nov. 5
Thanks to Tracey for alerting me that a release date has been announced for the European edition of the Joyful Noise DVD starring Dolly and Queen Latifah. The Region 2 version (with a UV digital streaming copy) is slated for a Nov. 5 street date, but there's no word on whether a British Blu-Ray pressing will be released or not.

Irish Chart Update
The late Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, with her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," slips eight spots to No. 25 on this week's Irish top 100 pop albums chart.

Aug. 17:
'Evening' Moves Up A Little
An Evening With . . . Dolly gains a little on the chart this week, rising five to No. 25 on the Aug. 25 Billboard music video DVD tally, it was revealed Thursday. Dolly's Joyful Noise Soundtrack loses four to No. 45 Christian and gospel albums in its 30th week there, one to No. 18 gospel albums in its 31st week there and three to No. 30 Christian albums in its 30th week there. Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, featuring the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," gains 18 to No. 123 pop and nine to No. 20 pop catalog albums, dipping one to No. 5 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, Colt Ford's Declaration of Independence debuts at No. 1 country, No. 5 pop with 31,000 copies sold, while The Zac Brown Band's Uncaged drops one to No. 2 country and four to No. 6 pop with 31,000 units moved in its fifth week.

Order 'Steel Magnolias' On Friday
Don't forget that Screen Archives on Friday begins taking advance orders here for the BluRay edition of Dolly's Steel Magnolias, which is limited to 3,000 units when it is released Sept. 11.

Aug. 16:
Dolly Pens Four Tracks For Indie Pic
Dolly has contributed four original songs to the first feature film to ever be shot entirely on a cell phone, Olive, according to an exclusive piece on Mashable here. Filmmakers had what was described as a "chance encounter" with Dolly, and she watched the film, being impressed enough to commit to writing and recording the songs. She recorded them earlier this month in Nashville, according to the story. Filmmakers hope to release the movie via a video-on-demand service. The article also noted that the songs are likely to be released alongside Dolly's new book, Dream More, which comes out Nov. 27, so that may mean an EP digital release from Dolly Records at that time.

Jones Retiring, Notes Dolly Songwriting
George Jones on Tuesday announced 2013 will be his final year touring, and the announcement on his website here included mention that Dolly was writing songs for his upcoming studio album, a release date for which has yet to be determined. His site also posted a video of Dolly from her press conference on Friday where she mentioned her writing for Jones. Watch it here.

Dolly Reacts To $138K Auction Item
The Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation on Tuesday issued a press release regarding this weekend's $138,000 wining bid from an anonymous donor who called in to the charity's auction to win a personal Nashville tour with Dolly. In the release, Dolly reacted to the news saying: "I haven't been on a blind date since high school. I'm truly delighted beyond belief. To think someone dug that deep to help the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation just humbles me. That $138,000 is going to do so much good in Sevier County. This anonymous bidder won my heart because the foundation is so special to me." Foundation Executive Director Debroah Dowling added: "Dolly and her anonymous bidder made for a very memorable night at Saturday's Evening of Elegance event. The excitement in the room was palpable as we listened to the bids reach this record-breaking milestone, and the added element of an anonymous bidder made it all the more spectacular. Only Dolly!"

Aug. 14:
'Very Best' Returns Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 re-enters the top 20 Australian country albums chart this week at No. 19 to log a 108th week in the top 20 and 232nd week in the top 40 since release in 2007. Also Down Under, the late Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, featuring her of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," rises one to No. 21 catalog albums. In the U.K., Houston's compilation gains nine to No. 70 pop albums.

Dolly Covers Band Plays N.Y.
Check out a great profile from Brooklyn Daily here about a band in New York that plays just Dolly cover tunes, Doll Parts. They'll be in concert Thursday night at Union Hall between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Park Slope, according to the article. Cover is $7.

Aug. 13:
Thomas Auction Item Brings In $138K
The bidding was hot and heavy Saturday night at the annual Evening of Elegance fund-raiser to support the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, which provides healthcare in Dolly's native Sevier County, Tenn., resulting in the auction taking in a record $138,000 for Dolly's yearly contribution to the event. Dolly's gift was a personally-guided Nashville tour for six fans of places important to her life and career including her Brentwood estate (but not the inside of the house), lake house and office compound plus a night in her downtown high-rise condo. Bids were accepted in person, online and via telephone, with the winning $138,000 bid coming from a telephone auction participant who chose to remain anonymous. That tops the previous record-setting auction items in 2010 and 2009 for a night for two in her Tennessee Mountain Home complete with breakfast with Dolly, plus a barbeque on the property with Dolly and 10 of the winners' friends. Those packages sold for $90,000 and $75,000 each, respectively.

Gold Award Party Coverage Continues

Aug. 11:
Dolly Celebrates Gold DVD With Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel on Friday hosted a media event for Dolly in Nashville to celebrate sales of her CD/DVD set An Evening With . . . Dolly. In addition to being presented a commemorative montage plaque to recognize the achievement, Dolly took questions on a variety of topics from reporters present.
        Among the notable items: proceeds from this fall's book Dream More will be donated to her Imagination Library literacy program (and she's recording the audio book for it Monday and Tuesday of next week), she has no immediate plans for a new CD but is writing some duets and hopes to record one with George Jones at some point in the future, and she hasn't gotten any movie offers lately because the $31 million-grossing Joyful Noise "didn't do too good."
        She also addressed the fan documentary Hollywood To Dollywood for the first time publicly, saying about The Lane Twins featured in it: "They're sweet, sweet, precious boys and the fact that I was an inspiration and someone they kind of leaned on. You never know how God works to help people. We're all God's children no matter what. So, there was a lot of love and understanding and I think they felt that. Being a freak, I know what it's like not being accepted. Not that they were freaks but I was. I just know, through the years, I've had people tell me I should do this or I shouldn't do that. I have a lot of gay fans because they know that I just accept people as they are. That's not my place to judge. I ain't God and I ain't runnin' for office. But I was proud to be part of that. It makes you feel good."
        As Dollymania.net was the first media outlet to report three months ago, the collection was in May certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) about six weeks after its release to Cracker Barrel stores nationwide. As was explained at the time, the certification was for longform video, which means 50,000 copies shipped to stores, regardless of whether or not they had sold. As of the actual certification date, while more than 50,000 copies had been shipped, only about 38,000 had actually sold. Through this week, about 47,500 have sold, according to SoundScan. Just as happened when the gold award was first announced back in May, pretty much every media outlet on Friday that covered it mistakenly reported again that it had been certified as a gold CD for selling 500,000 copies instead of the 50,000 level for gold DVDs.
        Coverage is available from numerous publications including Country Weekly here, Country Stars Central here, CMT.com here and AOL's The Boot blog here.

Dolly: Gaylord Park On Hold For Now
Another significant item to come from the press conference was word that everything is on hold for her proposed $50 million water and snow park in Nashville, announced to great fanfare back in January as a partnership between Grand Ole Opry parent company Gaylord Entertainment and Dollywood. Asked about it, Dolly is said to have paused before responding: "Well, that is a kind of... we are working on it, that's kind of in a holding pattern right now. There are a lot of changes going on, I am not really sure.  We are still working on that." Gaylord in May announced a major restructuring where Marriott will be taking over operational duties for its hotel properties but not its entertainment venues. At the time, they noted it would have no impact on the project with Dolly, so the "changes" she referenced could be completely unrelated. Gaylord on Friday issued a statement assuring it remains "100 percent committed" to the project with Dolly. Read more analysis from Nashville's WKRN here and WSMV here. Image at left of Dolly with Gaylord Hotels Chairman and CEO Colin Reed from the January announcement of the park is courtesy Gaylord Entertainment.

Kenny Has Autobiography Coming In October
Cover art was released this week for Kenny Rogers' upcoming autobiography, Luck Or Something Like It. The Oct. 2 release from Harper Collins imprint William Morrow will follow his entire life and career, which publicity materials note will include "the friendships, both big and small, that have meant the most to him, describing the good times he's had with Dottie West, Lionel Richie, and, of course, Dolly Parton." A note on his official website earlier this week reports it will also include the behind-the-scenes story on recording "Islands In The Stream" with her, among other details. Reserve your copy here! An unabridged audio book version will also be released from HarperAudio here (although Amazon shows it being released on Oct. 16, the publisher says it will be available the same day as the book on Oct. 2).

'Playlist' Coming For Porter & Dolly
Oct. 2 also will see release of a new Dolly compilation CD. Although the track listing and cover art have yet to be revealed, it was announced Friday that Sony's Legacy imprint will release a Porter & Dolly installment in its Playlist series, which has seen two previous Dolly albums included (one on her greatest hits and one on her gospel and spiritual songs). Reserve your copy of Playlist: The Very Best of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton here.

Pre-Order 'Steel Magnolias' In One Week
Twilight Time on Friday announced the pre-order date for the 3,000-unit limited edition BluRay collectors' issue of Dolly's 1989 classic film Steel Magnolias, which comes out on Sept. 11. Its exclusive retailer, Screen Archives, will begin taking orders here next Friday, Aug. 17.

Houston Gains Overseas This Week
Apparently thanks to publicity surrounding her birthday this week, Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, with the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," shoots up 39 places this week to No. 17 on the Irish top 100 pop albums chart.

Aug. 10:
'Evening,' 'Joyful' Sales Dip Slightly
Cracker Barrel's An Evening With . . . Dolly holds steady in this week's music video DVD chart, Billboard announced Thursday, staying at No. 30 on the Aug. 18 chart in its 18th week, corresponding to a 3 percent sales decline for the week to 316 copies. That brings its cumulative total since release to 47,202 units. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack likewise declines, slipping 9 percent for the week to 1,058 copies sold, or 104,143 since its release. That let it fall back off the 25-position soundtrack albums chart, down from No. 25 last week, its 21st there. The CD also dips seven to No. 41 Christian and gospel albums in its 29th week there, five to No. 17 gospel albums in its 30th week there and three to No. 27 Christian albums in its 29th week there. The Dolly and Brad Paisley duet "When I Get Where I'm Going" from 2005 falls back off the top 50 Christian digital songs again this week, down from No. 50 in its eighth chart week. The late Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," regains seven to No. 141 pop, slides five to No. 29 pop catalog albums and holds steady at No. 4 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, The Zac Brown Band's Uncaged remains steady at No. 1 country and dips one to No. 2 pop in its fourth week, while Gloriana's A Thousand Miles Left Behind debuts at No. 2 country, No. 11 pop.

New Houston Hits CD Coming
In observance of Whitney Houston's first birthday since her death, many media outlets took a look back Thursday at her biggest hits, which of course included the biggest hit of her career, her 14-week No. 1 cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You." In addition, Billboard reported here that RCA will this fall release the first "authoritative" greatest hits collection on the singer in the U.S. Although a track listing has not been announced, I assume it's a certainty it will include her most successful track. Her previous Greatest Hits collection, which featured some of her singles as originally released but remix versions of other singles, has sold 2.57 million American copies, 836,000 of which were sold following her February death. By comparison, The Bodyguard soundtrack, which first featured her cover of the song, has sold 12 million copies in the U.S. since release.

Latest '9 To 5' Coverage
Local productions of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical continue to make waves from coast to coast. Erie, Pa.'s Erie Times-News reviews the show here, while Chicago's Sun Times announces its Aug. 14-Oct. 20 engagement at the Marriott Theatre here. The Salt Lake Tribune notes its Aug. 15-Sept. 29 production here, while Broadway World reports on its Oakdale, Long Island show through Aug. 26 here.

Aug. 6:
Columnist: T. Bone Still Wants To Work With Dolly
Super producer T. Bone Burnett, the man behind the O Brother Where Art Thou and Walk The Line soundtracks as well as the Allison Krauss-Robert Plant collaboration Raising Sand, repeated to Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow his desire to make an album with Dolly, according to a piece over the weekend here. Check out the article to see what the 12-time Grammy winner had to say about her as well which pal wants her on her new ABC sitcom and which network still wants to work with her on a program.

'Evening,' 'Joyful' Sales Updates
Sales figures indicate that last week's five-point drop by An Evening With . . . Dolly corresponded to a 14 percent decline in sales for the week to 325 copies at Cracker Barrels nationwide, giving cumulative sales of 46,886 in the 17 weeks since release. Joyful Noise Soundtrack, which managed to re-enter the 25-position soundtrack albums chart at No. 25 last week, managed to do so even though it lost 7 percent in the week's sales to 1,160 copies, or a 30-week cumulative total of 103,130 copies.

Overseas Chart Updates
The late Whitney Houston's The Ultimate Collection, featuring her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," loses three to No. 22 on the Australian pop catalog albums chart, while in Ireland the album loses four to No. 56 on the top 100 pop albums chart there.

Aug. 3:
'Evening' Falls, 'Joyful' Rises On Charts
Cracker Barrel's An Evening With . . . Dolly dips again on this week's music video DVD chart, Billboard announced Thursday, with the set falling five spots to No. 30 on the 40-position Aug. 11 chart to log its 17th week. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack, on the other hand, sees a slight bump in its tallies, gaining two to No. 34 Christian and gospel albums in its 28th week there, one to No. 12 gospel albums in its 29th week there and four to No. 24 Christian albums in its 28th week there. The set also re-enters the 25-position top soundtracks albums chart at No. 25 to log a 21st week there. The Dolly and Brad Paisley duet "When I Get Where I'm Going" from 2005 re-enters the top 50 Christian digital songs again this week, coming in at No. 50 in its eighth week on that list. Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, featuring the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," dips 12 to No. 148 pop and three to No. 24 pop catalog albums, rising three to No. 4 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, The Zac Brown Band's Uncaged remains steady at No. 1 country and regains one to No. 1 pop with 48,000 copies sold in its third week, while Kenny Chesney's Welcome To The Fishbowl holds steady at No. 2 country and rises four to No. 12 pop in its sixth week.

'Steel Magnolias' Blu-Ray Cover Art Released
Twilight Time, which – as has previously been reported here – will on Sept. 11 release a collectors' edition Blu-Ray disc of Dolly's classic 1989 film Steel Magnolias, on Thursday revealed on its Facebook page the cover art for the project: an artist's rendering of the original movie poster. See it at left (and click on the thumbnail for a larger view). The issue is limited to just 3,000 copies, which will be sold exclusively via Screen Archives here. The site should start taking pre-orders in the next couple of weeks.

Report: Burns Wants Dolly For Country Music Doc
Ken Burns, perhaps the most famous American documentary filmmaker, primarily through his multi-episode epics for PBS, has inked a deal for a 2017 project on the network about country music. His top choice to be included in the film: Dolly, he told Knoxville News Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow here.

'9 To 5' Readies For U.K., Continues Stateside
Dolly was on hand, via videotape at least, to promote the British tour of her 9 To 5: The Musical this week. The virtual appearance came as part of a promotional event to tease the New Wimbleton Theatre's upcoming season at the London venue. In the taped remarks, she exclaimed: "9 to 5 the Musical is perfect for anyone that's ever wanted to string up their boss, which is almost all of us," according to Southwest Londoner here. In related news, here are a few reviews of local productions of the show in North America from The Journal Star in Lincoln, Neb., here and The New York Times for a New Jersey production here as well as a preview from Go Erie in Erie, Pa., here.

Aug. 1:
Dolly To Lead Nashville Tour For Auction Winner
Locations in Music City important to Dolly's life and career will be front and center in a Dolly-led tour for the winner of this year's annual Dolly item in the Evening of Elegance auction fund-raiser to benefit the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, it was announced Tuesday. Dubbed Dolly's "High Rise HideAway Getaway," it also includes a night in Dolly's downtown condominium. The fund-raiser takes place Aug. 11 at the Sevierville Events Center in Tennessee, although the auction will also be available online.
        In a press release, Dolly said: "The Dr. Thomas Foundation has been so good to me and my family over the years, and I wanted to do something special that would help further their work in Sevier County. I'm gonna drag this year's winners all over Nashville to some of my private homes, my office, my tour bus plus see some places in Music City that are very near and dear to me. It's something I've never done before, and I think it's going to be really special. And we're gonna eat, too!"
        The prize package, for one winner and up to five friends, is as follows:

Dolly Sees, Likes 'Mom' Movie
Dolly finally got time to sit down and watch the Canadian film The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, a 1970s coming-of-age story and road travel picture about an adopted girl who convinces herself that Dolly could be her birth mother. It features covers of several Dolly classics and two voice-overs by Dolly herself. She sent a fax (Dolly's preferred form of communication) to the movie's director Tuesday morning saying how much she enjoyed seeing it. Director Tara Johns told Metro News here: "I would be lying if I said I wasn't, in the back of my mind, hoping that it (the fax) would come - she's been amazing this whole process. It's been sort of a full circle kind of thing, because to make the film I needed Dolly Parton's blessing . . . Whenever I talk to people, they always ask me what Dolly thinks of the film, and if she's seen it, it's always been the missing piece. Now I know, and it feels amazing." The letter, a scan of which the filmmaker posted to the project's Facebook page, read: