Two With Dolly Ties Honored By Hall Of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame medallion ceremony for this year's inductees was held on Sunday, and there were two Dolly connections. Inductee former RCA head Jerry Bradley, who helped her cross over to pop superstardom, was honored with British artist Yola belting out Dolly's "Jolene," and it was noted that inductee Ray Stevens produced some of her first singles for indie label Monument Records in 1965.

Oct. 21:
Dollywood Gives Free Season Passes To Preschoolers
Dollywood last week announced that as part of its 35th anniversary celebration, pre-schoolers who are aged four or five by January 5 will be able to obtain free 2020 season passes to the park. The "Imagination Season Pass" must be reserved online between this Monday and Jan. 5, following up with a visit to the park's front gate with a copy of the child's birth certificate or passport to confirm age. They will then receive a free pass good for the remainder of the 2019 season and all of the 2020 season. Learn more here.

Dollywood Announces Flower & Food Fest
Dollywood last week also announced its first new festival addition in 14 years with the May 8-June 14 Flower & Food Festival, which will immerse guests in half a million spring flowers and plants as well as fresh spring Smoky Mountain foods. Dolly explained in a press release: "When I was just a little girl, spring was a wondrous time. Everything came to life – flowers bloomed in the meadow near our house, and the Dogwood, red bud and fruit trees blossomed with the sweetest smells. I imagined having my own special field of flowers that were a fragrant home to my favorite animal friends in the woods. Now, my Dollywood becomes that special place with everything made of flowers – I can't wait to share it with everyone just in time for our 35th season!" Flower sculpting team Mosaicultures will create flower-based turtles, racoons, frogs and bears throughout the park, with blooming topiary tributes to Dolly's biggest songs – such as her mother sewing her famous Coat of Many Colors to a floral heart umbrella for "I Will Always Love You." The park will also add an "umbrella sky" of hundreds of multi-colored umbrellas above their heads, which Dolly said gives new meaning to her "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain" Dollyism.

Dolly: New Single Coming Friday
Dolly last week announced that her collaboration with Dutch EDM (electronic dance music) duo Galantis, first reported here back in March, will be released for purchase this Friday. The track, "Faith," also features Dutch rapper Mr. Probz and will close out her faith-based medley at next month's CMA Awards, she had revealed last weekend.

Netflix Releases Photos From 'Heartstrings' Series
Netflix last week FINALLY made the official announcement that Dolly's Heartstrings anthology will drop on the streaming service Nov. 22, although the date had been leaked through a couple of other media outlets weeks earlier. The network also released several "first look" images from the series including Dolly's special Robert Behar-designed outfits for her intro/outro commentary of several episodes, which appeared in an exclusive Entertainment Weekly layout here. Other coverage included UPI here.

Zack Williams Talks Dolly Collaboration
Zach Williams chatted with religion site Patheos about working with Dolly on their new duet "There Was Jesus". Read it here.

'Dolly Parton's America' Podcast Continues
The spectacular Dolly Parton's America podcast premiered last week with its first episode, "Sad Ass Songs." A new episode should premiere each week, with the second one coming this week, until we get closer to the holidays and the last few episodes begin showing up with about two weeks or so between them. The podcast is available for free streaming from iTunes or wherever you choose to listen to your podcasts. Coverage of the premiere included Garden & Gun here, Rolling Stone here, Prevention here, Nashville Scene here and The Knoxville News-Sentinel here.

More From Grand Ole Opry Appearance
Coverage of Dolly's recent Grand Ole Opry 50th anniversary continued last week with a piece from ABC Nightly News here, photos from Nash Country Daily here and a podcast backstage from USA Today here.

U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds onto the No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums chart in its 162nd chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) gains three to No. 7, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) rises three to No. 10 and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) rises three to No. 7. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) shoots up 10 spots to No. 20 in its 422nd chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.

Stampede Christmas Shows Coming
Dolly's Stampede dinner theatre in Branson, Mo., switches over to its annual Christmas show this Thursday, while her Pigeon Forge location makes the change next Wednesday, Oct. 30, it has been announced.

Sorry For Lack Of Updates
Apologies for the lack of updates last week. Work commitments plus family responsibilities kept me away from my computer for a few days. I still have a few galleries of photos from the Opry appearance to post for you!

Oct. 15:
Dolly Shines At Opry Anniversary
Dolly was the undisputed Star of the Show on Saturday night when the Grand Ole Opry celebrated her 50 years of membership in the institution. Prior to the show, Dolly held a brief press conference (viewable here or in the media player below) where she shared memories of the Opry and updated what she is up to in her career. Of note, she confirmed Netflix will air her Heartstrings series in November but revealed that her musical holiday film, Christmas On The Square (for which she wrote all of the music but also acts, sings, and dances in, which she said made her feel like she was in a Broadway show) has been delayed until Christmas 2020 for broadcast. She also announced that she will perform a gospel medley with a choir at next month's CMA Awards she is co-hosting and that it will conclude with the song "Faith," which she said should be released soon before the awards air and is her collaboration with Swedish electronic duo Galantis that had been first reported here on Dollymania.net back in March which she said will also feature streaming star Mr. Probz. She also explained that the NBC special of her Opry anniversary will include not only footage from the Opry House but also acoustic performances and interview segments she was filming at the Ryman Auditorium as well for the Nov. 26 broadcast. The performances began with Bill Anderson singing "But You Know That I Love You" a little off beat, followed by one of his own songs. Jeannie Seeley didn't perform any Dolly songs (and neither did Connie Smith, who took the second performance slot in the second show). Candi Carpenter performed her new single, "The Astronaut," before absolutely slaying "Little Sparrow" and earning a standing ovation in each of the two shows, followed by Margo Price with "Wildflowers" and "The Seeker." Toby Keith offered "God Love Her," "Don't Let The Old Man In," a chorus of "I Will Always Love You" and "Kentucky Gambler." Lady Antebellum performed "American Honey," "Islands In The Stream" and their current single in the first show (in the second show the substituted "Need You Now"). Hank Williams Jr., who only appeared in the first show, sang "A Country Boy Can Survive" and "Move It On Over"/"Mind Your Own Business." Dolly came on with "Joshua," although her voice was a bit hoarse and her yodel didn't go high enough (in the second show she actually stopped the song and said let's try that again but still couldn't hit the yodel notes) and "Jolene." She sat an played a dulcimer for "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and guitar for "Coat Of Many Colors." Other numbers included "Here You Come Again," "Carrol County Accident" with former Wagonmasters member Buck Trent (seen together above) as a tribute to Porter Wagoner, "9 To 5" and "I Will Always Love You." (And although it wasn't announced during the show, Trent has released a new album, Spartanburg Blues, available from his website here, where she performs the song with him.) During a reception between the two shows, the governor presented her with a proclamation declaring Dolly Parton Day in Tennessee. Coverage is available from WSMV here, a photo gallery from The Tennessean here and story here, and CMT here. Look for Dollymania.net photo galleries coming soon! Photo above copyright © 2019 T. Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. All Rights Reserved.

'Still Working 9 to 5' Formally Announced
Although you've read little tidbits here and there about the upcoming documentary Still Working 9 To 5 here over the past few months, filmmakers Larry and Gary Lane on Monday made the official announcement of the project, releasing a trailer here or in the media player below, and starting a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film here with lots of goodies for donors, including items shown at left. Grammy-winning songwriter Shane Mcanally has signed on to score the film, and interviews include the stars of the film, television series that followed and Broadway and West End musical adaptations as well as leaders in the labor industry who look at the origins of the movie and what has changed – and what has not changed – 40 years later for women in the workplace.

Labor Anthem Or Marxist Manifesto, '9 To 5'
AJ+, an online component of the Al Jazeera news network, recently released an analysis piece looking at the "radical politics" of Dolly's song "9 To 5" and the concept album she recorded around it in 1980. Watch it on YouTube here or in the media player below.

Overseas Chart Updates
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds onto the No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums chart in its 161st chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) adds two to No. 10, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) moves up four spots to No. 13 and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) falls two to No. 11. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) gains six to No. 30 in its 421st chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.

Podcast Launches Tuesday
Don't forget that the WNYC podcast Dolly Parton's America debuts Tuesday!

Oct. 11:
NBC To Air Dolly's Opry Anniversary As Special
NBC on Thursday announced that it will tape and air Dolly's 50th anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend for airing as the network's first special program of the holiday season next month. Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Grand Ole Opry will air 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to kick off NBC's "Oh What Fun" slate of holiday programming. The two-hour special will feature interviews as well as performances by Dolly, Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Chris Janson, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Margo Price, Hank Williams Jr. and more, which suggests it will feature taping from both Friday and Saturday's performances. "I'm so thrilled to be celebrating my 50-year anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry," Dolly said in a press release. "I'm also excited that NBC wanted to share in this milestone with me. Together we hope to entertain a broader audience on what the Grand Ole Opry is and what it means to me. We have some special treats, surprises and Great Performances by some very talented artists and I'm looking so forward to sharing it with you." In related news, WSM has announced it will repeat the two-hour special Dolly By The Decades at 3 p.m. Central Saturday over the air as well as online here or on the WSM app. Of course, you may listen to Saturday's Opry show live on WSM's website and app as well.

San Francisco Celebrates Dolly This Weekend
Music City isn't the only place celebrating Dolly this weekend, as the annual El Rio birthday party and Dolly Hoot is scheduled for 2 p.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday in San Francisco. Check out the Facebook event page here. 

Oct. 10:
You're A Litigious One, Charlie Brown
Creators of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against Dolly's theme park seeking upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars in potential damages for use of the holiday song "Christmas Time Is Here." Dollywood has apparently used the song in its holiday stage production Twas The Night Before Christmas during the annual Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival since at least 2007. Although the park had a blanket performance license from music publishing representatives BMI which allowed the broadcast of the recorded version of the song on the park grounds and live performance in concerts, the plaintiffs, Lee Mendelson Film Productions Inc., which represents songwriters Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi and their publishing rights, allege that the park neglected to obtain a separate dramatic use license which allows for the song to be included in a dramatic play presentation. They claim in the suit they notified the park of their complaint in September and that the park responded by pulling the song from the 2018 Christmas festival and had expressed interest in seeking a license to use it going forward but had not pursued it. Therefore, with no agreement to use it going forward, the company appears to have decided to sue to ensure it is not used in the future and to seek damages for all past use. The suit seeks a trial to determine what profits the park generated as a result of the use of the song and that all of those profits be turned over to them, or alternately the maximum statutory damage of $150,000 per performance without a license, plus attorney's fees. Given the number of years the show was performed and the number of times a day it is performed, the per-performance calculation could easily top $300 million if the park were to lose the suit and the maximum penalty assessed. If the court were to find there was infringement but it was not willful, that is that the park did not intentionally violate any copyrights and thought that its existing license included the use, per-performance damages would between $1.5 million and $60 million. Deciding whether a performance constitutes a live performance covered by the blanket license or a dramatic performance not covered by the license can be subjective and often has to be determined by a court in cases such as these. Several media outlets covered the lawsuit and sought comment from the park, which declined to speak about pending litigation.

'Elle' Names Dolly Among '2019 Women In Hollywood'
Elle magazine on Wednesday revealed Dolly is among its 2019 class of the Women of Hollywood being profiled in the November issue hitting newsstands Oct. 22. They posted her interview and new stunning photos online here. Among the tidbits were confirmation of the previously-reported Netflix premiere date of Nov. 22 for Heartstrings, that as part of her deal to develop new commercial merchandise she plans to include a new wig line, and that she had, in fact, been invited to record a new remix of "Old Town Road" but decided against it, explaining: "it had done so well with so many people. I thought, 'Well, I'll wait and do something later on. No point in going down that same Old Town Road. We got other roads to travel.'"

Jimmy Carter Still Loves Dolly
President Jimmy Carter was recently interviewed about several subjects and was asked about his taste in music. WBIR reports here that he likes country music and specifically mentioned that Dolly, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have been good friends of his for years and are among his favorites to hear sing.

Oct. 9:
Dolly Opry Week Opens
Dolly Week at the Opry kicked off Tuesday night with a tribute show featuring John Conlee, Stephanie Quayle, Jeannie Seely, The Isaacs, Ashley Campbell, Suzy Bogguss and Dustin Lynch. Earlier in the day, the Opry announced via Twitter that WSM radio (available here or on the WSM app) will air a two-hour special, Dolly By The Decades, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday to highlight her life, music, and career. Wednesday's show features new additions Riders in the Sky, Smithfield and The Whites in addition to the previously-announced Stephanie Urbina Jones, Del McCoury Band, Don Schlitz, Sam Williams and Sara Evans. The additional acts to join the ones previously announced for Thursday, Friday and Dolly's Saturday shows had not been revealed yet as of press time Tuesday.

Dolly Releases New Gifs
Dolly has added several reaction gifs to her official Giphy page here.

Australian Chart Update
Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) holds steady at No. 36 in its 420th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.

Cincinnati Dolly Party Returns
Unwind Wine Bar in Cincinnati will host its third annual Dolly-themed party, Darrick's Dolly Night, Saturday, Nov. 2, complete with legendary Dolly impersonator Vancie Vega. Seats must be reserved in advance (only one-quarter of seats remain available), but there is no cost to do so. Vega will perform at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., and guests are asked to remain for both shows. (Your webmaster also plans to attend!) Reserve your seats here.

Oct. 5:
New Song, 'There Was Jesus,' Released

Latest Details On Dolly's Podcast Coming
Producers for Dolly Parton's America on Thursday released much more information about the series via press release. They revealed the nine-part podcast will premiere Oct. 15 and was created from more than 12 hours of interviews with Dolly herself conducted over the course of two years and many more interviews with individuals who surround her. In it, Dolly speaks of her life, music, businesses, faith, politics and heaven. It also highlights the London premiere of her 9 To 5: The Musical and the 2017 Emmys reunion with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Over 50 guests also chat about Dolly including her nephew and bodyguard, Bryan Seaver, who takes the host to her Tennessee Mountain Home; Fonda, Gloria Steinem, students in the Dolly class at the University of Tennessee, the host's father (who treated her following a 2014 car accident), African-American country music singer Rhiannon Giddens, Cas Walker grocery store manager Charlie Hurst, author Sarah Smarsh, journalist Aisha Harris who had slammed Dixie Stampede's Civil War image, 9 To 5 screenwriter Patricia Resnick and Knoxville drag queen Cole Tipton. Vanity Fair premiered an exclusive six-minute excerpt from the first episode which you may hear here.

More Opry Remembrances From Dolly
With Dolly Week at the Grand Ole Opry starting Monday and her 50th anniversary appearance just one week away, The Tennessean started its coverage Friday with two stories: an interview where she connected her East Tennessee upbringing to her early career here and her favorite early Opry memories here.

Dress Up At Dollywood
Normally, costumes are prohibited at Dollywood, but for a limited time, they may be worn when visiting the Great Pumpkin LumiNights festival at the park. Through Nov. 2, costumes may be worn as long as they are not Dolly or Santa and do not have masks, do not have accessories that cover the face, may not look like weapons, and may not drag on the ground. Some costume accessories my need to be removed for rides depending on each attraction's loose article requirement.

Trio Tops U.K. Chart Again
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt moves up one place this week to regain the No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums chart in its 160th chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) slides three to No. 12, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) inches up one to No. 17 and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) falls two to No. 9.

Oct. 2:
Dolly Week Opry Guests Announced
With one week to go until the start of Dolly Week at the Grand Ole Opry, the initial list of performers for each night was announced on Tuesday. Nash Country Daily reports here they are:

'Dumplin'' Goes For Grammy Awards
Dolly's Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack producer Linda Perry is aiming to become the first woman to be nominated twice for the Grammy Awards Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Last year, she became the first woman nominated in the category in 15 years. This year, she is on the first ballot of potential nominees in recognition of her work with Dolly on the soundtrack in addition to an album by Natasha Bedingfield and singles by Beatie Wolfe, Willa Amie and Lion, Billboard noted here. The article also reported that Dolly's CD is on the first ballot seeking a nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. If she gets a nod, it will mean she's been up for each of the Grammys' three movie and television awards, as she had previously been nominated for the precursor to Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for 9 To 5 and the precursor to Best Song Written for Visual Media for "Travelin' Thru." There is no news as to whether any other tracks from the album are on the first ballot in other categories. Nominations will be announced Nov. 20.