Nov. 30: 'Evening' Returns, 'Christmas' Starts Falling The Cracker Barrel exclusive DVD/CD set An Evening With . . . Dolly this week re-enters the 40-position music video DVD chart at No. 35 to mark a 33rd chart week, the Dec. 8 Billboard tallies showed Thursday. Elsewhere, Once Upon A Christmas with Kenny Rogers increased another 79 percent in sales with 7,615 copies for the week, bringing its SoundScan sum since 1991 to 804,274 (with about 3 million total copies sold since release in 1984). The CD dips 41 places on the top 200 pop albums chart to No. 178 for a 17th week, losing 14 to No. 17 country catalog albums for a 79th week and falling 15 spots to No. 41 holiday albums in its 48th week there. The collection drops off the 50-position pop catalog albums list, down from No. 22 the previous week, its 12th. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack shoots up eight to No. 29 in its 46th week on the gospel albums chart. Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," falls off the 25-position R&B/hip-hop catalog albums, down from No. 16 the previous week, while her compilation I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, loses 44 to No. 58 pop in its second week, also declining 40 to No. 54 current pop albums and seven to No. 9 R&B/hip hop albums. Overall, Taylor Swift's Red holds on at No. 1 country and No. 2 pop in its fifth week with 185,000 units sold, while Jason Aldean's Night Train holds steady at No. 2 country and rises five to No. 8 pop with 103,000 copies moved in its sixth week.
Dolly's 'Dream More' PR Tour Continues
Dolly's promotional tour to sell copies of Dream More continued throughout the week, including an appearance Thursday night on CBC Radio's Q with Jian Ghomeshi that is available for online streaming here (or downloadable podcast here) with a written preview here. Print interviews were also released Thursday by Forbes magazine here and Reuters news here. In addition, Comedy Central's appearance on The Colbert Report is available online with their performance of "Love Is Like A Butterfly" here or in the media player below and her interview here or in the media player above. Finally, while in New York for her media appearances, Dolly joined director Jeff Calhoun to see his production of Newsies on Broadway. Check out photos here.
Reba Says She Hasn't Surpassed Dolly Reba is interviewed in the new issue of AARP's magazine, and when asked about comparisons to Dolly, she replied: "It's not that I'm a better singer. Dolly is still my idol. I still have not passed her in my eyes." Read the full interview here.
Nov. 28: Latest 'Dream More' Appearances Available Dolly was cute on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday promoting the release of her new book, Dream More, singing "Islands In The Stream" with Kermit the Frog (see video here) and a live performance of "Celebrate The Dreamer In You" with just her guitar (see video here) and her interview with George Stephanopoulos (with an excerpt from the book posted with it) here. NPR aired a radio interview with her live on Talk of the Nation which is available for streaming here, reading via transcript here and downloadable podcast here. In addition, I'm told her interview on CBC Radio for Q with Jian Ghomeshi will air on Thursday, not Tuesday. Thanks, Brad!
Nov. 27: Dolly's 'Dream More' Promotions Begin
Dolly's promotional appearances and interviews began Monday to promote Tuesday's release of her new book, Dream More, with ABC's Nightline program. A text summary of the interview is available online here, plus a video about "I Will Always Love You" here. Her repeating the denial of the rumor that she and best friend Judy Ogle are lovers was picked up by several other media outlets after that detail was released prior to the interview's broadcast, and its popularity propelled "Dolly Parton rumors" to the No. 1 trending search subject on Yahoo. In addition, an interview was posted to the USA Today website here Monday. As has been previously reported, the book expands upon the commencement address she gave to the Class of 2009 at the University of Tennessee. To refresh your memory, check out the original speech via YouTube here or in the media player above, and watch your official Dollymania.net coverage of the speech and honorary doctorate she received at the commencement here or in the media player below (including her excited reaction to your webmaster being the first person to address her at the press conference afterward as "Dr. Dolly"). Several other television and radio appearances are scheduled this week. Check out the complete list in the Nov. 26 news update below or the TV listings on the left-hand column of the News Page.
Nov. 26: Dolly's 'Dream More' Book Hits Shelves This Week Dolly's new inspirational tome Dream More lands in bookstores Tuesday. Get your hardcopy here, unabridged audiobook (with original music) here and Kindle version here. The Knoxville News Sentinel over the weekend previewed the release with a story about the book here and a brief profile on Dolly here. As Dollymania.net was the first media outlet to reveal, Dolly has a string of promotional appearances throughout the week to plug the release:
Monday – ABC's Nightline
Tuesday – ABC's Good Morning America, syndicated program The Insider, MSNBC's Morning Joe, Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, Public Radio International's Bullseye, National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation, CBC Radio's Q With Jian Ghomeshi
Wednesday – syndicated Live! With Kelly and Michael, PBS's Charlie Rose, FOX News's Fox & Friends, National Public Radio's On Point, CBC TV's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
Saturday – ABC's Good Morning America Weekend
Dolly's On The U.K., Aussie Charts The Tour Collection, Dolly's 2008 U.K. four-CD boxed set released with her British tour that year and re-issued for her tour there last year, re-entered the British charts this week. The collection snags a 26th week on the top 20 country compilation chart, coming in at No. 2 for the week, it was revealed Sunday. Also across the pond, the new compilation I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, featuring her cover of Dolly's title track, debuts at No. 29 pop and No. 36 digital albums in Britain. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 inches down one to No. 33 in its 247th week on the Australian top 40 country albums chart.
Nov. 24: Hear Ke$ha's Dolly Cover Online
Ke$ha's cover of the Dolly No. 1 "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You" leaked on Friday. Take a listen via SoundCloud here or in the media player above. Although different, the accompaniment is an obvious nod to the Gary Klein-produced arrangement for Dolly in 1980. As was previously noted, the song was written by Ke$ha's mother. As was previously reported here, the track will appear on a new EP titled Deconstructed, which will be released as a bundle with Ke$ha's Dec. 4 CD Warrior.
Houston Compilation Debuts Overseas The late Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, containing her cover of Dolly's classic title track, debuts this week at No. 36 on the Irish pop albums chart, it was announced Friday.
Michigan Library Facing Closure The Jackson, Mich., affiliate of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program is facing closure come February unless a major gift is received. Nearly 4,000 children are served in Jackson County, where it arrived in 2008, but the largest funder of the program has not renewed its support, Michigan Live reports here.
Nov. 23: 'Christmas' Rises, 'London' DVD Disappears The Cracker Barrel exclusive DVD/CD set An Evening With . . . Dolly this week falls off the 40-position music video DVD chart, down from No. 37 last week, its 32nd on the chart, according to the Dec. 1 Billboard numbers released on Thanksgiving. Elsewhere, Dolly and Kenny Rogers saw mostly good news for their 1984 holiday collection Once Upon A Christmas, which sold another 4,262 copies, a 25 percent increase over the previous week, to bring its SoundScan sales numbers since 1991 to 796,659. It has sold about 3 million copies since its original release. The sales allowed the title to gain 11 spots in its third week this year on the top 200 pop albums chart to No. 137, its 16th week on the tally since release, also gaining one to No. 22 pop catalog albums in its third week this year there as well, its 12th since release, and rising three places to No. 3 country catalog albums in its 78th week on that tally. The title remains steady at No. 26 in its 47th week on the holiday albums chart. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack moves up three to No. 37 in its 45th week on the gospel albums chart. Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," rises one to No. 16 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums, while her new compilation I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, debuts at No. 14 pop, No. 14 current albums and No. 2 R&B/hip hop albums. Overall, Taylor Swift's Red holds on at No. 1 country but loses one to No. 2 pop in its fourth week with 145,000 units sold, while Jason Aldean's Night Train holds steady at No. 2 country and drops seven to No. 13 pop in its fifth week.
Another '9 To 5' Interview Posted A Dolly interview with The Edinburgh Evening News in Scotland was published Thursday about her U.K. tour of 9 To 5: The Musical. Read it here.
Nov. 22: Dolly Adds Two Canadian Interviews For 'Dream More' Two Canadian interviews have been added to the schedule for Dolly's promotional appearances for her new book Dream More, coming out next week. She'll appear on the CBC Radio program Q With Jian Ghomeshi, which also airs in the U.S. on some public radio stations, on Nov. 27 and CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight on Nov. 28.
Another Mention Of Dolly And Oscar The Hollywood Reporter chimes in on the Dolly Oscar chatter, saying she could be one of five "songwriting legends" nominated in the original song category along with Willie Nelson, John Bon Jovi, Diane Warren and Whitney Houston, although it considers a Dolly nod for "Not Enough" instead of "From Here To The Moon And Back," which most critics have focused on as her likely nomination. Read the article here.
See Dolly Footage At Hall Of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame is showing a Dolly interview among its holiday screening series, CMT.com reported here. Her 2001 "New Year's Special" profile from the British Heaven and Earth Show will screen at the Museum at 2 p.m. Dec. 30. In addition, a vintage 1968 Grand Ole Opry episode with her will screen at 2 p.m. Dec. 2.
Another Great '9 To 5' Review The Sentinel gave a nice review to the U.K. tour of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical in Staffordshire. Check it out here.
Nov. 21: IndieWire Critic Says It's Dolly For The Oscar Another critic is saying Dolly deserves an Academy Award nod for "From Here To The Moon And Back." IndieWire's writer says the song is his personal favorite for the Oscars this year. Read more here.
'Magic School Bus' Boxed Set Is Out The Associated Press is recommending a DVD set with Dolly among the TV program bundles one can buy as gifts this holiday season. The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series came out earlier this summer and features the Christmas special episode with Dolly. See the whole list here.
Dolly's Library Expands In Colorado Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties in Colorado have launched Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, Craig Daily Press reported here and here.
Nov. 20: Stampede Gives Quarter Million To Imagination Library Dolly's Dixie Stampede flagship in Pigeon Forge on Monday presented the Dollywood Foundation president David Dotson with a check for $267,000 in support of her Imagination Library, bringing its cumulative support of the program since 2003 to more than $2.5 million.
AJC Loves Dolly's 'Dream More' Book The first review is out for Dolly's new book, Dream More, hitting stores next week. The Atlanta Journal Constitution gives the tome and a new memoir from pal Willie Nelson, Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die, high marks, noting: "If Willie and Dolly are talking, it's worth listening." Read more here.
Dolly Ranks In Top 10 Christmas Songs Taste Of Country has put out another top 50 country list, this time the genre's best holiday recordings, placing Dolly's version of "Hard Candy Christmas" as No. 7. Check it out here.
Another '9 To 5' Production Heads To Tennessee The Crossville Chronicle in Tennessee published the announcement this week of the Cumberland County Playhouse 2013 season, which includes Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical May 10-July 14. Read more here.
Nov. 19: 'Once Upon A Christmas' At About 3 Million Copies Dolly's career biggest-selling album is likely at or past the 3 million sales mark, sales figures for the perennial holiday favorite Once Upon A Christmas with Kenny Rogers show. The album, originally released in 1984, sold its first million copies in a couple of weeks, earning a simultaneous gold and platinum certification, and its second million over the next five years, snagging double platinum status in 1989. SoundScan sales figures for its current chart run showed 3,397 copies sold last week, a 28 percent increase from the 2,664 copies sold the week before. Since the tracking service began counting albums on March 1, 1991, it has sold 792,397. Given that it was a higher-selling title for the period not covered by that number between its 1989 double platinum certification and the 1991 start of the SoundScan genesis than it has been for the past several years, it's likely close to passing the cumulative 3 million mark for U.S. sales.
'Very Best' Dips On Australian Chart The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 dips two spots this week to No. 32 in its 246th week on the Australian top 40 country albums chart, it was announced Sunday.
Library Looks For New Locations Up North The Alaskan division of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program is taking applications for grants to expand into new communities in the nation's northernmost state, where 93 locations serve more than 19,000 children. Read more from The Juneau Empirehere.
Nov. 17: More 'Dream More' Appearances Announced Several new Dolly interviews to promote her upcoming book, Dream More, have been revealed as scheduled by the book's publisher, Penguin. In addition to the appearances previously reported here for Comedy Central's The Colbert Report on the day of the book's release, Nov. 27, and Live! With Kelly and Michael on Nov. 28, she'll visit:
Nov. 26 – ABC's Nightline
Nov. 27 – ABC's Good Morning America, syndicated program The Insider, MSNBC's Morning Joe, Public Radio International's Bullseye and National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation
Nov. 28 – PBS's Charlie Rose, FOX News's Fox & Friends and National Public Radio's On Point
Dec. 1 – ABC's Good Morning America Weekend In addition, don't forget to vote daily for your favorite videos in Dolly's "Dream More, Win More" contest through Nov. 25 here (including one from your webmaster here). Thanks, Tony!
MTV Expects Dolly Oscar Nomination Another critic is thinking Dolly has a good shot at earning her third Academy Award nomination for her songwriting efforts in the film Joyful Noise. MTV's Movies Blog opines that she and pal Willie Nelson, who wrote "Midnight Run" for the moonshine picture Lawless, will duke it out for a nomination based on Academy voters' love of "when legendary and award-winning musicians lend their songwriting skills to Hollywood." The other four tracks the column predicts for Oscar nods here are Neil Finn's "Song of the Lonely Mountain" from The Hobbit, Paul Williams' "Still Alive" from Paul Williams Still Alive, Adele's "Skyfall" from the James Bond flick of the same name and Mumford & Sons and Birdy with "Learn Me Right" from Brave.
'9 To 5: The Musical' Continues British Tour The latest news on the U.K. tour of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical comes by way of The Burton Mailhere.
Swift Doesn't Plan Dolly-Length Career Taylor Swift doesn't think she'll stick around in show business as long as Dolly, she tells The New York Times in an interview here. Asked if she will want to remain an entertainer as long as Dolly, a female musician she has cited as an inspiration, she replied: "I don't know if I could do this with the same energy, and in the same way — all the costume changes and glitter and hair and makeup all the time. When I'm in my 50s, I kind of think I'll want to be in a garden."
'Hollywood To Dollywood' Review Posted Denver's FOX 31 gives a review of Hollywood To Dollywood as "a cute, quaint little movie that is enjoyable fluff" here.
Nov. 16: Kenny & Dolly Holiday Recordings Rise On Charts The holly, Dolly Christmas continues on the Nov. 24 Billboard charts this week, as Kenny Rogers and Dolly's Once Upon A Christmas rises 32 places in its second week this year on the top 200 pop albums chart to reach No. 148, its 15th week on the tally since release, also gaining three to No. 23 pop catalog albums in its second week this year there as well, its 11th since release. The title moves up five to No. 6 country catalog albums in its 77th week on that tally, although it dips five to No. 26 in its 46th week on the holiday albums chart. Unfortunately, Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" falls off the 50-position digital holiday songs list, down from No. 40 in its 14th chart week. An Evening With . . . Dolly drops five to No. 37 in its 32nd week on the 40-position music video DVD chart. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack inches down one to No. 40 in its 44th week on the gospel albums chart. The late Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with her cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," loses five to No. 17 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, Taylor Swift's Red remains at No. 1 country and pop in its third week with 196,000 copies sold, while Jason Aldean's Night Train holds steady at No. 2 country and falls two to No. 6 pop with 48,000 units moved in its fourth week.
'9 To 5' Gets Local N.Y. Review Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical gets high marks from the local media in Mattituck, N.Y., where The Riverhead News Reviewhere reviews the Riverhead Faculty and Community Theatre's local production.
Library Adds New Massachusetts Communities Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program is adding another two communities. The Sentinel and Enterprise reports the expansion to Fitchburg and Leominster, Mass., through the United Way of North Central Massachusetts here.
Nov. 15: 'Colbert,' 'Live' Appearances Scheduled This Month Dolly's hoping for a "Colbert bump," as her scheduled television appearances later this month are starting to trickle out to promote her new book, Dream More. The day it comes out, Nov. 27, she'll become part of the Colbert Nation, appearing on the satirical Comedy Central program The Colbert Report. The next morning, she'll stop by Live! With Kelly and Michael. And don't forget to vote daily for your favorite three videos here (including one from your webmaster here) in Dolly's "Dream More, Win More" video contest through Nov. 25!
Ke$ha Does Dolly Cover, Sort Of Pop artist Ke$ha will be trying her hand at one of Dolly's 25 No. 1 hits, it has been announced. The singer has covered "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You" for an EP titled Deconstructed, which will be released as a bundle with her Dec. 4 CD Warrior. Dolly's 1980 version of the song, which topped the country singles chart, was itself a cover, since the tune had hit No. 14 country for Joe Sun and No. 86 pop for Brian Collins, both in 1978. The track was written by Ke$ha's mother, Patricia Rose Sebert.
Nov. 14: Dollywood Discusses Holiday Preparations
Dollywood has posted a behind-the-scenes video of the preparations for its Smoky Mountain Christmas holiday festival, which opened over the weekend. Check it out from YouTube in the media player above or by clicking here.
'9 To 5' Continues British Run The U.K. tour of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical keeps on going from city to city entertaining audiences and gaining publicity. STV reports on its Glasgow engagement here, while The Chester Chronicle covers its imminent arrival in Hanley here.
Nov. 13: Jones Says He May Do Album With Dolly George Jones has "been talking about doing another record next year with Dolly," his spokesperson told Reuters news Monday in announcing the first tour dates for his farewell "Grand Tour." Dolly had noted in a press conference three months ago that she had been writing songs for his next CD and hoped to record with him. The two had previously recorded three collaborations together: the original unreleased "Rockin' Years" (recorded in 1988 and finally released in 2008), "The Blues Man" in 2005 and "Where The Grass Won't Grow" in 1994. Read more from GMA here.
Vote In Dolly Book Contest Today! A total of 32 videos made the "Dream More, Win More" contest to win one of 10 autographed copies of Dolly's upcoming book, Dream More, which went live on Monday. Votes will be accepted here for the contest entries through Nov. 25, including one from your webmaster here! Each person may vote for up to three videos daily.
Nov. 12: Australian Chart Update For 'Very Best' CD The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 loses three more places this week to No. 30 in its 245th week on the Australian top 40 country albums chart, it was announced Sunday.
'Dream More' Contest Voting Begins The entry period closed Sunday night for the "Dream More, Win More" contest to win one of 10 autographed copies of Dolly's upcoming book, Dream More. Voting starts Monday for viewers' favorite videos about who inspires the entrants to dream more. Watch them here. As of press time a few hours before the entry deadline, 31 videos had been posted, including one by your webmaster.
Nov. 10: Smoky Mountain Christmas Opens At Dollywood Dollywood's annual Smoky Mountain Christmas, five-time winner of the Golden Ticket for the world's Best Christmas Event at all amusement and theme parks, opens for this season Saturday with 4 million holiday lights and several after-dark rides. In a press release, Dolly noted: "Singing Christmas carols, eating great food and enjoying the company of family and friends is what the holidays are all about. My Smoky Mountain Christmas festival at Dollywood is that special place where folks can do all of that while they make their memories and celebrate their own traditions with the ones they love. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!" The festival, which closes Dec. 30, features a new Smoky Mountain Miniature Railroad, several holiday shows and the nightly Parade of Lights.
Orlando Dixie Stampede Being Torn Down Dolly's former Orlando Dixie Stampede is coming down. The venue closed four years ago when a neighboring business had offered to purchase the property, but the deal fell through and Dolly never opened up a replacement venue. It will now feature several new outlet mall buildings. Coverage of the building's demolition gained attention from The Orlando Sentinelhere, Channel 13 here and Click Orlandohere.
Library Expands In Colorado, Arkansas Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program continues to expand, with kick-offs in Moffat County, Colo., according to The Craig Daily Presshere and in Mt. Judea, Ark., according to The Newton County Timeshere. (And don't forget to enter the contest for one of 10 autographed copies of Dolly's upcoming book Dream More in the Library's contest by posting a video of who inspires you to dream more via Facebook or the Imagination Library website by Sunday night. As of press time Friday night, 22 entries had been submitted and accepted.)
Severville Festival With Dolly Song Contest Wins Award The Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass festival in Dolly's hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., recently received the Festival of the Year Shining Example Award from the Southeast Tourism Society and became a Top 20 Event for the region. The annual event features the Mountain Soul Vocal Competition, the only regular singing contest that requires entrants to sing Dolly-written songs.
Nov. 9: 'Once Upon A Christmas' Adds Two More Charts Twenty-eight years after its release, Kenny Rogers and Dolly's Once Upon A Christmas continues to pop up on more charts as the holidays approach, the Nov. 17 Billboard numbers reveal. The set this week re-enters the top 200 pop albums list at No. 180 to log a 14th week since its original release, while it also re-enters the pop catalog albums chart at No. 26 for a 10th week. Over on the country catalog albums tally, it gains two to No. 11 for a 76th chart week, while it slips six to No. 21 on the holiday albums chart in its 45th chart week there. Dolly's recording of "Hard Candy Christmas" moves up eight to No. 40 on the digital holiday songs chart to mark a 14th week.
An Evening With . . . Dolly loses two to No. 32 on the music video DVD chart in its 31st week. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack falls three to No. 39 in its 43rd week on the gospel albums chart. Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, featuring the late singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," rises three to No. 12 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, Taylor Swift's Red remains at No. 1 country and pop in its second week with 344,000 copies sold, while Jason Aldean's Night Train holds steady at No. 2 country and dips one to No. 4 pop with 71,000 units moved in its third week.
Nov. 8: Preview Of Dolly's Audio Book Posted Random House Books has posted a two-and-a-half-minute clip from the audio version of Dolly's upcoming book Dream More, hitting stores Nov. 27. Check it out here and order the audio book here. Thanks, Aaron! And don't forget to enter the contest for one of 10 autographed copies of the book in her "Dream More, Win More" contest by posting a video of who inspires you to dream more via Facebook or the Imagination Library website by Sunday night.
Another High School Doing '9 To 5' An Illinois high school is doing Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical. The Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill., reports on this weekend's production at Batavia High School here.
Nov. 7: U.K. Tour Of '9 To 5' Still Making News The British press continues to be fascinated with Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical. Check out a profile of the actress playing Doralee from Herald Scotlandhere, while The Daily Mail profiles the actress playing Roz here. Then Get Surrey reviews the show here. Get tickets and information on the U.K. tour here.
Nov. 5: 'Hollywood To Dollywood' DVD Out This Week The Dolly fan documentary Hollywood To Dollywood is re-issued on DVD this week, featuring its first foray into major retail establishments and addition of several bonus features to the project. The film follows the Lane twins as they travel from California to Tennessee to deliver a script to Dolly. Along the way, they discuss their family's difficulty with their sexuality and get tips from famous friends including Dustin Lance Black, Chad Allen, Beth Grant and Leslie Jordan (your webmaster also has a cameo). Dolly has spoken positively of the film and granted permission for it to contain 16 of her songs, including two commercially unreleased tracks: "Celebrate The Dreamer In You" and "The Sky Is Not The Limit." DollyPartonMusic.net, the official website of Dolly Records, last week promoted the disc to fans, providing the promo code DOLLY for those wishing to buy it direct from the distributor, Breaking Glass Pictures, at a special $12.99 discount here. The Twins tell me they've recently been contacted by Ovation TV to participate in the upcoming Song By Song miniseries to focus on Dolly early next year, and they've signed with Bass/Schuler Entertainment to book their Acceptance and Inclusion Tour of college campuses with Leslie Jordan, Chad Allen and lecturer Greg Baird to raise awareness on LGBT issues, and their appearances on NBC's The Jeff Probst Show and Hallmark's Marie will air during the month.
European 'Joyful Noise' Hitting DVD Monday That's not the only Dolly DVD hitting stores this week, as Europe will see the release of Dolly's most recent film, Joyful Noise, on disc there Monday. Handbag.com looks at it here and proclaims "it's fair to say Dolly Parton is the best looking grandma we've ever seen." And Entertainment Focus takes the opportunity to review several of her many hairdos over the years here.
Australian Chart Update Released The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 falls three places to No. 27 in its 244th week on the Australian top 40 country albums chart, it was revealed Sunday.
'Smoky Mountain Christmas' Scheduled For Hallmark Channel The first Dolly holiday appearance of the season has been announced, as the Hallmark Channel has scheduled her 1986 classic A Smoky Mountain Christmas for an airing at 2 a.m. Nov. 16 with repeats scheduled for 4 a.m. Nov. 26 and midnight and 6 a.m. Nov. 30.
Dolly 'Dream More' Contest Reminder There are still a few days to get your entries submitted for Dolly's "Dream More, Win More" contest to get one of 10 autographed copies of her upcoming book, Dream More, which hits stores Nov. 27. Contestants should submit a video of 60 seconds or less about a person who inspires them to dream more. As of press time, only 14 videos have been submitted and accepted for the contest (including one by your webmaster), but you have until the end of the day next Sunday, Nov. 11, to enter via Facebook or the Imagination Library website. Public votes will be taken Nov. 12-25, with the winners announced Nov. 26.
Nov. 2: U.S. Charts See Dolly Gains And Losses Once Upon A Christmas, the 1984 holiday opus by Dolly and Kenny Rogers, gains five places on the country catalog albums to No. 13 in its 75th chart week, the Nov. 10 Billboard numbers released Thursday showed. The CD rises two to No. 15 in its 44th week on the holiday albums chart. An Evening With . . . Dolly falls five to No. 30 on the music video DVD chart for its 30th week on the chart. Her Joyful Noise Soundtrack loses eight to No. 36 in its 42nd week on the gospel albums chart. The late Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits, with the singer's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," loses six to No. 15 R&B/hip-hop catalog albums. Overall, Taylor Swift's Red debuts at No. 1 country and pop with 1.208 million units moved in its first week, while Jason Aldean's Night Train slips one to No. 2 country and two to No. 3 pop with 116,000 copies sold in its second week.
Warhol Dolly Photo To Be Auctioned Another Dolly item is going on the auction block in coming days. Christie's will present an Andy Warhol auction Nov. 12 to benefit the late artist's foundation. The auctions feature more than 500 lots of his paintings, prints and photographs, including one of his Polaroids of Dolly he used to create his set of silkscreen portraits of her. The photograph portion of the auction takes place at 10 a.m. Organizers estimate the value of the Dolly picture between $8,000 and $12,000. Check it out here. Thanks, John!
Another '9 To 5' Review Posted What's On Stage gives the U.K. tour of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical a four-star review here.
'Joyful Noise' Overseas Review Available Also across the pond, next Monday's British DVD release of her most recent film, Joyful Noise, gets positive remarks from Big Gay Picture Showhere.
Nov. 1: Dolly Outfit To Be Auctioned Next Month The outfit Dolly wore to sing "House of the Rising Sun" on her 1976-77 Dolly television series is on the auction block. The outfit, which also appeared on the back cover of her 1977 tour book, will be offered at the December Icons & Idols 2012: Rock & Roll auction hosted by Julien's Auctions Beverly Hills. The dress, available for online viewing here, will be in the second session of the auction, starting at 2 p.m. Dec. 1, with a $5,000 minimum bid and estimated value of $10,000-$12,000. Also offered is an autographed portrait painted by Clayton Lefevre, valued at $600-$800, and auctioned in the first session, starting 10 a.m. Dec. 1 and available here.
Dolly Paid $5K For Pirate Costume Dolly's pirate costume for Halloween that TMZ asked her about last week, as was reported here, set her back $5,000, the site disclosed on Halloween. The price for the "simple black leather pirate get up" from Trashy Lingerie in Los Angeles was huge because the outfit required custom tailoring for her chest, according to the story here.
The Dolly fan documentary