www.dollymania.net                News                          November 2019

Nov. 28:
'Opry' Special Draws 7 Million Viewers


NBC's Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Opry special Tuesday night brought the network its best 9 p.m.-11 p.m. ratings of the 2019-2020 television season with 7 million viewers, preliminary ratings on Wednesday revealed. The numbers bested the average 6 million viewers the regular Tuesday programs on the network in that time slot see and came in second to CBS' FBI with 8.8 million (followed by NCIS: New Orleans and 6.8 million) but ahead of ABC's Mixed-ish (2.7 million), Emergence (2.3 million) and Black-ish (2.6 million). Dolly only lost a few hundred thousand viewers from lead-in The Voice at 8 p.m. Read more about the ratings from The Hollywood Reporter here. Watch a clip of "Jolene" from the show here or in the media player above, or "Coat Of Many Colors" here or in the media player below. The entire show is available for streaming now on NBC.com.

Report: Second Dollywood Resort Coming Soon
Dolly has teased in several interviews over the past year that the next major expansion at Dollywood would be a second resort hotel to join 2015's DreamMore, and although no official announcement has yet been made, plans for the addition were approved last month by the Pigeon Forge Planning Commission, television station WBIR reported this week here. Plans show the resort will be built adjacent to the existing DreamMore facility and feature a 310-room hotel, 325-seat restaurant and conference space. Plans noted the hotel alone will employ 100 people. No date for construction or opening has been announced.

U.S. Chart Updates
Dolly's collaboration with Zack Williams, "There Was Jesus" earns a second week on the all-genre pop digital song sales chart, slipping six to No. 50, the Nov. 30 Billboard charts released Tuesday showed. The song also remains steady at No. 2 Christian digital song sales and gains one to No. 21 Hot Christian Songs. Her collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz, "Faith," falls one to No. 3 dance and electronic digital single sales, gains one to No. 13 dance and electronic songs, and is No. 13 for dance show airplay. Elsewhere on the charts, Ultimate Dolly Parton holds steady on the top country albums chart at No. 36, while the country catalog albums list sees her and Kenny Rogers remain steady at No. 4 with Once Upon A Christmas, which also holds steady at No. 33 holiday albums and No. 12 holiday album sales while Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" loses 10 to No. 38 holiday digital song sales.

New Dolly Store Opens Online
Dolly's official website this week opened a new online store featuring her 2019 holiday collection of apparel and gifts. Check them out here. (This is in addition to her everyday items in her official Amazon store here.)

Dolly's 'Christmas Carol' Gets Noticed
The Milford Daily News has a new profile of Dolly's A Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol opening soon in Boston. Read more here.

'Christmas At Dollywood' Trailer Released
The Hallmark Channel on Tuesday released a preview clip of the Dec. 8 premiering film Christmas At Dollywood. Check it out on YouTube here or in the media player below.


Nov. 25:
Netflix Brings 'Heartstrings' To Life
Dolly's long-anticipated Nettflix anthology series Heartstrings dropped its first season Friday, and fans took notice. Your webmaster's review is that "Two Doors Down" is the best episode, silly and funny and fun. The rest, with the exception of "Jolene," are all tearjerkers. Next-best is the devastating "Sugar Hill." Although I deducted the plot twist halfway through, it still cut the heart in two when it happened. "If I Had Wings" was my third-favorite. Gerald McRainey and Delta Burke were splendid, and the climax was heart wrenching. Fourth-favorite was "These Old Bones." Kathleen Turner delivers a living character but her only shortfall was a failed accent that proved distracting (instead of sounding like a mountain woman, she blended a white Appalachian accent with an African American southern accent). "J.J. Sneed" was well-done and engaging, as was "Down From Dover," but both seemed to be rushed at the end. "Cracker Jack" was one of the least effective, but "Jolene" was the worst of the series. The script was dull, the acting stiff, and the changes in plot drained the life from the story. The only thing holding it together was the musical performances. Coverage of the series included a profile in USA Today here, an interview with Kathleen Turner here, a New York Times piece here, a WBIR interview with superfans Harrel Gabehart and Patric Parkey here, an interview with the star of "Two Doors Down" Andy Mientus from Queerty here and with the episode's writer from Logo here, which noted some of the audience at the Dollywood premiere screening of the episode left when they learned it was LGBT-themed. A story from her appearance on ABC's The View is available here.

Podcast On Break This Week
The podcast Dolly Parton's America is on break this week for the holiday, but the stunning series continues to gain attention. Stories popped up over the weekend from Michigan Daily here and Junkee here.

Overseas Chart Updates
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt gains one to recapture the No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums chart in its 167th 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) rises two 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) gains one to No. 11, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) slips one to No. 9. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) falls seven to No. 19 in its 427th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.

'9 To 5' Gets Another U.K. Tour
Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical will take another UK tour next year, it was announced over the weekend, with several cities on tap from May through September. Check out the news here.

New 'Faith' Remix Released
Jewelz & Sparks on Friday released a remix of Dolly's single "Faith" with EDM duo Galantis and Mr. Probz, although it removes most of Dolly's vocals from the mix in favor of an instrumental beat. Take a listen here or in the media player below, or download it here.


Nov. 21:
Dolly Receives Two New Grammy Nominations
Dolly picked up two nominations for Grammy Awards on Wednesday, bringing her career total to 49, second only to Beyonce's total of 70 as the most-nominated female artist in Grammy history (Beyonce increased her lead over Dolly on Wednesday by bringing in four nominations herself).

Dolly and For King & Country are nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for their collaboration "God Only Knows", which faces off against Casting Crowns' "Only Jesus," Danny Gokey's "Haven't Seen it Yet," Tauren Wells' "God's Not Done With You" and Zach Williams' "Rescue Story." (Her collaboration with Wiliams, "There Was Jesus", came out four days after the cut-off for consideration for this year's awards and may be considered for next year in this category.)

Her other nomination is with co-writer Linda Perry for their track "Girl In The Movies" from the Netflix film Dumplin', which is up for Best Song Written For Visual Media. It will compete against "The Ballad Of The Lonesome Cowboy" from Toy Story 4 by Randy Newman; "I'll Never Love Again" from A Star Is Born by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Raitiere; "Spirit" from The Lion King by Beyonce, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Timothy McKenzie, and "Suspirium" from Suspiria by Thom Yorke. Gaga's won last year for "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, which was eligible because the single was released prior to the soundtrack album; "I'll Never Love Again" is eligible because the soundtrack album came out a few days into the 2019 award eligibility period and is also nominated for Song of the Year.

Dolly was previously nominated in the former categories each of these replaced: Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television, Or Other Visual Media for "Travelin' Thru" in 2006 and Best Sacred Performance for Golden Streets Of Glory in 1971. Unfortunately, her Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack failed to receive a nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, the category for which it was submitted for consideration, and its producer, Linda Perry, failed to repeat her nomination for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.

In related nominations, jazz singer Sara Gazarek's cover of Dolly's "Jolene" earned arranger Geoff Keezer a nomination for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals.

Dolly reacted to her nominations on social media saying: "What incredible news to be nominated for two Grammy Awards! It is always such a sweet thing when your peers recognize and celebrate the music you make. To have a nomination with Linda Perry for 'Girl In the Movies,' the song we wrote together for Dumplin', means so much. And then to share another with my new friends Joel and Luke Smallbone from For King & Country on our duet 'God Only Knows' . . . well, I am one happy girl today!"

In her career, Dolly has won eight regular Grammy Awards, a ninth special Grammy for Lifetime Achievement, the Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year award, and has had four recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame ("I Will Always Love You" 1974, "Jolene" and "Coat Of Many Colors" as singer and songwriter and "I Will Always Love You" 1992 as the songwriter for Whitney Houston's cover version). 

Winners will be announced Jan. 26.

Latest 'Heartstrings' News
The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday offered its review for Dolly's Heartstrings series here based on two episodes, and she promoted the program Wednesday morning on NBC's Today here.


Nov. 20:
'Opry' Trailer Released For NBC Special


With one week until broadcast, NBC on Tuesday released a trailer for next week's Dolly Parton: 50 Years On The Grand Ole Opry special, which kicks off the network's holiday programming schedule for this year. Watch it here or in the media player above.

Both 'Colors' Movies To Air After Christmas
NBC also on Tuesday announced that Dolly will not only open their holiday programming with her Opry special but will also close their holiday programming post-Christmas. Her 2015 smash made-for-television film Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors will repeat at 8 p.m. Eastern Dec. 26, followed by the 2016 Emmy-nominated sequel Dolly Parton's Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love at 8 p.m. Eastern Dec. 27.

'Jesus,' 'Faith' See Chart Improvements
Thanks to her CMA appearance, Dolly's collaboration with Zack Williams, "There Was Jesus", returns to the charts in the Nov. 23 numbers released Tuesday. The track debuts on the overall pop digital song sales chart at No. 44, re-enters the Hot Christian Songs chart at No. 22, and re-enters the digital Christian song sales chart for a new peak at No. 2. Her collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz, "Faith," rises six to No. 2 dance and electronic digital single sales and climbs one to No. 14 dance and electronic songs. (The dance airplay chart was not updated this week.) Elsewhere on the charts, her appearance prompted a re-entry of Ultimate Dolly Parton to the top country albums chart at No. 36, while the country catalog albums list sees her and Kenny Rogers advance two to No. 4 with the annual reappearance of their holiday album Once Upon A Christmas.


Nov. 18:
'Heartstrings' Promotions In Full Swing


The promotions week has arrived to celebrate Friday's premiere of Dolly's Heartstrings anthology on Netflix. Things kick off Monday when Sirius XM satellite radio changes Channel 62 to Dolly Parton's Heartstrings Radio to play music from throughout her career plus insights and stories from Dolly and the artists she has influenced. Promotional appearances scheduled this week include NBC's Today Wednesday morning, NBC's The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night, NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers Thursday night/Friday morning, and her previously-reported appearance on ABC's The View, which will be taped on Thursday but for which the broadcast has been scheduled for Friday. Of course, her Netflix Heartstrings series drops Friday (the streaming service usually posts things around 3 a.m. Eastern) and her NBC special Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Grand Ole Opry airs next Tuesday, Nov. 26. As the episode around the song "Jolene" is the one being promoted the most heavily, Dolly and co-star Julianne Hough announced on social media Friday the #JoleneChallenge, whereby fans are asked to share their own unique versions of the song to social media and use the hashtag. And Netflix last week released an interview clip with Dolly about the series, viewable in the media player above or by clicking here. Other coverage included Logo's New Now Next here and here as well as The Los Angeles Times here.

CMAs, '20/20' Recaps


Dolly's programming last week saw plenty of viewers. Although her hourlong documentary interview special for 20/20 was third in the network ratings on Tuesday, it was a close evening with her program drawing in 4 million viewers, No. 2 New Amsterdam with 5 million and No. 1 NCIS: New Orleans with 6 million. ABC last week posted three eight-minute segments of the special on YouTube here, here and here. Then on Wednesday night, the CMA Awards, which she co-hosted, blew everyone away as the night's No. 1 program with 11.27 million viewers. The CMAs shared the opening medley with Dolly and other female performers here, and Dolly's own faith-based medley performance from the evening was posted by the program to YouTube here or in the media player above. Some additional coverage of the evening included a talk with producers about wrangling these major stars from Variety here and Fox News raving about Dolly's performance here.

Kirt Webster Scandal Resurfaces
The CMAs weren't without controversy, though. Some fans protested over Garth Brooks winning entertainer of the year over Carrie Underwood in a "year of the woman," while some protested that a boob joke about Dolly's "rack" in the dressing room was uncouth during a celebration of women in country music. But the biggest scandal came from Dolly's disgraced former publicist Kirt Webster, who was accused by more than two dozen former employees and clients last year of sexual misconduct including trading oral sex with Dolly fans for meet-and-greet passes to her concerts, shared on social media a photo of him backstage with Dolly at the awards. He said he attended as a guest of Janie Frickie. Dolly didn't comment on the photo but her sister Stella called her out on social media, saying: "I have noticed new photos from backstage at the CMAs last night and Kirt Webster the publicity person who had dozens of sexual assault allegations brought against him last year was front and center. I saw photos of him in my sister Dolly's dressing room standing with her smiling like a Cheshire Cat! These predators feel entitled to do the horrific things they do and even super stars like my sister, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tanya Tucker and others that he represented won't say a word. It's been proven that he never stopped working for one day after the scandal broke last year. It is a shame on the artists who stay silent and the CMAs for condoning this man's perverted acts. My sister's management is just as complicit in this scandal. Yes, I know I should just stay silent but I choose to speak out against this type of thing. I have a grandchild and I raised a son and have nieces and nephews that I certainly don't want to be around known predators. Responsible, healthy minded adults have an obligation to the children of this world." The story was picked up by several Nashville local media, including Channel 5 here, and a few national media, including FOX News here. Stella followed up with another statement the next day: "I know this is not pleasant and for anyone who thinks I have enjoyed speaking up about this think again! It's very upsetting! I am very protective of my sister and her contribution to our industry and American society. I take it very personal when anyone attempts to sully her reputation. Her legacy as a family member is my business and he exploited his working relationship with her for his own unsavory desires while on the job. I was and am very upset and horrified over it and how dare anyone think otherwise! The people who are hired to protect her while she is working have an obligation to protect her! It's that simple, do your freaking jobs people! Of course the press will sensationalize it and make me the bad guy. It gets more readers. His excuse and I quote; "everyone makes mistakes" is not accepted by me and never should be by anyone who loves and respects my sister or her family."

Forbes: Dolly Last Year's No. 2 Female Country Earner
Dolly was last year's second-highest paid female entertainer in country music, slipping from the No. 1 spot after two years there. This year she earned $17 million, the magazine estimated, compared to $19 million the previous year at No. 1, $37 million two years ago at No. 1, and $19 million three years ago, when she was No. 3 behind Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood. This year, Shania beat her again, coming in at No. 1 with $29 million and Carrie was third with $16 million. When the men were added in, Shania was No. 7 overall in the genre, with Dolly at No. 15 (down from No. 10 last year, No. 4 two years ago, and No. 13 three years ago) and Carrie at No. 16. Although she did have a new CD during the period counted, Dumplin' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which was critically-acclaimed and garnered a lot of media attention, it did not sell well, so nearly all of her earnings were from her business interests: Dollywood, Splash Country, DreamMore Resort, Stampede, Pirates Voyage, and her television production projects. A rule change in the magazine's top earning entertainers lists three years ago made Dolly eligible by allowing income from other business interests to be included beyond income from album sales, touring, acting, songwriting, etc. Read more here.

Boston Musical Premiere Previewed
The Boston Globe previewed the upcoming opening of Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol here.

British Air Dates Noted
Thanks to Paul from Ultimate Dolly for alerting me that the Ken Burns Country Music documentary will air its first two episodes across the pond on BBC Channel Four Friday and continue with two episodes each week on Fridays until completion, and the network will also broadcast the CMA Awards with Dolly as co-host and performer on Friday following the second episode of the Burns documentary.

U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
Dolly's collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz, "Faith," falls six to No. 7 this week on the Nov. 16 Billboard dance and electronic digital single sales chart, down from its No. 1 debut. The track slips one to No. 15 dance and electronic songs in its second chart week, debuts at No. 15 dance airplay and falls off of the overall digital single sales tally, down from No. 45. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, "There Was Jesus" with Zach Williams remains steady at No. 38 Hot Christian Singles in its fifth week. Across the pond, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 166th 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) holds steady at No. 14, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) slips two to No. 12, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) drops two to No. 8. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) shoots up 13 to No. 12 in its 426th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.


Nov. 12:
ABC Previews Dolly Interview, 'The View' Correction
ABC News on Monday released two additional previews of Tuesday night's special Dolly Parton: Here She Comes Again. Check them out here and here. In related news, her fall promotions landed her the cover of the current issue of TV Guide, and Netflix has added Reese Witherspoon's interview show for which Dolly appeared on the first episode. Thanks, Greg! Finally, a correction: This site had mistakenly transposed the numbers on the date Dolly is scheduled to appear on ABC's The View and reported it as this Tuesday the 12th when it is actually next Thursday the 21st. I apologize for the error.

Fifth Installment Of Podcast Arrives
The next installment of the podcast Dolly Parton's America should come out Tuesday, and Instinct magazine called it here "the must listen podcast of the moment."


Nov. 11:
AXS Starts Dolly's ABC, CMA, Netflix, NBC Month Of TV Spots


Dolly began her November domination of television on Sunday night with AXS's broadcast of the U.S. premiere of her interview with ACDC's frontman on the British series A Life On The Road with Brian Johnson Sunday night, which Antimusic previewed here. Next, she'll show up as a guest on Good Morning America on ABC Tuesday morning, followed by Robin Roberts' interview in the hour-long 20/20 documentary Dolly Parton: Here She Comes Again from ABC News Tuesday night, for which the network released a trailer last week, viewable here or in the media player above. Then she co-hosts the CMA Awards Wednesday night on ABC, which producers announced last week will open with a "historic performance" celebrating the legendary women of country music featuring co-hosts Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood with Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker and Gretchen Wilson. As was previously noted, Dolly will also perform with For King and Country on "God Only Knows" and Zack Williams on "There Was Jesus" as well as her new Galantis and Mr. Probz single "Faith" in a medley also featuring the Christ Church Choir. The Tennessean previewed the night's show here. The Lifetime movie A Country Christmas Story, in which she has a cameo, repeats Nov. 17, her Netflix series Heartstrings drops Nov. 22, and NBC's Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Grand Ole Opry premieres Nov. 26.

Dollywood Hallmark Movie Finishes Filming
Dolly was on hand last week while Dollywood was closed to the public for holiday decorating as they filmed the final scenes for The Hallmark Channel's movie Christmas At Dollywood, which premieres Dec. 8. USA Today has some behind-the-scenes reporting here. In related news, the newspaper profiled the park's transition to the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival, which opened to the public Saturday (although Dolly had already left the park), here.

Coverage Of Dolly's We Are Family Award
Several media outlets covered Dolly's recognition in New York Tuesday by the We Are Family Foundation. Check out stories from V Magazine here, The Digital Journal here, Town & Country here and Just Jared here.

Billboard Covers Dance Charts No. 1 Debut
Billboard noted, as was first reported here Tuesday night, that Dolly and Glantis and Mr. Probz debuted at No. 1 on the dance/electronic single sales chart this week with their collaboration "Faith". The article noted the song sold 4,000 downloads in its first week and saw 1.8 million streams. The piece contained one factual error, however, claiming her first Billboard chart appearance was "Dumb Blonde" on the country singles chart in 1967 when it was actually "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in 1965. Read more here.

U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 165th 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) loses three to No. 14, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains three to No. 10, Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) holds steady at No. 6, and Essential Dolly Parton falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 15. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) regains seven to No. 25 in its 425th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.

'9 To 5' Down Under Introduces Cast
The Australian production of 9 To 5: The Musical over the weekend introduced its cast with a video featuring Dolly. Check it out here or in the media player below.


Nov. 6:
Netflix Releases 'Heartstrings' Trailer


Netflix on Tuesday released the first trailer for Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, all eight episodes of which drop Nov. 22. Watch it here or in the media player above.

'Faith' Debuts On Dance Charts
Dolly's collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz, "Faith," debuts this week on the Nov. 9 Billboard charts at No. 1 dance and electronic digital single sales, No. 15 dance and electronic songs and No. 45 overall digital single sales.

Dolly Shows Out In New York City
Dolly was honored by the We Are Family Foundation Gala in New York City Tuesday night, and The Daily Mail shared her arrival photos. Check them out here.

Kenny's Last Tour Gets DVD
Kenny Rogers' final tour, The Gambler's Last Deal, gets a DVD release from a London performance in 2017 on Dec. 13, and one of the bonus tracks on the disc will be Dolly's cover of his "Sweet Music Man" with Alison Krauss filmed at a 2010 concert celebrating his 50th anniversary in the music industry. Reserve your copy here!


Nov. 5:
ABC Officially Announces Dolly Documentary


ABC News on Monday officially announced the upcoming special Dolly Parton: Here She Comes Again, which you may recall was first reported on Dollymania.net a week ago and then the air date and program title a couple of days later. The official announcement came on Good Morning America here or in the media player above where Robin Roberts revealed she had traveled to Dollywood to interview Dolly. The hour-long documentary-style special, airing Nov. 12, features never-before-seen archival interviews and performance footage as well as interviews with Bobby Bones, Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes and Carrie Underwood, among others. In addition, ABC's The View announced she will be on their program Nov. 12 as well.

Dollywood Smoky Mountain Christmas Approaches
Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas, which has won the Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event for each of the 12 years since the award was created, opens Saturday through the end of the season Jan. 4. More than 5 million lights, including in the new Glacier Ridge experience added last season, shows It's A Wonderful Life and Christmas In The Smokies, photos and meet-and-greets with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and friends, and special holiday food are featured. Those that purchase 2020 season passes may attend Smoky Mountain Christmas this season for free. "There's nothing like Christmas in the Smokies," Dolly said in a press release. "I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but the feeling of being home with the people I love at Christmas really is one of the most special things in the world to me. It's my hope that the people who come experience my Dollywood at Christmas make those same sweet memories they'll be able to share forever. I also hope we're able to help them start some brand new Christmas traditions right here!"

Next Podcast Installment Arrives
The fourth installment of the Dolly Parton's America podcast – where they apparently get to tour her Tennessee Mountain Home – premieres on Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. The continuing series gets the attention this week of NME here and Boing Boing here.

Dolly Prayed Over 'Heartstrings'
Dolly prayed a lot about her Netflix series Heartstrings, she told CBN News here and The Christian Post here. The series drops on the streaming service Nov. 22.

Dolly Supports 'The Sun's' Book Campaign
Dolly is endorsing another childhood literacy program, London's The Sun reports here. She is interviewed supporting the newspaper's Books for Schools Campaign to provide free books to schools throughout Britain.

U.K., Aussie Chart Updates
The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 164th 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) loses one to No. 11, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) dips four to No. 13, Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) gains two to No. 6, and Essential Dolly Parton rises five to No. 15. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) falls seven to No. 32 in its 424th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.