More On Degree
Check out further coverage of Dolly's upcoming University of Tennessee at Knoxville honorary degree with a story here from The Tennessee Journalist, a publication from the University's School of Journalism.

Library Notes
The launch of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program in the Dauphin area of Manitoba, Canada, and the Elgin area near Chicago, Ill., saw coverage in their respective regional newspapers Sunday: The Winnipeg Free Press here and the Chicago Daily Herald here.

Feb. 21:
'Very Best' Returns Overseas
After going away for a week, the 2007 collection The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 returns this week to the Irish pop albums charts, it was revealed Friday. The overseas CD comes in at No. 75 in its 74th chart week across the pond.

'9 To 5' With More Tracks?
Although the track listing posted at Amazon.com presently for next month's re-issue of Dolly's 1980 classic 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs shows just the 10 original songs, it is noted on the site as an "Extra Tracks" release, so perhaps it will contain some previously unreleased gems. Also, the CD's street date has been pushed back two weeks to March 31. No official announcement of a track listing has come out yet from Sony Legacy to my knowledge, so we'll have to wait and see.

Dolly Blog: New 'IWALY' Coming
Dolly has gone into the studio to record a new duet of "I Will Always Love You" for a CD from 9 To 5: The Musical star Stephanie J. Block, she announced on her bi-weekly blog Friday on her official record label website, DollyPartonMusic.net. She also said that her video for "Backwoods Barbie" should be out in March and mentioned her recent trip to Washington (check out complete coverage of those appearances from Dollymania here).

Larry King Recap
Dolly was her usual funny, effervescent self on CNN's Larry King Live Friday night, discussing President Obama, the economy, Dollywood, 9 To 5: The Musical, Sha-Kon-O-Hey!, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park anniversary and more. King led her on an extended discussion on Jessica Simpson, and Dolly even acknowledged she had lost a little too much weight a couple of years ago, attributing it to a digestive ailment from which she said she has since recovered. The network's website here posted a blog about her role as the Smokies' ambassador. If you're catching this report early enough Friday night, you may watch the program in its midnight and 3 a.m. Saturday repeats.

Feb. 20:
Martin Keeps Bluegrass Crown
Steve Martin's bluegrass album, The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, with its Dolly and Vince Gill duet, holds on to the top spot for a second week on the Billboard bluegrass albums tally, the Feb. 28 numbers released Thursday showed. The collection gained two to No. 5 for Internet sales and inched up one to No. 37 for independent label albums. Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, featuring Dolly on her title track, moves up five to No. 50 country in its 21st week. Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, with her cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," holds steady at No. 70 country in its 20th week. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, which includes Dolly on "Gold," holds steady at No. 66 country in its 34th week. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, with Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," gains one to No. 4 on the country catalog albums chart and rises two on the Canadian country chart to No. 17. Taylor Swift's Fearless rises three to No. 1 pop and one to No. 1 country with 92,000 copies moved in its 14th week, while Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' Raising Sand shoots up eight to No. 1 country and 67 to No. 2 pop with 77,000 units sold in its 62nd week.

More Wildhorse Pictures Posted
Special thanks to Maggie and Teddy for sending in some additional shots from Dolly's recent charity show at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Check those out in the section of the site dedicated to the concert here.

King Reminder
Unless some other tragedy bumps it again, don't forget to tune into CNN Friday night at 9 p.m. to catch his Dolly interview postponed from Feb. 10 and 13 airings.

Feb. 19:
NPR Chats With Dolly
National Public Radio on Wednesday broadcast a great 13-minute segment with Dolly on its program Tell Me More. The interview was part of the show's "Wisdom Watch" series and included her comments on God, Elvis wanting to record "I Will Always Love You," her involvement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th anniversary, the economy and the president. The interview is available in streaming audio from NPR's website here.

'60 Minutes' Gets Dolly
Morley Safer interviewed Dolly this week for a 60 Minutes profile that will air on the CBS program in April to coincide with the Broadway opening of 9 To 5: The Musical, Knoxville News Sentinel columnist Terry Morrow reported here Wednesday. He also mentioned here the move of her Larry King Live interview to Friday of this week, and another of the papers scribes, Greg Johnson, praised her role in the park anniversary and noted her global appeal in his column here.

Final D.C. Shots Up
Unless some additional readers send in more pictures, the final sets of photos from Dolly's time in Washington last week have been added to that section of the site here. These focus on "non-Dolly" aspects of the trip.

Stampede Gets 'Sha-Kon-O-Hey!'
Dolly's song "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" will make its way into the new season's show at her Dixie Stampede dinner theatres, The Branson Courier reports here. The song is the title track to a new musical she's written for Dollywood to celebrate the Smokies anniversary, with a CD of the musical's songs being sold as a fund-raiser for the park as well.

'Hannah' Nets More Coverage
Although it's already been reported that Dolly didn't shoot any scenes for the upcoming Hannah Montana movie, the Associated Press on Wednesday posted to its wire service the full interview in which she made comments about the film, resulting in it showing up on dozens of websites. Read it from Yahoo here.

Case Praises Dolly
Indie darling Neko Case singles out Dolly as one of the most important figures in the history of country music (with Johnny Cash and Hank Williams) and an inspiration to her as a female singer-songwriter in comments made during an interview with Mother Jones magazine here.

Allen Loves Her, Too
Those feelings are apparently shared by Lily Allen, who currently has the No. 1 single and album in the U.K. The singer wants to record with Dolly, she tells Extra TV in an interview recapped here.

Coco Goes To Dollywood
A drag queen walks into Dollywood . . . Sounds like the start of a joke, but Miss Coco Peru (hilarious in the film Girls Will Be Girls) recently blogged on her website here about a visit to the park ("The campiness and strangeness of it all was Heaven").

Library Tales
To continue publicizing its chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, Mason County, W.V., will hold a second kick-off event for the project, The Point Pleasant Register reports here. And in Arkansas, KTHV in Little Rock notes here about growing discussions on trying to take the program statewide.

Feb. 18:
'Dr. Double D' Rises Again
Dolly is slated to become the second person in history to receive an honorary degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the school announced Tuesday. In a press release, it was revealed that she was recommended for the honor by former Interim Chancellor Jan Simek and then approved by the campus' Faculty Senate. The final approval will come from the University's Board of Trustees, who will meet in Memphis a week from Thursday. In the release, Dolly noted: "It is an incredible honor for me to receive this degree from a prestigious university like UT. I've been a volunteer all my life and entertained folks around the world with 'Rocky Top,' Seriously, education and the arts are very important to me, and this degree is something that makes me and would have made my parents very proud." Current Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said: "Because of her career not just as a musician and entertainer, but for her role as a cultural ambassador, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for education, it is fitting that Dolly be honored with an honorary degree from the flagship educational institution of her home state." Dolly will collect the doctorate of humane and musical letters at the College of Arts and Sciences Spring Commencement, which will take place at 9 a.m. May 8 in the Thompson Boling Assembly Center and Arena. This marks the second UT Knoxville honorary degree, having bestowed its first on former U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. four years ago. This also marks Dolly's second honorary degree, having received one from Carson-Newman College in 1990, joking at the time she could now be called "Dr. Double D" – a reference to her married name of "Dolly Dean." Read the full press release from the University here. The story received a great deal of coverage Tuesday evening, including pieces from The Knoxville News Sentinel here, Knoxville television stations WBIR here and WATE here as well as CMT.com here.

NPC Photos Added
Special thanks to Bryce and Doug for sending in some shots of Dolly from her address last week to the National Press Club. Their images have been added to the section of the site on her Washington trip accessible here.

'Drives Me Crazy' Still Hitting Radio
"Drives Me Crazy" from Dolly's Backwoods Barbie continues to gain attention at radio. Her record label website, DollyPartonMusic.net, reported Tuesday that the song ranked No. 35 on a recent tally of airplay at adult contemporary radio stations, up from No. 42 two weeks ago. As was previously reported here, though, only the top 30 AC titles make the official Billboard chart, so it still has a little way to go. One reporting chart, however, shows the track losing speed. It had been in the top 40 for a couple of weeks on the Mediabase chart, which uses many of the same radio stations that report to Billboard but some different stations as well, so its numbers vary a bit from what is in the magazine. The song had recently been getting between 20 and 30 spins a week from the stations that report to Mediabase, putting it in the lower 30s on the tally, but airplay over the last seven days ending Monday showed the song no longer in the top 40.

Feb. 17:
Washington Video Available
The Dollymania News Video Report from Dolly's appearances in Washington last week has been added to that section of the site here. It's a little over eight minutes, and if you have a high-speed connection, it should only take a few seconds to load. Also posted tonight are streaming audio clips from the evening featuring Dolly's remarks to the crowd at the Gaylord (including her Q&A) as well as remarks from Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker and Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. There's still more to come from the trip!

Simpson Chatting About Dolly Again
Jessica Simpson cited Dolly again as a source of inspiration and support, the comments coming in a Valentine's Day concert, according to People magazine here. Thanks, Maggie!

Paper Covers NY Library
Sunday's Auburn Citizen in Auburn, N.Y., provided a very nice overview of Dolly's Imagination Library by profiling a family who participated in the literacy program in Dolly's native Sevier County, Tenn., before moving to New York and joining the chapter there. Take a read here.

Feb. 16:
More D.C. Galleries Posted
Three more galleries from Dolly's appearances in Washington last week have been added to that section of the website here. Check back throughout this week for more Dollymania photos, reader-submitted images from her National Press Club speech and even some audio from her Q&A and more. Photo at left is copyright © 2009 T. Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

Kellie Glad To Sing With Dolly
What was Kellie Pickler's reaction to getting to sing with her idol, Dolly, at a benefit show in Nashville earlier this month? "It was great, and really nice to be able to go up there and live a dream and to be able to perform with her. I was so grateful when she invited me out on the stage," she told The Tennessean here.

'You're Going To Dollywood!'
Thanks to Chris for pointing out that a trip to Dollywood was a prize on a recent episode of The Price Is Right. Watch a clip here.

Feb. 14:
See New D.C. Photos On Site
The next sets of images from Dolly's Tuesday appearances in Washington have been added to that section of the website here. More coverage is on its way! These focus on the performance portion of her Gaylord stop. In related news, her "boob" comment from the National Press Club speech made Bill O'Reilly's show on FOX News Thursday for the "Patriot or Pinhead" segment (he decided she was a "Patriot"). Catch it here. And some other photos from the evening were posted Friday here on Croatian site Javno. Photo at left is copyright © 2009 T. Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

King Pushed Back Again
For the second time this week, a plane crash has postponed Dolly's interview on CNN's Larry King Live. He had planned on Friday to broadcast her interview taped Tuesday in Washington as well as a sit-down with Tyler Perry, but the tragic downing of Continental Flight 3407 in Buffalo, N.Y., late Thursday night merited his program's hour on Friday evening. A spokesperson confirms Dolly's interview is now scheduled to air Feb. 20.

More Chart Updates
A CD with a Dolly connection was inadvertently left off of the countdown recap Thursday on this page. Steve Martin's bluegrass collection, The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, which features a Dolly and Vince Gill duet, debuts on the Feb. 21 Billboard tallies at No. 7 for Internet sales and No. 38 for independent label albums. It moves up one to capture the No. 1 spot on the bluegrass albums list. The album is available for its first three months of release as an Amazon.com exclusive prior to distribution to other stores. In other chart news, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 falls off the 100-position Irish pop albums chart, it was announced Friday, down from No. 74 in its 73rd chart week.

Latest On The Library
Expansions of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program earned mentions in two papers on Friday. The Chicago Daily Herald here noted its operations in the nearby Elgin area, and The Daily Journal in International Falls, Minn., reported here on its opening in Koochiching County.

LA Gets Country Exhibit
Wanna get up close and personal with some country music memorabilia, including a couple of Dolly pieces? Sparkle and Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey, an exhibit featuring a great deal from the singer's extensive collection of historic music-related costumes and other items, is coming to Los Angeles April 16 through Aug. 23 at the Autry National Center of the American West.

Feb. 13:
D.C. Galleries Start Going Up
The first galleries of images from Dolly's Tuesday appearances in the capital region in her role as international ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have gone up in a new section of the site here dedicated to those events. Look for more images from Tuesday night's Gaylord Resort appearance and her National Press Club speech in coming days, plus a few nice surprises for you as well to be added to that section. Image at left is copyright © 2009 T. Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

More NPC Coverage

Catch King Show On Friday

'16 Biggest' Gone From Charts
After 69 weeks on the country albums tally, Dolly's 16 Biggest Hits drops off of the 75-position list in the Feb. 21 numbers, Billboard announced Thursday. The 2007 CD falls from No. 54 in the previous week. It peaked at No. 32 and actually remained on the charts longer than all but four of her previous albums. (It proved so popular that Sony is re-issuing it here on March 24.) The foreign compilation The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 also falls back off the top 50 Canadian country albums tally after resurfacing for one week at No. 50. Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, with Dolly on the title song, holds steady at No. 55 American country in its 20th week. Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, featuring her cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," slips one to No. 70 country in its 19th week. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, with Dolly on "Gold," rises two to No. 66 country in its 33rd week. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, with Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," holds steady at No. 5 on the country catalog albums chart and rises six on the Canadian country chart to No. 19. Dierks Bentley's Feel That Fire debuts at No. 1 country and No. 3 pop while Taylor Swift's Fearless falls two to No. 4 pop and one to No. 2 country in its 13th week.

Dolly Comments On 'Hannah' Film
Dolly confirmed to the Associated Press this week that she did not film any scenes for the upcoming Hannah Montana movie. She noted in a story here that she was asked by producers to appear in the film and had agreed to do so, but writers never added her "Aunt Dolly" character from the television show into the script.

Latest '9 To 5' Mention
9 To 5: The Musical earned some ink from The Christian Science Monitor here noting several upcoming Broadway shows. The newspaper included information on Dolly's musical, saying it "premiered in Los Angeles last fall to strong reviews."

Another N.C. Library Starts
The expansion of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program into the Salisbury, N.C., area made this week's Salisbury Post here.

Feb. 11:
Your First Look: Dolly Wows Gaylord Crowd
Promoting her home – the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee – brought Dolly to the nation's capital region on Tuesday, and her appearance left those gathered at the Gaylord National Resort outside of Washington ready to head down for some Southern hospitality. She was there as part of the state tourism department's Tennessee Sampler 2009 trade show aimed primarily at tour organizers and travel writers.
       Following remarks by Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker and Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, Dolly came on stage to capture the audience's attention in her version of a park ranger uniform.
       "I'm very honored to be the international ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the Smoky Mountains National Park," she said.
       She took questions from the crowd, including telling your webmaster that she plans to visit Dollywood during KidsFest this summer and "as many of the things we can do we will" (in addition to her previously announced March and May appearances at the park) but there are no benefit concerts planned at the park for 2009. She also addressed why she created Dollywood (to honor her people and provide jobs for the area), favorite memories growing up (the beautiful environment in the Smokies that surrounded them), her Imagination Library, what she thinks about Elvis (loves him), how she came to write the music for Sha-Kon-O-Hey! (the director, Paul Crouch, told her what types of songs he wanted and she sat down over the course of a few days and wrote them) and how she maintains her privacy ("Well, I already told everything! I've been around so long I can't image anything people don't know.").
       After giving attendees an opportunity to sample the food and drink and visit the booths for various Tennessee tourism venues present, Whitaker and Ditmanson again made remarks before Dolly returned in a different outfit to sing.
       Her mini-concert set, which she jokingly referred to as "Smoky Mountain karaoke" for singing to instrumental tracks instead of having a live band with her, featured "9 To 5," "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and "Smoky Mountain Memories" before she brought out some singers from Dollywood's Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land Of Blue Smoke cast to join her in one of the songs from the new show, "My Mountains, My Home." She left the cast members on their own to do "Hey Howdy Hey" and "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" (complete with a couple of acrobatic dancers, a tumbler and a dancer on pogo stilts). Dolly returned to lead them in "Heart Of The Smokies," another track from the musical, which opens at the park in May.
       Check out much more coverage from Dollymania over the next several days! (Due to travel on Wednesday, I'm not sure if your next update will be on Wednesday night or Thursday.) Click on the thumbnails for a larger view. Images are copyright © 2009 T. Duane Gordon/Dollymania.net. May not be reproduced without prior written consent.

NPC Appearance Goes Well, Too
Earlier in the day, Dolly addressed the National Press Club in D.C., which I'm told began with a brief speech, followed by an extensive question and answer session with the audience that even featured a couple of a capella songs. The Washington Times focused its coverage here on her comments about the Imagination Library literacy program, noting that proceeds from this summer's children's book she has written, I Am A Rainbow, will benefit the program. CNN pulled her jokes from the appearance about there having been too many boobs in the White House for her to run (noting that she hopes President Obama "ain't gonna be one of them") and women serving as president in a brief here. And Gannett News Service posted a piece available from The Tennessean here. CSPAN taped the presentation, although its air date has not been announced (after broadcast, it should be available for online viewing here), and the National Press Club should soon have video posted on its website for viewing as well. Both should also be selling DVDs and transcripts of her remarks. (A couple of readers who were in attendance promise photos, so check those out soon! Thanks, guys!)

King Moved Again
Dolly's Larry King Live interview has been moved once again. Originally scheduled for Tuesday night, and then bumped to Wednesday, the show has been bumped again due to additional interviews airing Wednesday night involving US Airways' "Miracle on the Hudson" flight. CNN is now scheduled to broadcast the appearance Friday night, splitting the hour between Dolly and Tyler Perry. CNN says Dolly discusses President Obama, women in the White House and the economy. The interview was taped in D.C. on Tuesday.

Feb. 10:
'Sha-Kon-O-Hey!' Offers Fun, Memories
Greetings from Washington! Your webmaster just finished listening to Dolly's new Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land Of Blue Smoke album and can tell you that the project, consisting of eight songs performed by Dolly and released on her Dolly Records, harkens back to her 1973 concept album My Tennessee Mountain Home. Given the subject matter – the history of the Great Smoky Mountains in honor of the National Park's 75th anniversary – the themes and imagery very much mirror those from her autobiographical album. Even many of the melodies seem faintly similar to tracks from that seminal work, with the most notable example being the opening number "My Mountains, My Home." You'll also love the mountain call Dolly does at the beginning of "Hey Howdy Hey," and you'll enjoy "Good Time," a rollicking good time of its own about that famous "mountain dew," moonshine. "Time Flies," with its rapid-pace lyrics about franticly working, would have fit in well on 9 To 5: The Musical. The full track listing is:

Coaster's Inside Story Released
Thanks to Tony for alerting me to a DVD from Forrester Media chronicling Dollywood's Mystery Mine ride from concept to opening. The Business Of Fun came out about two months back. Get your copy here!

Times Likes Cumming's Songs
Actor Alan Cumming's New York concert performance earned a great review from The New York Times here Monday, including notes that he covered Dolly's "Here You Come Again" and recounted the story of his friend Graham Norton spending 9/11 with Dolly at Dollywood taping a television special.

Feb. 9:
President, Pilot Push Parton Parley
Dolly will now appear on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday night instead of Tuesday, a spokesperson has confirmed. Apparently, President Obama's address on Monday night bumps the pilot and crew of the U.S. Airways "Miracle on the Hudson" plane to Tuesday night's program, which moves Dolly to Wednesday. The show airs live at 9 p.m. Eastern with repeats midnight and 3 a.m. the next morning. In related news, her Tuesday appearances in D.C. made the news blog The Examiner here over the weekend. And since your webmaster will be in D.C. for a few days, there may be a delay or two in updates early this week. Your patience is appreciated.

Alleged Stampede Interest Stirs Lawsuit
Could Dolly's flagship Dixie Stampede be looking to move or open a satellite location in the same city? Well, a lawsuit filed in December against the dinner theatre and a development company in charge of the Walden's Landing shopping center in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., alleges they intend to and that a neighboring restaurant doesn't like it. According to The Knoxville News Sentinel here, the company that owns Calhoun's Restaurant claims that the Stampede plans to build a dinner theatre in the complex where a miniature golf course and part of the parking lot and common areas now sit and claims this would adversely impact access to and visibility of the restaurant and Smoky Mountain Brewery. Thanks, Chris!

'Treading' For Dolly
Father Jim, the priest who put together Dolly's fund-raising concert in Kentucky last October, has a column this week from The Lexington Herald-Leader here about repentance that involves a treadmill gifted to him by Dolly and manager Danny Nozell. And speaking of her Kentucky charity concert, I'm told that the fans who purchased the meet-and-greet packages began receiving their DVDs over the weekend. The discs contain some footage of her meeting various people and a few brief excerpts from the show. Thanks, Jeff!

Blog Reminder
Don't forget to visit the blog on the upcoming movie The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom on Monday, when the climax of the filmmaker's quest to reach Dolly for her involvement in the project is expected to be detailed. Check it out here.

'Rhinestone' Remarks
Thanks to Laura for passing along a link to the cinema's description of Rhinestone from its showing in Los Angeles over the weekend. If you want a laugh, take a read here (but be warned of some harsh language on the page).

Library Gets Politico In Trouble
Campaign promises often come back to bite politicians, but they usually don't involve Dolly, or her Imagination Library literacy program, at least. A candidate for city treasurer in Uniontown, Pa., a couple of years ago pledged that if elected he would donate $10,000 toward the local chapter of Dolly's program. He won but only handed over $2,500, citing that this was all he could afford in the poor economy. Now, a local official has publicly called him out on not fulfilling the promise. Read about the controversy from The Herald Standard here.

Feb. 7:
Dolly And Kellie Wildhorse Images Submitted
Special thanks to Josh and Jon, both of whom sent in some great shots of Dolly and Kellie Pickler from Monday night's benefit concert at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. The show, which also featured Ronnie Dunn, Jennifer Hanson and several other artists, raised money for the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School. See their galleries in a new section of the site posted here. Image at left courtesy Josh Gass.

Smokies Disc Delayed A Few Days
Those wanting Dolly's Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land Of Blue Smoke will have to wait just a few more days. The Great Smoky Mountain Association (GSMA) announced Friday that their first shipment of the CDs was delayed, and they now anticipate them arriving on Wednesday, at which time they will immediately ship the orders that have been placed from their website for the album. As was previously noted, the project, which contains the songs Dolly wrote for a new Dollywood musical celebrating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's 75th anniversary, is raising money for the Friends of the Smokies. It is being sold at Dollywood, Dolly's Dixie Stampede and the GSMA website here.

Rising Across The Pond
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, her 2007 overseas compilation, inches up one this week on the Irish pop albums chart to reach No. 74 in its 73rd week, it was announced Friday.

Lovely Lee Ann
Lee Ann Womack lists Dolly's "9 To 5" among her 10 favorite Grammy-winning tunes, revealing that she owns the piano that was used in the recording of the song. Read her CMT.com article here.

A 'Rhinestone' In An LA World
LA crowds wanting some Dolly and Sly should head out to the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Saturday night to catch the pair in their 1984 film Rhinestone, NBC Los Angeles reports here.

Stampede Starts New Season
Dolly's Dixie Stampede dinner theatre's Myrtle Beach, S.C., location opened for the new season Friday, according to Myrtle Beach Online, which highlighted it here noting the stampeding Texas longhorns that now open the show and its new "Spirit of the Bird" performance.

Feb. 6:
'Sha-Kon-O-Hey' Becomes Available
Dolly's long-awaited Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land Of Blue Smoke CD, containing the eight songs that make up her new musical that will open at Dollywood on May 9, is now available for orders. The disc is being sold at the park's Emporium store, Dolly's Dixie Stampede dinner theatre and online on the Great Smoky Mountain Association website here for $10 each plus shipping. In addition, anyone who purchases a 2009 Gold Pass at the theme park will receive a free copy of the album. As was previously reported, Dolly is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the CD's first-year sales to the Friends of the Smokies as part of her role as the 75th anniversary ambassador for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (for those who receive their disc from the season park promotion, details of which are available here, Dollywood will make a donation to the Park). In related news, The Knoxville News-Sentinel on Thursday plugged Dolly's upcoming appearances in Washington next week to promote the anniversary. Check it out here.

On The Set Of 'Barbie' Video

Dolly Gets LA Nomination
Dolly has snagged a nomination for this year's Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical Score for the music and lyrics of 9 To 5: The Musical. Her competition is Michael Friedman for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey with Jeffery Leonard Bowman for Lovelace: A Rock Opera. The musical's LA test run last fall also earned a nomination for Andy Blankenbuehler for Best Choreography. The show didn't receive any additional nominations. Winners will be announced March 16. Read more from Playbill here and TheatreMania here. Previews on Broadway begin April 7 with the official opening night April 30. Photo of Dolly with cast members Stephanie J. Block, Allison Janney and Megan Hilty is by Justin Stephens and is courtesy Center Theatre Group.

'16' Moves Up
Dolly's 16 Biggest Hits moves up five spots to No. 54 in its 69th week on the U.S. country albums chart, the Feb. 14 Billboard numbers revealed Thursday. The foreign compilation The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 re-enters the top 50 Canadian country albums tally at No. 50. Jessica Simpson's Do You Know, featuring Dolly on her title track, gains three to No. 55 American country in its 19th week. Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights, including her cover of Porter & Dolly's "The Pain Of Loving You," slides 14 to No. 69 country in its 18th week, while Randy Owen's solo album, One On One, with the Dolly-written song "Holding Everything," falls back off the 75-position country list, down from No. 71 the previous week, its 14th. Emmylou Harris' All I Intended To Be, featuring Dolly on "Gold," inches down one to No. 68 country in its 32nd week. Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted, with Dolly on "When I Get Where I'm Going," holds steady at No. 5 on the country catalog albums chart and gains seven on the Canadian country chart to No. 25. Taylor Swift's Fearless loses the top spot on the pop charts, dipping to No. 2 in its 12th week with 55,000 copies sold, but it holds onto the No. 1 country position, while Pat Green's What I'm For debuts at No. 2 country and No. 18 pop with 18,000 copies moved in its first week.

Skaggs Re-Issuing Classics
You'll be able to soon get a couple of classic Dolly tracks on CD again, according to CMT.com. Ricky Skaggs plans to re-issue all of his 1980s Epic Records recordings on his Skaggs Family Records label, including 1983's Don't Cheat In Our Hometown, which featured Dolly harmony on "Don't Step Over An Old Love" and "A Vision Of Mother." The first disc in the series hits stores Feb. 24, but the release date for Cheat has yet to be announced.

Another Opry Opportunity
Thanks to Maggie for alerting me to another item with The Grand Old Opry. The institution is seeking nominations for the "Greatest Classic Country song of all time." Suggest your favorite Dolly track for the competition here.

Library Developments Across The South
Getting Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program in your community just could make you Citizen of the Year. That's what happened to Jean McManus, who was so honored by the Rotary Club in Eunice, La., this week, The Opelousas Daily World reported here Thursday. And over in Georgia, Upson County held a kick-off for its chapter there, The Thomaston Times noted here.

Feb. 5:
Kenny & Dolly To Reunite In Studio
Look for a new Kenny and Dolly duet, Dolly announced Wednesday in her bi-weekly blog on her record label website, DollyPartonMusic.net. She said in the latest installment of her blog that she will join Kenny Rogers in the studio soon to record a duet for his next album.

'9 To 5' Hitting DVD Again
20th Century Fox appears to be trying and cash in on the attention that the Broadway opening of 9 To 5: The Musical will bring the original film on which it is based. The studio's home video division on April 7, the same day that Dolly's musical opens for previews in New York, will release a three-DVD boxed set titled The Laughs, Love & Lyrics Collection which will feature the original film 9 To 5 grouped with the Barbara Striesand musical Hello Dolly and the Bette Midler classic The Rose. Reserve your copy here!

Feb. 4:
Dolly Takes Gospel Honor
Although she was not expected to make it, Dolly surprised everyone with a quick stop at the Gospel Music Foundation Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Nashville Monday night immediately prior to a benefit concert across town where she was performing. I understand all other honorees had accepted their awards when the emcee began describing Dolly's accomplishments and contributions to the genre as the evening's final inductee. When her name was called, she walked out from behind a door, waved to everyone and came on stage. Other Hall inductees were Bobby Jones, Lari Goss, the Dixie Hummingbirds and Michael W. Smith, with whom she is shown at left; click on the picture for a larger view. (Image courtesy Aaron Crisler/GospelMusicUpdate.com. Used with permission.) See more shots at Gospel Music Update here! Thanks! Coverage is also available from The Tennessean here and Country Weekly here.

Dolly Sings Tenn. Mtn. Praises
The Tennessee Department of Tourism Development on Tuesday officially announced that Dolly will headline an exclusive VIP event in the Washington, D.C., area next Tuesday to promote her home state. Her slate of appearances will serve to highlight the yearlong 75th anniversary celebration of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for which she is the national ambassador. Her day begins with her previously-announced sold-out speech to the National Press Club luncheon, followed by a media briefing where she'll be joined by Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker and Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, then an invitation-only performance noted here a few days ago where she'll premiere songs from her new musical, Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke, which opens May 9 at Dollywood. The performance is part of the Tennessee Sampler annual trade show highlighting the state's tourism offerings aimed primarily at tour operators, AAA officials, travel writers and the media. Immediately afterward, she'll be interviewed on CNN's Larry King Live at 9 p.m. (with repeats at midnight and 3 a.m. next Wednesday). In the release, Dolly noted: "As an East Tennessee girl, I'm honored to have been chosen as the official ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park's 75th anniversary. I've been the unofficial ambassador for years, singing the praises of God's spectacular beauty all around the world.  These mountains inspired my new Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke musical and CD, and this is my way of making sure folks everywhere know what a wonderful treasure they are." Whitaker added in the release: "Having Dolly Parton kick off the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the nation's capital is a marvelous way to celebrate this important Tennessee tourism story." Look for coverage from D.C. on Dollymania next week, as your webmaster will be in attendance for some of the appearances. Image of Larry King courtesy CNN. Used with permission.

Benefit Concert Goes Well
Thanks to Mary and Rick for passing along word of how great Dolly was Monday night at the WIldhorse Saloon for the charity show to benefit the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School. She took to the stage around 10 p.m. and offered the enthusiastic crowd renditions of "Two Doors Down," "Jolene," "Coat Of Many Colors," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." All of the songs were performed completely live, and when she got to the chorus of "9 To 5," Kellie Pickler came out to sing along, taking the second verse herself and then dancing around with Dolly a little on stage. I'm told Pickler, the American Idol singer who cited Dolly as her personal idol, was supposed to return to the stage immediately after Dolly to perform again, but she couldn't resist riding down the elevator with Dolly when she left following her set, so the audience waited for her to ride it back up. Other performers on the bill at "Dolly Parton and Friends" included Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn, Jennifer Hanson and members of '80s metal bands Slaughter and Night Ranger. Coverage is available from CMT.com's news pages here and blog here.

Auction For Charity Continues
You still have a little time left to bid on co-writer Rivers Rutherford's handwritten lyrics to "When I Get Where I'm Going" autographed not only him and co-writer George Teren but also Brad Paisley and Dolly, who sang the No. 1 duet. Proceeds benefit the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. As of press time, the high bid was $1,136. The auction concludes Thursday on eBay here.

Feb. 3:
Report: Dolly Passes On 'Hannah' Film
Does she or doesn't she? There are conflicting stories as to whether or not Dolly drops in on the upcoming big screen adaptation of goddaughter Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana. Newsmagazine blog Examiner.com on Monday quoted her publicist here as saying: "Dolly Parton will not appear in the film, as she had turned down the role." Dolly, who appeared twice on the television show as "Aunt Dolly," was reported by many media outlets as having reprised the role in the film version, due out in April. Among several others, both Nashville TV station WKRN and cable network E! reported last year that they had confirmed her appearance in the movie. In addition, the Internet Movie Database, which has a very extensive list of cast and crew members, shows her as appearing in the film, and media reports as late as two weeks ago noted her involvement as well.

'Crazy' Impacting Radio
Dolly's version of "Drives Me Crazy" is apparently getting some attention at radio. Her record label website, DollyPartonMusic.net, reported Monday that the song is the 42nd most played on the current Hot Adult Contemporary radio list. Unfortunately, it still has a way to go, as only the top 30 songs make the official Hot Adult Contemporary chart.

Feb. 2:
Dolly's Music Site Getting Makeover
DollyPartonMusic.net, the official website for Dolly's record label, Dolly Records, and home of its Big Wigs street team and Dolly-ites online fan community, on Sunday began its site redesign, which the site says will be complete in March. As a result, Dolly-ite members are asked to visit the site and update their passwords. In addition, with the dramatic reduction in site content, all memberships are being automatically extended for three months at no cost in appreciation for patience during the redesign, according to the site. When a new front page and handful of other pages went "live" on Sunday, most areas of the old website disappeared, following a few days of the member-only message board going offline.

Benefit Reminder
Plenty of tickets remain on sale for Dolly's benefit appearance Monday in Nashville to raise funds for the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School. The Dolly-headlined event, which also features Kellie Pickler and Ronnie Dunn in addition to other entertainers, will take place that evening at the Wildhorse Saloon. (As was previously reported here, the concert unfortunately prevents her from appearing at her Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame induction in town at the same time. Sister Stella Parton will accept that honor on her behalf.) Standing-room-only tickets for the benefit remain available for $45 each from Ticketmaster here. A handful of $500 VIP tickets, which include front-of-stage seating, parking and limited backstage access, were being offered via phone at 615-371-8878, but I don't know if any of those are left.

Dolly Package At Auction
Attendees at the weekend's Evergreen Ball, which raised $320,000 for Friends of the Smokies, had the opportunity to bid on a great Dolly package, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Although the final price tag was not reported, winners Sid and Jo Blalock bought the item, which includes dinner in Dolly's Dollywood apartment, VIP seating at the park's May opening of her Sha Kon O Hey! musical celebrating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th anniversary, photographs with Dolly backstage at the show and airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets to Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical on Broadway. Dolly was not present at the event but apparently made an appearance on video screens, the report indicated. She is the official 75th Anniversary ambassador for the park and will donate proceeds from a recording of Sha Kon O Hey! to the Friends of the Smokies for one year. Read the full story here.

Musical Preview Coming
And speaking of Sha Kon O Hey!, look for coverage on Dollymania in about a week and a half from a special preview of the show with Dolly as part of an invitation-only tourism promotion event for the state of Tennessee.