Lanes Moving On Film, TV Project
Thanks to Larry and Gary Lane for the scoop on some of their Dolly-related activities coming up. They're close to wrapping up filming on Hollywood To Dollywood with guest spots by Chad Allen and Sordid Lives cast members Leslie Jordan (shown at left with them) and Beth Grant (who also appeared in Blue Valley Songbird with Dolly), and an interview still to be done with Lance Black, an appearance by the "Travelin' Dolly," and a possible interview with Lily Tomlin if her schedule permits. Footage that has been shot thus far is being edited now and they hope to get a first cut to Dolly as soon as possible so she can consider granting authority to use the 10 songs that are currently sung in the documentary. But their big new news is that on Aug. 10 they will be filming an episode of Celebrity Chefs of Beverly Hills for The Food Network. Chefs will be cooking a meal entirely from recipes contained in Dolly's fund-raising cookbook Dolly Parton's Dixie Fixin's. Guests coming for the dinner include Grant, Allen, Sordid Lives creator Del Shores and Ann Walker, another cast member from his television show. Thanks, guys!

Park Coverage
Check out a nice little travel piece on Dollywood from We Love DC here.

Chart Updates
Steve Martin's The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, featuring a Dolly duet, holds steady at No. 9 bluegrass albums in its 74th chart week, the Aug. 7 Billboard charts showed Thursday. On the overall charts, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now regains one to No. 1 country and two to No. 9 pop in its 26th week with 25,000 units sold, while The Zac Brown Band's The Foundation rises one to No. 2 country and three to No. 14 pop in its 88th week.

July 29:
'Idol' Finalist To Star In '9 To 5'
Third season American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo (shown at left with your webmaster in 2008) has announced she has been cast in the "Dolly" role of Doralee Rhodes in the national touring company of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical, which kicks off this fall in Nashville. The singer, who actually got her start pre-Idol as a performer at Dollywood, has appeared in two Broadway shows in recent years, Hair and Hairspray. Playbill noted DeGarmo's tweet of the news here Wednesday, also revealing that sources say Dee Hoty, another Broadway performer, will take on the role of Violet. In somewhat related news, maybe it's a curse at the venue, but Come Fly Away, the Twyla Tharp choreographed and directed musical based on the greatest hits of Frank Sinatra, will close in September, Billboard reported here Wednesday. The show, which played the Marquis Theatre, the same place as Dolly's did last year, had a nearly identical March to September run before closing.

July 28:
Vincent Guest Spot Coming
Rhonda Vincent has announced that her next CD, Taken, will hit stores Sept. 21 from her own Upper Management Music label and feature a Dolly duet on the track "In The Garden By The Fountain." The album is already available for pre-order from Vincent's website here. Vincent, who has appeared performing harmony on several of Dolly's recordings, has previously featured Dolly guest vocals on the single "Heartbreaker's Alibi" from All American Bluegrass Girl in 2006 and "The Blues Ain't Working On Me" from 1996's Trouble Free.

Twins' Doc Gets Newspaper Notice
The Lane Twins' Hollywood To Dollywood documentary that has been discussed so much here made Terry Morrow's blog on the Knoxville News Sentinel website Tuesday from his reporting this week on location in Los Angeles. He promises he'll meet Gary and Larry while in town and report more. Check out his note here.

Broadway Star's CD Coming
Broadway star Haviland Stillwell will honor Dolly with a cover on her next CD, How I Role, Sept. 12, Broadway World reports here. Although the exact title of the Dolly number was not revealed, she is known to perform "Here You Come Again" in concert, as evidenced on YouTube here.

July 26:
Moving Up Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, the 2007 overseas compilation disc from Sony, regains two spots this week to No. 6 on the Australian top 20 country tally in its 65th week Down Under, it was announced Sunday.

Pickler Expands Dolly Repertoire
Dolly devotee Kellie Pickler last year covered Dolly's "9 To 5" on her tour dates, and this year's she's chosen two Dolly songs to perform on tour: "Jolene" and "Two Doors Down," according to Tulsa World here over the weekend. Other reports noted that Dolly recorded a videotaped introduction for the American Idol finalist for her concert dates this year. She's currently on tour opening for Rascal Flatts.

Cincy Loves Dollywood
The Cincinnati Enquirer gives its take on Dollywood's 25th season and some surrounding Pigeon Forge, Tenn., attractions Sunday here.

July 24:
Can You Help Lucy's Museum?
The Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Museum has received a photo of Lucy with Dolly and her sister Rachel from the 1980s and is seeking information on when and where it was taken. Can any readers out there help? If so, send an e-mail to info@lucy-desi.com. Thanks, Mike!

'Boot' Talks To Dolly About Life Story
Dolly repeats her position that she's working on her life story musical without knowing whether it will be for Broadway or film in a brief interview with AOL's country music blog, The Boot, here this week. The only new news in the story is that she is also writing songs for a new CD, although no other details about it are given.

Mountain Soul Winner Noted
Check out a profile here from Memphis' Commercial Appeal about this year's winner of the Mountain Soul vocal competition in Sevierville, Tenn., where only songs written by favorite hometown girl Dolly are allowed.

Library Impact Lauded
The Middletown, Ohio, chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library has seen impressive results with its local families, according to a report covered by the local newspaper here.

July 23:
'9 To 5' Adds Pennsylvania Stop
Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical will open next year's Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera season, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported here Thursday. The show will play there May 31 through June 5 at the Benedum Center downtown. The growing list of tour cities, still available only on Dollymania, is:

Chart Updates
Steve Martin's The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, with its Dolly collaboration, dips one to No. 9 bluegrass albums in its 73rd chart week, the July 31 Billboard charts indicated Thursday. On the overall charts, Jerrod Niemann's Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury debuts at No. 1 country and No. 7 pop, while Lady Antebellum's Need You Now falls one to No. 2 country and two to No. 11 pop in its 25th week after 24 weeks in the top spot.

July 22:
A Look At Dollywood
In honor of Dollywood's 25th season, The Tennessean has collected its various photos from the park over the years in a gallery available here.

Imagination Library Gives Special Book
Chapters of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program are used to giving away books, but in Maryville, Tenn., one special book was dedicated this week in memory of a local child killed by a drunk driver. Learn more here.

July 21:
Dolly's Voice, Music In Upcoming Film
The article is a bit old, but thanks to Tony for alerting me to a piece from The Montreal Gazette that gives a bit more detail on the indie flick, The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom. As was previously noted here, the picture was filming in Canada this summer and focuses on a young girl who runs away from home convinced that Dolly is her birthmother. The article revealed that it will be set at the height of her country music career in 1976 and that while she doesn't appear in it, she did record a voiceover of a letter that she writes to the young girl and she has allowed her music to be used – which will be a mix of both original Dolly recordings and new cover versions by "hot" Canadian performers such as Martha Wainwright and Patrick Watson. Read more here.

Cyrus Plugs CD
AOL's "The Boot" country music blog has premiered the music video for the first single from Billy Ray Cyrus' new band, Brother Clyde, here and notes that on the CD's release date of Aug. 10 they'll post an interview with him about the project, which features what has been described as a duet that has Dolly "rocking out." Get the album here.

July 20:
Dollywood Plans Night Events
Want to ride Dollywood's coasters in the dark? The park has announced one week of extended hours: 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Aug. 2-6 and Aug. 8 and 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. Aug. 7. This marks the only nighttime park hours until the Smoky Mountain Christmas period at year-end. To mark the occasion, a special $25 plus tax admission ticket will be offered for the 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. segment of the day (season passholders and those who buy regular priced tickets for the earlier portion of the day will be able to enjoy the extended hours without any additional purchase). The park's normal closing time in July is 8 p.m., while its August closing time varies from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. depending on the day.

In Memoriam: Fred Carter Jr.
Session guitarist and songwriter Fred Carter Jr., father of singer Deana Carter, died Saturday at the age of 76, it was announced Monday. He had played on many artists' biggest hits, including songs by Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and Willie Nelson. In the mid-1970s, he was called in to play on many of Dolly's recordings, most notably "Jolene," "Just The Way I Am," "Down From Dover" and "Daddy Come And Get Me," among others. The pair reunited on Deana Carter's 2007 CD, The Chain, which found her covering artists on whose recordings her father had played. She sang a duet with Dolly on "Love Is Like A Butterfly" for that collection, with her father playing classical guitar. Read more from his obituaries from The Tennessean here and GAC here.

July 19:
Slipping A Tad Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, the foreign greatest hits collection that Sony put out three years ago, dips two places this week to No. 8 on the Australian top 20 country tally in its 64th week Down Under, it was revealed Sunday.

Final Flood Pics Posted
What may be the final Dollymania galleries from Dolly's Nashville fund-raising weekend have been added to that section of the site here thanks to correspondent Jason Worley.

'9 To 5' Promotions Begin
Thanks to Solomon for directing me to a brief promotional video of Dolly to promote the Charlotte, N.C., stop on the tour of her 9 To 5: The Musical. Check out the venue's page on the show here and click on the thumbnail of Dolly to access the video (fourth of four tumbnails just below the media window on the page that will open). Most likely, she's recorded similar messages for other stops on the tour, although this is the first to be brought to my attention.

Crow Digs Some Dolly
Promoting her new CD overseas, Sheryl Crow sat down with London's The Guardian newspaper to chat, and her residence in Nashville led the interviewer to ask whether she's met the city's "most famous resident, Dolly Parton." She replied here: "I have and I adore her. She's fantastic. She's wicked smart, really sharp and funny. She's the real deal."

Some Dolly Travel Tips
Check out a profile of Dollywood centering on its activities for its 25th season from The Tennessean travel section published this weekend here. And speaking of travel, a writer for Online Athens has a neat little Dolly connection to her train travels relayed in a piece here.

July 16:
Rogers Offers Details On Special, CD
Kenny Rogers has yet to begin shopping around the finished television special featuring Dolly and many other guests in honor of his 50th anniversary in entertainment, he tells The Dallas News here this week, but he promises it will air before year-end. In addition, he revealed to the paper that he is currently working on a new album to be called Killer Combinations which will feature new duets with Dolly, Wynonna and Lionel Richie, among others. The most recent new Kenny & Dolly duet was "Tell Me That You Love Me" from last year's Time-Life boxed set Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years.

More Flood Relief Shots Added
Additional galleries from Dolly's Nashville fund-raising weekend by Jason Worley are now available in that area of the site here.

Warhols Go On Display
Two of the set of 1984 Dolly portraits by Andy Warhol have gone on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The pieces are part of a display of works owned by Doris Fisher and her late husband, Donald, founders of the Gap stores. The Los Angeles Times' critic, however, was unimpressed by the pair, saying here that they embodied "his dreadful late-career decline."

Chart Updates
Steve Martin's The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, featuring a Dolly duet, falls two to No. 8 bluegrass albums in its 72nd chart week, the July 24 Billboard charts showed Thursday. On the overall charts, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now holds on at No. 1 country and gains one to No. 9 pop in its 24th week, while The Zac Brown Band's The Foundation holds steady at No. 2 country and No. 15 pop in its 86th week.

When Is Big Too Big?
A Texas woman who idolized Dolly and wanted to obtain her figure is fighting for her life as a result of a staph infection due to plastic surgery gone wrong. The story of Sheyla Hershey, who went to South America to obtain whopping size 38MMM implants and take the world record for largest breasts, is told here. The story notes she previously told the press that she's wanted to look like Dolly since she was 9 years old and even had two ribs removed so she could mimic Dolly's tiny waist.

July 15:
'Today' Cuts Dollywood Segment
Although it had been previously announced that Dolly would appear on Wednesday's episode of NBC's Today show in footage shot back in June for a profile on Dollywood's 25th anniversary season and the Imagination Library and that correspondent Jenna Bush, who visited the park with a network film crew in June, would have a live satellite broadcast from the park on the show, the story did not air as was planned. Knoxville News Sentinel television reporter Terry Morrow reported here that the segment was "nixed" without the network releasing a reason why or any word on whether it might air at a later date. In other park-related news:

Cyrus: Rocking Dolly 'Kicked Ass'
Dolly rocks out on the upcoming Billy Ray Cyrus band Brother Clyde CD, Cyrus tells AntiMusic here. He explained: "Dolly she said she wanted to rock. She came to my studio, brought homemade corn, mashed potatoes and a spread of country cooking. We ate, played guitar for an hour then she just kicked ass. She became like Tina Turner. You could tell she really wanted this." As was previously reported, the CD, Lately, will hit stores Aug. 10. Get yours here! The critic calls the track "irresistible" and said that Dolly is "shockingly hard-rocking."

Writer: Dolly Song Speaks To Nation
A great column in Mississippi's Hattiesburg American here on Wednesday used Dolly's "Coat Of Many Colors" as a metaphor for our diverse nation and how its fabric has remained intact through struggle and strife over the years.

July 14:
More Dollywood Pictures Posted
Tonight we get back to our backlog of photos from Dolly's recent Dollywood appearances, this time with a selection of galleries by Dollymania correspondent Jason Worley of one of her stops at the park during the weekend that she raised funds for Nashville flood relief. Check them out in that section of the site here!

$50K Minimum Bid On Dolly Package Set
Organizers of the upcoming Evening of Elegance fund-raiser for the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation have announced that the "Backwoods Barbie-Q II" auction package will have a minimum starting bid of $50,000. As was first reported here, the auction item features dinner at Dolly's Tennessee Mountain Home for two winners and 10 of their friends before the winners get a night in Dolly's guest cottage on the property followed by breakfast cooked by, served by and eaten with Dolly herself. The item was first offered to fans at last year's event, bringing in $75,000. The Evening of Elegance takes place at the Mills Auditorium in Gatlinburg at 6 p.m. Aug. 14. Tickets, $200 each, are available from Amy Kingery at (865) 446-9628.

Michigan Celebrates Library
The Albion, Mich., chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program celebrated its sponsors with a donor reception this week, The Battle Creek Enquirer reported here.

July 13:
Dolly Drag Helps CD
She and her producer have already confided to several interviewers about their Dolly test of songs for Kylie Minogue's new CD (she'd sing each one in the "style" of Dolly with an acoustic guitar, and if the country version worked, they knew the pop version would, too, and would record it for the album). But the singer in her latest round of interviews added the fact that she actually dressed up in her version of Dolly drag – a "cheap" cowgirl outfit – and put her producer in a cowboy outfit to play Kenny to her Dolly. Check out her comments about going all the way and dressing like Dolly for the CD from Monster & Critics here.

July 12:
'Very Best' Rises Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, Sony's 2007 overseas compilation disc, rises six spots this week on the Australian top 20 country tally, coming in at No. 6 in its 63rd week Down Under, it was revealed Sunday.

Library News
Marshfield, Wisc., piloted a small chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library recently to study the impact on parents' health literacy, according to The Marshfield News Herald here.

Sandwich In Jeopardy
Dolly could be losing her sandwich at the famed Stage Deli on Seventh Avenue in New York City, CNN reported here Sunday. For years, the No. 24 – two rolls of pastrami and corned beef – has been called the "Dolly Parton" at the restaurant that gives different sandwiches the names of various celebrities, but its owner says he's considering various candidates to replace Dolly as the titular personality for that number. Dolly herself stole the No. 24 from another buxom star, Raquel Welch.

July 10:
More Parade Pics Posted
Yes, there are more backlogged pictures going up tonight. This time it's some reader-submitted galleries from Dolly's Dollywood Homecoming in May. Thanks to Chris and the Schmidlis! They're available in that section of the site here!

'Whoadeo' Returns In Branson
Dolly's Branson, Mo., Dixie Stampede has announced an Oct. 9 date for the return of its "Whoadeo" stick horse rodeo for kids. The event will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. Check out Ozarks First here for more information.

July 9:
New Homecoming Shots Available
Tonight's galleries added to the site are some more by Dollymania correspondent Jason Worley from Dolly's Pigeon Forge homecoming parade this year. They've been added to that section of the site here!

U.S. Chart Updates
Steve Martin's The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, with a Dolly collaboration, slips three to No. 6 bluegrass albums in its 71st chart week, the July 17 Billboard charts revealed Thursday. On the overall charts, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now holds on at No. 1 country and rises two to No. 10 pop in its 23rd week, while The Zac Brown Band's The Foundation gains one to No. 2 country and three to No. 15 pop in its 85th week.

Library Hits New York State
Elba, N.Y., has signed on for Dolly's Imagination Library literacy program, The Batavian reported here Thursday. Registration there begins July 12.

July 8:
'9 To 5' Video, Denver Date Released

More Pics Posted Tonight
The next set of backlogged photos to go up on the site are additional galleries from Dollymania photographer Harrell Gabehart of her Nashville flood relief weekend at Dollywood. They've been added to that section of the site here!

Children's Choir Gets Noticed
Wonder who the kids were who were singing with Dolly on stage for the Hallmark Channel special Dolly Celebrates 25 Years Of Dollywood last weekend? The Knoxville News Sentinel offered a profile of them on Wednesday here.

'Bert' Conquers Dollywood
The Tennessee episode of the new Travel Channel series Bert The Conqueror premiered Wednesday night featuring the art of catfish grappling, the thrill rides along the Parkway in Pigeon Forge and a visit to Dollywood. The host shares his experience riding the Thunderhead wooden roller coaster and Dolly briefly appears in her park tour and again to chat with him for a few seconds. Check out repeats at 2 a.m. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17, and 2 a.m. Sunday, July 18.

July 7:
Pictures From Flood Relief Days
Tonight's look back at a recent Dollywood appearance centers on her Nashville flood relief weekend at the park. We've added some galleries of images by Dollymania photographer Harrell Gabehart. Check them out in that section of the site here!

July 6:
Few More Shots From Dollywood
Now that your webmaster's many travels for June are complete, I'm going to try and go through the backlog of pictures from Dolly's various Dollywood appearances this year that have yet to be posted, starting with a few from KidsFest that have been added to that section of the website here.

'Montana' Returns This Weekend
The Disney Channel's final season of Hannah Montana starring Dolly goddaughter Miley Cyrus starts up next Sunday on the cable channel. While the air date for the episode featuring Dolly has yet to be announced (only the first three episodes have been scheduled yet), The Chicago Sun Times reports here that Dolly and Billy Ray Cyrus will sing their new duet, "Feels Like The Right Time," on the show. "It does feel like the right time for Dolly and I and Miley and all of us to kind of turn the page," he told the paper.As was previously reported, the duet will appear on Lately, the first album by Billy Ray's new band, Brother Clyde, which Disney releases Aug. 10.

July 5:
Moving Up Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Vol. 1, Sony's 2007 overseas compilation disc, regains five places this week on the Australian top 20 country tally, coming in at No. 12 in its 62nd week Down Under, it was announced Sunday.

Dollywood Special Airs
Dolly Celebrates 25 Years Of Dollywood premiered Saturday night on The Hallmark Channel, featuring Dolly performing "My Mountains, My Home," "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning," "9 To 5," "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" and "Celebrate The Dreamer" on the temporary stage set up at Dollywood for the special's taping. She also duetted on "I Will Always Love You" and "Islands In The Stream" with Kenny Rogers, "Jolene" with Miley Cyrus, "Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man" with Billy Ray Cyrus and snippets of "My Tennessee Mountain Home" with Miley and Billy Ray and "Romeo" with Miley during interview segments. Well wishes on the anniversary were shown from Reba McEntire and Brad Paisley, and Dolly appeared between segments to give mini-histories of different areas of the park, including the eagle sanctuary, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Chapel and Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library. The show – plus Dolly's publicity appearances throughout the week leading up to it and notices in newspaper TV sections urging viewers to tune in – pushed the theme park to the No. 2 most popular search of the day Saturday on Yahoo, it was noted here. Still no word on the release date of the program DVD.

Dolly's Jokes Live On
"Only Dolly Parton could get away with it," the organizer of A Capitol Fourth in Washington, D.C., told his hometown newspaper, recounting Dolly's comments about naming her breasts "shock" and "awe" when she was on stage at the 2003 Independence Day concert in front of the nation's Capitol Building. "I almost dropped dead," he remembered. " I thought, 'I'm gonna get a lot of e-mails.' But I didn't get any." Read his interview with The Worchester Telegram & Gazette here.

July 3:
Dolly: Possible Movie Coming
Dolly dropped a bombshell for Entertainment Weekly this week while making the rounds to promote Saturday's 8 p.m. Eastern Hallmark Channel special, Dolly Celebrates 25 Years Of Dollywood. When the publication asked what she was doing she noted that while she was not working on a new album right now she had received "a real good offer" to star in a new film and "if it comes though, I'll probably start a movie in October to have a movie out next year." She said she didn't want to say what it was yet. In addition, she said she was writing music for consideration as theme songs for a couple of other films, presumably ones she would not appear in as an actress. She also noted in the interview that hosting and appearing as musical guest on Saturday Night Live back in the 1980s was "the hardest week I ever worked in my life" but she'd "absolutely" be willing to host the program again if asked. Another tidbit she's hinted at but I don't think fully revealed until this interview was that Dollywood was "just about" to build a "full-blown resort, with a spa and restaurant and everything" before the economy tanked, forcing them to put those plans on hold. Read the full story here. In related news:

Dolly Celebrates The Fourth

July 2:
Download 'Celebrate,' Enter For DVD
Those who've seen and heard me belt this one out around Dollywood will know how excited your webmaster was to find that The Hallmark Channel has made available for free downloading a live MP3 recording of Dolly performing "Celebrate The Dreamer (In You)" from Saturday night's special. Visit the section of the network's Facebook page here and click on the "Dollywood" tab to access it. In addition, the network has announced that the special will be issued on DVD, although the release date has yet to be revealed. (The Facebook page is also giving away 50 autographed copies of the yet-to-be-released DVD. Check out its wall for details on how to enter.) Although the show (airing at 8 p.m. Eastern Saturday with an 11 p.m. repeat) is making most newspapers' must-see-TV lists for the holiday weekend, frequent Dolly interviewer and Knoxville News Sentinel television critic Terry Morrow thought very little of the special. Check out his pretty scathing review here. Publicity image by Alexx Henry/2010 Crown Media United States and courtesy Hallmark Channel.

Media Rounds Wrap-Up

New CD Coming?
No word is yet available on its content, but eMax Media Group Inc. this week announced among its holiday season 2010 releases will be a CD titled Dolly Parton and Friends: 25th Anniversary Album. Read the press release here. More details as they become available.

BIlly Ray Duet Details
It had previously been reported that Dolly has lent guest vocals to Billy Ray Cyrus's upcoming album by his new band, Brother Clyde. The Knoxville News Sentinel reveals in an interview with him this week that the song is called "Feels Like The Right Time." Read more here. And reserve your copy of Disney's Aug. 10 release, Lately, from Amazon.com here.

Chart Updates
Steve Martin's The Crow - New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, with its Dolly guest spot, holds steady at No. 3 bluegrass albums in its 70th chart week, the July 10 Billboard charts showed Thursday. On the overall charts, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now holds on at No. 1 country and slips four to No. 12 pop in its 22nd week, while Jaron And The Long Road To Love 's Getting Dressed In The Dark debuts at No. 2 country, No. 16 pop.