Sept. 30:
'Very Best' Moves Up Down Under
The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 rebounds four places this week to No. 26 in its 290th week on the top 40 Australian country albums chart. On the British country compilation charts, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) regains two spots to No. 2 in its fourth week on the charts, while Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) slips eight to No. 19 in its fourth week back on the charts and the first installment of Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1 slides one to No. 8 in its third week back on the tally with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony.

'Magnolias' Co-Star Recalls Perfume
Actor Dylan McDermott appeared recently on Good Day LA to promote his new film Hostages, but the anchor wanted him to give his best Dolly story from his work on the movie Steel Magnolias. He thought for a second and then shared the trance-inducing aroma of her perfume. Watch a clip on YouTube here.

Sept. 28:
Kenny & Dolly Chat With ABC's 'Good Morning America'

Miley Tells 'RS' She Respects Godmother Dolly
Goddaughter Miley Cyrus still looks up to Dolly. She said as much to Rolling Stone in her cover story interview with the magazine, but that portion of the conversation ended up on the cutting room floor. The publication on Friday released several outtakes from the interview that didn't make the final piece, including this nugget: "I watch people like Dolly [Parton]. Dolly knows what she is. She's smart. She's not just a blonde with big titties — she is a genius under there. She literally came from nothing, and now you go anywhere in the world, and they know Dolly Parton. It's like, don't let people's judgment define who you are. Don't read the comments and get nervous. Know who you are." Read more from MTV here.

Baton Rouge Paper Reviews '9 To 5: The Musical'
The local newspaper loves the Theatre Baton Rouge production of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical down in Louisiana. Check out a review from The Advocate here.

Sept. 27:
Dolly's Library Adds 10,000 Canadian First Nations Children
Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program, a longtime partner of Native American tribes in the U.S., is extending its relationship with the indigenous populations across the border to the north, where they're called First Nations. Currently, 15 First Nations across the Canadian province of Manitoba participate in the program, but this week the expansion to 55 out of the total 63 First Nations in the province was announced, with plans to eventually include all 63 once sponsor funding is available for the final tribes. About $700,000 has been raised thus far for the effort, with an additional $250,000 needed to add the final First Nations to the program. Total, about 10,000 children birth to age 5 were added to the program in the announcement, and in more remote areas of the province, delivery of books will go beyond traditional mail and include snowmobile, dogsled, planes and canoe. Read more from The Huffington Post Canada here, Winnipeg Free Press here and CBC here.

'Good Morning America' Reminder
I still haven't seen what they're supposed to be doing – a live interview, a performance, or a story on their music video – but ABC is still showing Kenny Rogers and Dolly as guests for Friday morning's Good Morning America.

U.S. Chart Updates
I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, featuring her cover of Dolly's title song, regains six spaces this week to No. 56 in its 45th week on the R&B/hip-hop albums, the Oct. 5 Billboard numbers released Thursday indicated. Overall, Justin Moore debuts at No. 1 country and No. 2 pop with 97,000 copies sold of Off the Beaten Path, while Chris Young debuts at No. 2 country and No. 3 pop with 54,000 units sold of A.M.

'Collection' DVD Being Reissued
Collection: Dolly Parton & Friends, a DVD featuring music by Dolly and several other country artists, has been announced as coming from IMV Blueline on Dec. 3. It appears from the cover art that it is a re-issue of a previous collection that featured her 2001 Austin City Limits television concert that was mixed in with other television performances by several other singers, including Brenda Lee and Merle Haggard. Get your copy here!

Watch 'Drunk History' With Dolly Story
If you missed the Comedy Central program Drunk History and its episode on Nashville that included a wonderful re-telling of Dolly's relationship with Porter Wagoner, it is available for $2 from Amazon.com. Get it here!

GAC Highlights Its Dollywood Collaboration
Great American Country is highlighting some of the artists appearing on its The Great American Country Show at Dollywood. The network notes here that Mark Wills performs this weekend and Oct. 18-19, T. Graham Brown Oct. 4-8 and Marty Raybon Oct. 11-15.

Sept. 23:
Kenny & Dolly On 'GMA' Friday
Although details of their appearance have not been revealed, ABC's Good Morning America is showing Dolly and Kenny Rogers on their guest list for Friday's episode. The program a week ago premiered a clip from the music video for their new single, "You Can't Make Old Friends." In related news, the music video has been added to the ballot for public voting on CMT's weekly Hot 20 Countdown for next Saturday. Cast your vote here! (Voting for next weekend's show ends at 1 a.m. Eastern Friday.) Thanks, Tony! UPDATE: GAC added the song to to its Top 20 Country Countdown ballot on Monday.

Overseas Chart Updates
On the top 40 Australian country albums chart, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 loses seven spots this week to No. 30 in its 289th week on the tally Down Under. On the British country compilation charts, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) dips two more places to No. 4 in its third week on the charts, while Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) gains one to No. 11 in its third week back on the charts after its 2011 release and the first installment of Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1, also released in 2011, holds steady for a second week at No. 7 with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony.

More Talk Of Miley And Godmother Dolly
People are continuing to defend Miley Cyrus and connect her to Dolly. Producer Pharrell Williams told Yahoo here: "I mean, you've got to hear her. Just go online and see her cover 'Jolene.' And speaking of which, her godmother is Dolly Parton. So I wouldn't rush to judgment so fast. I mean, twerking is like a household phrase because of who? Right?" And rapper J. Cole told E! Online here: "I saw her sing on stage with Dolly Parton and I thought it was pretty amazing. She is talented actually I think beyond all the extra publicity."

Sept. 20:
Kenny & Dolly On YouTube, CMT, GAC

Dolly Goes 'G-A-Y'
G-A-Y, a legendary London nightclub that caters to celebrities and the LGBT community, is celebrating its 20th anniversary Oct. 7 with the release of a compilation CD of the club's favorite artists, including Dolly. Her classic "9 To 5" will appear on the three-disc set, PerezHilton.com reports here.

U.S. Chart Updates
I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, with the late singer's version of Dolly's title song, falls four spots this week to No. 62 on the R&B/hip-hop albums in its 44th week, the Sept. 28 Billboard charts showed on Thursday. Overall, Keith Urban debuts at No. 1 country and pop with 98,000 copies sold of Fuse, while Luke Bryan dips one to No. 2 country and inches up one to No. 4 pop with 53,000 units sold of Crash My Party in its fifth chart week.

Sept. 18:
Kenny & Dolly Duet Available For Audio, Video Downloads

Missouri Celebrates Dolly's Library
The Springfield News-Leader in Missouri this week profiled the impact of Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy project in several area counties with a story available here.

Sept. 16:
Dolly, Linda, Emmy Slip Down Under, In U.K.
On the top 40 Australian country albums chart, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 slips one this week to No. 23 in its 288th week on the tally Down Under. On the British country compilation charts, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) slides one place to No. 2 in its second week on the charts, while Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) loses five to No. 12 in its second week back on the charts after its 2011 release. In addition, the first installment of Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1, released in 2011, re-enters the tally at No. 7. It features Pieces of the Sky with her cover of Dolly's "Coat Of Many Colors," Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner with Dolly harmony on "When I Stop Dreaming," Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town with her cover of Dolly's "To Daddy," and Blue Kentucky Girl with the Trio on "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues."

Knoxville Sends 1.5 Million Books To Kids
The Knox County, Tenn., chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library over the weekend celebrated distribution of its 1.5 millionth book since inception, television station WBIR reported here. In related news, the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation president has a column in The Tennessean here celebrating statewide Imagination Library Week in Tennessee.

'9 To 5: The Musical' Hits Louisiana
Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical opens Friday in Baton Rouge, La. The Advocate reports here.

Monday 'GMA' Video Reminder
Don't forget to tune in Monday morning on ABC's Good Morning America to catch the world premiere of the new music video for "You Can't Make Old Friends" by Dolly and Kenny Rogers.

Sept. 14:
New Kenny & Dolly Video Premieres Monday On ABC
A new music video from Kenny Rogers and Dolly will premiere Monday on ABC's Good Morning America, it was revealed Friday. Rogers announced that the clip for their new song "You Can't Make Old Friends" was directed by Trey Franjoy, who has directed several Dolly videos in recent years. The video will be available for paid downloading from digital retailers starting next week. In a press release, Dolly said: "There is just something about our chemistry with each other – our friendship – that people really sense what we really feel.  To do a song that fits so many people, and certainly us, was an honor.  It's been a wonderful journey, and I'm so glad I've been able to walk this road with Kenny." Rogers offered: "I can't think of a more perfect song for the two of us to sing together. Out of everyone in the business, Dolly is my best friend, so naturally it has special meaning for the both of us. It was so good to be back in the studio with her.  I'm thrilled to have our relationship documented this way." The song is available now as an immediate download from iTunes when one pre-orders Rogers' full-length album of the same name here, and the physical CD is available for advance ordering from Amazon here. Both versions come out Oct. 8.

A Little History On 'Drunk History'
A little behind-the-scenes information on the Porter & Dolly segment of Comedy Central's Drunk History was noted on the entertainment blog AV Club Friday including the fact that the narrator sang "I Will Always Love You" so poorly that it was different enough in melody from the original that the show's lawyers said they did not have to pay royalties for using it in the episode. Read more here.

Dolly Falls Back Off Irish Pop Singles Chart
Dolly is back off the Irish charts. After popping back up for one week more than three decades after it was released, her "9 To 5" falls back out of the top 100 Irish pop singles chart this week, down from No. 91, the numbers showed Friday.

'Song By Song' Heads To Australia, Too
Thanks to my pal Chris from Down Under who alerted me that Song By Song: Dolly Parton has also started airing in Australia on Studio Channel. As was noted Thursday night, Sky Arts has secured the rights to air the six-part American series in Britain.

Sept. 13:
Cinci Gays Love Dolly
The Cincinnati Men's Chorus, the city's area gay men's choir, has announced its 2013-2014 season will include a celebration of gay icon Dolly. The chorus's spring concert on April 5 and 6 at the Mayerson Theater of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts will be Hello Dolly, described as "a fun mash up of the Jerry Herman musical "Hello Dolly" with the legendary Dolly Parton's greatest hits." Tickets are on sale now here.

Brits Get 'Song By Song: Dolly'
British television viewers will soon get to see the Ovation series Song By Song: Dolly Parton, which premiered in America in March. It was announced this week that the Sky Arts satellite and cable channel will soon air the program, according to ATV Today here.

U.S. Chart Update
I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, featuring her cover of Dolly's title song, slips three spaces this week to No. 58 on the R&B/hip-hop albums in its 43rd week, the Sept. 21 Billboard charts issued Thursday revealed. Overall, Luke Bryan holds steady at No. 1 country and dips three to No. 5 pop with 68,000 units sold of Crash My Party in its fourth week, while Blake Shelton's Based On a True Story rebounds two places to No. 2 country and 12 spots to No. 13 pop in its 24th week.

Sept. 12:
DreamMore Resort Manager Announced For Dollywood
Dollywood has selected its partner to manage its new resort hotel, it was announced Wednesday. Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, a Park City, Utah-based luxury and upscale urban resort/hotel management company, has been named to that role. As Dolly announced last month, the park in summer 2015 will open the 300-room DreamMore Resort hotel as the first phase of its plan to create several resorts adjacent to Dolly's theme park. In a press release, Dollywood Company President Craig Ross said: "We conducted a vigorous search to find the right management partner to help us fulfill Dolly's dream of a developing a resort that gives families a place to reconnect and enjoy this beautiful part of our country.Gemstone's experience in creating and managing 'one-of-a-kind' hotels and resorts, along with their respectful, thoughtful approach to our company's culture and Dolly's dream, set them apart from the others." Jeff McIntyre, principal of Gemstone, added: "Ms. Parton has a very clear vision for her DreamMore Resort, and helping bring that dream to fruition is a once-in-a-career opportunity for us. We've been working on the programming for several months now and are confident that we've created something that will be unique to our industry. The property will have great appeal not only for families visiting The Dollywood Parks, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park or the unique environment of Pigeon Forge, but for couples, weddings and groups of 10 to 500, as well." He also revealed that nearly 10,000 people have registered for the resort's Founder's Club for special announcements and offers when it opens.

Sept. 10:
Dolly Accepts Thomas Foundation Gift
While at Dollywood shooting her Lifetime Christmas movie, Dolly accepted some cash for a good local cause. Michel Cooper, CEO and President of GlobalDoc Inc., presented her with a $50,000 check in her role as honorary chair of the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation. A portion of the funds are earmarked for anti-bullying efforts of the Sevier County Boys and Girls Club. "The director was yellin' 'action' all day but turns out the real action was created by our good friend Mike Cooper who came bearing the gift of $50,000 to support the good work of the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, a cause that's truly near and dear to my heart," Dolly said in a press release. "I had no idea Mike was coming but I told him he could surprise me like that anytime!"Pictured are, from left, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation Board Member Linda Ogle, LeConte Medical Center CAO Ellen Wilhoit, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation Executive Director Debbie Dowling, Dolly, Mike Cooper and GlobalDoc Executive Assistant Julio Pujols.(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Dolly-Themed Slots Available On Facebook
Dolly Slots have hit Facebook! An online version of the new casino slot machines bearing Dolly's logo, pictures and music has been added to the Five Star Slots app on the social networking site. Play here!

Dolly Reacts To Golden Ticket Wins
Dolly was, of course, thrilled at Dollywood winning so many Golden Ticket Awards over the weekend. In a press release issued Monday, she gushed: "News of our five 2013 Golden Ticket Awards just absolutely blows me away. I'm absolutely humbled but truly so very proud of my great team at The Dollywood Company. Having just announced plans for next year's FireChaser Express at Dollywood and my new Dollywood's DreamMore Resort in 2015, all of these Golden Ticket Awards let me know that we're on the right path to expanding our family vacation destination so that more and more folks can experience what our industry has so kindly and sweetly honored among the best our business has to offer. Thank you from the very bottom of this country girl's heart!" In addition to the five first place wins, other finishes and top 5 wooden roller coaster finish reported here Sunday night, it was also revealed Monday that Wild Eagle ranked No. 24 in the Golden Tickets' list of the Top 50 Best Steel Coasters for 2013.

Sept. 9:
Dollywood Takes Home Five Golden Ticket Awards
Dollywood over the weekend took home five first place Golden Ticket Awards, the amusement industry's annual honors that are often referred to as the "Oscars for theme parks." Dolly's paradise in the Smokies won Best Shows (fifth consecutive first place win), Best Christmas Event (sixth consecutive first place win), Friendliest Park (second year in a row), Best Food (second year in a row) and Best New Water Park Ride for River Rush. That ties last year's record five wins (the same four overall categories plus Best New Ride for Wild Eagle). In addition, the park this year placed second for Cleanest Park, fourth for Best Park (behind Cedar Point, Europa-Park and Knobels but one place ahead of Disneyland), fourth for Best Water Park, fifth for Best Landscaping, fifth for Best Wooden Roller Coaster (Thunderhead – down from fourth last year) and fifth for Best Water Ride (Mountain Sidewinder – also down from fourth last year).

'Very Best' Slips Down Under, Trio-Related Discs Debut In U.K.
On the top 40 Australian country albums chart, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 loses one place this week to No. 22 in its 287th week on the tally Down Under. On the other side of the globe, the U.K. country compilation charts saw two entries that both have Dolly connections. Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 2 debuts at No. 1, while Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series debuts at No. 7. Emmy's collection features Roses In The Snow, Evangeline, Cimarron, White Shoes and Thirteen. The first of those albums includes Dolly harmonies on "Greener Pastures," while the second includes Dolly and Linda harmonies on "Evangeline" and "Mr. Sandman" (although that album has been available as a digital download since 2011, this marks its first-ever CD release). Linda's collection features Prisoner In Disguise, Hasten Down The Wind, Simple Dreams, Living In The USA and Mad Love. That first album includes Linda's 1975 cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," while the third album features Dolly harmonies on the country top 10 single "I Never Will Marry."

Kenny Calls New Duet 'Touching'
Kenny Rogers told Taste Of Country over the weekend that his new duet with Dolly, "You Can't Make Old Friends," is "very touching. It's poignantly sad, honestly, but it's wonderful." Read more here. As was previously reported, the song is the title track to Rogers's new CD, coming out from Warner Brothers on Oct. 8, although if you pre-order the digital download from iTunes, you get an instant download of the new Dolly collaboration. If you'd rather wait for the physical CD, it's available for pre-order from Amazon here.

'9 To 5: The Musical' Hits Pennsylvania
The Wilkes-Barre, Pa., area will get Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical Sept. 13-29, The Times Leader reported here. The show is being produced in Swoyersville by The Music Box Players.

Sept. 7:
Hear Dolly Track Lost For Five Decades
A rare Dolly performance reportedly not heard in 50 years aired Thursday night on a Knoxville-area radio station, and many fans listened online. The song, "Another (Just Like Me)," was a cover of a Roy Drusky hit from 1960. The performance came from the program Hayloft Jamboree and was broadcast on WDVX's The East Tennessee Quiver along with several other more common 1960s Dolly recordings and a couple of later recordings of hers. Host Bradley Lee said in his history of presenting the show he has never received as many listener e-mails as that night. A fan recorded the broadcast and has posted it to YouTube. Take a listen here.

U.S., Irish Chart Updates
Dolly is back on the Irish charts. For some reason, more than three decades after it was released, her "9 To 5" re-enters the top 100 Irish pop singles chart this week at No. 91, it was revealed Friday. In the States, I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, with the late singer's version of Dolly's title song, regains one digit this week to No. 55 on the R&B/hip-hop albums in its 42nd week, the Sept. 14 Billboard charts issued Thursday showed. Overall, Luke Bryan holds steady at No. 1 country and loses one to No. 2 pop with 92,000 units sold of Crash My Party in its third week, while Alabama's multi-artist tribute collaboration project  Alabama & Friends debuts at No. 2 country, No. 8 pop with 32,000 copies moved.

Anniversary With A Dolly Connection Recalled
This week marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most disastrous television failures in recent memory: Chevy Chase's FOX talk show. Yahoo recalls the program, which lasted just five episodes before cancellation, noting that Dolly was the network's first choice to host its entry into late-night, but she turned down the offer. (The interest came just five years after her ABC variety series ended with low ratings after just one season. Dolly also had an existing relationship with the network, having executive produced its sitcom Babes in the 1990-91 season. Interestingly, her production company, Sanddollar, had one more late-night interaction with FOX, co-producing with Roseanne Bar the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Special for four weeks in 1996 as a competitor to Saturday Night Live and temporary replacement for Mad TV.) Read more here.

Sept. 5:
Rare Teen Dolly Performance On Radio Thursday
A recording of a teen-aged Dolly unheard for five decades will be hitting the airwaves Thursday, The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported here Wednesday. The recording was found on tapes from the local radio show Hayloft Jamboree that was broadcast from Maryville and Townsend in East Tennessee. The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound received the tapes in donation from a music teacher in whose studio the show was performed. Although the tapes were undated, an instrumentalist on them said they were from between 1960 and 1964, which would have made Dolly between 14 and 18 years old. The performance will air on WDVX's The East Tennessee Quiver at 10 p.m. Thursday. For those outside of the Knoxville area, it will stream online here.

Another 'Jolene' Answer Song Coming
Jennifer Nettles's "That Girl" isn't the only "Jolene" answer song coming out. Reuters reports that British musician David Rotheray has put together an entire album of Answer Ballads to famous songs, including "Jolene." Learn more here.

Pharrell: Watch Out For What Miley's Delivering
Producer/performer Pharrell Williams, who worked on Miley Cyrus's upcoming CD, says she's a talent not to be ignored. He spoke to MTV UK that the world has yet to see the full scope of her gifts and talent, adding her pedigree makes a difference, saying: "I'll say this, I'll remind you she's from Nashville, her dad is Billy Ray Cyrus and her godmother is Dolly Parton. All I'm saying is, get ready. That girl's a threat." Watch the interview here.

Library Expands In Missouri, Kansas Area
Dolly's Imagination Library is coming to southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas, television station KOAM reports here.

Sept. 4:
New Kenny & Dolly Duet Available Now On iTunes
Kenny Rogers on Tuesday announced that his next album will hit stores Oct. 8 from Warner Brothers Records and that it will be named after the previously-revealed duet with Dolly from the set, "You Can't Make Old Friends." What's more, fans who pre-order the album as a download from iTunes will get immediate access to download the new Dolly duet. As was previously reported here, Don Schlitz, who penned "The Gambler," "When You Say Nothing At All," "Forever and Ever, Amen" and many other hits, wrote the track. In a press release, Rogers said: "What a thrill it was for me to work again with my buddy, Dolly Parton, and what a special song. Working with Dolly is always a little like going home. Everything felt comfortable." The song is the pair's first new duet in four years, when "Tell Me That You Love Me" was released in 2009. Previously, they collaborated on "Undercover" in 2003, "Love Is Strange" in 1990, "Real Love" in 1985, the holiday album Once Upon A Christmas in 1984 and, of course, "Islands In The Stream" in 1983. About the rest of his new CD, Rogers noted: "I can honestly say this may be the best album I've ever recorded. The musical diversity is extraordinary. It goes from songs I would normally sing, to songs I would normally never even listen to. In this business, you do albums to both grow artistically, and for the sheer love of music. We chose what I think are the most diverse and best songs I've ever had access to." In addition to the iTunes package, pre-sale bundles that include a physical CD are for sale at www.kennyrogers.com.

Imagination Library Volunteers Mistaken For Predators
One affiliate of Dolly's Imagination Library got some negative responses from parents in New Mexico recently because of a false news report that claimed possible predators were allegedly selling books door-to-door in a community, The Silver City Sun-News reported here. Although the source of the original story was found to be false, volunteers signing children up for Dolly's free book program at a local Wal-Mart were met with allegations that they were the non-existent predators, leading the newspaper to publish a story explaining what Dolly's program is. Meanwhile, the successes the program is having in Kansas City are highlighted by The Kansas City Star here.

Sept. 2:
'Very Best' Rises Down Under This Week
On the top 40 Australian country albums chart, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 rebounds six spots this week to No. 22 in its 286th week on the tally Down Under.

Dolly Sends 'Beetle Bailey' Creator Birthday Greetings
Dolly was among the celebrity well-wishers sending their best to "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker in observance of his 90th birthday on Tuesday. Read more from the Associated Press here.

Charleston Loves Dolly's '9 To 5: The Musical'
The Charleston City Paper loved its community's local production of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical, saying here that it "satisfies all the requirements of a good musical comedy."