Oct. 24, 2007 Hey there - With the Holidays coming, I love seeing Dolly in "Unlikely Angel." I asked a while back if there were any plans to have the songs from the film on a CD? Also, has Dolly ever performed "Unlikely Angel" live? It's such a great song! Thanks! Brett San Francisco, Calif. No, as with all of her made-for-television movies, unfortunately, there are apparently no plans to record the song for release on a CD, and I also don't recall having ever seen her perform it live anywhere.
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Oct. 22, 2007 Hi, I wonder if you could help me, I am currently studying fandom as part of my University degree and was wondering if you could help with my research! I am looking for any Dolly fans that would be willing to chat with me as to their experiences/likes and dislikes about her and if she has had any affect on their lives. All correspondence will be referenced in my work and be used with great respect - I am a fan myself and that's why I have chosen to study Dolly fans in particular! I hope you will want to help me as this would be great! I look forward to hearing from people (feel free to use my email addy to ask me questions too!) I am very grateful for your time, Joanne Cardiff, Wales, U.K. Hope you got to see Dolly when she played in Cardiff earlier this year, Joanne. (And although I've not been there, I've at least seen the city in a couple of episodes of the current "Dr. Who" series -- big fan!) Hopefully some readers will see your letter and choose to click on your name for the e-mail and volunteer to participate! And if you'd like to send me your questions, I'd be glad at taking a stab at answering them myself, too. :)
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Oct. 22, 2007 Hi, my father is terminally ill with cancer. I am sadly planning his future funeral and would love to include a song or 2 of Dolly's. My dad saw a Grand Ole Opry this year that brought tears to his eyes. Dolly sang with Porter and Mel Tillis I think. Is a CD of this show avail? If not, could you recommend a few songs that would be appropriate for a fan's funeral? My mother passed away less than a year ago, so if there is a song that relates to joining a loved one, I would appreciate your advice. Could you recommend a CD that includes Dolly as well as some of the old time favorite artists together? Thanks so much. Holly Winnipeg, Man., Canada First, please allow me to extend my sympathies for what I know is a very difficult time in your family right now. In the past year-and-a-half, we lost my father after an 11-month battle with cancer and my grandmother after a five-month battle with heart failure, so I know what you are going through. At both of their memorial services, we played, at my mother's request, "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly and Brad Paisley. I still tear up when I hear the song. At my grandmother's service, we also played several hymns by three of her favorite singers: Jim Reeves, Andy Griffith and Dolly, including her versions of "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art." As I prepared the music for her service, I ended it with Dolly's "Travelin' Thru," which I felt was an appropriate message about our brief time on this world. I actually downloaded each song individually from iTunes to prepare her CD, as there wasn't an individual CD I knew of that contained all of the songs I wanted to use. I understand that "When I Get Where I'm Going" has now become a standard song for funerals, and I have also heard of many people who use her classic "I Will Always Love You," which she performed for Porter Wagoner on that Opry program and wrote for him when she ended their duet partnership, for memorials as well, and it is a very fitting song. Unfortunately, that particular Opry program is not available for commercial purchase, so unless you recorded it off of the television and have someone with the equipment and programs to create a CD from the recorded video -- or just wanted to play the video portion at the services -- it would be difficult to locate the audio alone. And, in a sad coincidence, it was revealed this very day that Porter himself has been diagnosed with lung cancer, so my prayers are extended not only to you and your family dealing with this matter, but also to him and his family as well.
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Oct. 22, 2007 Hey Duane, Just want to tell you how I love Dollymania.. The question I have is, what info can you tell me about the song "Blackey, Kentucky" that Dolly recorded for "Love is like a Butterfly." Did she write that song? Thanks so much for your page.... Jonathan Salyersville, Ky. Yes, Dolly wrote the song, Jonathan. I don't know the story behind it or anything like that, or even whether she knew there was a real place called Blackey, Kentucky, or not. (It's on state Highway 7 in Letcher County -- not far from you.) If she did, maybe she and Porter passed by it on their tour bus or something :) She did misspell it, though, as she called it "Blackie" with an "ie" instead of "ey."
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Oct. 22, 2007 Hi Duane, Ok, I'm really ready to vent !! It's hard for me to believe that "country radio" is so unresponsive to Dolly's new song!!! What are they looking for! I get so frustrated when I call these radio stations, and they say they love Dolly's music, but it hasn't been added to the playlist!! Why!!! It's almost like they have an agenda against her. Why do they embrace Reba so much, who has never written one of her hits, but gets so much praise!! It really makes me mad!! I just wish somebody could help me understand. Thanks for letting me vent, Duane. You still have the #1 Dolly site as far as I'm concerned!! Diane Riceville, Tenn. Thanks, Diane. I certainly sympathize and am glad to give you a place to vent. I've tried several times to request the song from my local country radio stations as well, only to be told they're not sure if they have the song or not but they will see if they can get it on. Then it never airs. Sometimes they'll pull out a "classic" Dolly track like "9 To 5" or "Islands In The Stream" to play a few minutes after receiving the request, but they never play "Better Get To Livin'," even though they have at least my request for it. Unfortunately, most stations (especially the ones owned by nationwide mega-corporations) won't play anything until it breaks into the top 30, but it's very difficult to get into the top 30 if no one will play the song! Although they haven't embraced Reba too much lately either. For her most recent song to break the top 10, she had to get a hot, young, pop star to sing with her (Kelly Clarkson) and cover what had already been a pop hit (Kelly took it to No. 7 as a solo track on the pop charts two years ago) -- just like Dolly only made it back to No. 1 thanks to singing on a Brad Paisley song last year. Prior to the duet with Kelly, Reba hadn't had a chart single in a year and a half and the last time she was in the top 10 was two and a half years ago.
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Oct. 18, 2007 Just have a question about Billboard and Mediabase charts and all. Local radio station here is playing the new single like crazy, but they aren't listed on the Mediabase chart plays? So does that mean no matter how much they play it, it is not counted toward the Billboard charts? Or does every spin of the song count no matter if its a major station or a smaller one? Thanks man! Hope Dolly went up some more! Melinda Cincinnati, Ohio Thanks for your letter, Melanie. Unfortunately, as is reported on tonight's news page, the song is down five places this week to No. 55. The answer to your question, though, is a bit complicated :) The Billboard charts aren't based on Mediabase's charts, although they do share many of the same stations. Likewise, they don't share the same periods (Billboard uses Monday-through-Sunday airplay, while Mediabase is updated daily to reflect the past seven days of airplay). The Billboard charts used two Cincinnati-area country stations in their most recent computations, although exactly which stations are used changes week to week. In addition the charts are based not on total number of spins but rather estimated audience. So a small station may play it 15 times, but only 5,000 people hear it, while a large station plays it once and 10,000 people hear it, and those 16 spins would equal 15,000 people toward where she stands on the chart that week. For instance, the No. 4 song last week actually had the sixth-most spins, but they were at larger stations and/or at times of day when a larger audience is tuned in, so its total audience allowed it to reach No. 4 instead of No. 6. The Billboard country chart is airplay only. And if she gets high enough to crossover, Billboard's overall Hot 100, most commonly called the "pop" chart, uses an even different set of rules. It combines airplay and sales, it runs on a different schedule of days it looks at than the country chart does, and there are country stations that report airplay to the Hot 100 that aren't included in the country chart reports.
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Oct. 18, 2007 Hey Duane. I was wondering if you knew if there was any way of getting the song "We Might Be In Love" from the movie Blue Valley Songbird. It'd be fab if you could give me an idea! Thanks. Lena Clifton, U.K. Unfortunately, the song has never been released commercially, so you'll not find it in any stores. There are some pirated, homemade CDs of songs from the film floating around out there where people have taken the audio off of television or off of the DVD and transferred it to CD. In addition, she recorded a demo version of the song as a solo performance that has circulated on pirated, copied CDs in the fan community for many years (after she submitted the song and several others to a production company for consideration in use in a film, apparently someone associated with it made a copy that got out to a fan, and consequently it's been widely traded ever since). So it's not THAT difficult to obtain a copy from your fellow fans if you ask around.
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Oct. 11, 2007 I thought this was interesting and the responses funny. Maybe some Dollymania readers would like to add some comments. Obviously this person needs enlightening. Or just to get out more! http://www.buddytv.com/articles/american-idol/dolly-parton-too-nice-to-be-ju-11733.aspx. Harriet Los Angeles, Calif. Thanks for passing that along, Harriet.
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Oct. 8, 2007 I just discovered your website, and wanted to tell you how impressed I am by the site. It's obvious you are a professional journalist. I stumbled onto it while looking for information on Dolly and her devotion to education. I am a teacher and last night enjoyed the hospitality of Orlando's Dixie Stampede along with about 120 other teachers and their families. Dixie Stampede follows Dolly's "put your money where your mouth is" philosophy by offering teachers free admission and reduced admission for their guests during the off season. I have written letters to the Orlando Dixie Stampede and also to the Pigeon Forge office, but I was looking for an E-mail address for Dolly personally, even though I realize she will probably never see it. My daughter is one of those talented kids who ride, sing and dance at Dixie Stampede, and I have visited the show often with "friends and family" admissions, but being able to bring over 100 friends and coworkers, many for "free" was just wonderful. Most of the Orlando attractions offer "teacher specials," but forget that on a teacher's salary, it is often impossible to bring friends and family. Dixie Stampede offered REALLY reduced prices for our guests. It's an amazing show that many of my teacher friends had never seen before. Dolly is wonderful person, and her organization seems to share her heart. Kudos to you for a great website for a great lady! Cindy Beckner Orlando, Fla. Thanks so much for your letter, Cindy, and for your service educating your community's future leaders. Your kind words about the site and reporting to us about Dolly's kindness is much appreciated. She certainly does try her best to give back since she has been blessed with so much. I encourage you to send your thoughts to her, as I know she would appreciate hearing from you. You may write her at her Nashville office at P.O. Box 150307, Nashville, TN 37215-0307. In addition, she just opened her first-ever official music website, dollypartonmusic.net, and they have opened an e-mail address that they say they will use to collect messages to her and forward some of them on to her directly. It is FanClub@DollyPartonMusic.net.
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Oct. 8, 2007 I was driving down the road last night and to my unbelievable surprise, "Better Get To Livin" came on WESC, my local radio station. I cannot even describe the feeling, but I was literally screaming for Dolly. I've tried everything imaginable in Greenville SC to get Dolly's new music played over the years and each time have been completely unsuccessful. I came home, searched WESC's playlists and found that they had played Dolly's new song 23 times last week. Today, I was flipping through the local radio stations and found Dolly being played on KISS FM's 99.9. Two different radio stations playing our Dolly. I haven't been this excited for Dolly in years. James Atkins Greenville, S.C. Great news, James! Hopefully the song will continue to catch on and rise to the top of the charts.
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Oct. 8, 2007 Hi Duane, I have a question about requesting "Better Get To Livin" on the radio. Who actually decides to add the song to the station's playlist? Is it the program director? Should we email them to add it, because I have called and requested it over and over when I can actually get thru to the DJs and some say they've got it, but It hasn't been added yet. The fact that they're not playing it yet has nothing to do with it not being requested, because I know that for sure. I don't understand how they can just gush over how incredible she is and then not play her songs. Do you think radio will eventually start playing this song after it has been out a few weeks? I get sooo irritated with them!! If they don't embrace this song, I'm thru with them. XM radio, Here I come!! Talk to you later Duane, Diane Blount Riceville, Tenn. Yes, at most stations it is technically the program director who decides what is added to their playlists. Unfortunately, though, many of the corporate-owned stations out there take their directions of what they are to play from their corporate parents rather than their listeners or their own programmers, and that usually means only young artists and "classic" songs from older artists like Dolly rather than their new material. It sounds like if they're getting requests for it but not adding it to their playlist that you're probably looking at a corporate station which probably won't add it unless it get so popular that it enters the top 30 of the charts. Then, hopefully, they'd add it, because if the corporate giants don't, then it wouldn't be likely to get any further than that.
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Oct. 8, 2007 Hi Duane, Here in Sacramento, we have our local News "Good Day Sacramento" and the two weekend anchors are having an obsession contest going on. One anchor (Taryn) has an obsession with Craig Ferguson and the other anchor (Cody) has an obsession with Dolly. This has been going on for weeks. Taryn has been mentioned on Craig Ferguson's show as Craig had heard about it and had a joke about it. Dolly had heard about it and called Cody's cell phone but he didn't answer so she left him a message and he played it on the air. Dolly also sent him a box of things. I missed that weekend but he keeps wearing the western shirt she sent him. Well today on Good Day, Cody says that something HUGE will be happening with this "obsession contest" on November 1st that has to do with him & Dolly. Do you think it's possible she could be in Sacramento on November 1st? Thanks so much for all you do to keep us fans up to date. You are truly a blessing to us all. Kenny Sacramento, Calif. Thanks, Kenny. That is so sweet of you to say. Of course, anything's possible with Dolly. Maybe she'll pop in on their show. Maybe she'll do a live satellite remote. Maybe he'll get to travel to interview her somewhere else and broadcast it on that day. Her people haven't announced any of her upcoming television or promotional appearances, so we'll all have to wait and see!
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Oct. 8, 2007 Hi to you Duane and in every fan of Dolly Parton. Excuse for my poor English but I am French. I listened to the new song "Better Get To Livin'," and I found magnificent that I do not understand the words. I will go in May 2008 with my family to Panama City (Florida) and I hope to see a concert of Dolly close to the city. I shall go maybe in Dollywood. Al Metz, France Thanks, Al. Don't worry, your English is better than a lot of folks I know speak it! I hope you have a wonderful visit here to America, and hopefully you will get to see Dolly while you are here. She is expected to be on tour for much of 2008, but where she will be performing in May has yet to be announced, so we do not know yet if she will be anywhere near Florida at that time or not.
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Oct. 2, 2007 Hey Duane, The picture of Dolly submitted by Sharon Johnson was great. Do you know what Dolly's reaction was to? Something in the crowd really got her attention. Thanks. Whitney White Cleveland, Tenn. No, I don't know, but maybe Sharon will write in and tell me :) It is certainly a shot of a very animated Dolly, but I'm not sure what had her attention. I know in a photo a couple of images down in that gallery here, Sharon said Dolly was pointing at her, her friend Diane Blount and Diane's sister Cindy, because the three had just hollered "Ya better get to livin'!" to which they said Dolly pointed and shouted back "YOU better get to livin'!" Ed. Note: Sharon wrote me back to tell me that the shot of Dolly with a wide open mouth was her reaction to their shouting "Ya better get to livin'!" The photo a few seconds later of her pointing at them was her response that they "better get to livin'!" Thanks!
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Sept. 28, 2007 Hey Duane! I just wanted to comment on Dolly's performance last night on Dancing with the Stars. This woman is brilliant! She had such spunk and her smile is enough to part the clouds so you can see straight into Heaven! Her personality is just infectious! I have heard "Better Get To Livin'" a hundred times or more since its release on iTunes and loved it. Now, after watching her perform it live last night, I love it a million times more. It has such a powerful, uplifting message. Only a genius could write the way she does and touch people so deeply. In my opinion, from her head down to her toes, she was the brightest shining star last night! Way to go, Dolly! Jennifer Bailey Rochester, N.Y. Thanks, Jennifer. Several fans shared your sentiments, so I've selected your letter to represent the group :)
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Sept. 27, 2007 Just heard the new song on Dancing With The Stars. If this is a taste of what the new CD will be, I can't wait. The song is great. We all need to start calling the radio stations now and start requesting the song now. Let's all help Dolly have another # 1 record. Thanks, Cary Devine Robinsonville, Miss. Thanks, Cary. Unfortunately, the song will drop off the 60-position country chart this week, they just announced, so hopefully, fans will call in their requests en masse, so we'll see the song re-enter at an even higher position and climb to the top!
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Sept. 27, 2007 Is there any possibility that Dolly will come to Denver, Colorado? All I need to hear is a yes or maybe that would make me so happy because I have been gathering up money for a concert of hers if she comes. So far I gathered up $350 so I can get front row tickets! Crystal Denver, Colo. Hold onto that money a while longer, Crystal. Of course, it's always possible that she'll visit :) She hasn't given any indication yet of which cities she intends to visit on her tour next year, and she has said as late as this week that the dates and locations are still being finalized, so I wouldn't expect anything to be announced for a bit longer. We'll all just have to wait and see!
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Sept. 26, 2007 I'm a big fan of Dolly Parton's. She's a big hit with me. I've seen Dolly live in The Point in Dublin. Me and my friends love Dolly to bits. Mary O'Shea Co. Carlow, Ireland Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mary. Hopefully you'll get to see her when she travels your way again next year!
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Sept. 22, 2007 Hi, I am French and I am fan of Dolly Parton. I am searching for persons having copies of Dolly's videos in TV shows or at Dollywood. Al Metz, France Hopefully some fans here in the U.S. and abroad can help you out, Al!
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Sept. 20, 2007 Hi Duane! Sorry I didn't get a chance to come and say hello at Dollywood this past weekend, even though I did see you at the Celebrity Theater. I know Sharon found you back there with the press before the show started. Thanks for the info on the camera set-up! I hope to send in some pics this weekend. We finally were able to grab some GREAT seats for the shows. Second row for Ricky Skaggs and front row for the Kingdom Heirs!! Just a note on Dolly's "Better Get To Livin'." It is # 25 right now on WIVK's top 100 songs! So, everybody get to requesting this song, because it is getting some good airplay. The DJs I've talked to seem to love it as well! Hopefully, after Dancing With The Stars, it will really take off!! Take care Duane, Diane Riceville, Tenn. Thanks, Diane. You should've come up and said hi as well! I was glad to offer Sharon some advice on her camera settings. Hopefully it helped get some great shots for you both. And thanks as well for encouraging everyone to call in and request the song. Although the official "add date" isn't for another week and a half, nearly all country radio stations should have already received their copies of the single by now, so if you request it, hopefully they will play it! Let's get the song up to the top of the charts since it debuts this week at No. 57!
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Sept. 12, 2007 The Getalong Gang Performance Group is excited to announce the return of "Dolly Would," our dance/theater work set entirely to the music of Dolly. It was performed last January to rave reviews. The Austin Chronicle said "Dolly Parton would be proud." It's going on Sept 20 - Sept. 23, for one weekend only. If you are a Dolly fan and in the Austin area, you have to come see this show. More info on the Getalong Gang's website, ggpg.org. Zenobia Taylor Austin, Texas Thanks for letting me know, Zenobia. Glad to pass the word along.
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Sept. 11, 2007 Hi Duane, I was wondering how I could find out some information about Dolly's World Tour next year. I saw her in Belfast earlier this year but was disappointed that they did not put the screens up! Do you know if she does Belfast again will this be the same (here is hoping she will even do UK!!!). If I wasn't guaranteed screens I would def go to another venue - ie in the Mainland all the venues had the screens! Blah blah blah - sorry to go on and on!!! Take Care, Charlene ps "Better Get to Livin'" gave me goose pimples - excellent song, really loved it. Charlenen Ritchie Limavady Co. L'Derry, Northern Ireland, U.K. Thanks for writing, Charlenen. Unfortunately, whether or not screens will be used usually isn't something that is announced to the public beforehand, although you can sometimes find that information by calling the venue manager or local tour promoter directly close to the date of the show. As of the last update I heard, they were still in the process of finalizing some details on the tour, and no further information on it has been released. Consequently, we'll have to wait and see what they say when they're ready to announce anything else. No indication has been given yet as to when more information will be forthcoming, but the tour isn't expected to begin until March 2008, so it could be a while longer. For comparison, her European tour dates for the tour beginning in March this year weren't announced until October last year, when they first were revealed publicly on the Dollymania news page.
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Sept. 10, 2007 Hey Duane, I was at work last night listening to WIVK out of Knoxville and they actually played "Better Get to Livin"! I just about fell out of my chair!! It has been so long since I've heard one of Dolly's new songs on the radio, that I couldn't believe it! Do you think that it's a good sign that radio is going to give it a chance since it isn't actually officially released until the end of the month? I sure hope so, because it is such a great song with an even better message. Just thought I'd pass it along. Sharon and I are looking forward to seeing you at Dollywood this week! Take care and see you soon....… Diane Blount Riceville, Tenn. I certainly think it's a positive sign that it's getting some limited airplay already. I've heard from a handful of fans who've each heard it played once on their local radio. As I understand it, the single was shipped to radio a week or so ago, so most stations should already have it. The "add date" (the date on which they ask radio to start playing it, but many stations start playing songs sooner than that if they already have the single in hand) is Oct. 1. I'd expect a mass of requests after she performs it on "Dancing With The Stars" in a week and a half, so hopefully that will propel it to the top. (Download it here from iTunes.) And say hi at Dollywood if you see me while I'm in town for Dolly's Friday appearance at the start of the park's Barbeque and Bluegrass Fest!
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Sept. 8, 2007 Hi, I was wondering if you could help me yet again :) I was looking through the web at some Dolly sites and came across dollyparton.com. It says that the site will be opening in 2008 and Dolly herself is speaking on the site. I was wondering if you knew whether it was going to be an official site run by Dolly as well as dollypartonmusic.net. Leigh Littleborough, England Glad to help with the answer, Leigh. :) Yes, dollyparton.com will be her official website, a teaser page for which premiered earlier today prior to the full site's launch next year. It will serve as her overall official Internet site, while the previously-announced dollypartonmusic.net, being developed by Ticketmaster subsidiary echomusic for a full launch to coincide with her new single toward the end of this month, will be the official site dedicated just to her music, much like imaginationlibrary.com is her official site dedicated just to her charitable foundation.
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Sept. 7, 2007 I don't like to put down Reba too much but Billboard shows that she slipped from 2 to 4 so most likely no #1 for her with the Kelly duet. I was getting worried Dolly's record was in jeopardy but not anymore...not for now anyway!!! Kris Christiansburg, Va. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kris, although Dolly's record really wasn't in jeopardy. While Reba's duet recently tied Dolly again for the most top 10s for a female artist with 55, Reba only has 22 No. 1 singles on the "industry bible" chart, Billboard magazine, compared to Dolly's record 25. That means she has to get three more No. 1s to tie Dolly for that record and four to pass her, and while I certainly think it's possible given time, this is Reba's first single to get major airplay in several years, so she might not be able to catch up. Unfortunately, she's now reached the age like Dolly where radio refuses to give much attention to most of her recordings unless some hot, young star is attached as a duet partner, as in this case with Kelly Clarkson. Hopefully, Dolly's new single will help reverse that trend and expand her lead to 26 chart-toppers! And don't count "Because Of You" out completely yet; while it's rare for a single on the country charts to bounce around in the top 10, it's not unheard of, so Reba could yet rack up her 23rd No. 1. I love the song myself and fully expected it to go all the way!
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Sept. 6, 2007 My gosh, just found Dolly may be touring in 2008. I'm sooo excited. I hope she comes to the UK. Me and my little girl went to see her this year and were lucky enough to get front row tickets. She was abs amazing. She waved to us - I nearly collapsed completely starstruck! X Jilly Yorkshire, U.K. Well, be starstruck again, Jilly! Yes, Dolly plans a world tour of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia in 2008, likely beginning around March, although exact dates and cities are still being finalized and have yet to be revealed. However, given her string of sold-out concerts in the U.K. earlier this year, I'm certain that many of the European dates will be in the British Isles.
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Sept. 6, 2007 I've been going nuts not being able to download Dolly's new single but thanks to you and the YouTube poster, I can now listen to it! The words are so prolific and nails my life right now! She's talking about so many of us out there...we need this pick me up and I hope this makes it big on radio! If not, it's already a hit with me! Once again, the angel hits home and our hearts! Hillary Stockton, Calif. Well, you should be downloading it :) The track, available exclusively from iTunes here, has reached as high as No. 10 on the site's list of most popular country downloads but today fell all the way to No. 25, so we need more downloads to push it back up!
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Sept. 1, 2007 I love Dolly Parton and her music. I hope to see Dolly on the 2008 tour in Germany. Please Dolly come to Germany. Christian Neu-Ulm, Germany Thanks for sharing your hope with us, Christian. We'll have to wait and see if there are any German dates when her world tour for next year is announced sometime in the future.
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Sept. 1, 2007 Can you please tell all of us Dolly fans when she will be at Dollywood again so I can plan my next trip. Thanks. Lori Mt. Nebo, W.V. Thanks for asking, Lori. For future reference, though, all of her scheduled public appearances at Dollywood (and anywhere else) are always listed on the left-hand column of the site's news page under "In person Dolly" as soon as they are released. Her next scheduled appearance at this time is for the opening of the Barbeque & Bluegrass Fest on Sept. 14. She normally makes three or four appearances a year at Dollywood, generally at each major festival opening. However, other than the annual "grand opening" in April (scheduled next year for April 11-12), news of her appearances generally isn't made public until three or four weeks before each one takes place. At that time, though, they are always posted on the site. No announcement has been made yet as to whether she will appear at the opening of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Fest on Nov. 10, and I wouldn't expect any appearance to be revealed until mid-to-late-October if she is going to be there. (She attended last year's opening in November, but she had not done so in prior recent years, so she may not be there this year.) That is the only other event at the park this year where I would expect it to be a possibility that she might attend.
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Sept. 1, 2007 So first of all, I would just like to say, I am loving what I am hearing about Dolly's new single!!!!! I can't wait to hear it myself, its gonna be awesome,. I can feel it!!!!! :D:D On another note, I appreciate you putting the Stella coverage up! Really I do!!! I probably would have found that several months later and so I'm always happy when I can read something about her pretty quick after it comes out. :) And speaking of Stella, I wanted to let you know, and anybody else that might like Stella, that her website is up for voting at http://www.btdma.com/index.php/dma07/peoples_choice/ for Best Official Website. Brenda (that's her assistant and webmaster) has requested that I share this link with everyone, and she will do the same. And I figured, why not tell you because I know EVERYONE (just about) reads Letters To The Webmaster!! :D I should hope so anyway! Anyway, I'm off to listen to Dolly's single, let's see how I like it!!!!!!! It's Dolly.... and unless it's a pitiful sob story like Letter To Heaven or Two Little Orphans, I should love it!!! :D:D Michelle Benton, Ark. Now, come on, I just love listening to some of her sad old sob stories sometimes! Especially the "plum pitiful" ones! :) Seriously, though, I'm sure you'll love the new song, "Better Get To Livin'," available for exclusive download from iTunes here, when you hear it. And I try every once in a while when I see something about one of Dolly's siblings to pass word along, so I'm glad to have shared the Stella story on the news page. (By the way, there's another mention of her today here). And if you want to vote for Stella's website for Best Official Site in the BT Digital Music Awards, just click on the link that Michelle shared above, select "official music site," enter "http://www.stellaparton.com" and your e-mail address, and click "submit." The competition is also accepting votes for Dollymania for Best Unofficial Website here (your votes are appreciated!). You may cast a ballot once a day per e-mail address through Sept. 30. Last year, Dollymania was ranked in the international competition as the No. 1 website worldwide, official or unofficial, dedicated to a country music performer and No. 57 for performers in all genres of music. The contest brings hundreds of thousands of votes from fans around the globe for literally thousands of music-related websites.
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Sept. 1, 2007 Hi Duane. I just wanted to alert you to a piece in this week's edition of, TimeOut Chicago, 8/30-9/5. In an article titled, Female Treble, the founder of Estrojam Music Fest talks about trying to get Dolly to play the fest. I thought you might like to know. The writer of the article ends it with, are you listening Dolly? Thanks for your great site. Scott Ray Chicago, Ill Thanks, Scott. For anyone wanting to read the article or learn more about the festival (which this year features rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson alongside an array of alternative and lesbian-rock artists), the story is available online here.
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Aug. 31, 2007 Hello Duane, first of all thank you so much for your dedicated work on THE COOLEST Dolly site ever!!! You always keep us European fans up to date in such a nice way. I was wondering if the new single will also be out as a regular single you can buy in any record store or is this only available as a download? This is such a GREAT song and her European fans can not wait to see her perform again in 2008! Chris Heidelberg, Germany Thanks, Chris, for your kind words. Since the single is being marketed as an iTunes "exclusive," I don't think it is possible for a hard-copy single to be issued for sale in stores. In addition, in the U.S. market nowadays it's becoming increasingly rare for most songs to come out on CD singles -- they are generally only available for digital download. I know there is still a pretty strong physicals single market outside the U.S., though, but due to the lack of sales here, most American artists only release digital singles.
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Aug. 31, 2007 I'm French. I don't speak English, but I love Dolly Parton. Her songs, her voice, her humor, she's very nice. I saw Dolly in London on 25 March 2007. She's a Star for me. I search for copies of videos of TV shows because unavailable in France. Thanks. Nancy France Merci de votre lettre, Nancy. Je sais elle serait heureuse de savoir qu'elle a une telle appréciation des personnes en France. (Svp excuse si mon Français n'est pas très bon.)
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Aug. 29, 2007 Dozens of readers wrote in on Tuesday to praise Dolly's new single, "Better Get To Livin'," which is available here via iTunes. Here are a couple of their letters which I am posting to represent the group: Hi there just like to say what a great site and share my good news: I've just downloaded Dolly's new single on iTunes that launched today. What a amazing of a song Dolly's. Sure going to go to No 1 with this album where she belongs. There's no stopping this lady. On you go Dolly. From your true fan, Amanda Edinburgh, Scotland
Oh my GOD!!!! Dolly's new song Better Get To Livin' is just AWESOME! It has a real Reba feel to it (to me anyway). I think Mrs. Parton may have a HUGE hit on her hands! Thank you for telling us about it on iTunes! You're the best Duane! Bobbie Lansing, Mich.
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Aug. 28, 2007 Hello! My name is Magdalena and I am a Dolly fan from Sweden. I was so happy to se her in Stockholm on her European tour 2007. Now I wish and pray for her to visit Sweden on her Tour 2008. Thanks for all news about Dolly. Magdalena Gusum, Sweden Thanks, Magdalena. Hopefully she'll make a return to Sweden on her tour next year!
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Aug. 27, 2007 WOW! This sure is a exciting time to be a Dolly fan with all the news and talk about her new CD! I can't believe it's still 6 months away, I'm going to go CRAZY!!!!! This CD sounds like it's going to kick a$$, and I hope all of you Dolly fans request her new single as much as you can when it hits in September. Let's make Dolly #1 again and put her ware she belongs! Bobbie Lansing, Mich. Thanks, Bobbie. Hopefully, we'll see Dolly have some big hits from this one!
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Aug. 22, 2007 Hey! It's Danny from dollyparton-piczo.com. I would just like to say that I now have a new site which is www.freewebs.com/countryqueendolly. Check it out please. Danny London, England Glad to pass the word along, Danny.
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Aug. 21, 2007 Duane, What a big difference and improvement with this website. My computer crashed and it took a while to replace it and fine all my favorite spots again. You are STILL doing a fantastic job! Judy Shiplett Davis Okla. Thank you, Judy. That's very kind. We're glad to have you back!
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Aug. 17, 2007 First I would like to say that I am the mother of a 10 year old "DOLLY LOVER" and I have a question. On July 16th 2007 our home burned down and Brooklyn lost 2 of her most favorite things: her four year old terrier (Sandy) and her collection of Dolly CDs. We are slowly getting her more Dolly things but her favorite song is Coat of Many Colors and the CDs we have found do not have the whispering in the song. Please help me out. I need to find the name of the CD or where I can get it. She has had to deal with loss of her little buddy and we are trying to find this CD. Thanks, A needing mom, Emma Callahan, Fla. First, please let me offer my condolences on the loss of your home and especially of your dog. Pets are special members of our families, so it's a terrible tragedy whenever one is lost in circumstances like this. As for the song, you're likely describing the live version from Heartsongs: Live From Home. The 1994 CD was re-issued just a couple of years ago, so it should still be available in most stores. In the original recording, which is the one that appears on almost all other CDs you'll come across, Dolly sings the verse about explaining the coat's significance to her classmates. In the live version from her recent Live & Well CD, she speaks it, but in the live version from Heartsongs, she whispers it.
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Aug. 16, 2007 I like Dolly Parton very much. I have her DVDs and CDs. Thank you. Roberta Friscia Philadelphia, Pa. Great! Glad to pass along your admirations.
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Aug. 15, 2007 Hey Duane. I hope you can help me with my search.. I am obviously very very excited about the Dolly tour next year and like this year I want to try go to all the gigs again. I am very keen to travel to Australia to see Dolly (then I would have traveled around the world to see her) but in need of another crazy Dolly fan who would also like to go. I am on a nationwide search for a fan like me who would be up for this. So if there's anyone out there please get in touch at kellypender@hotmail.com.Cheers! Kelly Pender Glasgow, Scotland Glad to pass the word along, Kelly. Any Scotsmen out there who want to travel Down Under with her next year to see Dolly? You've got her e-mail!
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Aug. 13, 2007 Hey Duane! I have a question about Dolly's Burlap and Satin album. First off, (I don't know why this is important) it's one of my favorite albums and I was devastated when my tape went missing, but was fortunate enough to have a friend who had it on CD and she copied it to my computer when she found out about my tape missing. Well, recently I had the pleasure of finding it on record at a local indoor flea market. So today I was trying to rearrange the songs on my computer in the proper order, and so I pulled out the record to see what the song listing was, and noticed there are two songs not listed on the record. Ooo-Eeee and A Cowboys Ways are apparently not on this record, which I didn't know until now, I haven't had the opportunity to listen to the record. SO my question is do you know why the record is missing Ooo-Eee and A Cowboys Ways, but they are on the tapes? Thanks in advance! P.S. Just wanting to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY PORTER!!!! The man who helped our Dolly become famous is 80 years young today!!! And he still sounds and looks as good as ever!! Michelle Benton, Ark. No problem, Michelle. (By the way, it's one of my absolute favorites of Dolly's recordings, too!) What you have is a re-issue, not the original album. Back in the late 1980s, RCA had the habit of re-issuing several of its previous 10-song releases in 8-song abbreviated versions. They did it with five or six Dolly albums as well as several dozen other artists' recordings.
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Aug. 13, 2007 Hey Duane. Is there any news on the world tour? Jaylee Melbourne, Australia No, Jaylee, although I appreciate that many of her fans Down Under are quite excited and anxious since the recent announcement that she plans to tour Australia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. in support of her next CD. The only other word out yet is that the tour is expected to begin in March 2008. Since the details of most tours outside the U.S. by American artists aren't announced until five or six months before they begin, I really wouldn't expect much more to become known about the tour for at least another month, maybe two. Perhaps they'll reveal more when they start the push over her first single from the project in September. Stay tuned!
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Aug. 10, 2007 Hi Duane! I know you might not know anything about this yet, but I was wondering if you knew what sort of venues Dolly might be playing on her world tour next year. My four year old daughter is really looking forward to seeing her live and will be crushed if she isn't permitted to go due to the age restrictions at casinos. Thanks again for all the wonderful, up to date info you post. Your hard work and dedication to Dolly is always appreciated! Have a great day! Jennifer Bailey Rochester, N.Y. Thanks, Jennifer. Your kind words are much appreciated. As you thought, nothing has been revealed yet insofar as details on Dolly's upcoming 2008 tour, so I don't know yet whether any shows in your area will be at arenas or casinos.
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Aug. 8, 2007 We went to Dollywood in Tenn. and we ended up having to leave, because we had a death, and they called us to come back home. We were staying for a week in Tenn. and to be able to stay in the beautiful cabins and really enjoy Tenn. and see Dollywood . We saved for a year to do this and now we had to come back. I hope we can do this again someday, I want to say on this matter that Dolly's company was so nice to us that they refunded our money to us and I can't say enough how proud I am to say that the people who work at Dollywood were so nice to us and a special thank you to everyone that was so nice. I hope one day I can come back to Tenn. and enjoy what you have to offer. Donna Kreps, Carlson family, and Devine family Miami, Fla. Please accept my condolences for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story. Dollywood's employees are renowned for being so helpful to their customers, so I am not surprised your tragic experience was at least lightened somewhat by their wonderful assistance. I hope you are able to return to enjoy your vacation again soon.
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Aug. 8, 2007 Duane, I read the interview with David Nozell in The Hollywood Reporter and it said that the single is being spun by promoters to industry djs and the feedback is amazing. It sounds like Dolly may have a big hit on her hands and a wonderful comeback, not that she ever went away, but you know what I mean. I was just wondering your thoughts on how you think the single will be taken by popular audiences. Thanks Nick Tipton, Mo. I'm hopeful that it will be a hit. In today's market, it's very difficult for someone to get on the radio unless they're the current, hot, young, multi-million-sellers. So if she is able to win over some radio programmers who will be willing to put the song on the air, that in itself would be a major success . If the song then catches on and becomes a hit, it would be icing on the cake! I certainly think the chances are much better since she had a No. 1 with Brad Paisley last year, so radio may be willing to take a chance on playing her song instead of just putting them on a shelf without every giving any airplay to them, as has been the case with her singles for many years now.
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Aug. 7, 2007 Great lady. I remember her from the old days of Cas Walker when she started out and she is still great. David Almany Waxahachie, Texas Thanks for sharing your memories, David. You've been following her a long time indeed!
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Aug. 6, 2007 Hello Duane, I need a little help understanding something, All over the internet I see stories that "Dolly Parton will release her first mainstream country album in 17 years." Now correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't her 1998 album Hungry Again "mainstream country"? I just don't get it. What do they think she has been doing for the past 20 years, nothing? Do they live under a rock or something? I guess what I'm asking you is what do they mean when they say her last mainstream country album was 17 years ago, and what album are they talking about? Even Slow Dancing With the Moon was only 14 years ago. Ohhhhh. Thank you for letting me rant! LOL! Please let me know what you think of this. One other thing if you can help me. Does Dolly have a real My Space page? There are several that claim to be her on there, but are they real or fake? Bobbie Lansing, Mich. The stories are citing a statement from Dolly's manager and manager of her new record label, who was quoted in Billboard magazine saying it would be her first mainstream country album in 17 years. I don't know if he was misquoted by the publication or has a different definition of mainstream country than most people do. While it is true she has focused on bluegrass, folk, gospel and more rootsy-sounding music for the past few years, nearly all of her recordings in the 1990s until The Grass Is Blue eight years ago would all be considered "mainstream country" by most listeners. Another possibility would be if he were giving a much longer discussion of the fact that her songs have been largely absent from mainstream country radio for that time period and the magazine just pulled part of the full quote out of context, since other than her guest spot on "When I Get Where I'm Going" last year, her most recent real hits on country radio were about 17 years ago, and one of her stated goals for the new project is to generate her first mainstream country hits since then. As for your My Space question, no, Dolly does not have a personal My Space page, although several fakes do exist claiming to be her. The only official My Space page for her right now is one for her European tour earlier this year that they set up to publicize those concert dates. It is available here, but it doesn't contain any original content other than streaming video of a commercial for the tour and the concert dates themselves.
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Aug. 6, 2007 Hi - I am trying to find lyrics for The Master's Hand from Dolly's I Believe CD. Every time I look on the internet to find the lyrics they are incorrect. Please help me!! Kirsty Wellington, New Zealand You won't find lyrics posted on Dollymania because they constitute copyrighted material which is illegal to post without obtaining written permission from the copyright owner (other than citing just a line or two from a song, which is allowed without permission under part of the law as "fair use"), even though many other websites ignore this fact. Therefore, I can't provide you with the lyrics. However, if you know the lyrics on other websites are incorrect, then it would appear that you probably have the CD and could easily cut and paste the incorrect lyrics onto your computer from the Web and correct them yourself as you listen to the CD.
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Aug. 4, 2007 Hey Duane. Just wondering if you heard anything about Dolly doing a world tour in 2008? I heard she will be touring Europe, Australia, Canada and USA. I sure hope it's true! Not too many people I would pay big bucks to see, but Dolly is one of them for sure. It has been way to long since she has been to Edmonton. James Edmonton, Alb., Canada Yes, James, the word you heard is true! As was reported on the site's news page a couple of days ago, Dolly plans to kick off a world tour in March 2008 to include performances in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe. Exact dates and cities have yet to be announced, though.
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Aug. 1, 2007 Hello, just a quick question I was on Amazon.com looking at Dolly CDs and Very Best of Dolly Parton-Vol. 2 does not have a track listing, Can you please tell me what songs are on it so I know if I wanna buy it or not, Thank you :)
Bobbie Lansing, Mich. No problem. The track listing was published in the site's May 30 news update (available here). The songs are:
Joshua
The Seeker
Harper Valley PTA
Heartbreaker
Two Doors Down
Boulder To Birmingham
Put It Off Until Tomorrow (with Tammy Wynette & Loretta Lynn)
July 20, 2007 Duane ..... Thank you so much for posting the link to the 1977 concert at the Bottom Line. It is fantastic !! Through the years, I have read articles about her '77 performances there. The concert captures Dolly at such an important time in her career. Thanks again so much ---- it is such a treat ! John Shreveport, La. Thanks, John. Glad to pass the word along. Hopefully Concert Vault will secure the rights to stream (and eventually offer downloads) of other classic Dolly shows. We'll have to wait and see! For those who haven't listened in, the show is available here.
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July 5, 2007 Like to know how to order tickets for Dolly's US tour in September. Judy Ijmuiden, Netherlands Unfortunately, Judy, Dolly's next tour still has yet to be announced, so I don't know if it will happen this fall or not. Her most recent public comment on the subject came when I asked her about it back in April. At that time, she responded that she was aiming to have her next CD out in September and would launch a U.S. tour to coincide with it, likely to run from sometime around September through about December. Of course, that was several months ago, so a lot can change in that time (for instance, in winter 2006, she had said her plan was to have the CD out in early summer and schedule the tour for the summer as well, but by spring those dates had been pushed back to fall). Although there are many rumors in the fan community that the album won't be out until early 2008 and therefore the corresponding tour will also be delayed until then, Dolly has not offered any public updates on what her schedule is for the projects and her spokespeople will neither confirm nor deny any changes from the earlier-revealed plans. Although we are fast approaching September, it is still possible she could tour, since all of her recent U.S. tours were formally announced only about a month before each began, and we're still well over a month away from September. So we'll have to just sit back and wait and see what happens. However, as soon as any additional information is released, you can rest assured it will appear almost immediately on the site's news page.
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July 5, 2007 Duane, Just was wondering why Dolly is absent from Sugarhill Records new website. I also noticed the link to that site was moved from your site. Can you share any news? Has Dolly signed with a new label? Thanks, Billy Christian Barboursville, W.V. When the label's new site went live recently and all of its old pages (including the section of the old site that had been dedicated to Dolly) were deleted, many readers noticed the absence of her from new version and the removal of the link to her deleted section of the old site from my links page, so you're not alone in asking your question. Label officials say Dolly is not there because the new site is still under construction (they admit that the "under construction" note on the front page blends in and is difficult to notice), so only a handful of its artists' "mini-sites" are up and running at this time. Many of the aritst pages have yet to be created, including Dolly's. (Also, when the new site first launched, none of her CDs were available in the label's online store catalog, but since then, two of her albums have been added.) Dolly's association with Sugar Hill and its parent company, Welk Music, has always been on a project-to-project basis merely as the distribution and marketing arm for her releases that she recorded on her own Blue Eye Records label rather than having her signed as a regular artist on their roster, so the relationship is unique in that respect. Presently, they note, they have no agreement with her to distribute and market a new CD, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't be doing so in the future, and they will continue to market her previous releases through Sugar Hill. She has not announced any plans to have another label distribute her next album yet, so we'll have to wait and see what happens with her next CD when it's finally ready to come out.
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June 23, 2007 Hey Duane. What great pictures you took last week. I love Dolly's rainbow skirt-made from ties!! How great did she look. Thank you for sharing. My question was next year the official grand opening 11th/12th.Will this be the Parkway Parade again as well?? This was experience I will keep with me forever. I do hope it will be as I'm booking my flights to be there again and maybe this time when we bump into each other as we RUN along the parade deeply out of breathe we will remember who each other is!! Cheers, Kelly Pender Glasgow, Scotland, UK Thanks, Kelly :) Yes, her Parkway parade is an annual event -- they do it every year, so you'd better get some excercise in between now and April! Next year's parade is already scheduled: Friday, April 11. (It also always starts and ends at the same places, too, so you'll know your route already!) She is usually also in Dollywood making appearances on Saturday (and sometimes earlier on Friday) that weekend as well, although a schedule of when and where those are is never released in advance.
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June 18, 2007 Duane, we just returned from Kidsfest at Dollywood. The most wonderful thing happened to us. My daughter, Emily, who is 6 years old, got to hug Dolly. It was so awesome! Words can't describe the excitement that we felt. We were in the Chasing Rainbows museum, just about to go up the stairs before you go into the mini-movie. We notice all of these security people standing around and talking on the radios. The mini-movie was closed so we had to walk around directly to the replica of her childhood home and I just knew she was coming nearby. AND SHE DID!!!!! We could hear her talking in the attic part - someone was interviewing her or something. Well, we hung out for a minutes but we couldn't see anything so we went downstairs. Apparently, she rode up the elevator and was going to come back down to exit. Of course, we waited and waited for about 15 minutes and then we saw her. Just a glimpse at first. She was surrounded by many people. Emily yelled, "Dolly." Then she stopped , turned toward us and said, "who is that back there?" All of her people cleared a path, she then said, "Come here where I can see you," and she motioned her to come closer. Dolly was great, she commented on Emily's shoes and the jeweled butterfly on her shorts and then gave her the biggest hug. It all happened so fast that all I could say was, "Thanks, Dolly!" She truly is the kindest, most humble person. She could have went right on out the door but she stopped when she heard a tiny voice in the crowd. What a moment! My husband and I were both teary eyed. Forgive the rambling but I want to share with other fans about how great Dolly really is. She is GENUINE! Let us know if you find out what the interview was about. Can't wait to see your pictures. Thanks for listening. Whitney White Cleveland, Tenn. What a great story, Whitney! Wish I could have been there to see the look on your little girl's face when that happened! Thanks for sharing, and I'll see if I can find out who was interviewing her :) Addition: The interview was with a children's publication called "Studies Weekly" which is distributed in schools across the nation. She was also interviewed by the Girl Scouts' official national magazine.
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June 11, 2007 Hey Duane. I would just like to say I think this website for Dolly is fab! My name is Sandra and I'm 16 and from Ireland. I went to see Dolly in the Point Theater in Dublin when she came to Ireland, I feel the 113 euro I paid to see Dolly was well worth it. I really loved and enjoyed her concert so much I actually didn't want it to be over. I just wanted it to go on and on but eventually it had to come to an end. I feel she really knows how to keep her fans happy. She was so joyful and I love her voice too. She is a brilliant singer and songwriter and what I loved especially about the concert was she sang my favourite songs, Little Sparrow, Coat of Many Colours and We Irish. And I was reading through the comments other people left and I seen one from a person in Cork about the concert being cancelled and I can say Dolly apologized the night of our concert to her fans in Cork and said maybe someday she will be back, which I hope she does come back to Ireland soon. I wrote a letter to Dolly a while ago as I would really love to have her autograph and I no how busy she has being lately but I was wondering do you think she would probably get my letter as I posted it to three addresses? All I can say is this website is fab for people who are huge fans of Dolly and her music keep it up!! Thank You. Sandra O'Toole Bray County, Wicklow, Ireland A fan of Dolly's Forever And Always xxxxxx Thanks, Sandra. You are too kind. If you sent the letter to Dolly's fan mail addresses (her home address and her office address in Nashville), chances are she will likely see it. However, I'm sure she gets tons of letters and requests for autographs daily, so I don't know if she'll be able to reply to you directly. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, though! :)
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June 11, 2007 I am a total Dolly fanatic!! Not only does she have the voice of an angel, she is a songwriting genius. I'm a big music lover, but my favourite genre is definitely singer-songwriters. Dolly's life experiences come through in her songs, and are so heartfelt and passionate. I go on and on about her to everyone I know! I hope she knows how loved she is in Australia, and her millions of fans here would just love her to come and tour here again - please come back Dolly! You are sublime… Melinda Dickie Sydney, NSW, Australia Thanks for your letter, Melinda. I'm sure Dolly is thrilled to have such enthusiastic fans Down Under, and hopefully she'll come tour down there sometime soon!
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June 9, 2007 Hey! I am in need of some pics of Dolly's parents. It's for a very special project that I'm working on, so I was wondering if maybe anybody had any they could send? Everyone would be credited, unless of course I was flooded with emails, in which case I would group everyone that sent me photos together as a whole. I'm kinda desperate here, I've been wanting to work on this for some time now.... On another note, everyone needs to pick up a copy of the rolling stones magazine!!! lol. Michelle Benton, Ark. Hopefully some readers out there can help you, Michelle.
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May 26, 2007 My friend Diane and I are going to see Dolly at the opening of Dollywood next year and we wondered when she confirmed the date it would be or if you knew it as we wanted to make sure of the exact date before booking anything. I would also like to thank you for your great website with all the latest news without which we would have missed out on amazing tickets for her last tour here. Tammie England Glad to keep you informed! :) Although the park actually opens to the public next year on March 21, the official season "grand opening" festivities with Dolly are always at least a week or two later. Next year, they are scheduled for the weekend of April 11-12, 2008. Safe journey!
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May 23, 2007 Duane, Thanks for the wonderful pictures from the concert.. Dolly sure did put on a great concert.. She was beautiful..... And all of us fans appreciate the coverage you do about Dolly... I was on the 10th row from the stage and it was wonderful... I was able to get my camera in, and I will be sending pictures in a few days.. See ya, Sharon from Jax, Sharon Johnson Jacksonville, Fla. Thanks, Sharon. I was in transit driving home Tuesday, so I didn't have time to go through any more pictures to get them posted in tonight's update, but I do hope to start working on those Wednesday evening!
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May 22, 2007 Hey Duane, I just had to write to tell you about Dolly's concert in Sevierville. We waited on her out front and we saw her get into her van as she was leaving. My daughter Emily, who is six, and I both got to touch the window and she touched it from inside. As a mother and as a fan, it was the sweetest and most excited thing I have ever seen. Emily loves her almost as much as I do and it was so great to be that close to her. I think I can speak for fans everywhere, Dolly really is the greatest there is period. I can't wait to see your pictures. We were too far away but still the show was great as usual. Thanks. Whitney White Cleveland, Tenn. How sweet! Thanks for sharing your story, Whitney!
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May 16, 2007 I was just wondering if you knew exactly where the Smokies Stadium is. I'm unsure exactly, and I was sure that you would know. I will also be at both Opry shows this weekend; if I see you I'll say hey. Thanks for everything, Jerail Sylacauga, Ala. Jerail, by all means, look for me and say hi. I am currently planning to attend both halves of the Opry on Saturday and then Dolly's concert in Sevier County's Smokies Stadium on Sunday, unless a family emergency keeps me home. (My grandmother is in the hospital again, slowly improving after a serious medical issue this weekend, which is why there was no site update Friday night. If she doesn't take a turn for the worse, I plan to make the trip, but if something happens, family comes first and I will stay home. Your prayers for her recovery would be most appreciated.) The stadium is located very close to the interstate at the same exit you take to go to Dollywood. On I-40, take exit 407 (state Highway 66). If you were going to Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, you'd turn right if coming from the west (Knoxville) or left if coming from the east (Morristown). To get to the stadium, you'll instead turn left if you're coming from the west (Knoxville) or right if coming from the east (Morristown). If you take an alternate route that brings you up through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville instead of taking I-40, you'll go through town until you reach the interstate and cross over it at the interchange for exit 407. The stadium is just on the other side of the interstate on the right. There are also street signs to help direct you there. And for those who decide to go to the concert at the last minute, there are plenty of tickets left in the stands. The night is for a good cause, to help build a new hospital in her hometown, so come if you can! Tickets are available here.
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May 5, 2007 Have just purchased "Heartsongs: Live From Home," which I absolutely love. I was wondering if this concert was ever released on VHS or DVD because I would absolutely love it. I love the way Dolly sings live, as I'm sure you do also, she is just fab! Thanks, P.S. did you get tickets to the grand ol' Opry on May 19? FRONT ROW BABY!! Nick Boehlen Tipton, Mo. No, unfortunately, video of the concert has never been released commercially, just the audio, so you can't buy it. As for the Opry, yes, I will be there with camera in hand! I found out about her being scheduled for the show from a couple of trusted, but completely unofficial, sources a few weeks before anything was announced, but no one would confirm it officially yet, so I chose to hold off on reporting anything about it on the site until I could get official word about it. I went ahead, though, and bought my ticket for the night's first half, anyway, so I'll be on second row for it. When I later got confirmation that she would be on the second half of the program as well, I bought a ticket for it on the seventh row, I believe. Just my luck, the very next day after I bought mine, the Opry released several seats on the first and second rows that had previously been reserved for some reason and unavailable to the public! I can't wait for the show, though. In addition to seeing Dolly, I have over the years grown to develop much more of an appreciation for the tremendous talent of Porter Wagoner (check out Rubber Room: The Haunting Poetic Songs of Porter Wagoner 1966-1977 for some of the most superb examples of his artistry), and it is a thrill to see him perform again. Then the next night I'll be over in East Tennessee covering Dolly's hospital benefit concert. Tickets for both do remain on sale: for the May 19 Opry here and the May 20 charity concert here!
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May 3, 2007 Just surfing your site today to check out some of the latest news and pics. First of all, that is so awesome that Allen Morgan is doing a dance remix CD of Dolly's music. I shall buy me a copy when it is released. I love anything Dolly, which is probably true about most of us fans. Love the latest pics of our favorite sweetheart, too. That girl is something else. I envy anyone who is able to get to Dollywood. I'm here in old boring Cali, not quite able to afford to travel. For Dolly fans in the SF Bay Area, tomorrow night (May 3rd) at 7pm, there will be a viewing of "Steel Magnolias" at the Castro Street Theater. All proceeds go to a non profit organization known as New Leaf, which offers various services to the local community. Here is contact info for New Leaf for those interested in info about their services or how to offer contributions: 1390 Market St # 800, San Francisco, CA or call (415) 626-7000. From what I understand, Steel Magnolias is a favorite movie of the gay community. It certainly is one of my faves, as a movie and one that just happens to have my all time favorite lady included in the all-star cast. Lots of love, hugs and kisses to Dolly. Love you always, sweetheart. :) Scott Nassans San Francisco, Calif. Thanks, Scott, for sharing the news. Hopefully some folks will be able to make it out there!
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April 30, 2007 Hey, I'm Emma. I'm 13 years old and I have just recently started listening to Dolly Parton after I saw her film "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." I thought it was really good and she is so cute when she laughs. I love the song "Jolene." I have got it on my phone and everything. I always sing and listen to it. No one else like my age at school really likes Dolly so I haven't got anyone to talk about her but I don't care. I still love her. I was going to see her when she came to England on her tour but I was already booked up to go on holiday to Jamaica so I couldn't. I was really upset, though. My granddad loves country music and he loves Dolly Parton, too. My mum likes her too and I'm hoping to get some more of her albums and films soon. Love, Emma Roberts Kent, England Thanks so much for your letter, Emma. I'm sure Dolly appreciates knowing she has such great, young fans overseas. And I'm glad you came across the site since you don't have any friends who are Dolly fans. Hopefully you'll be able to find some through the website!
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April 28, 2007 Hey Duane, I just got back from the opening show of the Brad Paisley tour in Chattanooga, Tn., in which Kellie Pickler is one of the opening acts, and I just have to say that it was spectacular!! For the Dolly fans who might want to catch this show, it is well worth it! Of course Brad performed "When I Get Where I'm Going," but Kellie was sure to point out that Dolly was her American Idol! She showed pictures of the two of them meeting on the big screens and then belted out "9 to 5" to the crowd's delight! Everyone was singing and clapping along. It was neat seeing all these "young" country fans so excited. They knew all of the words!! I highly recommend to anyone, especially Dolly fans, to attend this show if it comes close to your area. I love Brad's music and his songwriting skills and Kellie is just adorable! I've always thought she reminded me of a young Dolly, and she didn't disappoint!!Take care Duane, Diane Blount Riceville, TN Certainly sounds like a great show! Thanks for telling us!
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April 21, 2007 Hi Duane, I must compliment you on the great recap and AMAZING photos you share with us!!! Those of us who can't make it year after year are so lucky to have a chance to see so much and hear all about the Opening. So THANK YOU! Also, did you attend the Night Of A 1,000 Dollies event? Curious to hear how it went. Looked like a lot of fun! Manny Burlingame, Calif. Thanks, Manny. I'm glad you're enjoying the coverage. Check back nightly because I have tons of additional photos to post over the course of the next week or two. As for the "Night of 1,000 Dollies," I did attend and had a great time. I took a slew of pictures there, too, so look for those in a few more days as well.
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April 21, 2007 I would just like to say Dolly is the greatest country singer & actress in the world. When I first heard her sing, I fell in love with her music & now I can't stop listening to her. I drive my family crazy because I'm forever going on about her. I also enjoy sitting & watching her movies. Especially Blue Valley Songbird & Unlikely Angel. I was just wondering if she is ever going to perform over here in Australia again? I have always wanted to attend one of her concerts, but just haven't been able to. I hope she keeps up the great work. I'm so proud of her. Thank you for taking the time to listen. Yours sincerely, Chantau Daffy Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia While Dolly has said many times over the past few years that she hopes to soon return to Australia for concerts, and in the past year or so there have been rumors that she was considering a tour there, nothing has been announced yet about plans for a tour. Hopefully, though, you'll get to see her there soon :)
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April 20, 2007 Hey Duane! Love the photos from the weekend! I never let you all know about my experience in Tennessee! I was looking back through the site and found my Penpal entry when i was just 13 and now coming 18 in November, it's strange how time flies! Well back over Halloween I had booked it from the previous February to go to the states and spend some time in NY, Nashville and then staying in Gatlinburg, but to my horrible realization not long before my trip. I realized that the week we were there Dollywood was closed!! :( It would reopen on the day that I was to fly home, and to make matters worse Dolly would be in the park!! I was just soo gutted! I realize though i obviously wasn't supposed to be there then at that time, although my experience of the rest of Dolly's hometown and the other amazing sites were just a dream come true! Tennessee is just lovely! I know I'll get to Dollywood eventually! :D at least i got to see her in Dublin, but maybe some time in the not to distant future I'll see her in person on her home turf! Lots of Love, Rachel McCorkell Strabane, Northern Ireland Wow! You've been a reader of the site for a long time now! (Maybe you should give me an updated Penpals listing to post for you -- LOL!) Keep checking back each night for probably the next week or even week-and-a-half for additional pictures from opening weekend to be added -- I have tons and tons of them to sort through to select the ones which will be posted in the site's galleries. And hopefully you will make it back to the U.S. soon to make a trip to see Dollywood!
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April 19, 2007 Hey Duane! I just read the letter from Kelly Pender of Glasgow, Scotland and wanted to let you know that I did meet her, because we sat beside each other on the Mystery Mine!! The closer we got to meeting Dolly, she would turn around and tell me she was going to be sick! I kept turning her back around and telling her not before I meet Dolly!! I told her she could throw up on me afterwards, but not before! So Kelly, if you read this, I'm the one who was right behind you in line and sitting beside you on the ride. If you're ever back to visit Dollywood, I would be happy to get with you and show you around the Smokies! We just live about 90 miles from there, so we're up there all the time. I'm really happy you had such a great time in Tennessee!! Just like Dolly, we love being from here. Maybe the next time you visit, you can get in touch with me through Duane! But until then, here's a GREAT BIG HELLO from Rocky Top!! See ya, Diane Blount Riceville, Tenn. Isn't it great all of the connections Dolly fans make with each other!
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April 19, 2007 OH MY GOD!!!!!! LOL yes that was me running along the parade!!!! I cant believe that was you!! Aww I wish you had said!! I ran the whole parkway right till she went into her car to take her home!! Talk about getting close to her??? So close I could have almost touched her. I don't know how my legs kept running honestly. I was in real pain the day after. Every muscle on my body ached!! Most exercise I have done ever!! Am glad the security ain't so heavy as on tour!! How good was she??? Yeah I heard you shout your name from away up in the mine!!! I was like that's Duane!!! Wait I need to hear him and the other winners where like?? R u mad? I was on a total high and slowly coming down now. Yes I defo defo wanna head back over for her tour in the fall. I just hope I can get front row seats again! Never know she might do a meet and greet auction or something like that. I AM GUTTED!! That was you!!! I can't wait for Dollywood to send the signed picture!!! All this Dolly talk has made the excitement has came raging back!! Kelly Pender Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. Small world, ain't it :)
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April 18, 2007 Hey All...Just thought I'd leave a little message as I am just back from good old Rocky Top..Rocky Top Tennessee!! How good was the opening??? I was sure I heard Duane ask a question?? I was up waiting to load on to the ride and meet with Dolly when I was sure I heard you ask your question. I tried to look out for you but it was so busy with the press! I had the best experience of my life to date- meeting Dolly has made me the happiest person in this whole wide world!!:):) She is blinking stunning!! So, so depressed that am now back home in very warm/dry Scotland what a treat! (I didn't realize Tennessee was so cold in spring hehe) What a stunning place I am already planning my next trip where I want to discover the Smokies etc in more depth! I just assumed from a lot of Dolly's songs the town was made of old wood and very run down- but I couldn't have been more far away from the truth it is a dream like place so pretty and perfect and well maintained! I feel so lucky to have been part of Dolly's opening and to have been there to see the Parkway parade-so many thousands of people showing their love for the fine Miss Dolly Parton was mind blowing!! I am just so glad all I took about 1000 pictures as I keep going thru them all to relive the last few days!! DOLLY PARTON ROCKS THE LAND!! I am gonna pray every day that I can try get tickets to see dolly in Canada next month- I just cant stop!!! Well hope everyone who was at DOLLYWOOD over the weekend had nearly as much fun and trills as I did!! Kelly Pender Glasgow, Scotland, UK So glad you had such a great time, Kelly. As for the weather, though, it's only that cold this late in April maybe once every four or five years. Usually it's in the 60s and 70s (Fahrenheit), not the bitter cold we saw this weekend! And I may have actually met you! There was a lady running along the parade stopping pretty close to where I was stopping each time on my run to take photos and I joked to her that each year I say I'm never running the parade route again but every year I do it anyway, and the lady said she came all the way from Scotland and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Was that you? And, yes, I did ask Dolly a question. When it came my turn to ask one during the media Q&A, I wasn't near a microphone, so I said very loudly who I was and that I didn't have the microphone, and Dolly joked that I had a big mouth so she could hear me anyway :) Hopefully you'll make it back for some other Dolly appearances on this side of the Atlantic soon!
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April 18, 2007 I was so close to meeting Dolly. I followed her all the way to the mall where she gets off at and have pictures and videos off her getting off of the float getting in her van and drove off back to Dollywood. I was very close to Dolly. It was great she talked to everyone and she was funny. I just wanted to tell you you can do that after the parade. Just follow her float and just follow it till she gets in her car and drives off you will get really close to meeting her. Bye Jessica Lebanon, Va. Thanks, Jessica. Yes, many fans do that. She always exits her float on the street in front of the Belz outlet mall on Teaster, so many people gather around to take pictures of her leaving. Her security guards, however, keep everyone a safe distance from her so no one actually meets her or anything like that, but it's about as close as the public can physically get to her that weekend.
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April 11, 2007 I was born and raised in the same small town that produced Dolly Parton. I remember seeing her in a parade in her honor way back when her career was just taking off. I just took her voice and her personality for granted until my family and I moved to West TN. I went out and bought one of her CDs. I played it all the time and dreamed of home. We finally moved back and now my daughter how is 7 is a huge fan. Anytime we go anywhere in the car she insists that we listen to Dolly Parton. I love East Tennessee and its people especially Dolly! Dawn Poveda Sevierville, Tenn. Thanks, Dawn, for sharing your memories. I hope you get to see her when she's in town this weekend!
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April 9, 2007 Hi there, was just wondering if you knew how I could buy 2 tickets for the 1,000 Dollies show??? I will be over for the winning auction day and thought I would try get 2 ticks for it. Also is there anyone out there from the UK also heading out to Tennessee this week?? I am having awful probs with flights-but even if i have to hire a jet like Dolly I shall!!
Cheers for now, Kelly Pender Glasgow, Scotland Well, Kelly, you're coming a long way to see Dolly in person! The ""Night Of 1,000 Dollies" party Saturday at The World Grotto in Knoxville should be a blast, with a silent auction starting at 8 p.m., a concert by Jenna and the Joneses at 9 p.m., and then the big event kicking off at 11 p.m. with a Dolly look-a-like contest judged by several of her kin, a live music performance with several artists offering their takes on Dolly songs, and much, much more. There's even an art exhibit at the venue which opened on Friday featuring works inspired by Dolly, including some pieces from your webmaster. Advance tickets are supposed to be available online. I checked the website here, and it appears they are categorized under Jenna and the Joneses, so if you buy tickets for their show online, it should cover you for the entire evening. As for other British fans heading over, hopefully some of them will e-mail you!
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April 5, 2007 Hello Duane. Just a little note because I haven't seen any mention of the news that's been highlighted in European media for the last days, namely Dolly talking to some British publication about her lesbian fantasies and her first crush (supposedly on the hooker who helped inspire her look). I know you're not one to help spread rumors, and I haven't been able to find the paper/magazine in which the interview was originally published (if it has been published yet - presuming there even was an interview). But, since this is being printed in many British & Continental media at this time, I was expecting to read your take on it on your pages. While I guess that anything she might have said was done so in a joking/titillating/tongue-in-cheek way, I have to admit it makes me wonder. By the way, I love that she said she fantasizes about hot petite girls OR Keith Urban, like they're interchangeable. Thank you for keeping us so well-informed on the progress of the European tour. Your site really is the best Dolly-source out there. All the best, Catherine Leuven, Belgium Catherine, thanks for your letter. You are correct that this story has been going around recently and that it hasn't appeared on the news page at Dollymania. The reason behind this decision was I, too, have yet to locate the original magazine where the story first appeared to verify it is legitimate. Unfortunately, the news syndicate responsible for circulating it, the World Entertainment News Network (WENN), is notorious for taking false stories from American supermarket tabloids (which regularly publish things that aren't true) and re-stating them in its stories for syndication. Since the company otherwise syndicates accurate reports, except for those that are based on the tabloids, most newspapers trust its content and re-publish its stories without question. This is how many mainstream newspapers and magazines, including Country Weekly, published a false report a couple of years ago on Dolly having breast reduction surgery and several papers around the same time published a false report on her divorcing her husband. Neither was true, and it turned out that both had been based on stories in supermarket tabloids like the Enquirer or Star instead of legitimate news outlets. Both had been syndicated by WENN, which is how they ended up in "real" newspapers. WENN was also responsible for the mainstream media picking up a false story that Dolly and Sandra Bullock shared a lesbian kiss in the film Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous, again originally based on an inaccurate tabloid story. While Dolly has made the Keith Urban joke in interviews for a couple of years now, the lesbian aspect of the comment was new and didn't really sound like the type of addition she would normally make to the joke, which made me suspect the quote might not have been accurate. Likewise, she has said many times how the town hooker inspired her look because as a child she thought that's what beauty was, but this was the first mention that she had a "crush" on the woman. Since Dollymania is regarded by most of her fans as really the sole source available of accurate, up-to-date news about Dolly, I have a responsibility to research these types of stories and not publish them unless I can verify that there is some aspect of truth to them, which is why it hasn't appeared here. Hope that makes sense! Thanks again for asking about it, since your letter gives me the opportunity to address it :)
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April 5, 2007 Hi after the great concerts in Belfast I wonder if you know what the musical introduction to the show was, I really loved that introduction. Brian Belfast, Ireland Well, if the opening is the one that was used earlier on the tour, then it was just a collection of dance mixes of Dolly songs that she had created for her concerts and isn't available in stores. If they changed it to another opening, I don't know what it was.
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April 4, 2007 I am a huge fan of Dolly Parton, She is my favourite singer, I really love her so much. I was extremely disappointed when she cancelled her concert in Cork- Ireland. When I got to Cork, I got prepared for the concert, I bought Dolly a Rose. I then heard her concert was cancelled, and I cried my eyes out. I feel so emotional, I love Dolly. Now my dream did not come true. But, I still will always love you Dolly x x x Hugh Elvis Crumlish Londonderry, Northern Ireland I'm so sorry that you had to miss the concert, but I'm glad you understood how the circumstances were completely beyond Dolly's control and that the experience did not impact your devotion to her as a fan. Her complete statement on the cancellation is available in tonight's news update.
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April 3, 2007 Here is another sampling of letters received on the European tour. My dreams came true on Friday night when I got to see Dolly perform in Belfast. The concert was amazing, her voice even more powerful than her recordings give her credit. I cried throughout the concert as I was so so excited. However I have one complaint which I think if you where speaking to everyone who attended the show they would probably feel the same - there was no screens running. We paid £75 for our tickets (the most expensive) and we where seated at the back of the Odyssey Arena - we couldn't see Dolly's face just an image of her. I was very disappointed as I would have loved to have seen her face while she was talking and singing - don't get me wrong I still enjoyed the concert but felt we where slightly cheated as I know the screens where in place in some of the England shows - why where they not in Belfast - our tickets where the same price as England?! Just would have loved to have seen her face, smile, eyes, make-up, boobs(!), detail of her outfits, nails all of her!!!! Charlene Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Hi. Great site, and up to date info! Went to see Dolly in Belfast and she was fantastic...was 10th row, and close enough to see...don't think I blinked once (except for the interval). All the hype about Dolly miming is a little foolish, it was evident she was singing throughout the whole performance, though there were a few small sections where her voice could be heard when she wasn't singing but they were simply backing and accompanying vocals and pre-recorded. This is the first time I've seen her in real life, and she is a perfectionist, a wonderful show-woman, and created a captivating and thoroughly memorable performance. Now I want to got and see her doing an album tour in USA......Also, she belies her age completely, as she skipped about the stage like a 16 year old. Can't wait until I get to see her again.....such wit, talent and warmth towards her audience (sadly couldn't get tickets for the second Belfast show). Alan Belfast, Northern Ireland
I need to express my anger over Dolly Parton as she was meant to play in Cork on Sat. 31st March. 90 minutes before the show it was cancelled. The excuse was weak that they gave. To Dolly: I have at least 40 of your CDs. The way I feel now I could burn them. 20 years I have been waiting to see you. Have you lost respect for your fans? This is not like you at all. Mike Manning Limerick, Ireland Ed. Note: Mike, in case you haven't seen the latest press reports, apparently the cancellation was completely beyond Dolly's control. If the newspaper is correct, the concert promoter had reportedly hired an outside company to set up for the show but they experienced safety problems with the rigging during the set up which prevented them from being able to complete their job, which made it impossible to get the venue ready for the concert, resulting in the cancellation. Although Dolly appears to have had nothing to do with the cancellation, she has publicly apologized to the fans for the situation and pledged to make it up to them "somehow, someday."
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April 2, 2007 Dear Webmaster, Can you please shed some light on the unexpected and very last minute cancellation of the concert in Millstreet, Co Cork last night? I really don't think the phrase "due to unforeseen technical difficulties" is much of an explanation, nor any consolation, to those of us who paid a lot of money for a ticket and were actually en route to the venue when we found out it was no longer going ahead. As to be expected, when so many fans are let down at the last minute, the rumour mill has already started.. i.e "she was not happy with the lighting rig nor the stage and so refused to play." If this is in fact the real reason it was cancelled then don't we as paying fans deserve the truth? I await with great interest your reply, yours, a very unhappy and very let down Dolly fan. Kathleen Co Cork, Ireland I'm so sorry that you missed seeing Dolly because the concert was cancelled, Kathleen, but unfortunately I doubt I can shed much light on the cancellation, since I know no more information than you do. Press reports have said only that the cancellation was due to technical difficulties with the rigging. You weren't the only reader to contact me with these rumors, and I can assure you that they are untrue. Since Dolly (like most major artists) brings her own stage set up and light set up on tour, it couldn't have been her dissatisfaction with the stage or lighting at the venue -- and even if she weren't bringing her own equipment and had to rely on the venue's it would not have been in her character to cancel the show due to dissatisfaction; she would have played anyway, so there had to have been an actual physical problem. One possible reason I can think of that fits with what has been disclosed, and this is pure speculation since no further details have been released, is that they discovered during the set up for the concert that the venue's ceiling was unable to support the light rigging which Dolly had brought. (If this is the case, it would be the concert promoter's fault for not realizing the deficiency at the venue in advance.) Alternately, something with the rigging could have broken during set up and they were unable to secure replacement parts in time for the concert. Either explanation would make sense since they haven't experienced any "technical difficulties" with the rigging at any other venues on the tour and do not anticipate any such problems at her two remaining concerts this week. Hopefully, though, the promoters or Dolly will see fit to release additional details on exactly what the problem was to help quash the rumors.
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April 2, 2007 My partner and I went along to see Dolly as she performed in my home town of Sheffield and were lucky enough to have seats in the centre of the third row. We both liked her and went along because we thought it would be a fun and camp evening. We were totally blown away by what we saw and heard. We never expected her to look so amazing and her voice to be so powerful. We also had good seats for her final Wembley show and enjoyed it even more (if that was possible) as we were not familiar with some of the songs initially. Since then I have bought eight of her albums and am now a huge fan. I am a huge Barbra Streisand fan and have seen her perform live twice. I never thought that anyone else could compare to her but I really believe that Dolly could hold her own in a duet anytime. The only thing that I would say that is slightly negative is that I thought that the second half could have been slightly longer with the inclusion of another couple of songs as she did seem to exit rather abruptly. I really can't wait to see her again....a new fan. Mark Atalon London, United Kingdom I'm sure she'd find that a high compliment, Mark, as she has said Streisand is one of her three favorite female singers. There's certainly a reason both of them are considered icons!
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April 2, 2007 This is the best Dolly Parton website in the world. I had the honour of seeing Dolly in concert last week. She's one of my biggest idols. This website is so good and gives me lots of info. Thanks for your hard work for making this for all the Dolly P fans. Dolly ROCKS! Kasie Bristol, England Thank you so much, Kasie. You are very kind.
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March 31, 2007 Duane, I just wanted to write and say that I'm sooo excited, because I won one of the seats on the Mystery Mine!! I don't know if you bid on one of them or not, but I'm sure you'll be there on Media Day, so maybe I'll see you then. I have dreamed of the chance to meet Dolly since I was a little girl, but I have never been lucky enough or in some cases, rich enough to win the opportunity. Well, our kids are grown now, so I told my husband that whatever it took, I was gonna have one of those seats!! Thanks again for all you do to keep us Dolly fans informed of all the "Dolly Happenings"! See ya at Dollywood!! Diane Blount Riceville, Tenn. Congratulations, Diane! No, I didn't bid on the auction, which raised $35,000 for Dolly's Imagination Library, but I will be there covering the event as part of the press corps, so I'll see you there!
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March 30, 2007 Once I saw Dolly on TV in an interview and she was riding a Yamaha Virago motorcycle. Where do I search to get pictures of her on that motorcycle?? Thanks, Helmut Delong Calgary, Alb., Canada I seem to remember seeing a photo of her on a bike once, but I think it may have been a scooter, not a motorcycle. Can anyone else help out?
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March 30, 2007
Here's tonight's sampling of letters on the tour: I had the privilege of spending An Evening With Dolly at Birmingham last night and it was amazing! Her voice was as strong as ever as she effortlessly reached every note, sounding just like the recording. The concert lasted 2 hours of which we had a 15 minute break. There aren't many younger recording artistes who would give such value for money. An hour was really all I expected! Dolly was addressing thousands of people as though she was chatting with an old acquaintance and I, for one, hope that this isn't the last time I see her in person!! Wayne Brown Oxford, Oxfordshire, England (formerly of Workington, Cumbria, England)
As promised update from Birmingham: Went with Suzanne Spice (UK Biggest fan; her Dolly Room is amazing) and my two daughters, grandaughter Jessica 9 years old and niece. I had front row dead centre, just amazing, she looked wonderful first half very bright pink sparkly dress, 2nd half yellow trouser suit with gold on it. This was the last show before going to Ireland and she must be very pleased with the response from all the cities she played. I saw her in Wembley / Glasgow / Cardiff as well and the same response everyone goes wild with excitement. Hopefully, she will come back in a couple of years and do another tour. But I will continue to go to Dollywood every year to see her perform there in concert. Every Dolly fan should visit this amazing place. Thanks Duane for all the information and link when the tickets went on sale much appreciated by all die hard Dolly fans. Sandra Duck Bristol, U.K.
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March 29, 2007 Hi Duane! I just finally saw For The Love Of Dolly on the website, thanks to you for keeping us informed. I thought it was such a wonderful film, and it touched me deeply. I found myself identifying with Jeanette so much. She said so many of the same things I have often felt over the years. And it is good to know that I am not the only crazy person in the world of Dolly Parton! lol! This video has proved once again, what a good heart Dolly has. She has an inner light that shines so bright that she radiates nothing but good and kindness. Her fans mean the world to her and it was nice to see how she interacts so positively with them. She really makes them feel special. If everyone were as caring as Dolly, this world would be a much better place. Thanks again, Duane! Jennifer Bailey Rochester, N.Y. Glad to pass the link along. While those profiled in the film are admittedly on the more extreme side of fandom, the documentary was very honest about their Dolly obsessions. For those who haven't seen it, LOGO has it online as an eight-part streaming video here.
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March 29, 2007 And now for the latest excerpts from letters received from across the Atlantic: Were at Cardiff last night. We took 9 people with us. All agreed just a wonderful show. We had 4th row seats and everyone around us thought the show was just fantastic. She wore a black jacket and mini skirt with a white waistcoat with silver strips on it. Second half she had a lilac with a gold double fringe on the bottom. The dress had rhinestones on it. Dolly recognized us and pointed and waved to us, which was the cream on the cake. Sandra Duck Bristol, U.K.
Hello, Just had to say how fabulous Dolly was at Cardiff on 27th March. We knew it would be good....but to be there was just wonderful, to see Dolly in person, no-one should miss seeing her if they get the chance. The memories of this night will stay with us for ever. "THANK YOU DOLLY." It is just a shame that the "few" that choose to wear those big hats, are not thoughtful of the people behind them that are trying to get a good view of Dolly. The only complaint of a brilliant evening. Brenda & Danny Wilts, U.K.
Hello! I just got back from Cardiff after seeing Dolly live there last night. The audience response was incredible with many concert-goers wearing sparkly pink cowboy hats and "I Love Dolly" t-shirts. Everyone stood up and danced during 9 to 5 and she received incredible standing ovations after I Will Always Love You and He's Alive. Dolly talked about visiting some of the local sites and how her mother's family, the Owens, came from that part of the world and how she loved visiting. She also remarked on how the Welsh are so nice and proud of where they come from as she is proud to be from the Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. Everyone was ecstatic after the concert and a few people had tears in their eyes, particularly during Little Sparrow and Smokey Mountain Memories. Dolly sounded and looked fabulous and put on one incredible show. Jeffrey Bath, U.K.
Yesterday I attended the Dolly Parton concert at Cardiff. The singing was excellent but 1. You couldn't see her on stage. No screens. 2 The first set was 50 mins the second was 4 songs and lasted 30 mins. Just as everyone was shouting her praises the show was over. I felt that she didn't give value for money. £130 for 1 hour twenty mins work you expect something more. Geoff C Thomas Swansea, Wales
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March 28, 2007 Here are tonight's excerpts from letters received about the European tour: Hi! Just wanted to say that the Dolly concert at Wembley was absolutely spectacular. I have been to many concerts and Dolly was definitely the artist who commanded the most "respect" from an audience, who hung off her every word. Thanks for the fantastic site, we will be regular visitors now. THANKS A LOT Dave & Steven London, U.K.
I went to see Dolly in Sheffield on 24th March and overall had a fantastic evening. Her voice was flawless and it was amazing to see her perform live however the evening was somewhat spoilt by two things. Firstly as mentioned by another poster, there were no views of Dolly's face on the big screen . I do not wish to study her face for wrinkles but merely see the face and expressions of a performer I had paid £55 to see. Also there was no encore at the end of the concert. The evening was built up to a crescendo with a great number and the audience then clapped and stamped as is customary and waited for an encore. In seconds the lights came up and that was it. Sorry Dolly but I felt let down. Katrina Sheffield, U.K.
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March 27, 2007 Here are the latest excerpts from letters received about the European tour: It's a shame Dolly hasn't played in Sweden for 30yrs! I've been waiting my whole life for her. But when finally did it, she did it with a big BANG! Whoa. Dolly is tha sh*t! :)
På återseende;) (Meaning see you, but more politely..:P) Ann Karlstad, Värmland, Sweden
Hi there! Just saw Dolly at Wembley Arena and she was absolutely unbelievable! Just amazing! When she played "Smokey Mountain Memories" I was almost in tears, it was so moving. I have been to many concerts but this is by far THE BEST! Lucy Poole, England
Hi there! Dreams do come true..I know cause I saw Dolly Parton in Zwolle last week. And it was GREAT!! I'm a fan since I was 12 years old, and for that long I dreamed of seeing Dolly for real! And now I did.. And I'm still excited. I couldn't believe she was really standing there, but she was! It was my dream came true. Thank you Dolly. Dolly you are the best! I love you! Hope she will come back to Holland. She promised, she said, "I'll be back!" Monique Joure, Holland
Saw Dolly at Sheffield on Saturday evening. The show and Dolly's performance was excellent. However, I was rather disappointed to see that some songs were mimed. Paul Derrick Hull, U.K.
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March 26, 2007 Here are some more letters from overseas about the tour: Went to see Dolly last night at Sheffield, England with my sister. The show was brilliant. Dolly sang a fantastic selection from blue grass through to her many of her hits. She held the audience spell bound when singing Little Sparrow, you could have heard a pin drop in the sell out arena. Fantastic show! Jayne Turner Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Dolly performed to two sell out crowds of young and old at the SECC tonight, I was there for the second show. The show kicked off with a fiddle intro, before Dolly launched into Baby I'm Burning, Two Doors Down, Jolene and many more. Vocally and instrumentally she was perfect throughout playing acoustic & steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, autoharp and harmonica, singing all her hits including Islands In The Stream, Coat of Many Colors, Little Sparrow and Here You Come Again. She revived her two time Country #1 hit I Will Always Love You, proving once and for all that no one does the song justice more than Dolly herself, filling the song up with the emotion that Whitney Houston sucked out. She also paid tribute to John Denver with Thank God I'm A Country Girl and had a section of songs dedicated to her parents and family. She nailed the Kris Kristofferson classic Me & Bobby McGee, and when 9 To 5 started the entire audience was on it's feet dancing, clapping their hands and singing along. When she sang I Dreamed About Elvis, an Elvis impersonator joined her on stage and sang the song with her as well as part of I Will Always Love You, which Elvis almost recorded in the 70s. Everyone says that only "old people" that listen to Country music, but the audience age tonight ranged from 8 to 80. There are plenty of Country fans in the UK, as this concert and all other sell out Country concerts here continue to prove. It is a great shame that Country is the only genre excluded from UK radio playlists. David Nisbet Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Myself, daughter Megan and Sandra Duck from Bristol, England went to the 9pm show at Glasgow last night. Fantastic. As in other concerts Dolly raised the roof, fans went wild with excitement, she was on top form and had a fit of giggles when she missed her spiting queue when talking about the person she based "These Ole Bones" on and chewing tobacco. We are going to Cardiff on Tuesday and will report back. George Just Glasgow, Scotland
Dolly was fantastic in Manchester let's hope she tours the UK again and doesn't leave it so long between visits. It was great to see all ages from kids to 80 year olds a mix of nationalities, sexes and sexual orientations. I don't think I have ever seen such a mix at a concert, this really shows her wide ranging appeal. I loved "I Dreamed About Elvis" anyone have an idea where I can get a copy of this song? Peter Manchester, U.K. Ed. Note: Dolly has said she expects "I Dreamed About Elvis" to appear on her next CD, which should be out later this year. My 14 year old daughter and I went to see Dolly at the Manchester Arena on 20th March and we both came away with an inspirational feeling about us. For people like my daughter who may not know a lot about Dolly, she told the audience how each song came to be. Dolly was amazing, she sang better than any CD I have heard, looked fantastic and shared many anecdotes with us. In short, I believe that she is not only the best female country singer but one of the best all round singers/entertainers/genuine lovely lady of all time. Lesley Lester Liverpool, Merseyside, England
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March 24, 2007 I heard about a program that Dolly has that sends a book a month to children under five. I am interested in finding out more about this program, but I cannot find anything on the web about it. If it is possible, can I please get some info e-mailed to me? Liz Memphis, Tenn. The program is called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library operated by the Dollywood Foundation, and it is active in 600 counties across 44 U.S. states and Canada, including all 95 counties in Tennessee. More information is available online from the program's official website here and the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, which helps each Tennessee county implementing it, here. For the Memphis area, the specific contact is Shelby County Books From Birth at 901-545-2323. You may also register your child online here.
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March 24, 2007 Several more readers have written in the past couple of days with glowing notes from Dolly's concerts, and again one person sent in a complaint. Following are excerpts from some of those letters: I can hardly believe some of the mean comments appearing in the reports linked to this site and in the press concerning Dolly and her concerts here in the UK. It seems people overlook the point that Dolly is the ultimate professional in all she does and that when attending one of her concerts they are in the presence of a maestro of words, emotions and music, yet all they seem interested in is if she has any lines on her face, as if that would make any difference to the quality of her performance. I have traveled to America over 30 times simply to see Dolly in concert. I was at her first concert appearance in England in 1975 which just happened to be at the Wembley Arena and I have attended every concert she has ever given here since. I have also had the good fortune on several occasions to speak with Dolly, me a nobody, speaking to a megastar, yet Dolly always made me feel as though I were the important one. I feel through her gift of writing she has a direct line to God and this is so apparent when in her presence. I am ashamed to say England has become accustomed to scruffy second-rate performers, thus when someone as talented, unique and fascinating as Dolly comes along they are in shock and have to get out their microscopes to look for faults. God Bless you Dolly, your true fans here thank you for bringing such a special spark into our lives, we will always love you. Suzanne Spicer Middlesex, England
Hi Duane, Me and my friend Tammie went to see Dolly on Tuesday. I knew that the tickets I had purchased with your help were close but imagine when we sat down that it was front row centre so we were looking straight at her the excitement was too much. You could not take any photos although some did but the security stopped you. Dolly looked amazing and i could see all of her she looked fantastic so not sure why no close ups but you have to respect her wishes and we are still on cloud nine. Her show was amazing and i think we did take her back a bit when she first came on stage as the noise was fantastic she gave everything in her show and did not disappoint once the songs were great and everyone was up dancing and cheering. Like everything in life you can not please everyone but to me and Tammie she delivered and we are so looking forward to more of the same. We will probably never get this close to her again in our lifetime but this experience will be enough to keep us going. Thanks again for the great work you do on this site I have seen Dolly a number of times and have never managed to get tickets this great. Sylvia Smith Manchester, England
Ed. Note: The help the reader references in obtaining her tickets were the fan pre-sale links provided on this site thanks to the tour promoters. Glasgow Welcomes Dolly With Open Arms...Dolly made a spectacular return to Scotland as she played her first show in Glasgow. As soon as the opening bars of Baby I'm Burnin' began Glasgow was ready to party! Dressed in a short tartan skirt she was on great form laughing with the audience and telling them she was feeling great. There was no Imagine, Marry Me or Applejack in the set. She said she was excited to be back in Scotland and had spent the previous day sightseeing. She received many standing ovations especially after 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You. As for the various reports of her talking to much all I can say is she had the Glasgow audience in the palm of her hand and laughing out loud. When she talks it feels almost personal and makes the concert so much more friendly. All in all Dolly's first show went down a treat and as we say in Auld Scotland... Haste Ye Back! Ally Denholm Glasgow, Scotland
Hi Duane, .I'm just back from the 2 shows in Glasgow tonight- and I have had the best night of my life!! Dolly loved my poster message to her she then got into a little conversation with me, and seem really genuinely touched by it and kept said "well a thank you very much, how sweet aww" and asked if I wanted to go party with her when I said yes back she said "well this one for you-2 doors down." I was so excited it was truly unreal-I have went to all UK shows
