'Blue Smoke' Drops Back Out Of U.K. Top 40
Dolly's Blue Smoke this week loses 15 spots on the U.K. pop albums chart to No. 42 in its 33rd week overseas, Sunday's charts showed, while the CD maintains its No. 1 position on the country compilations album tally for a 33rd consecutive week. On the British country compilations chart, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony) gains four to No. 6 while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 7 and Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) loses four to No. 12.

Miley Calls Dolly One Of Her Beauty 'Icons'
Miley Cyrus says her style is partly inspired by her godmother, Dolly. Read what she had to say in Refinery 29 here.

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Jan. 23:
Pigeon Forge Dixie Stampede Starts New Show
Dolly's Dixie Stampede flagship equestrian dinner theatre in Pigeon Forge next month will open its 28th season with an all-new show, music and sets, it was announced this week. "I want to dazzle our guests in 2015 with a completely new atmosphere," Dolly said in a statement. "My team is hard at work creating a new set, powerful new music, lots of amazing special effects and a few other surprises." The show will see a new lighting and sound system, new music score and new aerial act, totaling the largest upgrade and investment in the show since its 1988 opening. "Thanks to innovative lighting technology, our main arena backdrop will come to life and feature a stunning tribute to the Great Smoky Mountains," said Dixie Stampede President Jim Rule. "Our guests will be transported into the middle of the woods on a star-filled night without ever leaving their dinner seats. Our guests will truly be immersed in each facet of the show, creating a new level of excitement not yet experienced at Dixie Stampede or any attraction in the area." The new show opens Feb. 13. Read the press release from Local 8 Now here.

U.K. Mid-Week Sales Chart Update
Dolly's Blue Smoke could slip 11 places to No. 38 in its 33rd week on the British pop albums chart, midweek sales charts released Wednesday showed. The full week's charts will come out Sunday.

Rhonda Vincent Covers Dolly Classic
Rhonda Vincent has recorded a new duet of Dolly's "Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man" about her grandfather. The song appears on the new release out this week by bluegrass band Volume Five and is performed with the group's leader, Glen Harrell. Get the album, Voices, from Amazon here.

Woodworker Takes On 'Coat Of Many Colors'
Artist Jordan Straker has tried his hand at woodworking, and the result is a stunning recreation of Dolly's coat of many colors, which will be presented to her at Dollywood's season opening in March. See it in an article in The Penticton Western News here.

McDowell Painting Story Makes News
You may have seen on Facebook and other social media several months ago a picture of singer Ronnie McDowell presenting Dolly with a painting he created of her at a picnic with Elvis Presley. His publicist this week issued a press release to publicize the story of the painting. Check it out from Tricities.com here.

Dollywood Vacation Guide Released
A new vacation guide to Dollywood has been released this month. Michael Fridgen's 266-page Dollywood and Beyond: A Theme Park Lover's Guide covers the theme park, its adjacent water park, Dixie Stampede and more. Get it from Amazon here!

Jan. 20:
Dolly, The Press React To 69th Birthday
Monday was Dolly's 69th birthday, and the web noticed. Fans filled Faebook and other social media with well wishes, to which Dolly replied via her various social media accounts: "I just want to say thanks for all the birthday wishes. I have the best fans in the world! :)" Several mentions appeared in the press, with some notable observations being Biography.com offering the stories behind six of her best songs here, Britain's Metro with 27 quotes that prove she is a true legend here, Bustle with a photo gallery of "nearly seven decades of rhinestones, denim and big hair" here, Closer Weekly with her 10 best film appearances here and Logo's The Backlot ranking her 20 greatest songs here.

Jan. 19:
Happy 69th Birthday, Dolly!
Dolly turns 69 years young on Monday, and Ram Country celebrated by offering a look back through her various styles over the years. Check it out here.

'Blue Smoke' Slips Overseas On U.K. Chart
Dolly's Blue Smoke this week dips five places on the U.K. pop albums chart to No. 27 in its 32nd week overseas while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 falls back out of the top 100, down from one week at No. 92, Sunday's charts revealed. Blue Smoke maintains its No. 1 position on the country compilations album tally for a 32nd consecutive week. On the British country compilations chart, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony) loses two to No. 10 while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) slips three to No. 7 and Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) inches down one to No. 8. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 falls back off the top 40 country albums, down from No. 32 in its 347th chart week since its 2007 release.

New Dolly Website Coming March 21
The team behind Dolly's official website, DollyParton.com, has announced the launch date for its redesign: March 21. The current hold page for the site (which is different from her official music website at DollyPartonEntertainment.com) also features an e-mail sign-up for updates from an official news feed.

Reaction To Dolly's NBC Announcement
News continued to spread across the internet over the weekend reacting to NBC's announcement that the network would develop a series of movies based on Dolly's life and songs. One of the few to include more than just the same information from the press release came from HitFix, which gave its list of dream collaborators for the projects here.

Charity Auction With Dolly Meet-And-Greet Friday
The time is approaching to bid on a three-night stay for four in Dolly's suite at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort as part of a prize package that includes a meet-and-greet with her (in addition to admissions to the theme park, water park and dinner theatre plus meals, transportation and an in-suite welcome gift from Dolly) as part of Friday's annual Evergreen Ball at the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville to benefit the Friends of the Smokies. However, for those not able to attend, an absentee bid form is available here. Dolly also recorded a promotional video for the auction viewable on Facebook here or in the media player below.

Jan. 17:
NBC, Dolly Sign TV Movie Development Deal
NBC on Friday announced a development deal with Dolly, her former agent Sam Haskell of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Warner Brothers Television to create an undetermined number of made-for-television two-hour movies based on her "songs, stories and inspiring life," indicating some may be autobiographical, some may be based on stories she tells, and others may be completely fictional and based on her songs. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt, who executive produced 9 To 5: The Musical with Dolly on Broadway, made the announcement to reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena. Rolling Stone noted here that he said she could appear in some of the films "if there was something that was right" for her as an actress, adding that he expects each one will likely include "a lot" of Dolly's music but won't necessarily be actual musicals. "She's just thinking about a lot of things going on in her life and things she's written about and I had lunch with her a couple of months ago and she said, 'You know, I'd love to see if there's some movies we can develop out of the stories I've been writing about," he told the magazine. The Hollywood Reporter explained here that Greenblatt said: "We're going to try and create uplifting movies the entire family can enjoy together," saying that family entertainment is a "pretty untapped" genre. They added that he noted each individual film would stand on its own instead of being a series of movies. In a press release, Dolly explained: "I am so excited to be involved with my friend Bob Greenblatt, who produced the Broadway version of '9 to 5: The Musical' with me, and my longtime friend and former agent Sam Haskell. We want to create projects for NBC that are both fun and inspirational with a family audience in mind." Also in the release, Greenblatt said: "I don't know anyone in the world who doesn't love Dolly Parton, and the idea of developing television movies inspired by her incredible life and the stories she has sung about for decades is exciting to all of us at NBC. I hope we will create some uplifting movies that the entire family can enjoy together, a genre of programming that still seems largely untapped on television." Finally, the release featured the following quote from Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment: "We all feel so lucky to be in business with Dolly. We're so excited about working with her to infuse these movies with her incredible work ethic and that genuine hopefulness and positive outlook that has been her trademark for years. And you can bet there will be a lot of her music in them too."

March, May Dollywood Appearances Confirmed
Dolly will make park appearances March 20 and 21 for Dollywood's annual season grand opening weekend and return May 1 and 2 for appearances during its "homecoming" celebration, it has been confirmed. Since the park doesn't open to the public until March 21, the news suggests that, as has been the case for the past several years, the annual season passholders' preview will be March 20. Also, as was previously announced, her 30th annual Dolly Parade through Pigeon Forge will be the evening of May 1, but these details noted that she is expected to make park appearances prior to the parade on that day and return for additional appearances on May 2. Also as was previously reported, the unofficial Dolly Fan Dinner takes place following the May 1 parade at the Riverstone Resort (tickets available here), and Knoxville's Club XYZ is planning the return of the Night of 1,000 Dollys event that weekend as well.

U.K. 'Blue Smoke' Sales Update
Midweek sales charts overseas show Dolly's Blue Smoke could drop eight places to No. 30 in its 32nd chart week on the U.K. pop albums tally. The full week's sales charts will be released Sunday, and in the past her album usually has dropped by a smaller number than the midweek updates suggested. The CD's 31st week sales were in the neighborhood of about 4,500 copies, bringing its cumulative sales total to around 365,000 copies.

Dolly Makes 'Woman's Day' Magazine
Dolly has a full-page essay in the February issue of Woman's Day magazine focusing on how to find the positive in other people and not judging them. Take a read here, and check out a video on the publication's Facebook page here.

New Zealand Lotto Winners Headed To Dollywood
A New Zealand couple won a recent $5 million Powerball lottery prize and plan to use it to travel to the U.S. and visit Dollywood, according to media reports such as Stuff here.

'Best Of Dolly' Cover Used For Art Show
Dolly, or at least her body and hair, made an appearance in a recent art show on display at SOMArts' Main Gallery until Feb. 4, "Glamorgeddon: the Spectacle." Musician Theresa Wong superimposed her face on the cover art for Dolly's second "Best Of" album from 1975. Check out a photo of the piece in a story from San Francisco's KQED here.

Underwood Guest DJ's iHeartRadio Online
Carrie Underwood was an iHeartRadio guest DJ online this week, saying here that Dolly was an inspiration for her, having paved the way for her and so many other artists, so she included her music on her online playlist that you may hear here.

Jan. 12:
'Blue Smoke' Holds On Overseas
Dolly's Blue Smoke this week holds steady on the U.K. pop albums chart at No. 22 in its 31st week overseas while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 re-enters the top 100 at No. 92, the numbers showed Sunday. Blue Smoke also maintains its No. 1 position on the country compilations album tally for a 31st consecutive week. On the British country compilations chart, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony) loses two to No. 8 while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains three to No. 4 and Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) rises two to No. 7. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 climbs five to No. 32 for a 347th chart week since its 2007 release.

'Little Sparrow' Gets New Jazz Cover
Jazz band Vance Thompson's Five Plus Six has released a new CD, mostly of covers of jazz legends Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Thelonious Monk, but also featuring a 10-and-a-half-minute version of Dolly's "Little Sparrow." Get the album as a download from Amazon here and read a review of it from Audiophile Audition here.

Jan. 8:
Underwood Bests Dolly For People's Choice Award
The 2015 People's Choice Awards were handed out on Wednesday night, and Dolly lost Favorite Female Country Artist to Carrie Underwood. Other nominees were Faith Hill, Lucy Hale and Miranda Lambert. This marked her first People's Choice nod in nine years and her first nomination in this specific category in 20 years.

U.K. Mid-Week Update Sees 'Blue Smoke' Slip
British mid-week chart updates released Wednesday had Dolly's Blue Smoke drop four places to No. 26 in its 31st week overseas. The full week's chart will be released on Sunday.

'Rolling Stone' Names Dolly-Sambora Duet Most 'Unexpected'
Rolling Stone this week counted down the year's "10 most unexpected country collaborations" and named Dolly's Glastonbury appearance with Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora as the No. 1 choice. Read the full top 10 list here.

Country Newcomer Wants To Meet Dolly
CMT has a story about newcomer Raelynn and her desire to meet Dolly here.

Jan. 7:
Glastonbury Concert Coming To Logo
Viacom-owned LGBT television network Logo will celebrate Dolly's 69th birthday by airing her Glastonbury festival performance that morning, it has been announced. Dolly Parton: Live at the Glastonbury Festival 2014, which has previously aired in the U.S. on Logo's sister station Palladia HD, will be broadcast on Logo at 10 a.m. Eastern Jan. 19. This marks its first non-HD broadcast in America, since Palladia is only available as an HD channel, meaning those without HD cable or satellite service have not been able to watch it.

Jan. 6:
'Blue Smoke' Makes U.K. Top 15 For 2014
Dolly's album Blue Smoke was the year's 13th-best-selling album in the U.K., the final year's list confirmed. One published estimate calculated its total sales for the year in Britain at 356,500.

What 'Steel Magnolias' Character Are You
Southern Living magazine has released a quiz to determine which character your personality best represents from Dolly's classic film Steel Magnolias. Take it here.

Jan. 5:
'Blue Smoke' Down Overseas, 'Very Best' Up Down Under
Dolly's Blue Smoke this week falls back out of the top 20 of the U.K. pop albums chart, down seven to No. 22 in its 30th week overseas, it was revealed Sunday. The CD also maintains its No. 1 position on the country compilations album tally for a 30th consecutive week. On the British country chart, the Dolly boxed set falls off the 20-position tally, down from No. 6, and on the U.K. country compilations chart, Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony) slips one to No. 6 while Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) re-enters the top 20 at No. 7 and Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) also re-enters the top 20 at No. 9. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 re-enters the top 40 country albums at No. 37 for a 346th chart week since its 2007 release.

Dolly Responds To Little Jimmy Dickens' Death
Dolly over the weekend released a statement reacting to the death of Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens: "I often perform one of Little Jimmy's best known songs 'I'm Little but I'm Loud.' I've always related to him and loved him as a person, as a friend and as an entertainer. He will always be loved and remembered." She performed his song on most of her concerts during 2008's Backwoods Barbie World Tour. Read more reactions on CMT.com here.