Don’t forget to send pics to our “cutest grandkid” contest (final reminder)!
Flash … bulletin. Breaking news
Dolly Parton took to social media Thursday to declare that she doesn’t want the Tennessee legislature to approve putting up a statue of her at the state capitol… probably one of the few conceivable things that could have united lawmakers from different sides of the aisle in the current political climate.
“I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds,” she wrote. “I am honored and humbled by their intention,” she continued — but not that humbled, necessarily, by the governing body’s attempt to come up with some feel-good legislation amid all of its famously divisive and controversial bills.
The country-pop superstar said that she has “asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration. With all that is going on in the world, I don’t think that putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.”
Enshrining Parton at the Capitol had been talked about for years, and the idea especially picked up steam when the possible removal of statues of famous Confederates from the Capitol became a flashpoint for debate in recent years, with some saying the biggest star ever to come out of Tennessee would be a good candidate to go up in their stead. (Chicago Tribune)
If you want an even deeper dive into Dolly, there’s no shortage of available materials.
Dolly Parton: Here I am In this documentary available on Netflix, the life, career and music of Dolly Parton are reflected in interviews with friends and companions and the artist herself, interlaced with clips of Parton’s performances.
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings. This is an 8-part “dramedy” series, hosted by Dolly and loosely based on her songs and available on Netflix.
Dolly Parton’s America is a 2019 podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad and reported and produced by Shima Oliaee at WNYC Studios. It is a nine-part non-fiction series based on Dolly Parton’s career and enduring legacy. Silverbelle Sandy and I have listened to the series and recommend it.
Dolly has never written an official memoir or autobiography, but her life is the proverbial open book.
Sex symbol, songwriter, movie star, humanitarian, businesswoman, philanthropist, icon, devoted wife, collaborator, and Silverbelle Extraordinaire … Dolly does it all!
