Dolly Parton News

Fans can watch Dolly receive her honorary doctorate from the University of Tennessee live on the web today starting at 9 AM EST by visiting this link. Dolly told the Knoxville News Sentinel that the focus of her speech will be on ‘dreams’, saying “I’ll talk about how I, as a young girl, had some dreams and made them come true. There’s a difference between wishes and dreams. I want to sort of define the difference for them. I want to give them some helpful hints.”

Then don’t forget to watch Dolly again when the 24th Annual Dolly Parton Parade is broadcast live from Pigeon Forge on Smokies.tv starting at 6 PM EST. Dolly will also be making various appearances in Dollywood on Saturday to promote her new musical “Sha-Kon-O-Hey!”.

9 To 5: The Musical has received four Tony award nominations! Dolly was nominated for Best Original Score for writing the music and lyrics for the musical. Allison Janney received a nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Mark Kudisch got one for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, and Andy Blankenbuehler is nominated for Best Choreography. The Tony Awards will air live on CBS June 7th from Radio City Music Hall. Dolly gives her reaction to her Tony nomination in her latest video blog here:

Tickets to 9 To 5: The Musical are available now from Ticket Master.

Dolly is the featured cover story of this week’s issue of Country Weekly, available on newsstands now. In the article, Dolly discusses her close personal relationships with husband Carl Dean and best friend Judy Ogle saying “I believe with all of my heart that God puts people together for whatever his reasons are. And I’m just thankful for it. I believe it and I’m gonna believe it from now on.” Dolly also talks about her new 9 To 5 Broadway musical and the world’s current economic troubles saying “This show really is uplifting and it’s a perfect show for the times. Because people are always gonna be workin’, they’re gonna always despise their boss, no matter who it is. And so there’s always going to be that element.” Read the full online version of the article on the Country Weekly website and get the full issue on newsstands now.

After four years in the making, Dolly’s 9 To 5: The Musical officially opened on Broadway last night! The movie’s original costars, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, were in attendance along with a slew of other celebrities. Dolly came out on stage at the end of the curtain call to great the audience and mark the official opening night. Complete photo coverage is available from BroadwayWorld and BroadwaySpace.

Reviews of the show are also pouring in. Check out just a handful of them:

Broadway.com
New York Times
USA Today
Reuters
Chicago Tribune
NY Daily News
New York Post
PhillyBurbs.com
Wall Street Journal
Variety
Entertainment Weekly
Bloomberg
Backstage
NewsDay
NY1
ITN

Check out coverage from Entertainment Tonight in the player below as they interview Dolly, Jane, Lily and the cast about the opening night!

9 To 5 has also received a record-breaking 15 Drama Desk Award nominations, the most for any show to ever receive in a single season. Winners will be announced May 17th during a ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall. The full nominations are as follows:

Outstanding Musical

Oustanding Actress in a Musical:
Stephanie J. Block
Megan Hilty
Allison Janney

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:
Marc Kudisch

Outstanding Director of a Musical:
Joe Mantello

Outstanding Choreography:
Andy Blankenbuehler

Outstanding Music:
Dolly Parton

Outstanding Lyrics:
Dolly Parton

Outstanding Book of a Musical:
Patricia Resnick

Outstanding Orchestrations:
Bruce Coughlin

Outstanding Set Design of a Musical:
Scott Pask

Outstanding Costume Design:
William Ivey Long

Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical:
Jules Fisher and Kenneth Posner

Outstanding Sound Design:
John H. Shivers

Finally, enjoy this clip of the cast performing “Shine Like The Sun” from today’s appearance on The View:

Tickets for 9 To 5: The Musical are available now via Ticket Master.

Watch Dolly’s full performance of “Backwoods Barbie” from her recent appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman in the player above!