Dolly Parton chats with RuPaul in a new Marie Claire interview In a new interview with the iconic Dolly Parton for Marie Claire, RuPaul asked the diva about some of the more mundane aspects of her day like how many hours of sleep she gets and cooking some biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The Emmy Award-winning Drag Race host inquired if the country superstar cooks in high heels to which Dolly replied, “I always wear my high heels. Don’t you?” RuPaul answered, “No. That’s the thing: There are similarities in what we do, but I take all that stuff off.” But Dolly had a different view:
“I have to always stay ready – street ready, I always say. I have to keep my makeup on and keep my hair done. Like, when I’m in LA – I’ve told you about it – if it’s going to earthquake, if we get an earthquake, I’m not running out in the street looking like you look now.”
Like. You. Look. Now. LOL…Of course, Dolly wasn’t being ugly. That’s just not in her character. It’s a fun interview as Dolly is promoting her new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, and her new Netflix Christmas movie, Christmas on the Square. Read the full chat over at Marie Claire.
International superstar Dolly Parton (image via InstagramDolly P) Amid yesterday’s big news that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 95% effective in preventing infection of the virus, folks noticed that international superstar Dolly Parton had been a part of the solution. Back in April, our Lady Parton donated $1 million to help advance the research being done by Moderna. Because, of course…
Yes, Dolly Parton part-funded research which went towards the Moderna vaccine which has reported 94.5% effectiveness. pic.twitter.com/tdyFWRnvsz
International superstar Dolly Parton (via Instagram) Sometimes, it’s the divas that lead the way. In a new interview with Billboard, international music superstar Dolly Parton makes her support for the Black Matters Lives movement clear and unequivocal: “I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!” The Billboard article offers a detailed profile of Parton’s extensive business empire and explores some of the secrets to her success. Being flexible in business situations is one skill that’s served her well both financially and in showing the world her authentic self. Years before talk of Confederate flags and statues leaped to the forefront of political discourse, Parton renamed her Dixie Stampede dinner venue Dolly Parton’s Stampede in an effort to be sensitive to the painful history of slavery. “There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” Parton tells Billboard. “When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’” “As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it,” shares the 74-year-old wise woman. “Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.” (image via Billboard) Of course, Parton has a long history of supporting and uplifting her LGBTQ fans. She’s often been quoted as saying, “If I hadn’t have been a girl, I’d have been a drag queen.” In a 2009 interview with Joy Behar, she was asked about her support for same-sex marriage to which replied with a smile, “Why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do.” She reiterated that stance in 2014 telling HuffPost, “I think everyone should be with who they love.” “I don’t want to be controversial or stir up a bunch of trouble but people are going to love who they are going to love,” she continued. “I think gay couples should be allowed to marry. They should suffer just like us heterosexuals, hahahaha.”
And last November, promoting her Netflix series Heartstrings (which featured a gay romance episode “Two Doors Down”), she told Logo, “I’ve always been proud of my gay following. I think they care about me because I care about them.” And around that same time, the country diva jumped into the dance music world with her terrific collaboration with Galantis, “Faith,” giving us all something to dance about. Happy Friday, folks! Here’s to celebrating a diva who gives back to all her fans.
GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced that it will host a virtual ceremony for the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday, July 30 in place of the original ceremonies planned for earlier this year. The event will stream on GLAAD’s Facebook and YouTube on July 30 at 8pm ET and will air on Logo on August 3 at 8pm ET. The 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Since its inception in 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally. For a full list of nominees for the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards, click here. GLAAD announced that comedians Fortune Feimster and Gina Yashere will host the virtual ceremony on July 30, which will feature a special performance from Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle. GLAAD also announced that special guests appearing during the virtual event will include Dolly Parton, Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Lil Nas X, Rachel Maddow (The Rachel Maddow Show), Ryan O’Connell (Special), Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Head Over Heels), the cast and producers of Pose, trans model and advocate Geena Rocero, Angelica Ross (Pose, American Horror Story), and Lena Waithe (Master of None, Queen & Slim, Twenties), Olivia Wilde (Booksmart, House) will appear during the virtual event. For more information, visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards and follow @glaad and #glaadawards. (via press release)
Dolly Parton with Galantis (photo: Erik Melvin) Country music icon Dolly Parton has teamed up with internationally acclaimed Swedish electronic dance music duo Galantis (Christian Karlsson & Linus Eklöw) for the rousing and spirited new track, “Faith,” featuring Dutch singer Mr. Probz. The track will be featured on the upcoming Galantis album, Church. Now, you might wonder how a country music giant would find herself collaborating with EDM artists? “I was on the phone with a Christian (referring to Karlsson), talking about a song called ‘Faith’ and an album called ‘Church,’” says Parton. “I knew I was in the right place.” The track, featuring Galantis’ top-shelf production, has been a work in progress for some time. Galantis tells Rolling Stone they had been wanting to build a song off of John Hiatt’s 1987 song, “Have a Little Faith in Me.”
“When you don’t know who you areI will find you so easilyDon’t you worry – whenever you need meHave a little faith in me”
Calling Parton one of their ‘dream collaborators,’ Karlsson and Eklöw immediately flew to Nashville for the collaboration when the country diva agreed to work on the track. “I ‘Dolly-ized’ it a bit and wrote some more spiritual things inside [the lyrics],” Parton told Rolling Stone. The 73-year-old music legend apparently enjoyed the experience so much she’s open to writing/recording more EDM. “I always know inside myself what’s right and what’s wrong to do, and this felt really right,” Parton says. “I’m open to doing more with them and continue with this — if this does well.” The music video depicts Parton as the rhinestone-clad driver of a bus that breaks down. The country songstress offers her sunny side of cheer, Mr. Probz drops his spot-on vocals and pretty soon the passengers are dancing in the street to the gospel-tinged groove. “Faith” is now available on all major streaming/download sites.
In a recent interview, country music legend Dolly Parton wondered aloud if some music artists’ declarations of broader sexual identities might be “to make people think they’re so free and all that.”
Chatting with showbiz columnist Dan Wootton for his podcast, The Dan Wootton Interview, Parton referred to herself as “an old timer” when asked about recent announcements by artists declaring themselves as gender fluid, bisexual or pansexual.
“I don’t want to criticize or judge anybody, but sometimes I think it’s just become kind of fashionable to speak out like that,” said the 73-year-old icon. “I think some of them even say more than who they really are.”
“I think they just want to be part of that whole movement to make people think that they’re so free and all that, but I don’t really know how they feel inside,” she added. “They’re just trying to find their way.”
Pointing to her gender fluid/pansexual godchild, Miley Cyrus, she noted, “She does a lot of stuff for effect, and I think a lot of them do.”
Currently in London for the opening of her musical, 9 To 5, the longtime LGBTQ ally does give a squeak when referred to as a gay icon (“I love that!”) and shares that if she’d been born male she would have “been a drag queen because I love all the flamboyant stuff.”
She also bats away longtime rumors about her own sexuality thanks to her lifelong friendship with bestie, Judy Ogle.
“So people say that – because you can’t really have a great relationship with a woman,” said the ‘Jolene’ legend. “I’m not gay, but I have so many gay friends and I accept everybody for who they are.”
The Country Music Hall of Famer, with 25 number one songs on the Billboard country charts, doesn’t worry about such chatter.
“People love to talk, but sometimes that’s your best publicity,” said Parton, who will celebrate her 53rd wedding anniversary with husband Carl Dean in May. “I don’t care what they say as long as they don’t hurt other people I love.”
Some in the media worried that Parton’s comments might have had a negative slant, but Parton’s status as an LGBTQ ally is long-cemented by actions and statements across the years in defense of the gay community.
From telling Billboard Magazine that those who judge gays are committing their own personal sin to apologizing to a theme park guest who was told to turn their marriage equality t-shirt inside out in order to get into the park, to writing the Oscar-nominated song “Travelin’ Thru” for transgender-themed film, Transamerica, Parton has been there (and more) for the LGBTQ community.
You can listen to Wootton’s chat with Dolly Parton via iTunes here or hit play below.
The discussion of sexuality begins around the 12:45 mark.
Music legend Dolly Parton teams up with Grammy winners Pentatonix for this awesome an acapella of her classic hit, “Jolene.”
The fresh take on the 43 year old classic is part of the deluxe version of her new album, Pure & Simple, through Cracker Barrel, which partnered her with Pentatonix.
• Dolly Parton thinks Hillary Clinton would be a great president.
• Gawker posits whether Donald Trump might be tweaking diet pills to get him through the presidential campaign.
• Moodys Analytics, which has correctly predicted presidential races since 1980, predicts Hillary Clinton to win White House in electoral landslide.
• When former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, runs out of real words she just makes up new ones like “splodey.” Crowd doesn’t seem to notice.
Seven-time Grammy Award winner and music icon Dolly Parton recently took time for a photo shoot and Q&A with Billboard.
Among the subjects discussed was her why she has maintained such a strong fanbase in the LGBT community:
“They know that I completely love and accept them, as I do all people. I’ve struggled enough in my life to be appreciated and understood. I’ve had to go against all kinds of people through the years just to be myself. I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love. I don’t think we should be judgmental. Lord, I’ve got enough problems of my own to pass judgment on somebody else.”
And why her theme park, Dollywood, attracts both Christians and gays alike:
“It’s a place for entertainment, a place for all families, period. It’s for all that. But as far as the Christians, if people want to pass judgment, they’re already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing. I try to love everybody.”
The interview appears in the November 1 issue of Billboard.
Calling Parton one of their ‘dream collaborators,’ Karlsson and Eklöw immediately flew to Nashville for the collaboration when the country diva agreed to work on the track. “I ‘Dolly-ized’ it a bit and wrote some more spiritual things inside [the lyrics],” Parton told 
