Tis the season to be Dolly! Today, CMT and global music icon Dolly Parton announced an epic all-day Christmas extravaganza on Saturday, December 5. "CMT's Holly Dolly Christmas Movie Marathon" will feature a full Dolly channel takeover that includes a holiday movie marathon, classic music videos, a full episode of “CMT Hot 20 Countdown,” personal anecdotes from Dolly and more.
Kicking off the holiday festivities will be an entirely Dolly-themed episode of “CMT Hot 20 Countdown” airing at 9am ET/8am CT. Hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan and Katie Cook, the show will welcome Dolly as its only guest of the weekend to chat about her new album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, preview the holiday movie marathon and take a look back at her 30+ year history with CMT.
The main event - “CMT’s Holly Dolly Christmas Movie Marathon” - will begin directly following the episode and feature the most iconic Dolly films of all time: Coat of Many Colors, Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, Unlikely Angel and Steel Magnolias. Throughout the marathon, fans can expect some fun Dolly surprises including personal holiday reflections and Christmas memories from Dolly herself, a tease for her upcoming CBS special and much more to make this ‘Holly Dolly Christmas’ truly unforgettable.
For more information, visit CMT.com.
Dolly Parton and American Greetings announce their latest collaboration, A Holly Dolly Christmas Collection, just in time for the holidays. Spurred by the success of Dolly's initial Everyday Card collection and her SmashUp "Birthday Time" e-card, these holiday cards in collaboration with the global superstar will bring more joy, hope, love and laughter to families around the world. Dolly said,
"Knowing that I can be a small part of making someone's day a little brighter is such a great feeling, and this holiday season, especially, it helps to know someone you love is thinking about you."
Earlier this year American Greetings announced a multi-year partnership with Dolly that includes digital and physical products integrating the legendary singer-songwriter's music in unique ways. "Birthday Time," Parton's SmashUp initial digital ecard offering, has been sent more than 500,000 times since its launch six months ago.
"Dolly's message of joy, hope and humor has really resonated with our customers, as evidenced by the resounding success of her SmashUp and the initial launch of her Everyday Card line," says Rob Matousek, Executive Director/GM – Direct to Consumer Business at American Greetings. Rob went on to say,
"As we approached the holidays, we wanted to bring an additional offering of digital products to market. We believe Dolly's curated collection of holiday cards and a musical e-card featuring her rendition of 'Holly Jolly Christmas' are the perfect pairing for the season."
Discover Dolly Parton's American Greetings holiday collection and Dolly's everyday cards. Dolly Parton SmashUps are available on AmericanGreetings.com, BlueMountain.com and on the SmashUps apps available for iPhone and Android.
She has a new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, she is starring in a new Netflix musical, Christmas on the Square and she just announced the premiere of a new documentary about her global book gifting organization called, The Library That Dolly Built. We know she is always working but even while managing all these facets of her life, Dolly took time to sit down and talk about a few of the things that matter most to her. Here Dolly shares a few of her most treasured Christmas memories from her childhood. She also explains why Christmas at Dollywood is so important to her and how she loves seeing families enjoying themselves at the park and making great memories.
Dolly recalls two of her most precious Christmas memories from her childhood in East Tennessee. In one, she talks about her brother Randy and why they consider him their "Christmas Baby." Dolly explains how Randy is the inspiration behind, "You Are My Christmas," a new song from her holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. Dolly also retells the story about the family's plan to buy her mother her first wedding band one year. Her father had devised a scheme to award a prize to the child who found the ring which he had hidden on Christmas Eve. One might imagine the chaos caused by the kids as they frantically search for the special gift for their mother. Dolly said,
"I swear that I found it. My brother Denver swears he found it. So we 'bout tore the house down, fighting, trying to get the ring."
Dolly goes on to say,
"Truth be told, Daddy had got a big box of candy for the one that found the ring. But it was so big that we had to share it with everybody else so it really was a gift for all of us."
In reflecting on the true meaning of the holiday season, Dolly says,
"Well Christmas, personally to me, means the birth of Jesus Christ. Who I'm so happy every year to say 'Happy Birthday dear Jesus.'"
She also finds joy in celebrating Christmas with the same traditions that many of us hold dear.
Over the years, Dollywood has garnered a grand reputation as offering one of the biggest and brightest Christmas celebrations in the country. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas boasts over 5 million glistening lights, award-winning shows, culinary delights and, for the first time ever this year, nightly fireworks. The park brings families together for a magical holiday celebration, year after year all to Dolly’s delight. She said,
“I love the fact that Dollywood is now known for a tradition...It's just like a wonderland."
Finally, Dolly shares her favorite thing about Dollywood’s Christmas season. You might be surprised by her answer. Watch the video clip below to learn what Dolly looks forward to every year.
Visit Dollywood this holiday season and celebrate with your family. Smoky Mountain Christmas runs through January 3, 2021.
A Holly Dolly Christmas
Christmas on the Square
The Library That Dolly Built
Following the screening, Dolly Parton will be live for fan Q&A and for a very special acoustic performance.
Dollywood and Abramorama in association with The Dollywood Foundation have partnered to present a free one-night-only live streaming world premiere event for “The Library That Dolly Built,” a behind-the-scenes look at Dolly Parton’s non-profit program, the Imagination Library. The world premiere event is a free live stream screening of the film, exclusively on Facebook, available nationally on Wednesday, December 9, at 7 PM EST / 6 PM CST / 4 PM PST. The screening will be followed by a conversation with, and an acoustic performance, by Dolly Parton. Viewers can tune into the live screening and conversation on Facebook.com/dollysimaginationlibrary.
The European premiere will be Thursday, December 10 at 7 PM GMT. Renowned actress, writer and politician, Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE, will be on hand to kick off the evening. The Australian premiere will be Friday, December 11 at 7 PM AEDT, with the multi-award-winning husband and wife duo Mark and Jay O’Shea introducing the film. Dolly Parton will also host fan Q&A and give a special acoustic performance following both the European and Australian premieres.
The film features the music of Dolly Parton and is narrated by actress and author, Danica McKellar. It is produced by Land Grant Films, directed by journalism professor Nick Geidner, edited by video instructor Clinton Elmore and crewed by 15 University of Tennessee students. In talking about the documentary Dolly said,
"I am so excited that we can finally tell the whole story of the Imagination Library. It is certainly not just about me. Our story is the story of children, of families and communities who all share the dream to inspire kids to love to read and to love to learn. My hope is this documentary will encourage more towns, more states and even more countries to jump onboard. One thing is for sure, I think this is the best investment I have ever made!"
Dolly created the Imagination Library to inspire a love for books and reading amongst the nation’s preschool children. Since its inception in 1995, the Imagination Library has grown into a global endeavor and recently hit a new milestone, gifting its 150 millionth book. The Imagination Library is currently gifting books to 1.7 million children around the world each month. This spring, Dolly participated in a weekly bedtime reading series, “Goodnight With Dolly,” presented across Facebook and YouTube which garnered more than 15 million views, exceeding all expectations.
About The Documentary
The Library That Dolly Built, directed and produced by journalism professor and director of Land Grant Films Nick Geidner, and narrated by Danica McKellar, goes behind the scenes of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to show how one of the most famous and beloved performers in the world has partnered with thousands of local community organizations to develop an efficient and effective program for spreading the love of reading. Imagination Library started as a gift for the children in Dolly’s hometown, Sevierville, Tennessee, and is now active in all 50 states, and 5 countries, gifting 1.7 million free, age-appropriate books to children every month. The film also provides a glimpse of the profound impact the Imagination Library has on the people through original interviews with authors, policymakers, Imagination Library staff, recipients, and the legend herself, Dolly Parton. Woven throughout the film is a biographical sketch of Dolly Parton, featuring rare photos and films from her childhood. Unlike most biographies of Dolly, it doesn’t focus on her music. Instead, it demonstrates that at every point in her career, any time she has had success, Dolly Parton has come back to Sevierville to give back to her people.
Evan Saxon, Head of Music at Abramorama stated,
“Dolly Parton is an amazing human, extremely generous in her time and resources, and the world is in a much better place because of her. Everybody at Abramorama is honored to be part of the team to bring this heart-warming documentary about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to fans around the world.”
On December 11, the film and the conversation with Dolly Parton will be released nationwide as a Watch Now @ Home Cinema Release, and in early 2021 across multiple digital platforms.
Starring Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, Treat Williams and directed and choreographed by three-time Emmy and Golden Globe winner Debbie Allen, Christmas on the Square features 14 original Dolly songs in what is sure to become a new holiday classic.
In these one-on-one interviews from The Front Porch, the cast and crew share special memories from on and off the set. Director and Choreographer Debbie Allen was overjoyed to slip back into her musical theater shoes. Christine Baranski welcomed the role of yet another "Christmas Scrooge" as long as it was opposite an angel played by Dolly Parton. And Jenifer Lewis hopes this film will fill everyone's hearts with some Christmas joy during a time when we may need it most. Everyone has a "Dolly Story" and within these interviews, this loveable cast shares how they forged lasting friendships while making the film.
Sam Haskell is the founder of Magnolia Hill Productions. Partnering with Dolly Parton, Magnolia Hill produced Christmas on the Square and Dolly Parton's Heartstrings for Netflix. He also produced two television movies for NBC, Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. Coat of Many Colors drew more than 16 million live viewers making it the most viewed film on broadcast TV in over six years. Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love garnered 14.5 million live viewers and received an Emmy Nomination
