On February 1, 2019, World Choice Investments, the operating partner of Dolly Parton’s dinner theaters, expanded its dinner theater holdings to seven with the purchase of three theaters and a restaurant. The theaters were purchased from David Fee and Jim Hedrick’s Fee Hedrick Entertainment in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Parton’s enterprise now operates spectacular shows in Branson, Missouri, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and with the purchase, five theater attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
“My theater production company just purchased Fee Hedrick Entertainment, and I am so excited to have more family entertainment to present to our guests in Pigeon Forge. In 2019, we’ll operate Comedy Barn, Hatfield & McCoy and Smoky Mountain Opry in the same way folks have come to remember them,” Dolly said. “David, Jim and their team have done a great job with these shows through the years and, for now, we don’t plan to change anything. They are fun family entertainment, and that is the business I’m in.”
The terms of the purchase are private but Fee and Fred Hardwick of World Choice Investments stressed this is a win-win for both companies.
“David Fee and his staff have been great competition for us over the years,” Fred Hardwick, Chairman of the Board of World Choice Investments, said. “He produces high quality, successful shows. As Dolly said, this is an opportunity to expand our portfolio of theaters in Pigeon Forge with quality family entertainment. We will also continue to expand our own brands like Pirates Voyage - opening this year in Pigeon Forge.” WCI had previously announced it planned to open Pirates Voyage in Pigeon Forge adjacent to The Island in time for the summer tourism season.
“All of these theaters provide a great opportunity for us to package our shows in an affordable way and to focus with Dollywood to bring people to the area,” Hardwick said. “Dolly’s enthusiastic leadership will continue to focus on bringing the best in entertainment in an affordable way for the families visiting the Smoky Mountains.”
For more information and tickets, go to DinnerShowTickets.com.
Dolly will discuss stories and the history behind these costumes at the Museum’s Clive Davis Theater as part of an exclusive Town Hall Program to be livestreamed on Billboard's Facebook Page.
Monday, Feb. 4 from 5–6 p.m. PT at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live and exclusively livestreamed on Billboard's Facebook Page
Eight-time GRAMMY® winner, Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and Oscar-nominated artist Dolly Parton has been widely renowned as not just a music legend, but a fashion icon. To showcase iconic costumes and pieces from her personal archive, the GRAMMY Museum® proudly presents Diamond In A Rhinestone World: The Costumes Of Dolly Parton presented by City National Bank, which will be the first exhibit Parton has had in the United States outside of her Tennessee theme park Dollywood. The exhibit will open on Feb. 4, when Parton will discuss stories and the history behind these costumes at the Museum’s Clive Davis Theater as part of an exclusive Town Hall Program. The exhibit opens to the public on Feb. 5 and will run through March 17. Additionally, Parton will be honored at the 2019 MusiCares® Person of the Year tribute on Friday, Feb. 8. The tribute will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center two nights prior to the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards®.
Diamond In A Rhinestone World: The Costumes Of Dolly Parton will offer a retrospective of Parton’s career and most iconic fashion moments. The exhibit will also feature Videri canvasses now at the Museum, making the GRAMMY Museum the first in the world to showcase this technology in a gallery setting.
"I probably have thousands of dresses from over the years," said Parton. "I had a hard time letting go of some of my favorites, but I’m excited for them to be included in this exhibit. I can't wait to see them on display at the GRAMMY Museum!"
This exhibit captures the spirit of Parton through some of her most cherished outfits, which include costumes from her most memorable album covers, music videos, and live performances.
"To say that it's an honor to showcase Dolly Parton's all-time greatest outfits and her first exhibit in the United States outside of Dollywood at the GRAMMY Museum is an understatement," said the Museum's Executive Director Michael Sticka. "Displaying these extraordinary costumes and pieces will take you through a career that has spanned decades of someone who is beloved as both a groundbreaking artist and a trendsetting pioneer. We are extremely grateful to Dolly for letting us feature some of the most memorable and innovative outfits in music history."
Exhibit highlights include:
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Get tickets to the GRAMMY Museum
Music fans can pre-order now the highly anticipated Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and instantly receive Dolly Parton’s "Girl In The Movies" and her previously-released collaboration with Sia, "Here I Am." The soundtrack, which features Parton on every song, releases Nov. 30, and “Dumplin’” will premiere in select theaters and on Netflix on Dec. 7.
In addition to retail pre-orders, fans will have access to limited edition Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack merchandise bundle offerings. From The Girl In The Movies Tiara to t-shirts and coffee mugs, plus a limited run of Dolly autographed album covers, fans can explore the full D2C store online.
Highlighting exceptional guests including Sia, Elle King, Mavis Staples, Miranda Lambert, Willa Amai, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss, Macy Gray, and DOROTHY, as well as cameos by “Dumplin’” stars Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston, the project was produced by GRAMMY nominee Linda Perry, who co-wrote six songs with Parton.
One of those co-writes, “The Girl In The Movies,” has already garnered a nomination for Best Original Song from a Feature Film by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Media attention is swirling leading into awards season with Entertainment Weekly proclaiming “‘an empowering anthem” and Vanity Fair opining “one thing is clear, Oscar season will be a lot more joyous with [Parton] in it.”
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The music video for Dolly Parton’s “Here I Am” featuring Sia is available to stream. Upon this track’s release in September, it quickly hit No. 1 on iTunes Country Songs and Top 10 all-genre chart.
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Netflix recently released the key art for "Dumplin'." Dumplin’ (Macdonald) is the teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Aniston), who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town. The film stars Macdonald (Bird Box, Patti Cake$) and Aniston (Upcoming Murder Mystery, Horrible Bosses, Marley and Me), in addition to Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Dove Cameron (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Liv and Maddie, Descendants), and Harold Perrineau (Claws, Lost). It is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses).
Screenwriter Kristin Hahn wrote the adaptation of Julie Murphy’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. Producers include A Cota Films and 50 Degrees Entertainment Presentation - Michael Costigan (American Gangster, A Bigger Splash, Brokeback Mountain, Ghost in the Shell), Hahn (The Switch, Cake), Mohamed AlRafi (Above Suspicion, Lying and Stealing), and Trish Hofmann (Gringo, Get On Up). Executive producers are Aniston and Danny Nozell.
Songwriters: *Dolly Parton, **Dolly Parton/Linda Perry, +Curly Putman, ^Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil
NOTE: Additional original catalog songs and catalog remixes as featured in the film from Parton will be available as part of the streaming version of the album.
Photo Courtesy Sony Music Entertainment
Dolly Parton has revealed the cover art and track list for the soundtrack to the anticipated Netflix film Dumplin’.
Featuring exceptional guests including Sia, Elle King, Mavis Staples, Miranda Lambert, Willa Amai, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss, Macy Gray, and DOROTHY, as well as cameos by Dumplin’ stars Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston, the project was produced by GRAMMY nominee Linda Perry.
DUMPLIN' ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK will be released Nov. 30 and is available for pre-order beginning Nov. 2. Fans who pre-order the album that day will instantly receive “Girl In The Movies,” a song which is creating awards season chatter and has already garnered a nomination for Best Original Song from a Feature Film by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. The first release from the album – “Here I Am” featuring Sia – hit No.1 on iTunes Country Songs and Top 10 all-genre upon its release last month.
Parton recently visited with national radio outlets including SiriusXM The Highway with Storme Warren, America’s Morning Show with Ty, Kelly & Chuck, and The Bobby Bones Show to talk about working on the music for the film.
Songwriters: *Dolly Parton, **Dolly Parton/Linda Perry, +Curly Putman, ^Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil
NOTE: Additional original catalog songs and catalog remixes as featured in the film from Parton will be available as part of the streaming version of the album.
Dumplin’ (Macdonald) is the teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Aniston), who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town. The film stars Macdonald (Bird Box, Patti Cake$) and Aniston (Upcoming Murder Mystery, Horrible Bosses, Marley and Me), in addition to Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Dove Cameron (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Liv and Maddie, Descendants), and Harold Perrineau (Claws, Lost) and is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses).
Screenwriter Kristin Hahn wrote the adaptation of Julie Murphy’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. Producers include A Cota Films and 50 Degrees Entertainment Presentation - Michael Costigan (American Gangster, A Bigger Splash, Brokeback Mountain, Ghost in the Shell), Hahn (The Switch, Cake), Mohamed AlRafi (Above Suspicion, Lying and Stealing), and Trish Hofmann (Gringo, Get On Up). Executive producers are Aniston and Danny Nozell.
Dumplin' will release on Netflix and in select theaters December 7.
"Here I Am" performed by Dolly and Sia is the debut track from the Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. This self-penned song was originally recorded by Dolly and included on her "Coat of Many Colors" album (October 1971). This brand-new recording of “Here I Am” captures Dolly and Sia’s striking vocal re-imagination of this classic album cut.
Dolly contributed newly-recorded collaborations of some of her most popular songs in addition to six new original compositions co-written by Dolly and Grammy nominee Linda Perry. Produced by Perry and Executive Produced by Dolly, the soundtrack will be released worldwide on Nov. 30 on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville (Sony Music).
Download Dolly Parton "Here I Am" (feat. Sia)
“Dumplin’” is the story of the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
“Dumplin’” stars Danielle MacDonald (Bird Box, Patti Cake$) and Jennifer Aniston (Upcoming Murder Mystery, Horrible Bosses, Marley and Me), in addition to Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Dove Cameron (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Liv and Maddie, Descendants), and Harold Perrineau (Claws, Lost). “Dumplin’” is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses).
Screenwriter Kristin Hahn wrote the adaptation of Julie Murphy’s No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. Producers include A Cota Films and 50 Degrees Entertainment Presentation – Michael Costigan (American Gangster, A Bigger Splash, Brokeback Mountain, Ghost in the Shell), Hahn (The Switch, Cake), Mohamed AlRafi (Above Suspicion, Lying and Stealing), and Trish Hofmann (Gringo, Get On Up). Executive producers are Aniston and Danny Nozell.
The film will be released later this year on Netflix in the U.S. and select international territories, and in select theaters in the U.S.
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