Dolly Parton

[kostgard]

The scholarship thing is just the tip of the iceberg. This is one of the most generous things I've heard:

In the 70s Dolly was on the Porter Waggoner show - one of the many variety-type shows on at the time. Well, eventually Dolly quit because she wanted to move on with her career and she was very sweet about it - she wrote "I Will Always Love You" about Porter. But Porter was pissed and sued her for leaving. They were pretty much estranged after that. Many years later, Porter hit the financial skids and put some of his songs up for sale - Dolly bought them to help out her old friend. Then once he got back on his feet, he put out feelers to buy his songs back - and Dolly gave them back. Free of charge.

I just thought that was 20 kinds of awesome, especially after the way he treated her when she wanted to move on. And she doesn't brag out this stuff - I only heard about that one from some interview with Porter Waggoner - he had the handwritten fax Dolly sent telling him that she was giving the songs back.

[Oxynia]

kostgard said:

In the 70s Dolly was on the Porter Waggoner show - one of the many variety-type shows on at the time. Well, eventually Dolly quit because she wanted to move on with her career and she was very sweet about it - she wrote "I Will Always Love You" about Porter. But Porter was pissed and sued her for leaving. They were pretty much estranged after that. Many years later, Porter hit the financial skids and put some of his songs up for sale - Dolly bought them to help out her old friend. Then once he got back on his feet, he put out feelers to buy his songs back - and Dolly gave them back. Free of charge.

Wow, that's an amazing story! I have newfound respect for her...I never cared much for her music but she always seemed like a good person. That confirms it.

[Deleted]

And it just goes to show you-for all of her tacky appearance, she's a true lady. Star Jones should take notes-Dolly really does have class.

And it's not in how you dress or who you know.

[Carolinian]

Dolly's a shrewd businesswoman, too. Dollywood is a major tourist destination around here. I watched part of her E! THS recently, and she was incredibly generous with her ex-singing partner, Porter Waggoner. They had a nasty falling out when she left his TV show. Later when he fell on hard financial time and had to sell his song catalogue she bought it, and when he recovered financially and asked to buy it back she gave it to him, a gift that was worth at least a million (IIRC).

I'm a seamstress, and I'm mesmerized by her clothing. She has a small frame, narrow waist and huge boobs, and the topography involved in making a pattern to fit and support her fascinates me. I'd love to examine the inside of one of her dresses to see how it's structured.

ETA whoops- I guess I was typing when you posted, kostgard.

[ladymadonna]

Add me to Team Dolly. She is sincerely awesome. She is a woman I truly admire. I really don't like her music to listen to, but damn! She really is everything I try to be; If I ever became rich and famous I would do everything in my power to give to everyone around me who needed it, and I wouldn't sing my own praises to the press. She just does her thing and gives, gives, gives because she wants to; not because it will make her look good, or get her some press. Yeah, she's tacky and over the top, but she's completely REAL and true to herself.

She's good people. Plain and simple. I don't even like her music, but I always buy every CD she puts out, because she's good people.

[clementine74]

Amazing, extremely talented woman. I read a story about how once, when on tour, she felt that the room in one of the hotels she was put up in was too fancy for her, so she called to get a DOWNGRADE. Awesome. Oh, the lessons J-Lo and L-Ho could learn.

[slanderous]

I don't much like her music, but I think she's an amazing lady. That's a great story about Porter, and I think it's pretty indicative of her generosity, kindness, and compassion. Love her.

And I'm completely fascinated by her clothes! I wonder if everything she wears has to be custom made?

[kostgard]

Yeah - she isn't picky about her hotel rooms. I heard another story where there was a problem with the hotel room she was booked in (something with the plumbing) and they just needed to move her for the night. That hotel was booked and they were desperately calling around town to find another room for her, and the only place with a room available was a Best Western. Obviously, they were trying to find something a little nicer for her, but she told them to call off the dogs, that she'd just stay at the Best Western since all she needed was clean sheets and a roof over her head. I can't imagine J-Lo doing something like that.

At this point I think if I heard a story about how she weaves clothes for orphans out of her own hair, I'd probably believe it.

I may be the only one here, but I love her music. I think she has a great voice, I love her bluegrass stuff, and I love some of her older stuff like "Jolene."

I wish I could come close to her level of awesome, but all I can brag about is the fact that we have the same birthday (Me and Dolly, Edgar Alan Poe, Janis Joplin, and that chick from Full House who got hooked on meth. We're an eclectic group).

[alcyone]

Dolly seems so great, in fact, that I'm always terrified I'll hear something really awful about her-- that the 40-year marriage is a mercenary sham, or that she kicks puppies, or that all those awesome songs she supposedly composed were actually bought cut-rate from some nashville songwriting sweatshop, or something. I actually really love her music (esp. the bluegrassy stuff) as well as her persona, so I think any disillusionment on either score would just about crush me. She does seem a little too perfect, though. Does anyone know anything unpleasant about this woman?

[Deleted]

Add me as a fan, and I actually like quite a bit of her music. I really admire her chin up, positive attitude. She's not Pollyanna about it, but she seems like someone that makes an effort to see the best in every situation.

She was also a total hoot in 9 to 5.