Dolly Parton is outraged over a segment that aired on Howard Stern's satellite radio show on May 6th in which Howard's staff allegedly edited Dolly's words to create vulgar and racist comments. Dolly has issued the following statement: "I have never been so shocked, hurt, and humiliated in all my life. I cannot believe what Howard Stern has done to me. In a blue million years, I would never have such vulgar things come out of my mouth. They have done editing or some sort of trickery to make this horrible, horrible thing. Please accept my apology for them and certainly know I had nothing to do with this. If there was ever going to be a lawsuit, it's going to be over this. Just wanted you to know that I am completely devastated by this."
Plans are being finalized for Toby Keith's annual charity auction and golf tournament to benefit Ally's House -- an organization established to help children in Oklahoma who have cancer and their families. The golf tournament kicks-off Friday, June 6th at Norman, Oklahoma's, Riverwind Casino and is followed by an all-star concert featuring Toby, Little River Band ("Lonesome Loser," "Cool Change") and local band Banana Seat. Comedian Rodney Carrington, who co-stars in the upcoming movie Beer for My Horses, will host the evening's festivities. Golf continues June 7th at Norman's Belmar Golf Club.To date the event has raised nearly 1.8 million dollars for Ally's House.
Kenny Chesney will appear in a new TV commercial for Corona Beer. The spot, titled "Bootprints," features boot prints, which turn into footprints, which lead up to a pair of sandy boots, the country star's familiar old blue chair, and the iconicCorona Extra bottle resting on a stump. It ends with Kenny singing "Old Blue Chair" while waves crash on the beach.
Eddy Arnold was memorialized yesterday at the Mother Church of Country Music, Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. The stage of the Ryman was filled with floral sprays leaving just enough room for a podium and a piano. The appropriately music-filled ceremony began with The Jordanaires singing "Precious Lord Take My Hand," but also included classic hymns from Bill and Jeanine Walker. Vince Gill was on hand to sing his own "Go Rest High on That Mountain," but it was his rendition of Eddy's hit "You Don't Know Me" that stirred the congregation to applause. Biographer Don Cusic regaled the congregation with sometimes serious and often lighthearted stories from the life of the legend and vividly painted him as "the man who put a tuxedo on country music."