PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) — With 2022 coming to a close, it is an excellent time to reflect on all the great things that have happened, including all the top stories that Dolly Parton was a part of.
Aside from releasing three new albums, operating businesses that bring economic growth to East Tennessee, joining TikTok, and all of her philanthropy work, Dolly stays busy with a variety of other projects. Here are the top stories from 2022 that Parton was a part of.
1. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
In an April NPR interview, Dolly was asked what she would do if she was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she said “I’ll accept gracefully.” Just a month earlier, Parton unsuccessfully requested to be withdrawn from the Hall of Fame voting process after being nominated as she did not want fans votes to be split because of her.
On November 5, Parton was inducted into to 2022 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Judas Priest, Harry Belafonte, and Sylvia Robinson with a discography of five albums and seven individual songs.
2. Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy winners
On October 13, Parton was one of five honorees given the award according to the Medal of Philanthropy website. She was selected for the award because of the work of her Dollywood Foundation, her programs that helped reduce poverty and increase childhood education.
“I’ve always believed that if you are in a position to help, you should help, and I truly hope that I can be an inspiration for others to lift up those around them,” said Parton in a statement “Whether through my Imagination Library or giving to COVID-19 research, I try to support things that have a special meaning for me. I hope everyone can find something they’re passionate about supporting and do what they can to help make this world a better place.”
3. Run Rose Run — Collaboration with James Patterson
The collaboration between Parton and James Patterson announced in the Summer of 2021 was released in early March 2022, including not only the novel, but also a 12-track album in conjunction with the book. On the day of the book’s debut, it reached No. 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers list.
Soon after, Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine acquired the film rights to the novel, turning it into the movie that will be released by Sony.
According to IMDb, the film is still it it’s preproduction phase, however, when it was announced that Sony would release the film, it was also added that the film would be produced by Witherspoon along with Parton, Patterson, and Hello Sunshine’s President of Film and Television Lauren Neustadter.
4. Dolly Parton launches clothing line, toys for pets on ‘Doggy Parton’
For pet lovers who also love Dolly, Dolly launched Doggy Parton in August, which also donates part of every purchase to Willa B. Farms. Aside from Dolly, the leading face for Doggy Parton is Billy the Kid, French Bulldog and Goddog of Parton.
When the line first started, it offered items for dogs and cats, including toys and clothing. In October, Parton added a holiday collection which had a multi-colored quilt print bed, clothes, and two toy sets.
5. Mountain Magic Christmas
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas was filmed at Dollywood over a few weeks in the late summer this year. Not long after filming concluded, clothing and furniture from the movie were being sold at SMARM to benefit the local charity.
According to Parton’s website, the film debuted on NBC on December 1, and IMDb says that some familiar faces can be spotted in the movie, including Willie Nelson, Jimmy Fallon, Miley Cyrus, Jimmie Allen and Billie Ray Cyrus.
6. Duncan Hines Baking Collection
Parton’s collection in partnership with Duncan Hines originally hit shelves in January, with two cake mixes and two frostings. Shoppers could pick up a banana cake mix, a coconut cake mix, butter cream frosting, and a chocolate butter cream frosting. After the success of the first round, the collection made a restock with the same items on August 23.
7. Mexican Pizza the Musical
In what might sound like a fever dream, Parton stared in the Liv Mas Productions TikTok event featuring the Mexican Pizza the Musical, which written by Hannah Friedman, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, on September 15. The supposed script for the musical is “based on the true story of the Internet losing its mind,” according to its cover page.
