Life, songs of Dolly Parton take centre stage

Dolly Parton, the busty US country star who rose out of poverty to become one of the most nominated Grammy winners, is the subject of a new movie series, NBC said Friday.
The singer, songwriter and actress, 68, will be involved in the production of a yet-undetermined number of two-hour films based on her "songs, stories and inspiring life," NBC network said in a statement.
The films, still a work in progress, are not meant to be biopic in nature, but will be a series of tales, NBC said.
"I don't know anyone in the world who doesn't love Dolly Parton and the idea of developing television movies inspired by her incredible life and the stories she has sung about for decades is exciting to all of us at NBC," said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment.
A release date has not been announced and a cast yet to be chosen, NBC told AFP.
Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment, said the movies will infuse Parton's "incredible work ethic and that genuine hopefulness and positive outlook that has been her trademark for years. And you can bet there will be a lot of her music in them too."
Parton said she was "so excited" to be working with the series' partners and "to create projects for NBC that are both fun and inspirational with a family audience in mind."
Parton, born to a poor family in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, began to sing in public as a young child.
The 10-time Grammy winner has seen a total of 41 albums reach the country chart top 10 during the last 40 years. Some of her most famous ballads include "Jolene" and "9 to 5."
Parton's 46 Grammy nominations mean that only Beyonce has her beat for the most nominated woman of all time.
Parton has appeared in more than 20 films, sometimes playing herself, and two of her songs have been nominated for Oscars.
A well-known philanthropist, Parton is also renowned for her abnormally large cleavage. Dolly the sheep -- the first clone of an adult mammal -- was named after Parton, having been created from the cell of a sheep's mammary gland.
Source: AFP