Stella Parton checks in with 2007 projects

Stella Parton, the lovely country-music songstress who starred in the "Dukes of Hazzard" episode "Deputy Dukes" and took the stage at last year's DukesFest in Nashville, has some neat stuff planned for 2007.

One project is "A Dance for Bethany," scheduled for release this year. The film uses recordings by Parton, she says in her e-update. It's directed by Brian Gurley and written by Yvonne G. Williams. (The movie also stars lovely redhead Robyn Lively, whose family was very active in the "Dukes" world -- father Ernie Lively played Longstreet B. Davenport and Dobro Doolan, while brother Jason Lively played Rod Moffet in the episode "The Boar's Nest Bears" and Rudy in the pilot.)

Parton appears in another film scheduled for release in 2007: "Ghost Town," filmed in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. "They will be using some of my music as well," Parton says. She shares the screen with Terence Knox and Charles Matthau, son of Walter Matthau. That one's a western directed by Jeff Kennedy and Dean West and written by D.J. Perry.

Parton has a new CD coming out, called "Testimony." "We are very excited about these new all-original songs and hope to have it available by early spring," she says.

On top of all that ... "You should be seeing me in 2007 on the QVC network promoting my third cookbook, 'State Fairs and Church Bazaars.' Please call everyone and order as many copies as you can for friends and family. A portion of the proceeds will go to battered women and children's shelters across the country."

Keep an eye on her website, www.stellaparton.com, for details on these and other projects, and be sure to check out her "Dukes" page.

"God has blessed us and I hope you've been blessed, as well," Parton says as a parting note on her update for fans. "Let's pray for a prosperous, healthy and safe 2007."

Coming up later this week: Another "Dukes" post, and this one is a wonderful story we're gonna call ... "What It Means to Be a 'Dukes' Fan."

Cast your vote for Stella Parton

Attic Entertainment is asking fans to show their support for country-music songstress Stella Parton, who starred in the "Dukes of Hazzard" episode "Deputy Dukes," and who has been known to perform at DukesFest. Parton has been nominated for "Female Pioneer" in the upcoming 2007 Fan Appreciation Awards at Agape Fest '07.

The festival happens May 31 and June 1-3 in Hughes Springs, Texas. It will be an all-day event, with lotsa music, food, fun, fellowship and workshops about the recording biz.

Find out more, and cast your vote, at www.kingcountry.org/ or www.kingcountryagapefest.com. follow the Agape Fest links. Enter your email to register, and you will receive an email with a link that takes you to the ballot. King Country is opening the full ballot this Friday, February 2. Attic Entertainment is asking for your votes for Stella Parton as a write-in candidate for entertainer of the year.

Stella Parton appears in "Ghost Town"

The indie film "Ghost Town: The Movie," which premiered in June in Maggie Valley, North Carolina (where it was filmed at the Ghost Town amusement park) has a couple "Dukes of Hazzard" connections. Terence Knox, who portrays Mayor Emerson Rogers in the film, was Rafe Logan in the "Dukes" episode "New Deputy in Town." And Stella Parton, such a DukesFest fave and portraying Betsy Mae in the movie, was cute little Mary Beth Malone in the "Dukes" episode "Deputy Dukes."

"Ghost Town: The Movie" also includes the Parton-penned song, "Up in the Holler." The film's plotline from the IMDb: "Appalacian folklore and legend tells the story of a man in 1856, who came out of the mountain wilderness of Cold Springs, North Carolina, to avenge his father's death. In his wake he left a ghost town. Today, 20 years later, he returns to avenge his daughter's honor." The film also features Renee O'Connor of "Xena: Warrior Princess" fame. The movie is slated for release later this year.

But that's not all Stella's got going on these days. She keeps her fans updated pretty well through her email newsletter. Later this year, she'll release her CD "Testimony," as well as a new cookbook. Earlier this year, her website auctioned off the painting of her "Appalachian Blues" CD cover by Lois Virginia Babb, and Parton donated the proceeds to the New Opportunity School for Women in Berea, Kentucky. Go, girl!

DukesFest: And the award for the nicest celebrity goes to ...

... Ms. Stella Parton, proving that you can have fame and still be a kind, down-to-earth person. Stella, a country-music star (and sister of Dolly) who played an officer of the law with ulterior motives in the first-season episode "Deputy Dukes," joked, "I grew up singing in church! I'm not really so bad as that officer." Indeed, she took special care and attention of fans around her autograph table near the Music City stage inside the Motorplex's Annex Building. And, even as she performed on this away-from-a-lot-of-the-action stage, she was gracious every moment. She had no problem stopping her performance to speak to someone who walked up to the stage, and she pulled a young boy from the audience, then later a young girl who was obviously a very smitten fan, to join her on-stage. She gave a good-ole down-home country cooing to "Dukes of Hazzard" inspiration and former moonshiner Jerry Rushing, who was taking a pause from his table to watch her perform. For all of this and more, BRBTV hereby bestows on Stella Parton the award of Most Congenial in Show for DukesFest.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

That rounds out our week of special CMT DukesFest 2006 coverage. We want to send warm wishes and thanks to the folks we saw there at the event, including all the folks we profiled here in the blog, plus "Dukes" fan Tony, who caught BRB in the stands for a second, Jon and Amber and Paul and Cheryl. Thanks to Lee owner Mike for talking with us after the show for a story for the Covington (Ga.) News. It's always so much fun to share the love of a show like this!

BRBTV News Blog Blip: Next up for BRB is Braselton, Georgia. If you're anywhere near it, or you can be, don't miss the "Dukes of Hazzard" Night at the Lanier National Speedway. James Best, fresh off this DukesFest gig, will be there, and they'll have a special cop chase of a Lee around the track and other fun stuff. BRB will be signing copies of "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" Check their website, LanierSpeedway.com, for details. See ya there!

Hazzard Homecoming hits the high notes

Well, they went and threw a little "Dukes" shindig, and a few people done showed up. OK, more than a few. Make that thousands. "Dukes of Hazzard" fans from all over the country and even other countries (that's you, Paul and Zealand!) made it out to Sperryville, Virginia, today for the first day of the Hazzard Homecoming at the Thorton Hill Hounds Raceway. Guess us fans were just craving a big "Dukes" event -- it's been a while. And rain? Yea, there was a little rain. In fact, it lightly rained for a half-hour or so. Did anybody notice? Maybe. Did anybody stop what they were doing? Not even a little.

The spacious, hilly grounds off Highway 522, with the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains rising up in the distance, provided the perfect setting for Hazzard's fans to come "home" to this city where the very first Dukesfest occurred back in 2001. Everything from General Lees to Hazzard County sheriff's cars to Boss' big long white convertible to Cooter's tow trucks and more covered the landscape. Stella Parton, who guested on one episode of the original series, took to the stage in the afternoon, even doing a little "church" with "This Little Light of Mine." And Cooter's Garage Band performed later on.

Much of the original "Dukes" cast was there: Sonny Shroyer, Catherine Bach, host Ben Jones, James Best and Rick Hurst. Stella Parton signed autographs as well as her new book, "Tell It Sister, Tell It: Memories, Music and Miracles," just released a couple months ago and with proceeds supporting domestic violence shelters.

Lines were loooooong -- one lady told us she waited in Bach's line for five and a half hours! Tomorrow, John Schneider is scheduled to arrive for the meetin' and greetin,' and we can only imagine how long his lines will be.

It was nice and warm (not as deadly hot as it has been up here in the greater D.C. area) with a strong, cooling breeze a-blowin'. And BRBTV got to chat with a lot of good folks we only see every so often, like Miss Jo McLaney, below, who traveled all the way from our beloved Covington, Georgia, to say hello to her "Dukes" pals.

Weary, grimy, a little sunburned and definitely wind-blown beyond recognition, we didn't stick around for the fireworks tonight, but we're going back tomorrow! We'll be posting more photos to Facebook, and look for full video coverage of the event on the BRBTV YouTube channel in the next week or two.

Yeeee-haaaaaa!!!!

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV 

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Stella moves up, and Luke Wilson fears "Dallas" is "done"

We told you about the voting for Stella Parton as "female pioneer" in the 2007 Fan Appreciation Awards for Agape Fest on January 31. Now Ms. Parton, known to us in the "Dukes of Hazzard" world as that cute little blond police officer (sorta) in the episode "Deputy Dukes," has made it to the top five in the voting.

Follow this link to cast your vote:
http://www.kingcountryagapefest.com/vote.html

You have until May 15 to show your support for Stella! The Agape Fest happens at the end of this month in Hughes Springs, Texas.

On the "Dallas" movie front: Star Luke Wilson seems to be sounding the death knell for the big-screen remake of our beloved '80s TV show, where he was cast as Bobby Ewing. "I think it was the big budget and the cast that complicated matters," Wilson is quoted as saying on ContactMusic.com. "It just got too complicated. If they could get it up and running again, great, but it seems to have run its course for the moment." The last we knew, the film was slated to star John Travolta as J.R. Ewing, though this story seems to dispute that!

Meanwhile, in Gotham City: Paul Dini, so well-known in Bat-circles as one of the fantastic creative guys behind "Batman: The Animated Series," is the lead writer on a new project with DC Comics. "Countdown" is a comic-book series that DC is featuring to follow up its well-publicized "52" series. Dini carved out the story arc for all 52 issues of the series, which begins this week. (Does that mean Harley will be huge????) Read more in this Orange County Register story.

Walk through the Hazzard Homecoming with BRBTV video series

If you didn't get to Sperryville, Virginia, a couple weekends back for the Hazzard Homecoming, don't you worry none. BRBTV was there, and we did plenty of walkin' around! And since we just happened to have a camera attached while we were a-walkin', now you can get a view of the event, too!

This week we're highlighting our new six-part video series full of fun images of the event, just posted to the BRBTV YouTube channel. Today, it's Parts 1 and 2.



Part 1 includes:
- A look at some of the cars on display
- A peek at the signing tables of cast members Ben Jones and Rick Hurst
- A little chatting here and there with friends such as Rusty (aka "Boss Hogg"!), and Paul of the Canadian Dukes of Hazzard Fan Club
- Stunt BMX biking




Part 2 includes:
- A peek at the signing tables of cast members Catherine Bach and Sonny Shroyer
- A visit to the merchandise table (love that moonshine jar!)
- A moment at author Jon Holland's table as he signs a copy of his latest book, "A Moonrunner's Tale"
- The view from atop the "01" bus
- Stella Parton on stage and at her table


Tune in later this week as the video series continues ...

From Kid Rock and his Lee to "Swellen" ...

Straight outta BRB's hometown, Kid Rock's own General Lee car is featured in an exhibit at the arena at the Henry Ford. The Rock Stars' Cars & Guitars show in Metro Detroit (where Kid is also from, by the way) allows visitors to listen to Kid Rock talk about his blazin'-orange beauty, which he admits to pullin' a few "Dukes"-style stunts with:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/FEATURES01/709290311/1025/FEATURES

Our favorite "Dukes" songstress, Ms. Stella Parton, will appear at the Jenny Wiley Pioneer Festival in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, on October 11. Keep up with her at http://www.stellaparton.com/.

From "The Dukes" to "Dallas" ... the lovely Linda Gray, our own Sue Ellen Ewing, is touring with "Terms of Endearment," and she's doing an interview or two along the way. This one, in the Nottingham Evening Post, quotes "Swellen" as being surprised by the success of "Dallas" way back when:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=188961&command=displayContent&sourceNode=188959&contentPK=18517310&folderPk=92237&pNodeId=188970