It’s Been Confirmed That Dolly Parton Will Receive an Oscar This November

The 1981 Golden Globe Awards and subsequent Academy Awards had a decidedly country flavor. Honoring films from 1980 meant rewarding, or at least nominating, critically acclaimed crowd pleasers like Coal Miner's Daughter and Nine to Five.

Dolly Parton - Golden Globes and Oscars

The former was named Best Comedy or Musical at the Globes (I always thought that was an unusual category) with star Sissy Spacek's unforgettable portrayal of Loretta Lynn picking up the Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical trophy. Spacek would win Best Actress a couple of months later at the Oscars. Nine to Five's three Globe nods were all for Dolly Parton. She was nominated for Best Actress/Comedy or Musical, New Star of the Year - Actress (a now-discontinued category), and Best Original Song for the blockbuster title theme.

The country icon would go 0-3 at the Globes and 0-1 at the Oscars that March, where she was also nominated for Best Original Song.

In 2006, Dolly Parton was nominated for her second Oscar for writing "Travelin' Thru" from Transamerica. Once again, Dolly came up empty-handed.

Dolly Parton Will Receive an Oscar

That, however, will change on November 16th when the superstar will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her "decades-long humanitarian efforts." All things considered, it's long overdue. Never a competitive award, the Hersholt prize was first given in 1956 as part of the main televised ceremony. These days, this and other awards are presented at the Governors Awards, a separate ceremony. But they will be televised, and I can't wait to watch. (And then watch something else when she's done.)

Past recipients include Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Michael J. Fox, among others.

I always love to see Dolly Parton among Hollywood A-listers. She is so real and down-to-earth among the glitz and glamour (which, of course, she brings no shortage of, herself), and there's none of that "measured" way of speaking that those who've spent a lifetime in the movie business have perfected.

She's just Dolly. She's always just Dolly, our beloved, iconic, larger-than-life humanitarian. It's an award she richly deserves.