R.I.P. Dolly Parton 1946 - 2026

The American music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Sick for the last year due to cancer its probably not an exaggeration to say everyone was hoping she would recover and return to the limelight. Sadly that was not meant to be. Regardless of age, if part of the western world, chances are you have heard music from Dolly Parton even if not aware of it. If part of the music industry, chances are directly or indirectly influenced by her due to her nearly 70 year career.

In a statement from her family, “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”

Dolly Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee on January 19, 1946 to a poor family. By age six she was writing songs and at ate 10 began performing on TV with first professional recording at age 16 with her debut album "Hello, I'm Dolly" coming out in 1967. The first of what would be 49 studio albums. If she wasn't performing songs, she was writing them with more than 3000 songs to her credit. Famous songs by her include "I Will Always Love You", "Jolene", "9 to 5", and so many more. It is worth looking at her Wiki entry to get a taste of her output.

In 1966 she married Carl Dean. A deep love that lasted her entire life. He passed in March 3, 2025 at the age of 82. A loss she never seemed to quite get over and now she has returned to his embrace. 

The legend used her wealth and power for many philanthropic causes with a focus on children. She founded the Dollywood Foundation to improve education in her home country but it expanded to more with the Imagination Library that provides books to children around the world. Through the foundatin she raised money for the American Red Cross, built a hospital in her county, donated to Vanderbilt's Children Hospital and Cancer Program, and often donated for disaster relief. I suspect we only know a fraction of the work she did for others.

She was a shining light in the American music landscape, that rare famous person that seemed to disprove the notion of "don't meet your heroes." She will be remembered always for her music, her efforts to help others and influence on music that will never end. The world lost an icon. The music legend. There will never be another like her.

Avatar: Seven Heavens Teaser Trailer, Avatar Aang Movie Now Available

There is finally a new series in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Called "Avatar: Seven Heavens, it is set after The Legend of Korra, who is now dead after a cataclysmic event devastated the world turning humanity against Avatars.  Below is the official teaser trailer for the new series which will premiere on Paramount+ on October 9.

Meanwhile, the first movie from the franchise called "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender" is now officially available on Paramount. It should have been released in theaters but Paramount management didn't want to give previous leadership credit for anything so punted it to streaming. 

NBC Olympics Opening Intro and Closing Ceremony Montages (Milan Cortina 2026)

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have ended. An excellent two weeks of sports that ended with an exciting and historica hockey game (for the USA).

There are three now long established traditions that NBC has created that I look forward too for each Olympics. The first is the opening ceremony introduction, voiced by a famous person, that shows off the beauty of the land and the moments of the Olympics might be worth looking for. The last two come at the end with the summary of the games given the host that wraps up how the games were and their host nation. The last is the Titan Spirit montage that when moments match the music, often will leave you in tears. The montage use to be longer and include credits to the amazing team that showed us the Olympics. Sadly that has since been relegated to the afternoon channels like CNBC or USA Network but on the plus it means we good a second montage, even if it doesn't hit the same as the Titans Spirit one. Instrumental music brings its own magic.

Starting in 2012 they started have at least two montages. One for their afternoon and late night programming and one for end of the NBC coverage. The afternoon has the credit scroll but uses pop music while the NBC closing montage was shrunk from 10 minutes to give minutes while still using Titan's Spirt. I tried to provide both but often the do not make it online. IF you ever find videos for the gaps or better versions of the videos, please link in the comments.

To get people up to speed, in the United States, the Olympics Games television rights are owned by NBC (starting in 1988 for Summer Games, 2002 for Winter Games), CBS (1990s Winter Games) and ABC (1980s Winter Games). For NBC, their many hours of coverage always begins with a poetic introduction that shows off the host country and ends with their Olympics Ceremony credit montage that summarizes the games in spectacular fashion and while it has the expected focus on the US, it doesn't remain entirely there.

I tried to identify the music where possible besides NBC's traditional use of John Williams's "Olympic Fanfare and Theme", Leo Arnaud's "Bugler’s Dream" and Randy Edelman's "Theme from The Adventures of Brisco County Jr". Some of the videos are crap quality since NBC and the Olympic Committee isn't willing to post their versions online. Starting in 2014, If you find better copies, missing copies, or identify music gaps, please post in the comments.

As always thank you to the Olympians for bringing two weeks of joy, peace and the competitive spirit. Looking forward to the next Olympics.

Olympic Closing Credit Montages