The Country Music Association (CMA) announced today that it is producing CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour television event in tribute to Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80. The special will air live on Wednesday, Oct. 21 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC and Disney+ internationally, available next day on Hulu. That is a nearly a month before the 60th annual CMA Awards, which are set to air on Nov. 18.
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The CMA promises that “the special will be a joyful, emotional celebration of the artist, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur whose music and generosity carried her from the mountains of east Tennessee into the hearts of generations around the world, told through performances, archival footage and personal stories…”
Robert Deaton serves as executive producer of the special, which will be filmed live at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville.
“Dolly gave Country Music its heart, and giving some of that heart back to her is an incredible honor,” Deaton said in a statement. “My hope is simply that we do right by her story, her music and the people who love her, so that this evening feels like the tribute my friend deserves.”
“Dolly Parton belonged to the whole world, but she was born of this industry, and this industry owes her a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot repay,” Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO said in a statement. “As the organization built to serve and celebrate Country Music, honoring her legacy is not just an opportunity, it is our responsibility. This special is our way of saying thank you, on behalf of every artist, industry member and fan who found a piece of themselves in her music.”
The CMA and Parton have a long history. In 1978, Parton became just the second woman (following Loretta Lynn) to win entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards. In 1988, she became the first woman to solo-host that awards show. In 2016, she became the first woman to win the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented on the telecast.
There was very effective tribute to Parton on the Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday (Sept. 14), with her Steel Magnolias co-star Sally Field sharing memories and Reba McEntire singing Parton’s “Appalacian Memories.” Similar tributes are expected on many upcoming awards shows.
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The upcoming special reflects a strategic partnership between CMA and Belmont University. It also continues a growing relationship between Belmont University and Parton that included the 2025 world premiere of DOLLY: A True Original Musical at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and the launch of DOLLY U, an immersive educational partnership designed to connect students with hands-on opportunities in entertainment, media and creative industries. Through that collaboration, students worked alongside professional artists, producers and industry leaders while helping bring Parton’s vision to life.
In conjunction with the special, CMA and Belmont University will make a donation from proceeds to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, continuing a legacy that gives millions of children the gift of a free book each month and seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading. In addition, Disney is supporting Imagination Library to further its mission of inspiring children to imagine their possibilities.
Additional details about the special, including performers, tickets and additional partners, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Jung Kook is getting into the groove for Calvin Klein’s latest denim campaign.
The BTS star is involved in the third chapter of Calvin Klein’s Fall 2026 “Feel the Fit” campaign, which debuted Wednesday (Sept. 16), putting the spotlight on the split-second transformation that can happen when you find a pair of jeans that just feel right.
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Directed and photographed by Renell Medrano, the new campaign opens with Jung Kook pulling on his Calvin Klein jeans. From there, the sound of the zipper sets the rhythm in motion, with the singer breaking into movement and choreography as the energy of the spot amplifies. The campaign is soundtracked by Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” (No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989) and Average White Band’s “Cut the Cake” (a top 10 Hot 100 hit in 1975).
Billboard also has an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Jung Kook posing for the campaign, showing off his silky dance moves and applauding at the end of a successful shoot.
For Jung Kook, the campaign was an opportunity to play with the idea of moving through music. “After working with Calvin Klein for so many years, I’ve come to appreciate how I feel every time I put on the brand’s jeans,” he said in a statement. “There’s something about the fit and attitude that really resonates with me.”
The new visuals also introduce two of Calvin Klein’s Fall 2026 denim silhouettes: the ’90s Straight Jean, offered in washes ranging from deep indigo to mid-blue, and the oversized Baggy Jean in a classic medium-blue wash.
The campaign is just another project that emphasized Jung Kook’s everlasting relationship with the fashion house, which also named him a global brand ambassador in 2023. The BTS member has also made his mark on the Billboard charts as a solo artist, with his Latto-assisted “Seven” debuting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in July 2023. Jung Kook has fronted multiple Calvin Klein campaigns, frequently bringing his electric energy into the brand’s visuals.
The latest “Feel the Fit” phase is rolling out globally across Calvin Klein’s stores, website, social platforms and out-of-home advertising.
See Billboard‘s behind-the-scenes video of Jung Kook’s Clavin Klein shoot below:
Starting this month, iCloud+ subscribers in over 100 countries will gain access to Apple Music Select, a limited version of Apple Music. A representative for the company says the move is an effort to boost paying Apple Music subscribers in emerging markets. Additionally, iCloud+ users will also get access to Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming app, and Apple TV.
Oliver Schusser, vp of Apple Music, has always said he doesn’t believe in a free tier for a music streaming service. While the Apple Music Select offer for iCloud+ subscribers is free — iCloud+ is not. Users must pay a subscription fee that starts at about a dollar a month to be part of iCloud+. With Apple Music Select, users can toggle through a selected handful of playlists, picked by Apple Music editors, to give them a taste of what’s offered in the full service.
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According to Apple, the experiences offered on Apple Music Select include locally relevant stations programmed to their specific region and genre- and era-based playlists. The service, described as a “lean-back audio experience,” does not feature any ads.
To further reinforce the on ramp of Apple Music Select to Apple Music proper, iCloud+ subscribers will be offered the ability to subscribe to the music streaming service for a lowered monthly price, with rates varying by location. iCloud+ will roll out to over 100 countries and regions by the end of the month, including India, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and more.
Denis Ladegaillerie, founder and CEO, Believe, counts himself as a supporter of the move, saying: “Apple’s initiative brings a fresh, innovative approach to connecting wider audiences with digital music across emerging regions. By championing domestic artists through dedicated programming, Apple will actively help develop the local digital music ecosystems where Believe’s artists thrive every day.”
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
During the annual BTS ARMY festival, BTS Festa, in June, Hachette Book Group’s Running Press announced a new cookbook in partnership with the K-pop superstars — including RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook.
On sale for $21 (was $30) on Amazon, BTS Recipe Book gets its inspiration from the supergroup’s album eras with recipes for Korean cuisine, such as braised beef ribs, carp bread, ginseng chicken soup, Korean fried chicken, rice crackers, simmered rice cakes, sugar-filled griddlecakes and other dishes, per Rolling Stone. In fact, some of the recipes appeared in the series, RUN BTS!, BTS: Bon Voyage and In the Soop.
The cookbook, which is available starting Tuesday (Sept. 15), is best for those who want to experience the group’s favorite dishes.
And if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can buy now and BTS Recipe Book, which is a No. 1 release from the retail giant, will be delivered to your home in less than two days, thanks to Prime Delivery, when it’s released to the public.
Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast, free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day in June and Black Friday in November — and much more. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.
BTS Recipe Book is also available as a Kindle ebook. It’s less expensive than the physical hardcover book, as it’s priced at $14.99. The ebook version also comes out on Tuesday (Sept. 15). If you buy now, it will be delivered digitally to your Kindle or Kindle mobile app upon release.
Meanwhile, the cookbook comes with digital codes for fans to get more out of the cooking with BTS experience, including exclusive videos, tips for creating Korean cuisine, food commentary from members of the supergroup and other features.
Available right now, BTS Recipe Book by BTS is on sale for $21 (was $30) on Amazon. It drops on Tuesday (Sept. 15).
Two weeks after Wicked star Jonathan Bailey dropped out of a planned West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, producers have pulled the plug on the production. The reboot of the musical was dealt a seemingly fatal blow in early August when the show’s lead, Ariana Grande, announced that she planned to take a break from her public commitments once her Eternal Sunshine tour wrapped on Sept. 1.
Then, Bailey — who co-starred with Grande in the Wicked films — announced on Sept. 1 that he would also be pulling out, explaining, “Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering. After much consideration, I have decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George. This brilliant, introspective musical has been a real passion project for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to have shared in its journey with this team.”
Now, after initially vowing to soldier on and re-cast the revival of the beloved 1984 Stephen Sondheim musical inspired by French pointillist painter Georges Seurat’s most beloved painting, a rep for producers Empire Street Productions told Variety that the show will not go on. “The planned 2027 production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican will no longer proceed as scheduled,” the rep told Variety. “Empire Street Productions will retain the rights with a view to presenting the production in 2028. Further details will be announced in due course.”
The show was slated to open at London’s Barbican Centre theater next summer, with details first announced in January of this year, including Grande taking on the roles of Dot and Marie, originally performed by Bernadette Peters in the initial 1984 Broadway run. Bailey was slated to play opposite her as Seurat, a role originated by Mandy Patinkin on Broadway and then Jake Gyllenhaal in a 2017 Broadway revival.
According to Variety, tickets for the London shows were scheduled to go on sale in May, but with producers expecting huge demand they pushed the date back to September to coordinate with the end of Grande’s tour. But when the singer said she was “taking a step back from visibility” due to “ongoing public scrutiny,” that included striking the show from her schedule, seemingly dealing it a death blow it could not recover from.
Producers initially said they planned to hold auditions this summer to find replacements for the leads — with Bailey saying in his stepping-down statement that he was “so look forward to seeing what the two actors who will now take on these roles will create with it” — but those plans appear to have gone by the wayside for the time being.
Three of the five nominees for single of year at the upcoming 60th annual CMA Awards made the top five on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It’s the first time that has happened since 1975, when, remarkably, all five nominees had made the top five.
If you missed last week’s announcement, this year’s nominees for single of the year are Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” which has logged a record-tying 22 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100; Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which spent two weeks on top in June; Langley’s “Be Her,” which spent two weeks at No. 2 in May; Cody Johnson’s “The Fall,” which peaked at No. 26 in April; and Lainey Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which topped out at No. 36 in December 2025.
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In 1975, four of the single of the year nominees had reached No. 1. Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” spent two weeks on top, while B.J. Thomas’ “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” Freddy Fender’s “Before the Teardrops Falls” and John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” each topped the chart for one week. The lowest-charting single of the year nominee that year was Jessi Colter’s “I’m Not Lisa,” which peaked at No. 4.
Looking back at the rate of country crossover hits on the Hot 100, you realize it ebbs and flows. In 1985, just 10 years after country crossover reached its dizzying peak, not one of the CMA single of the year nominees cracked the Hot 100. (The Judds’ “Why Not Me” was the winner that year.)
And that year wasn’t an aberration, but rather the start of a long dry spell for country/pop crossover. In the seven years between 1985 and 1991, just one single of the year nominee cracked the Hot 100: Dan Seals‘ “Bop,” which peaked at No. 42 on the Hot 100. (That single, by a former member of pop hitmakers England Dan & John Ford Coley, won the 1986 award.)
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Streaming has leveled the playing field and improved country music’s fortunes on the Hot 100 considerably in recent years.
In 13 of the first 60 years of the CMA Awards, two or more of the nominees for single of the year were top 10 hits on the Hot 100. Here’s a full list. All chart references are to the Hot 100. The number shown in each header is the number of that year’s nominees that were top 10 hits.
