Co-written with hit machine Linda Perry, the song expresses the rebellious, plus-sized title character’s secret longing to fit in, to have happy Hollywood endings While Parton said she could relate to many elements of the song’s lyrics, “I never had a dream of being on the screen. I figured I’d grow into that, and I did. But my music was most important” LOS ANGELES: Dolly Parton says she never really aspired to be “The Girl in the Movies,” the title of her Golden Globe-nominated song from the new dramedy “Dumplin’.” Co-written with hit machine Linda Perry, the song expresses the rebellious, plus-sized title character’s secret longing to fit in, to have happy Hollywood endings — just like “the girl in the movies.” While Parton said she could relate to many elements of the song’s lyrics, “I never had a dream of being on the screen. I figured I’d grow into that, and I did. But my music was most important.” Parton was a long-established country superstar and had crossed over to the pop charts with the 1977 smash “Here You Come Again” when Hollywood called. “I had been approached about acting in some things, but I wasn’t quite ready,” she recalled. “Then Jane (Fonda) came to me and said that they want to do this movie with me and Lily (Tomlin), and I thought, ‘Well, this is the perfect time, if I’m ever going to do it, because if it was a hit, we could all take credit. But if it was a flop, I could blame it on them,’” Parton explained, with a laugh. The film, the searing workplace comedy “9 to 5,” became the No. 2 box-office film released in 1980 behind only “The Empire Strikes Back,” according to Box Office Mojo. “9 to 5” also inspired Parton’s only solo pop-chart topper, a TV series and a Broadway musical. The title song earned Parton an Oscar nomination and Parton’s new compositions for the stage musical were honored with a Tony nomination. Parton, 72, went on to score a handful of other box-office successes as an actress, including the screen adaptations of the stage hits “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982) and “Steel Magnolias” (1989). And she provided her voice to the 2011 animated blockbuster “Gnomeo and Juliet.” But it’s as a songwriter where Parton has perhaps scored biggest on film, with Whitney Houston’s explosive cover of Parton’s plaintive ballad “I Will Always Love You” from 1992’s “The Bodyguard” becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. “People always tell me, ‘I thought that was Whitney’s song. I didn’t know you wrote it. I thought she wrote it,’” Parton said, with a smile, adding, “And I tell them, ‘She can have the credit. I’ll just take the cash.’“ The song “9 to 5” has been a gift that keeps on giving for Parton, too. Parton’s original recording accompanied a back-to-work montage in this spring’s “Deadpool 2.” “My nieces and nephews didn’t even think of me as being a star until they heard my song in that movie,” Parton commented. “I was touched by that. The kids got a kick out if it.” Like the song, the nearly 40-year-old “9 to 5” movie continues to resonate with contemporary audiences — and little wonder since it tackles pay-parity issues, as well as sexual harassment. Cue the sequel. “Pat Resnick (who co-wrote the original film) and (actress-director) Rashida Jones are working on a new script,” Parton said. “Fox already bought it. Jane, Lily and I said, ‘Yes, we would do it,’ and there will be three new girls in it, too. Forty years later, it’s still addressing a lot of those issues we had back then.” Parton said plans are to shoot the film next year. “Dumplin’” opens in select cinemas and debuts on Netflix this weekend. The 76th annual Golden Globe Awards will be presented Jan. 6 in Beverly Hills. The Recording Academy will honor Parton for her musical and philanthropic work as 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year on Feb. 8, two days before the 61st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Topics: Dolly parton Related 67 Art & Culture Dolly Parton to be honored in Grammy gala 289 Offbeat Emmy nominee Dolly Parton still gets a kick out of Hollywood Lawyers on wheels: ‘solidarity bus’ represents Kyrgyzstan’s landless women A photo taken on May 7, 2015 shows World War Two veteran Sardar Akylbekov, 93, playing with his grandchildren in front of his house in the village of Tok-Bay, some 20km of Kyrgyzstan"s capital Bishkek. (AFP) Updated 10 December 2018 Reuters December 10, 2018 01:00 62 At independence in 1991, when state property was privatised, every citizen was given an equal plot of land, but it was often registered under the name of the male household head KARA-KULJA, Kyrgyzstan: In a cold, sparsely lit Soviet-era room, sitting close to the heater, Ainura Ibraimjanova taps at her computer. In this rural district in southern Kyrgyzstan, she is the only lawyer providing free legal aid. Just back from court in the Alai district, Ibraimjanova is attending to a stream of clients in thick coats and clutching documents. They are in need of help with alimony, divorce or family land disputes. “The laws have changed considerably since Kyrgyzstan gained its independence, because there was a real gap in legal frameworks and customs — with many people breaching laws in favor of customs,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Land, a scarce and highly-prized resource in this former communist country, is of huge social value, she said, with disputes over it particularly affecting women. “Having or not having a piece of land decides who you are ... It’s a very important matter, especially in a rural area,” said Ibraimjanova. At independence in 1991, when state property was privatised, every citizen was given an equal plot of land, but it was often registered under the name of the male household head. That meant women often missed out on claiming land rights, especially if they got married or divorced, Ibraimjanova said. “According to Kyrgyz tradition, people treat men and women in different ways. If a girl grows up and chooses to take her share of land with her and separate from her big family, this really looks strange in accordance with local tradition and the family is usually opposed to it,” she said. Although courts often rule in favor of women and in accordance with the law, executing such judgments can be arduous and take years, Ibraimjanova said. “There are still many women who need to be supported and whose rights needs to be better protected.” ON THE ROAD Yet change is coming, even to remote regions like Alai — in part thanks to the “Bus of Solidarity.” The small van bounds along rural roads to bring lawyers, notaries and social workers to remote parts of the country to resolve villagers’ legal quandaries — for free. It is supported by the justice ministry and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). On this day, it is headed for the craggy village of Kara-Kulja in southern Kyrgyzstan. Among those waiting in the rain for the bus to arrive was Zoora Jumabaeva. “I learned by chance that the bus was coming today,” Jumabaeva, a first-time user, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. She hoped the lawyers could resolve her complaint with the local bazaar after the new owner raised rents and forcibly removed her stall, which sells medicine for livestock, to a location outside the market. Had the bus not come, Jumabaeva would have had to make an arduous two-hour journey on poor roads to the nearest town, Osh, to seek legal services. In previous years, she would use informal mechanisms such as a council of elders to solve her disputes. But, she said, the fact that their decisions were not legally binding was frustrating. And so, bearing the rain and cold, Jumabaeva huddled at a small desk inside a billowing blue tent to explain her dilemma. “I’m losing my regular income and my family is suffering. I came here today to get some more legal advice on protecting my interests,” she told a lawyer. “There are many other women and young families (at the market) who suffer more than me (from being evicted), as this was their only income source, so I’m trying to act on their behalf to solve a common problem.” The lawyer, Jazgul Kolmatova, who practices in Osh, is no stranger to the Bus of Solidarity having made several journeys. Jumabaeva’s paperwork, she said, was scant. “She came to us with quite a difficult and complex problem, but her case is a fairly common one,” Kolmatova told the Thomson Reuters Foundation as she took down notes. Boarding the bus provides a chance to resolve knotty legal issues that have often been building for years, she said. “I joined the bus of solidarity because I know that the rural population — and especially women — are very poorly educated in legal issues, and I want to make my contribution to changing this situation,” she said. SOCIAL PRESSURE Since the bus began running in 2016 it has visited about 193 villages and carried out more than 7,000 consultations, according to UNDP. But meetings are often brief, and complex cases require follow-up. With a luminous orange hijab wrapped around her hair and fighting back tears, Gulzina Ashimzhanova, 37, said she met Ibraimjanova when the Bus of Solidarity came to her village earlier this year. Ashimzhanova and her five children were made homeless when she left her alcoholic husband, who she said was violent. Ashimzhanova wanted to divorce him and secure her share of the property. “When we went to the village we saw the bus and met Ainura (Ibraimjanova). She told us about this free legal assistance, she explained everything,” she said. “We were consulted from there, then she said to bring the documents and she could help me. She said we could divide the house and get alimony via the court.” Ashimzhanova, who has been clinically depressed, tried to get her share of a house, 5,500 square meters of land and an apple orchard — all registered in her husband’s name. “I need to get a house for my children,” Ashimzhanova said. “I don’t want my rights to be violated.” For Ibraimjanova, the case — though legally clear-cut — carries a heavy social stigma, because Ashimzhanova left her husband and wants an equal share of their common property. “Gulzina (Ashimzhanova) from my point of view is very brave to act like this, and I’m sure her example can inspire many others,” Ibraimjanova said. “I told her if she does fight for her rights that could set a good example for other women in Kyrgyzstan too — there could be many others who are also shy, and this step of hers could give them a push.” Topics: Kyrgyzstan Related 127 World Protests erupt after Kyrgyzstan arrests opposition leader 636 photos Offbeat Child marriage costs countries billions in lost earnings: World Bank loading... 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