For such a tiny thing, Dolly Parton has a way oversized personality. The wigs. The nails. The sequins, The wisecracks. And, of course, the bazooms. She’s the ultimate American success story, rising from poverty in the mountains of Tennessee into an Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning, songwriting force of nature. From the lovely “Coat of Many Colors” to the classic “Jolene” to the ulimate power ballad “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney can’t hold a candle to the Vince Gill/Dolly duet, BTW), Miss Dolly has enriched our common landscape.

Plus, she’s hilarious. About those bazooms: “People always ask me if they’re mine. Yes, they are…all bought and paid for.” And “I have little feet because nothing grows in the shade.” About her fashion sense: “It takes a lot of money to make a person look this cheap!” About life: “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” And about understanding yourself: “There’s a heart beneath the boobs and a brain beneath the wig.” And my absolute favorite: “I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. I also know I’m not blonde.”

Now that’s a woman to emulate.