Dolly Parton, Chuck Wicks Lead California Country News

Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks on the CMA Awards Red Carpet at "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Association.

March 11, 2009 — Chuck Wicks’ appearance on "Dancing With The Stars," a new album of Dolly Parton songs and the death of a child star are among numerous recent events that have put a California twist on country music.

Chuck, dressed to the nines in a tuxedo, was told by one of the judges on Monday’s "DWTS" season premiere that he was "one of the most graceful men" that had appeared on the show after he and Julianne Hough waltzed to "Are You Lonesome To-night?" Gymnast Shawn Johnson is favored to win the L.A.-based reality series, according to offshoreinsiders.com, but Chuck ranks second among pre-season forecasts.

Other country events with SoCal ties include:

• Jimmy Boyd, who earned a Top 10 country hit with his 1952 recording of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," died Saturday in Santa Monica, The Los Angeles Times reported. Molly Bee, who landed in the pop Top 20 with the same song, died just last month.

• L.A.-based CMH Records will issue Hushabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions Of Dolly Parton March 24. The latest in a series of infant remakes, the CD will feature such familiar titles as "Coat Of Many Colors," "I Will Always Love You," "Here You Come Again" and "Love Is Like A Butterfly."

• Jamie O’Neal performs for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Los Angeles March 15. The event features more than 13,000 people running to raise money for breast cancer. Others slated to sing include Melissa Manchester and "American Idol" alum Taylor Hicks.

• Actor-singer John Schneider joined a group of demonstrators at the Beverly Hills Hotel recently to protest the impending closure of a retirement community run by the Motion Picture Relief Fund. The center aided movie and TV personnel in their later years, whether they were famous or behind-the-scenes workers. Long before he ended up in "Smallville," John had a series of country hits in the 1980s, including "Country Girls," "I’ve Been Around Enough To Know" and "Love, You Ain’t Seen The Last Of Me."

• "Find someone to rub against. It causes static electricity." There’s a point to that provocative Dwight Yoakam line from the forthcoming movie Crank 2: High Voltage. A trailer from the L.A. mob adventure, which comes out April 17, can be seen at movieweb.com.