It’s Thursday night in Los Angeles. The weather is a bit on the hot side and I’m trying to recover from a very long and stressful week. So, let’s talk about my new found fascination for country music - something I never ever ever thought I would ever grow fond of in my life.

I think it boils down to one of my favorite people in the world: Dolly Parton. I love this woman. She can do no wrong in my eyes, no matter how big her breasts get, or if she teases her blond hair up until they reach the high heavens. She’s fantastic.

I think I’ve listened to “Jolene” and “When I Sing For Him” a million times in the last two weeks. And she was on American Idol as a mentor a couple weeks ago. God I love her.

I’ve also been listening to some of Tim McGraw’s stuff. I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence. It’s like a guilty pleasure or something. I mean, I shouldn’t feel too bad about it, after all, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash had their roots in Country music, and I loved them while I disliked most of Country music.

And let me just say, I do love me some “Urban Cowboy.” I remember seeing it the first time in my cousin’s cramped room. There must have been about 8 of us at some kind of family gathering or another, trying to escape adult conversation. So we watch Urban Cowboy instead. I must have been no more than 14. I’ve also been to Barona Resort and Casino when I was 18, which is endorsed by Country star Kenny Rogers. It was my first taste in gambling and it didn’t hurt that Kenny Rogers was the face of Barona, I don’t particularly like his music, but his kitschy qualities and squinty eyes were enough to win me over.

Even the guy on the right can’t resist his white bearded charm.

I also do love watching “Reba” starring Reba McEntire. She’s not only hilarious, but I can’t get over her thick accent and the fact that no one else on the show ( except her ex-husband’s wife) has the same southern drawl. God knows how many times I’ve sang along to Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” and I totally stood up for the Dixie Chicks when the Bible belt was crucifying them for saying they were ashamed of our President. When will it be 2009? The comments they made should have been enough to get him impeached.

But anyway, I digress. What I’m trying to say is, I guess in some form or another, Country music has always been subliminally a part of my life, whether I like to admit it or not. I’ve always loved snippets of it, but this year I realize I’ve come full circle. So now, If I meet someone who scoffs at mere idea of country music, I can explain that Dolly Parton is perhaps the greatest woman in the world and that I’m sure they totally love the Dixie Chick’s cover of Stevie Nick’s “Landslide.” I’d dare them to listen to “Suspicions” without singing along. It’s impossible. Also, if you listen to it once, you won’t be able to stop. Fair warning. In the end, I am just a city girl with a country heart.