Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Forget reports that Olivia Newton-John is close to re-teaming with her longtime friend and "Grease" co-star, John Travolta, in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of "Dallas."

Travolta has been widely quoted saying he and Newton-John have "had talks and I think she would be great for playing Pamela Ewing, she loved the show and was delighted with the idea, too." But the multi-Grammy-winning singer/songwriter actress says, "I don't think it's true because I haven't heard anything from him." However, when asked if she'd be up for a go at Pam Ewing, Newton John doesn't hesitate. "Sure!" she declares. Hear that, John? She's yours for the asking.

Meanwhile, Newton-John is taking a break from touring for her latest CD, "Grace and Gratitude" (available on iTunes), which is also featured in Deepak Chopra's just-released DVD of his best-selling "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success." "Deepak was the first person who heard the music and asked me to put it in the movie," says Newton-John. "It started out I was just going to do the music, then I was in it. It was such an honor for me." Newton-John, actor/director Bill Duke and The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart are among those offering their personal accounts of spiritual awakening and consciousness in the DVD.

She recalls when she first read the book, "I was just recovering from breast cancer at the time, but I had met Deepak, and he'd helped me with meditation." Referring to those "Seven Laws of Spiritual Success," she says, "He taught me The Law of Pure Potentiality, which is to practice meditation noon and night, to commune with nature, which I love, and practice non-judgment — that's one of my favorites."

CLEAR PERSPECTIVE: Michael C. Hall heads back into production of his Showtime "Dexter" series this week feeling "that sense you get sometimes of sort of waking up and seeing your life."

Life was a blur for Hall until recently. The actor went through five seasons of "Six Feet Under," a marriage and, last year, divorce — plus the launch of his utterly original current show in which he's a forensics analyst/avenging serial killer — pretty much without a break.

"I was always shooting stuff in between seasons of 'Six Feet Under,' and there were just things in my personal and professional worlds — jobs and other commitments — that went along with each hiatus.

So this time, I made a conscious choice not to work and to take a real break," he tells us.

Over the past few months, he's trekked to Southeast Asia, Ireland and Hawaii. He's gone scuba diving. He's visited friends and family back home in North Carolina.

He's caught up with life.

Going back to work, Hall admits he has some sophomore jitters over "Dexter's" second season. "Whenever you're coming back to something after a long break, I think it's natural to feel that — especially something that has gone well," he notes of the show that's become a critics' darling and obvious Emmy contender. "Dexter's" first season was based on the novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter," by Jeff Lindsay. Now they're out of the book and into original stories. "This season, the writers have taken a leap," says Hall. "There are new elements of intrigue and tension that emerge pretty quickly in the first episode."

RECOVERED: "Desperate Housewives" hubby Doug Savant reports he's "ahead of the curve" recovering from his May 4 knee replacement surgery. "I wanted to get through the rehabilitation before we get back to work in July, and I'm already on my feet without the use of crutches or anything," he tells us happily. In fact, Savant feels good enough to be coaching his 6-year-old's baseball team — "a tournament team," he says. Then there's Doug's 2-year-old, Lucy, who joined forces with her daddy in creating a design for a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. "A bunch of celebrities are doing designs for these Playtex sippy cups — something we definitely use already. Our house would be trashed without them."

Denise Richards, Melina Kanakaredes, Justin Chambers, Edie Falco, Elizabeth Mitchell, Holly Marie Combs, Gabrielle Reece and "Days of Our Lives'" Alison Sweeney, along with their kids, designed and signed Playtex Create My Own Cups for the auction. The eBay auction takes place between May 21-31 at www.ebay.com/playtex.

GIVE ME SOME SUGAR: Paris Hilton was spotted last week buying mini cupcakes at Mrs. Beasley's in Beverly Hills, presumably treating herself to a little harmless decadence before jail time. The minis, called Poppers, have become a clear hit with Hollywood types. Orlando Bloom also picked up Poppers in the 90210 last week, Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa just bought 10 dozen at the OC store, and the cast of "Entourage" celebrated wrapping their season the other day with the trendy treats. We get word that other celebrity fans include Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Hillary Swank and Rosie O'Donnell.

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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