Variety reports that John Waters, the man whose low-budget 1988 film Hairspray spawned the smash hit Broadway musical Hairspray which spawned the 2007 box-office-winning feature Hairspray, has been signed by New Line to give them more Hairspray by writing a screenplay for Hairspray - The Sequel.

Variety says director-choreographer Adam Shankman will return for the project, as will Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. New Line, which hopes to release its next 'Spray in July 2010, will try to reunite the original cast of the '07 film version.

'Rocky Horror' remake a go

Variety says a remake is in the works for the 1975 rock musical Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has since become one of the nation's most phenomenal cult phenoms. (Over the years, it has grossed more than $140 mil in domestic box office.) No word yet on the cast.

Chris Brown to enter RealityTVLand

R&B crooner Chris Brown has joined forces with the father of all reality-show gurus, Mark Burnett, to create another dance-contest reality-show extravaganza thing for TV.

The yet-to-be-titled show will focus on "the world hip-hop and street-dance culture, pitting contestants against one another in impromptu dance-offs," says Variety. Brown will have a free hand to exercise his ego: He will be at the "center" of it all as some sort of host/judge.

"Chris Brown really is a superstar and someone who lives and breathes music and dance - so his credibility is massive in this arena," said Burnett, paying homage to that self-same ego.

"It's his show; he's headlining it."

Heath's ex with Jonze?

Even as the media continue daily to sanctify the late, great Aussie thesp Heath Ledger as the most saintly, intelligent, talented, sexy bad guy ever in a Batman movie, TV show or comic book, his onetime fiancee Michelle Williams appears to be getting on with life.

According to Star mag, Michelle - who is raising Matilda, her 2-year-old daughter with Heath - has recently begun dating film director Spike Jonze.

Star, which bases its report on unsubstantiated anon sightings of the duo, says Michelle and Spike became friends last summer on the set of Synecdoche. (That was the summer when Heath, who was still with Michelle, reportedly cheated on her with Drew Barrymore.)

Star does not seem to have asked Michelle's or Spike's reps for comment.

Love to hate Cowell the Scowl

American Idol judge Simon Cowell is the baddest, evilest dude on reality TV. So say scores of Americans who have voted Scowling Cowell the favorite reality TV villain in America. Cowell drew 39 percent of the vote in the AOL Television reality survey, which attracted more than 1.3 mil votes. TV fans also voted Idol as the best reality show on American TV. But, alas, voters gave their thumbs-down to Idol judge Paula Abdul, who was dubbed the worst reality judge by 42 percent of voters.

A Screech tell-all?

New York magazine has blown the lid off the most significant publishing deal of the century: Dustin Diamond, the man (the myth, the legend) who played that sexiest of all nerds, Screech, on Saved by the Bell for, like, 13 years, is writing a tell-all memoir. Cleverly titled Behind the Bell, the tome promises to shovel all the dirt that went on behind the set of the family series, including "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hard-core partying."

Hard! Core!

Paris: I'll clear my name . . .

No, Paris Hilton did not crawl over 10 soccer players at the West Hollywood hotspot Villa just to reach Cristiano Ronaldo - only to be rejected by the studly athlete. So says Paris, who vows that from now on, she will address every single false rumor about her on her MySpace blog and on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show. Then again, Paris totally contradicted herself, telling Ryan she and her man Benji had "made it a rule that we don't even read that stuff anymore." Will she ignore or clarify?

DMX pleads not guilty

Hip-hop star DMX (Earl Simmons) pleaded not guilty yesterday to felony charges of theft and identity theft in a Phoenix court, then proceeded to lay a rap on the paparazzi and reporters assembled outside. "If you ever fall down, get back up," said DMX, who has been arrested six times over three months. Currently, he faces multiple charges of drug possession and cruelty to animals, said the Associated Press.

Cops say DMX, 37, received $7,500 worth of medical care in April at Scottsdale's Mayo Clinic and tried to dodge the bill by giving the hospital a false name, Troy Jones, and a false Social Security number.

Gillian Anderson on being Scully

"I think it's difficult for people to think of me as anyone other than Scully," Gillian Anderson tells the Times of London. It's not hard, considering that Anderson has barely starred in more than two movies outside of The X-Files. Anderson, 39, appeared very pregnant (with her third baby) Wednesday night at the Hollywood premiere of The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

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Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com.

This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.