Lifetime Renews DROP DEAD DIVA for Sixth Season

Lifetime has renewed its comedic drama DROP DEAD DIVA for a sixth season with a 13 episode order. The series will return next year.

Currently airing Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT, DROP DEAD DIVA's fifth season finale will air Sunday, November 3, with a surprise visitor from Jane's past who puts everything between her and Grayson on the line and potentially changes the course of Jane's life forever.

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, DROP DEAD DIVA, which tells the story of a shallow wannabe model who dies in a sudden accident only to find her soul resurfacing in the body of a brilliant, plus-size recently deceased attorney, stars Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Jackson Hurst, April Bowlby, Justin Deeley, Lex Medlin and Kate Levering.

DROP DEAD DIVA Returns on October 6

Lifetime series DROP DEAD DIVA returns this fall with five all-new episodes, beginning Sunday, October 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Brooke Elliott and Emmy Award nominee Margaret Cho, the series welcomes Emmy nominated actress Illeana Douglas (SIX FEET UNDER), SAG Award winner Peri Gilpin (FRASIER), SAG nominee Richard Kind (SPIN CITY), Jaleel White (FAMILY MATTERS), Doug Savant (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES) and Rebecca Mader (LOST) to its guest star roster.

The new episodes will also feature returning guests Emmy nominee Sharon Lawrence, Tony Award nominee Faith Prince, Daytime Emmy nominee Nancy Grace, Wallace "Wally" Langham, Natalie Hall (ALL MY CHILDREN), Annie Ilonzeh (GENERAL HOSPITAL) and Jason Kennedy, among others, leading to the most shocking season finale in the series' history. Immediately following DROP DEAD DIVA's fall premiere, Lifetime will debut its new drama WITCHES OF EAST END at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

NEWS ROUNDUP: DVR Not Helping SMASH, DROP DEAD DIVA Resurrected, Rick Springfield Talks GH

SMASH Getting Only a Little Help From DVR Numbers
The most recent episode fell to 3.3 million total viewers and it barely cleared the 1 million threshold in viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the demographic most important to advertisers. But DVR viewing was crucial to buoying SMASH in its first season. Will that be a help this time around? Probably not.

The latest DVR numbers released by Nielsen, which include the live ratings plus the next seven days of viewership, revealed that the Season 2 premiere of SMASH, on Feb. 5, gained only about 900,000 viewers in the 18-to-49 category. That total signifies an increase of 58 percent for the category, a respectable number, but the show still finished outside the Top 25 broadcast programs in both total viewers and adults 18 to 49.

Lifetime’s DROP DEAD DIVA Gets Resurrected With Fifth Season Order
A month and a half after Lifetime cancelled the dramedy series, the cable network has inked a deal with producer Sony Pictures TV to bring the show back for a fifth season.

Valerie Bertinelli Pays Special Tribute to Bonnie Franklin
Bertinelli said in a statement Friday: "My heart is breaking. Bonnie has always been one of the most important women in my life and was a second mother to me."

"The years on One Day at a Time were some of the happiest of my life, and along with Pat [Harrington Jr.] and Mackenzie [Phillips] we were a family in every way.

"She taught me how to navigate this business and life itself with grace and humor, and to always be true to yourself. I will miss her terribly."

In her own statement, Phillips adds, "I am so saddened by the loss of our dear friend. She was just full of light and love. Bonnie will be very much missed by all the people she touched ... We all loved her very much.”

TV Couples Who Dated in Real Life
While lots of couples have played couples in movies, there are also lots of real-life pairs who also fell in love on TV.

NBC Affiliate Replaces THE OFFICE With MATLOCK in Response to Andy Griffith Oscars Snub
Pushing repeats of the outgoing comedy and LAW & ORDER and an original 1600 PENN to Saturday, the Cleveland station's GM tells THR they wanted to give the actor due after he was left out of the "In Memoriam" segment.

There's a Facebook app for that: ABC soap opera GENERAL HOSPITAL turns 50 on April 1
ABC Entertainment has announced a Facebook app that lets fans share their memories of the long-running soap opera.

The app is available on the show's Facebook page and lets fans post to Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+, and Twitter using #GH50.

Rick Springfield, Son Liam Springthorpe Talk GENERAL HOSPITAL
"I haven't seen a script," Springfield told ACCESS HOLLYWOOD. "I have no idea if I'm, Eli Love or [if] I'm Noah Drake or [if] I'm Rick Springfield. I have no idea what I'm gonna be this time, but I'm open for - 'cause the 50th -- open for whatever you guys want."

He said he does expect to perform at the upcoming Nurse's Ball, the big GH charity event that the character Sabrina Santiago is reviving.

CORONATION STREET actor in court on child sex offenses
The 48-year-old actor has been charged with 19 offenses, comprising six counts of raping a child, six allegations of indecently assaulting a child, and seven counts of sexual activity with a child. :

NEWS ROUNDUP: Frank Valentini On Genie Francis' Return, Shemar Moore Shows Off Six-Pack On ANDERSON; Lifetime Cancels DROP DEAD DIVA

Executive producer Frank Valentini previews the return of Genie Francis to GENERAL HOSPITAL on February 11
“She’s coming back because Port Charles is her home and there were reasons why she was away,” he told AccessHollywood.com at ABC’s bash last Thursday, following the Television Critics Association Winter Session 2013. “I think it’ll be exciting for the audience to discover what those reasons are and to sort of stay with a little bit of the mystery of Laura’s return.”

Asked if Laura’s return could be related to her daughter Lulu, who has fertility issues (and whose best friend, Maxie, just lost the baby she was carrying for Lulu and husband Dante), Valentini said it will.

PREVIEW: ARMY WIVES Takes "Baby Steps"

Following an all-new episode of DROP DEAD DIVA, ARMY WIVES continues its sixth season on Sunday, July 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

In "Baby Steps," Roxy and Trevor argue over what he should do if he decides to leave the army early. Roxy's mom drops by. Jackie can't seem to control her daughter Sophie and is shocked at how easily her daughter can manipulate anybody. Denise's decision to become a nurse practitioner anchors frank. Nicole and Charlie hope Roland will do a favor for them. Gloria's marriages struggles take a sad turn, Roxy goes into labor.

Watch a preview below:

PREVIEW: ARMY WIVES Says "Hello Stranger"

After an all-new episode of DROP DEAD DIVA, ARMY WIVES continues its sixth season on Sunday, July 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

In "Hello Stranger," Pamela and Chase invite Roxy and Trevor to meet them in Miami, leading to a surprising opportunity for Trevor. An arrogant doctor puts Tanya’s future in jeopardy after he blames her for almost causes a patient’s death.

Jackie learns how strained her relationship with her daughter, Sophie, has become when she visits Fort Marshall from boarding school for the first time. Guest starting Skyler Day.

Watch a preview below:

PREVIEW: "Battle Scars" on ARMY WIVES

After an all-new episode of DROP DEAD DIVA, ARMY WIVES continues its sixth season on Sunday, July 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

In "Battle Scars," Claudia Joy decides to help army veterans with legal matters, Roxy to worries about the depression the Cody has fallen into due to family issues. Trevor is worries the about Hector and his marriage problems as well as the possibility that he might have to leave the division suggests that Hector and Gloria see a marriage counselor. Nichole's mom isn't happy when Charlie tells her that she and Nicole are engaged. Kevin makes a stunning decision in that leaves Frank to question his duties in Africa.

Watch a preview below:

PREVIEW: "Tough Love" on ARMY WIVES

After an all-new episode of DROP DEAD DIVA, ARMY WIVES continues its sixth season on Sunday, July 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

In "Tough Love," Trevor’s buddy, Cody, comes to Fort Marshall with his wife to have surgery on his burn injuries. Hector tries to reconcile with Gloria but has trouble hiding his guilt. Roland and Joan struggle with reporting Marcus to his parole officer for taking David off base without their consent. Denise tries to move past the shooting at the beach house. Jackie gives Claudia Joy lessons at the gun range. Guest starring Anna Chlumsky.

Watch a preview below:

LIFETIME Q2 RATINGS: Growing With ARMY WIVES, THE CLIENT LIST & DROP DEAD DIVA

Lifetime continued to post growth among key demos in Second Quarter 2012 versus Second Quarter 2011, posting a 13% jump among Women 18-49, +5% among Adults 18-49 and +1% in Women 25-54. Additionally, among Women 18-49 Lifetime marked the network’s strongest 2Q growth in 10 years (2Q’02, +17%). The network’s primetime median age of 48 is also Lifetime’s youngest for 2Q in 12 years (2Q’00).

PREVIEW: ARMY WIVES Returns Tonight - Does Claudia Joy Live?

After an all-new episode of DROP DEAD DIVA, ARMY WIVES returns to coninue its sixth season on Sunday, June 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

In "Fatal Reaction," Claudia joy has a close call before recovering from surgery; David could get in big trouble for communicating with his father with out Joan and Roland knowing about it. Gloria and Hector continual arguing over whether she should even have a job at the hump bar, leading her husband to make a bad decision. Two army wives may regret taking a beach vacation.

Watch a preview below:

NEWS ROUNDUP: New Ratings Lows For Y&R and B&B, Monaco on Franco, Drop Dead Preview

Daytime Soap Opera Ratings Sept. 12-16, 2011: Y&R/B&B Hit New Lows in Total Viewers, OLTL second in total viewers
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL reached new lows in viewership last week. ONE LIFE TO LIVE was down from the previous week but, due to B&B's drop, still managed to finish in second place in total viewers for the first time in six years.

Kelly Monaco has changed her opinion about James Franco
"I know there's been speculation in the past of 'What's James doing coming to GENERAL HOSPITAL? There has to be a bigger, greater picture," Monaco says. "I let that steer me for a while in a direction of not really appreciating him being there, and I've definitely changed my opinion on that."

Q&A: Deidre Hall On Her DAYS Return, Her Book & Playing Herself on the DROP DEAD DIVA Season Finale

Earlier this week, legendary actress Deidre Hall, who will be returning to DAYS OF OUR LIVES on September 26, met with the media and WE LOVE SOAPS TV was there. One night before her big DAYS comeback, she will be guest starring on the DROP DEAD DIVA season finale (September 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime). Find out what Hall has to say about DAYS, DIVA and much more in this new interview. Read the transcript below.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time this afternoon. You talk a lot about diet and nutrition in your book. And now that you're working full time on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, do you have any tips on how to follow that advice that you give when you have such a busy life?
Deidre Hall: I think the best guideline is to eat raw whenever you can and eat raw organic food. It's the most nutritious, it's the healthiest and depending upon where you are, it's the most readily available.