Brooke Shields series expected to at least complete 13-episode order

Rumors of the death of "Lipstick Jungle" may have been at least slightly exaggerated.

Following the lead of the industry trade papers, and the logic of both shows' dismal ratings, Zap2it reported last week that NBC had cancelled both "My Own Worst Enemy" and "Lipstick Jungle."

For the first-year Christian Slater drama, that appears to still be the case.

For "Lipstick Jungle," though, there seems to be a glimmer of hope.

Series star Brooke Shields, for one, insists that she hasn't been given the all-clear to dedicate her time to VW commercials.

"They thought that because 'My Own Worst Enemy' has been shut down that the same thing had happened to us, and it's not true," Shields told reporters over the weekend, according to US Weekly. "They're not breaking down the sets. We're still working. We still have more to do, so it's erroneously presented that we've been canceled, thank God. Our bosses are saying, 'You're not canceled, don't worry. We're just trying to figure out how to make this make sense.'"

"Lipstick Jungle" started the season on Wednesdays, but moved to Friday nights after a series of disappointing airings. Through its first seven episodes, the series is averaging 5.07 million viewers per episode.

That normally wouldn't offer even an iota of hope for a struggling series, but DVR viewership has reportedly been a boon to the show's overall audience. The New York Times is reporting that NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman has promised that the show will complete production on its 13 episode order -- nine are completed -- with the possibility of more, should ratings demand them.

Meanwhile, "Lipstick Jungle" fans are still being urged to send lipsticks -- the rather on-the-nose equivalent of the "Jericho" nuts -- to NBC offices. We don't know what color would look best on Jeff Zucker.

Stay tuned for additional news as it becomes available.