Should Fans Hold Out Hope for a Longer-Lasting Lipstick?

Or, to employ a different pun: Is NBC's Jungle expedition not necessarily over?

Recent quotes from Lipstick Jungle leads Kim Raver and Brooke Shields have suggested that the C-word — cancelled — has been thrown around prematurely in summing up the low-rated series' fate. "We're still working," Us quotes Shields as saying this weekend at a red-carpet event. "We still have more to do, so it's erroneously presented that we've been cancelled." Adds Raver, "I know the executives are really pushing it and believe in it."

But are the ladies simply operating on "spin" cycle? Sources confirm for TVGuide.com that yes, Lipstick Jungle is still in production — on the 13th and final episode of its original Season 2 order. And yes, another fresh episode is slated to air this Friday at 10 pm/ET. (While the latest outing delivered a marginal improvement over its previous week's numbers, the show is still mired in the measly mid-three million range.)

Beyond that, Lipstick has yet to receive an order for additional episodes, and it's unclear when or if any unaired episodes will see the light of day. "There's still hope," a production insider tells us — though it may all hinge on this Friday's Nielsens.