GENERAL HOSPITAL fans are finally going to get their wish... well sort of. Rena Sofer (ex-Lois, GH) is returning to television on a semi-permanent basis, but not as everybody's favorite Brooklyn girl. Instead, she'll be joining the cast of FOX's MELROSE PLACE. A representative for the Emmy-winning actress confirmed that Sofer has signed to play the recurring role of Eve, a singer who has a mysterious connection to the manipulative Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear). If Sofer can create the same kind of dedicated following for Eve that she had with Lois, we're confident she will be on the show for a much longer time than is planned!
     The actress removed herself from the GH scene in 1996 rather quietly to give birth to her and husband Wally Kurth's (Ned, GH) real-life daughter Rosabel Rosalind. Since then, Sofer has been popping up periodically on television sets with guest appearances on NBC's SEINFELD and CAROLINE IN THE CITY.
     MP executive producer Aaron Spelling has always tapped into the daytime community when looking to cast new roles on his primetime shows. Lately, however, Spelling has been in overdrive, hiring a plethora of soaps' most popular actors, including Vanessa Marcil (soon-to-be-ex-Brenda, GH) and Daniel Cosgrove (ex-Scott, ALL MY CHILDREN), who are slated to arrive in the trendy BEVERLY HILLS 90210 zip code this fall.
     This won't be the first time that Sofer will refer to Spelling as her boss. The actress worked with Mr. Spelling on a pilot earlier this year called GLORY, GLORY but it was not picked up by any of the networks for the upcoming fall season.
     FOX is said to be quite fond of Sofer and is happy to have her become a part of the primetime soap's growing family. Look for Sofer when she makes her MP debut sometime in late September/early October.
BY LAURA DEBRIZZI