Val on Touched By An Angel News (2001)

While famous for playing Barbara Cooper on the nine-season run of the CBS sitcom ``One Day at a Time,'' will play a new-to-Earth angel who ends up teaming with Roma Downey's more seasoned seraph.

Tentatively, Bertinelli's first airing is set for April 29, six days after her birthday. She's set to stay with the show through the end of the season (for about four episodes); if things go smoothly, she'll return full-time next fall. (Crap! She's on opposite The Simpsons and the internet feed for Dr. Demento's show! Thanks, Val, now I gotta hire some more help!)

Roma Downey (no relation to the late Morton Jr.), meanwhile, is still in negotiation with the producers of the drama to return for an eighth year.

Bertinelli says she's a longtime fan of ``Touched.''

``I've always loved this show,'' she said. ``While it moves me to tears, it always leaves me with a feeling of hope. I'm looking forward to working with Roma, Della (Reese) and John (Dye).''

Aside of "One Day", Bertinelli starred in the short-lived series "Sydney" on CBS in 1990 and "Cafe Americain" on NBC in 1993. She's also toplined a slew of CBS TV movies and miniseries, including 1991's ``In a Child's Name,'' one of the decade's highest-rated miniseries.

In October 2000, she starred in the CBS picture ``Personally Yours,'' which drew the network's best demo numbers for an original made-for-TV movie this season.

Bertinelli Off to Utah for 'Angel' (2001)

``I'll come back on weekends because Wolfie still goes to school in Los Angeles,'' she said. ``I'm not going to make him change schools. My parents did that to me and it was just too hard.''

Bertinelli moved constantly as a child because of her father's job with General Motors. Her son will live with his father, Eddie Van Halen, when Bertinelli is filming in Salt Lake City.

``He would kill me if I took him out of school here,'' she told the Television Critics Association summer gathering Wednesday. ``He's going into the fifth grade. Do you know how difficult that is?''

Bertinelli said her son doesn't mind his mother's heavenly role.

``He already loves me unconditionally and he thinks I'm an angel,'' she said. ``So it's not much of a stretch for him.''

``Touched By an Angel'' moves from Sunday to Saturday nights this fall in its eighth season on CBS.

``You don't have to be single to sit at home and watch TV on Saturday night,'' Bertinelli said. ``Ed and I do a lot of that.''