"Some people still aren't sure if I'm dead or alive," says Drea de Matteo, who's trading tears -- and a violent death -- on HBO's "The Sopranos" for what she hopes will be laughs on NBC's "Friends" spinoff, "Joey."

So for those of you who still hope that Adriana somehow crawled under a bush and escaped Silvio's bullets last season, de Matteo has an answer:

"I crawled -- all the way to NBC."

That said, expect to see Adriana showing up in a dream or two: The actress confirmed that she's signed for the final, 10-episode season.

For now, though, she's just happy to have made it out of the woods, dead or alive.

"I was sick and tired of crying every single week."