XmasLights asks: What does the E. stand for in your name?
fox_david_e_kelley: Edward.

candyandperfumegirl69 asks: What was your first show or work?
fox_david_e_kelley: The very first thing I ever wrote was a screenplay called From The Hip.
fox_david_e_kelley: They turned it into a terrible movie. But it did turn into an opportunity to write for LA Law, my very first job.
fox_david_e_kelley: That turned out more favorably.

dejaveu asks: Are the situations presented in the show triggered by interactions you have with actual attorneys or are they based on interaction with the average neurotic professional?
fox_david_e_kelley: Neither actually. The situations probably are more often the result of my twisted imagination.
fox_david_e_kelley: Occasionally I will meet twisting neurotic attorneys which fuel me to greater creative heights.
fox_david_e_kelley: But for the most part the stories are limited to my imagination.

TheSaint1977 asks: David, you're shows are phenomenal....where did you come up with the idea for Ally and making it a 30 mins show??
fox_david_e_kelley: That's a longer answer.
fox_david_e_kelley: But it started in the syndication process. Half hour shows were syndicating better than one hour shows which I could never quite understand.
fox_david_e_kelley: And I thought if I cut Ally to a half hour it would play better than a lot of half hour shows that I knew were syndicating.
fox_david_e_kelley: So I tried a few on my own and I was very excited creatively as to how they were playing.

melinee61 asks: How long does it take to film one episode of Ally McBeal?
fox_david_e_kelley: Eight days.
fox_david_e_kelley: There are no immediate process for Ally and the Practice. If there were to be any crossover this season it would more likely happen with The Practice and Snoops.

robert0259 asks: Given that Snoops has been mostly panned by critics, how do you deal with rejection?
fox_david_e_kelley: The best way to deal with rejection is to just work harder.
fox_david_e_kelley: Not really. We weren't satisfied at the beginning with how Snoops was playing ourselves. But I think the episodes are getting better and better. And I'm hopefully some of the critics that were at first discouraged will be more encouraged as time goes by.

sbeasley007 asks: i just caught the season premier for "Ally McBeal", are you going for a riskier season than last year?
fox_david_e_kelley: I'm thinking....
fox_david_e_kelley: I think Ally has to be different and move forward in order to stay viable.
fox_david_e_kelley: And in daring to be different you will necessarily see some more dare in some of the storylines.

dispatch_83 asks: Mr. Kelley, do you feel any competition coming from other shows... like Wasteland or Dawson's Creek
fox_david_e_kelley: I must confess I haven't seen either one.
fox_david_e_kelley: It's not a negative comment on either of those shows, but the reality is when you do television you rarely have time to watch it.

otter_dtx asks: I just saw the Ally premiere and it was hot! Do you feel you need to push the envelope when it comes to sex on TV?
fox_david_e_kelley: No. I've never really understood what that means to push the envelope. I always thought it meant who was going to get the Oscar, and that meant ripping open the envelope as well.
fox_david_e_kelley: Ally, the idea isn't to be hot so much as it is to find stories that will explore the characters of Ally and the other people who populate the show.

alice_mexico_2000 asks: How different are you today from when you wrote LA Law and Picket Fences?
fox_david_e_kelley: I'm older.
fox_david_e_kelley: But I like to think I'm older and wiser, but I'm not sure that's always reflected in the scripts or the shows.

mott_2000 asks: Does it become harder the longer your in the business of TV to keep coming up with new and fresh ideas?
fox_david_e_kelley: That's a difficult question.
fox_david_e_kelley: The process of coming up with ideas is very unscientific.
fox_david_e_kelley: There are some days that you're convinced you'll never have another idea as long as you live.
fox_david_e_kelley: And then there are better days when you might come up with two or three while brushing your teeth,.
fox_david_e_kelley: The one thing experience teaches you is not to panic on those days that you are blocked.
fox_david_e_kelley: And that helps. Because panic is a great cause of writer's block.

filmles_2000 asks: I could ask a ton of questions about Ally's personality, but I'd like to know why you're moving Renee out of the DA's office and into private practice?
fox_david_e_kelley: I wanted to give Renee clients this year.
fox_david_e_kelley: And in terms of telling stories you can access a character more deeply when you are representing people.

bensoneandonly asks: David, when do you sleep?
fox_david_e_kelley: The answer isn't going to make you happy. But I'm usually in bed by 9 or 9:30 every night.

canoecruise asks: Will the 'nun killer' ever be caught on The Practice?
fox_david_e_kelley: Canoecruise hasn't been watching!

digby_dawg asks: The writing on Chicago Hope has been the best since you left after season two. How long do you expect the show to last?
fox_david_e_kelley: I am hopeful that it will last at least one more year beyond this one. Which will take it up to seven years at least.

jnrex asks: Are you easily discouraged by critics?
fox_david_e_kelley: No. I think if you are in this business you have to have thick enough skin to be able to stick to your vision.
fox_david_e_kelley: That's not to say you shouldn't listen, because if everybody is complaining that you are doing something wrong, you have to at least make room for the possibility that you are doing something wrong.

TyroneusD asks: Will we ever see Ally's parents? Also, will you ever explore her losing her sister at a young age?
fox_david_e_kelley: Yes to both questions. Ally's parents appear this year on the Thanksgiving episode.
fox_david_e_kelley: And in the Christmas episode we will learn that Ally killed her little sister with a hammer. Just kidding!

pfloyd81 asks: Mr. Kelly, do you ever feel the need to take a break from the stress of television?
fox_david_e_kelley: Yes. We get a break in the springtime.
fox_david_e_kelley: But I think everybody who does television wishes that it were a 13 episode season instead of a 22 episode season because the last stretch can be grueling.

h2chen asks: Who is your favorite character to write about in McBeal?
fox_david_e_kelley: No real favorite. I certainly like writing for them all.
fox_david_e_kelley: Perhaps Ally is my favorite, but I really do enjoy writing for each of the characters.

clayjar22 asks: Is Snoops supposed to be a modern "Charlie's Angels?"
fox_david_e_kelley: Snoops is in the process of evolving. In the beginning we were endeavoring to present it as escapist fare.
fox_david_e_kelley: As the season goes forward you'll find the storylines gravitating more towards the emotional vein.
fox_david_e_kelley: It will also become more dramatic than comedic which wasn't necessarily the case in the beginning.

rudybux asks: Why COP ROCK?
fox_david_e_kelley: I asked the same question. Fortunately I had nothing to do with it, that was Stephen Bochco.

sacto_pooky asks: Out of Gillian on her 37th Birthday, Lake Placid and Mystery, Alaska, do you have a favorite?
fox_david_e_kelley: I don't have a favorite. They were three films that were so different it's really difficult to compare them.

Java_Joey asks: What was your reaction after the back-to-back emmy win on the same night this year? You seemed really shocked...
fox_david_e_kelley: I still am.
fox_david_e_kelley: I didn't think either show was a frontrunner going in, so to have both of them win definitely left me thrilled but also shellshocked.

marybelle22 asks: I would like to tell you that the music selections for Ally McBeal are always so appropriate to the story line and I think the music adds so much to the show and the story.
fox_david_e_kelley: I would agree.
fox_david_e_kelley: I would add that we are very lucky to have Vonda Sheppard because there's such an emotional center to her voice and sound that it enhances our ability to explore Ally's emotional center.

big_fine_girl asks: Do you possibly see any possiblities of a Practice spin-off with Camryn, or developing something with her in mind as lead actress?
fox_david_e_kelley: Not yet. I'm really happy with the way the Practice is working.
fox_david_e_kelley: It's a great ensemble show and I think it would be a mistake to fracture off part of the ensemble.

shag_me_baby_not asks: Hello David, I think Alley MacBeal is very creative, How exactly did you bring the idea of it to Fox???
fox_david_e_kelley: I didn't pitch the idea actually. I wrote the script first and delivered it to them. And that was their first exposure to the idea.

Snuggle_Bear_69 asks: What is your reaction to Ally being named Feminist of the Year by Time Magazine?
fox_david_e_kelley: I thought it was silly.

avalanch14 asks: Did you use any professional hockey players in "Mystery Alaska"?
fox_david_e_kelley: Yes there were a few ex-NHL players playing the part of the Rangers.

blasianbabe asks: What other Television series inspired you to write your own? Did you have a favorite TV show?
fox_david_e_kelley: The television series that most influenced me would probably be All in the Family and Hill Street Blues.
fox_david_e_kelley: I think they were very noble. And they informed on the human spirit and also on how fallible humans can be.

buzz_beer_rocks asks: Mr. Kelley after the closing credits of your shows we see an elderly woman in a rocking chair, she says "you stinka"..what's that all about?
fox_david_e_kelley: That is my actual grandmother.
fox_david_e_kelley: Who I was very close to growing up and she would often call me a stinker.

anya6_94123 asks: when you were a lawyer what prompted you to write film scripts
fox_david_e_kelley: I always liked to write as a hobby. And I was writing a script for fun about a lawyer.
fox_david_e_kelley: That's the script that eventually became the script to the movie From The Hip that lead to LA Law.

dock189 asks: On Snoops, why are you shooting Paula Marshall in soft focus?
fox_david_e_kelley: It's probably just a lens thing although I'm the last one to know what's going on there. I do the words and the directors do the other things. But I don't think Paula is being shot differently than the other characters.

georgia0987 asks: what's in store for Bobby and Lindsay on the Practice
fox_david_e_kelley: Well they are still engaged.
fox_david_e_kelley: There will be some friction on their way to the altar.
fox_david_e_kelley: altar. But at this point the plan is that we will still make it to the altar.

dek_fan asks: Who does your casting? It's been wonderful, especially on The Practice.
fox_david_e_kelley: Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnell. And I would agree.
fox_david_e_kelley: Casting is extremely important to every episode. They do a great job.
fox_david_e_kelley: They also cast Snoops.

dock189 asks: I heard that the role of "Glenn" on Snoops was originally written for a man -- why did you change it? And are you glad you did?
fox_david_e_kelley: Yes, I am glad. The reason I changed it was because Gina Gershon became available and I felt she was a great talent to build a television franchise around.

tristanvuk asks: David, do you begin a fresh TV season by plotting out where you want the characters to end up emotionally by the end?
fox_david_e_kelley: No. It would be nice if we could do that.
fox_david_e_kelley: I have a general idea of where I want to go.
fox_david_e_kelley: But often as you begin to execute the scripts it causes you to change your storyline.
fox_david_e_kelley: Sometimes it's the interaction of the characters. Other times it's simply a product of getting a better idea as you go along.

snowbaby_48 asks: Mr. Kelley, is it emotionally draining to write for your shows?
fox_david_e_kelley: This won't sound like a satisfying answer, but some shows are very easy to write and others are extremely difficult.

laughingowlproductions asks: What was the first show you produced? How how did you make the transition from writer to writer/producer?
fox_david_e_kelley: In televison the writers ultimately become the producers as they move up the ladder.
fox_david_e_kelley: So there was never an actual transition that I had to make.
fox_david_e_kelley: I'm first and foremost a writer still.
fox_david_e_kelley: And I delegate the bulk of the production responsibilites to others.

mahaber asks: Do you have consultants on set to correct all of the law references?
fox_david_e_kelley: Yes we have many consultants.
fox_david_e_kelley: We have producers who are lawyers and some of our writers are lawyers and we have outside consultants who are lawyers.

josie2416 asks: Once you have everything down on paper how much input do you have after that? Whatever, its a great show & whatever your people are doing, they are doing it very very well. Thank you for being so talented
fox_david_e_kelley: Once it's down on paper that's all the input I need!
fox_david_e_kelley: And the directors understand that.
fox_david_e_kelley: There's not much improvisation that goes on.

tristanvuk asks: David, would you consider publishing the Ally scripts? Or are they already available in book form?
fox_david_e_kelley: We have considered publishing them. They are not currently available. But that is something we plan to explore on our website.

melinee61 asks: Do you look at fan websites for your shows?
fox_david_e_kelley: Not too often only because I don't have enough time.
fox_david_e_kelley: But my assistants will assemble a consensus of website responses that I am made aware of.

Biff_Bazerka asks: Do you believe that left handed people are more creative than right handed people?
fox_david_e_kelley: Being left handed I like to think so, but I don't know if I could call it a belief.

Holst99 asks: Are there times when you feel directors didn't translate your writing as you intended?
fox_david_e_kelley: There are always times when the actors and directors interpret the material different than I did.
fox_david_e_kelley: One of the beauties of doing series television is you get a good sense of how we all work.
fox_david_e_kelley: And after a year or two years there are very few surprises. I have a good idea of how the material will be played, and the actors have a good sense of my intent on the page.

oohyou asks: So do you think you've made the first hour long sitcom, or the funniest hour drama?
fox_david_e_kelley: Gee.. I know we didn't make a one hour sitcom. If someone calls us the funniest one hour drama, I guess I would take that as a compliment.

robert0259 asks: When you were starting out, did you have a mentor?
fox_david_e_kelley: The first television show I worked on was LA Law and Stephen Bochco quickly became my mentor which was a good thing.
fox_david_e_kelley: It helped just by watching the way he worked, work habits, refusing to pander to the audience, his story sense.

mahaber asks: Your work--Ally in particular--seems fixated on love and romance: Why?
fox_david_e_kelley: That's really what the show is about. The series is the emotional exploration of its characters.
fox_david_e_kelley: The greatest exploration happening with Ally McBeal.
fox_david_e_kelley: The show more than anything is about romance, hope and lonliness.

GIO_GIO_1999 asks: It must be very difficult to juggle so many shows at the same time, and keep the character development and plots separate. I really admire your work.
fox_david_e_kelley: No, you become as immersed in them as you have to. The characters almost become real people between the hours of 9 and 5. Just as functional sane people don't confuse the people they work with, nor do I confuse the characters.

allyx_fgr_sk8s asks: I know you love hockey... are there any other sports you're into?
fox_david_e_kelley: I love all sports. I love hockey the most.
fox_david_e_kelley: And if the Redsox are playing well I can easily fall in love with baseball.

josie2416 asks: I think its great that you've taken the time to explose your feelings on line. Have you ever given an interview that you regretted? When & Where
fox_david_e_kelley: Can't remember one at the moment. I'm never terribly comfortable giving interviews to begin with so there are very few that I find cause to celebrate about. But there is no one that sticks out and causes me any particular pangs.

slthibeault asks: How do you want to be remembered?
fox_david_e_kelley: As a good husband and a good father.
fox_david_e_kelley: Thank you all for your interest. I look forward to having a great season on Ally and the Practice. And eventually a good one on Snoops as well.
fox_david_e_kelley: And the Ally half hour is on tomorrow at 8:00. Give that one a chance, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Thank you!
Yahoomc: Thanks, David for joining us tonight!
Yahoomc: And thanks to all of you for your outstanding questions.