Kelley's latest hit 'Ally McBeal', is no exception to the high quality programming that has become synonymous with his name. He created a female character in Ally that has sparked much debate among viewers and detractors. Is Ally destroying the American feminist movement by constantly complaining that she doesn't have a man in her life, or is she revealing the secret hopes and desires of women across the country? The debate has moved from TV screens and newspaper columns to the cover of TIME magazine, showing how important the show has become.

Fans of Ally McBeal and its star will delight in this look into the Life and career of Calista Flockhart, who has won hearts and turned heads with her portrayal of the dopey yet bright, independent yet perpetually lovelorn -- and quite controversial -- Boston attorney, Ally McBeal. But Calista didn't just pop up overnight for her role in Fox's award-winning comedy-drama. She is a veteran Broadway performer and film actress -- and so much more.

"This collection of essays addresses the question "Is Feminism Dead?" as it relates to the presentation of women's behaviors, desires and images in Ally McBeal. It considers the challenges that women's sexuality presents to feminism and looks at feminist thought regarding female professionalism and contemporary marriage"--Provided by publisher.

"I didn't decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Although there was a certain glamour to anorexics, I didn't want to be one. I just wanted to excel in dieting. And weighing in at 80 pounds on 300 calories a day, I was the best little dieter there ever was." In scalding prose, Portia de Rossi reveals the pain and illness that haunted her for decades. She alternately starved herself and binged, putting her life in danger and lying to herself and everyone around her about the depth of her illness. From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to health and happiness, ultimately falling head over heels in love with Ellen DeGeneres. In this remarkable and landmark book, she tells a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

What does 'the law' look like? While numerous attempts have been made to examine law and legal action in terms of its language, little has yet been written that considers how visual images of the law influence its interpretation and execution in ways not discernible from written texts. This groundbreaking collection focuses on images in law, featuring contributions that show and discuss the perception of the legal universe on a theoretical basis or when dealing with visual semiotics (dress, ceremony, technology, etc.). It also examines 'language in action', analyzing jury instructions, police directives, and how imagery is used in conjunction with contentious social and political issues within a country, such as the image of family in Ireland or the image of racism in France.

During its five-year run from 1997 to 2002, the popular TV show Ally McBeal engaged viewers in debates over what it means to be a woman or a man in the modern workplace; how romance factors into the therapeutic understanding of relationships; what value eccentricity has and how much oddity society should tolerate; and what utility fantasy has in the pragmatic world. In addition to these social concerns, however, Ally McBeal stood out for being well-constructed, narratively complex, and stylistically rich—in short, beautiful TV. Starting from the premise that much of television today is "drop-dead gorgeous" and that TV should be studied for its formal qualities as well as its social impact, Greg M. Smith analyzes Ally McBeal in terms of its aesthetic principles and narrative construction. He explores how Ally's innovative use of music, special effects, fantasy sequences, voiceovers, and flashbacks structures a distinctive fictional universe, while it also opens up new possibilities for televisual expression. Smith also discusses the complex narrative strategies that Ally's creator David E. Kelley used to develop a long-running storyline and shows how these serial narrative practices can help us understand a wide range of prime-time TV serials. By taking seriously the art and argument of Ally McBeal, Beautiful TV conclusively demonstrates that aesthetic and narrative analysis is an indispensable key for unlocking the richness of contemporary television.