Welcome to AOL Live Patricia Heaton! It's a pleasure to have you here!

Patricia Heaton: Thank you!

Question: I just read that you are pregnant again. Congrats! Will there be 
another pregnancy flashback for Debra on the show? (maybe of the time she was expecting Allie).

Patricia Heaton: Thanks. We probably wouldn't do that a second time, since we've explored that once. And we'll just sort of hiding this one on the show, although I thought I was looking fairly non-pregnant on the first episode. They made me hold a Long Island phone book in front of me, so it's really starting to show, and I don't know what they're going to do in January frankly. All my scenes are in bed, and in my pj's LOL!

Question: Patricia, I love "Everybody Loves Raymond," I saw Ray tickling your feet once on the show. I'm curious, are you really that ticklish, or were you acting in that scene?

Patricia Heaton: That is my superb acting ability. I hate it when Ray touches 
me! LOL LOL!

Question: Who inspired you to become an actress?

Patricia Heaton: Shirley Temple!

Question: Patricia, whats it like working with Raymond?

Patricia Heaton: Uh. I make a lot of jokes about how annoying he is and how I have to put up with him, but we actually have a really good time on the show!

Question: Anything exciting happening this season that you could share?

Patricia Heaton: Hmmmm. As far a Debra goes, <my character>, I think at some point she is going to go out and get a job, work outside the home. And Brad Garrett's character, Robert, is moving out of his parents house, so I think there will be a lot of episodes tracking that. I'm looking forward to that a lot.

Question: How do you like working with the kids who play your kids on the
show?

Patricia Heaton: They're really sweet, adorable, little kids. Their parents 
are great with them. I just love them, and they're nice kind of temporary 
substitute for MY children. I miss not having my children around so it's nice 
having them around to cuddle! ;-)

Question: What was your prior stage or screen experience before coming to CBS and "Everybody Loves Raymond", Patricia?

Patricia Heaton: This is my 4th sitcom. I did Room for 2, with Linda Lavin, 
and then I did a short-lived on called, Someone Like Me. I did that with Gaby Hoffman. And then I had a lot of fun on one called Women of the House, with Delta Burke and Teri Garr. But none of those were, the longest one was 23 episodes, so this is one that has a long-running life.

Question: Are you going to have anymore babies on the series?

Patricia Heaton: I would probably, well, if we did it, it would most probably be in the last season!

Question: How are you! I was just wondering if you have any hobbies or
fun things to do in your spare time! Kayla from La.

Patricia Heaton: Well, if you consider changing diapers and watching Barney tapes fun, those are my hobbies. LOL. Basically, when you have kids, and as many as I do, they take up most of my time, I DO love to read, so that is one thing that I really can say I do!

Question: How many kids do you have, Patricia?

Patricia Heaton: I have 3 boys! I'm expecting my 4th boy. LOL!

Question: Do you have as much fun doing the show as it appears to us.

Patricia Heaton: YES! It is a great show to be working on. I'm thrilled that 
the one that finally took off is the one that I really enjoy being on. 

Question: I Love Everybody Loves Raymond. Its one of my favorite shows. What is it like to work with the other cast members?

Patricia Heaton: They're great. Doris and Peter have really been around for a while. And they have great stories. The whole cast gets along really well. 
Everybody has their own life that they go home to, but we do get to get together once in a while, so that's really fun and nice.

Question: How this for an episode. I’m waiting for you to tell your in-laws 
off, because Raymond & my husband act the same with my in-laws. I make little remarks here & there So they know I don't tolerate any stuff from them.

Patricia Heaton: Well we did an episode where Marie ruined my Tupperware?Party, we did it last season. I wrote a letter to her, which Ray tries to get back before I see it, and Peter <frank> rips it open and reads it to the whole family. And I think it was one of the best episodes of the entire season. It may have re-run already, but I'm sure there will be a lot more. I'll have to confront Marie on issues.

Question: If you weren't an actress, what would you be doing?

Patricia Heaton: Hmmm. Probably a full time mom. At this point, having kids. If I didn't have children, and I was going to have another profession, I would like to go back to school and get a degree in English Literature. Or possibly go to the seminary Theology! But I also take cooking classes occasionally, so I think if I wanted to on work and still have my children, if we were hypothetically speaking, maybe something with food!

Question: Sometimes your character sounds just like Raymond. Is that on 
purpose or do you think he might be rubbing off on you in real life?

Patricia Heaton: I wasn't aware that my character sounded like Raymond. I'm not sure if you mean my inflections or the way I speak, or what I'm actually saying. They sometimes want me to imitate Ray, you know, the way HE speaks, so YES, THAT is on purpose.

Question: Do you ever think about Peter Boyle as Frankenstein, like he was in that Gene Wilder movie?

Patricia Heaton: Well funny that you should mention that. Because tomorrow we are shooting are Halloween episode, and guess what? He's dressing as Frankenstein. So yes, I've thought about that very recently. LOL!

Question: Do you get involved with the writing of the scripts?

Patricia Heaton: Only if I feel that there is something out of character, 
something I'm supposed to say, but that is fairly rare.

Question: My question is can you go places without being recognized yet?

Patricia Heaton: LOL. I can't recognized to save my life! As HARD as I try, 
NOBODY does! LOL!

Patricia Heaton: I get the same crappie treatment by store clerks that 
everyone else does! LOL.

Question: Would you marry somebody like Ray yourself?

Patricia Heaton: LOL! I'm married to an Englishman! It's about as 
POLAR-opposite to Ray as you can get! So I guess I don't know if I'm getting the best of both worlds, or the worst of both worlds. I guess it's the best of BOTH! :-) Although, men share this universal idiotness! So in that way, they are very much alike!

Question: What was it like working with Linda Lavin on "room for two?"

Patricia Heaton: We had a wonderful time! And I just talked to her recently, 
and we get together as often as time allows.

Question: First, I would like to say that the show is terrific. It is a show 
that screams out for a better time slot. Can you tell me about the writers? 
Are they "family" types. They really seem to get the essence of the early 
marriage years.

Patricia Heaton: Yes! I think 5 of the writers are married, four with children. Ray is very involved with the writing of the show, and he is obviously married with children, and I think that is why the show hits on so much of the reality of marriage. And I think that the truth of the show comes from the fact that the writers are drawing from their daily experiences.

Question: I enjoy the format of your show. Will you continue to act in 
sitcoms when it has concluded?

Patricia Heaton: I hope so! I have found that being a mother the sitcom 
format is so wonderful. I'm reminded of that song from the Wizard of Oz, that says we get up at 12:00 and go to work at 1, an hour for lunch and then at 2 we're done. That's sort of what this work schedule feels like! The hours are very civilized. We get one week off every month. My kids come to the show once a week! We have weekends off. We have a summer hiatus that lasts from April till August! At the end of every week a truck pulls up to my house and dumps a ton of money on my lawn, so THAT really adds to the attractiveness of my job! LOL!

Question: Are you excited about the new season tonight?

Patricia Heaton: YES! We have a lot of competition, between FOOTBALL Ally McBeal and BILL CLINTON! If we get 3 families to watch us, I'll be thrilled. My family. Ray's Family, and the producers family. I hope everyone is sick enough of the videotape thing that they'll turn on our shows. I haven't seen the surrounding shows, but I really think we have a good lineup!