‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Classic Stage Company

The production, directed by Tony Speciale on Mark Wendland’s sleek, spare set, provides a feast of similarly arresting imagery: a bearded female fairy strumming a harp; a madcap array of costumes worn by the impish Puck of Taylor Mac; a hilarious pitched battle that finds Hermia (Christina Ricci) and Helena (Halley Wegryn Gross) frantically mussing each other’s hair in an airborne catfight, straddling the shoulders of the shirtless, six-pack-sporting Demetrius (Jordan Dean) and Lysander (Nick Gehlfuss).

Mr. Speciale’s propulsive staging, abetted by appealing choreography by George De La Peña, is so clear that you could probably follow Shakespeare’s story even if you weren’t listening to the text. But I should add that you might actually enjoy the production more if you could turn down the sound, or at least pop in a pair of earplugs at regular intervals. With a few exceptions — notably the delightful Mr. Mac as the frisky Puck and the distinguished Theseus and Oberon of Anthony Heald — the actors in the central roles handle the verse with a bluntness or blandness that often smothers its lyricism.

The young lovers who take flight into the forest outside Athens to pursue their romances away from the disapproving eye of authority are all attractive, and stylishly attired by Andrea Lauer in contemporary clothing that suggests a weekend in the Hamptons. Mr. Dean and Mr. Gehlfuss are virtual mirror images: boyishly handsome redheads with fair skin and buff bodies. Ms. Ricci and Ms. Gross are similarly well matched with their delicate frames and finely chiseled beauty.

It’s a bit nonsensical when Hermia assails Helena for stealing away her love by virtue of her greater height because Ms. Gross is just as tiny as Ms. Ricci, but their drawn-out dual hissy fit — often the highlight of productions of “Dream” — is choreographed with such precise but delirious abandon that you pretty much let the verse fall by the wayside and delight in the exuberant physicality of this ultrafeatherweight boxing match. (Ms. Ricci’s size also occasions another of Mr. Speciale’s inventive images, when she curls up to go to bed inside the rolling suitcase she has brought with her into the forest, demurely folding the lid over her like a cozy blanket.)

But Ms. Gross and Ms. Ricci are more fun to watch than to hear. Ms. Ricci, a movie actor who made a fine Broadway debut in Donald Margulies’s “Time Stands Still,” is plainly out of her depth in the thickets of Shakespeare’s language. She tends to slather emotion over the words as if pouring syrup over a stack of pancakes, so the rhythms and sometimes the sense are lost. Ms. Gross is marginally more adept, but both actors have small, high voices that veer into a grating shrillness at times.

It’s fun to see Hermia and Helena presented as the kind of entitled young women you might see fighting to gain entry to a nightclub in the meatpacking district, but at no point does the pathos of Helena’s pain register, or the similar heartache that strikes Hermia when Lysander’s love is bewitched away by the misfired capers of Puck.

Mr. Dean and Mr. Gehlfuss fare better with the language, but their performances are likewise more memorable for the ferocious zeal with which they assail each other when both find themselves smitten with the formerly scorned Helena. Groupies of theater beefcake will appreciate the somewhat unnecessary interference of Mr. Mac’s Puck, who helps strip the men down to their tight white briefs. (“Damn these skinny jeans!” Mr. Mac hilariously interjects when struggling with this bit of business.)

As Hippolyta, Bebe Neuwirth drips ice in the play’s opening moments, presumably still smarting from the “injuries” done her during Theseus’s wooing. Her Titania is most memorable for the regal grace of her movement and her lithe, feline beauty, showcased in glittering fishnet stockings, black boots and corset. Mr. Heald’s Oberon is also strikingly costumed, in an outfit that a biker might wear to a Renaissance fair. His clear command of the language is rewarding, and he infuses both Oberon and Theseus with an authoritative majesty.

The “rude mechanicals,” led by Steven Skybell’s Bottom, do not rely on the usual array of goofy costumes and gimcrack props to earn their laughs in the performance of the play’s comic climax, their absurd mangling of the drama of Pyramus and Thisbe. Then again, you rather miss them because the scene feels draggier than usual here.

Mr. Skybell chooses the odd tactic of suggesting that Bottom has some real histrionic talent, although he belabors Pyramus’s death to the point of exhaustion, as actors often do. As Francis Flute portraying Thisbe, David Greenspan similarly goes in for intense feeling: with Thisbe mourning her dead lover in a delicate croon, he almost seems to be auditioning for a crack at playing Shakespeare’s Cleopatra.

Mr. Mac, the gifted performer and playwright (“The Lily’s Revenge,” “The Walk Across America for Mother Earth”) known for his drag performances, provides the most continual pleasure as a bearded, bright-eyed and charmingly subversive Puck. He’s a one-man gay pride parade in a series of Ms. Lauer’s quirky costumes: a red-and-white-striped bodysuit topped by a yellow frizz wig; a demure Alice in Wonderland frock accessorized by a miniature tricycle; a bright pink, furry elephant outfit. Presiding over the production with the air of whipping up an impromptu party — his cheeky interaction with the audience strikes just the right note of offhand whimsy — Mr. Mac infuses the evening with a spirit of friendly anarchy that encourages you to forgive its flaws.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare; directed by Tony Speciale; choreography by George De La Peña; sets by Mark Wendland; costumes by Andrea Lauer; lighting by Tyler Micoleau; music by Christian Frederickson and Ryan Rumery; sound by M. Florian Staab; fight choreography by Carrie Brewer; managing director, Jeff Griffin; production stage manager, Chandra LaViolette; production supervisor, Production Core. Presented by the Classic Stage Company, Brian Kulick, artistic director; Greg Reiner, executive director. At the Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th Street, East Village, (866) 811-4111, classicstage.org. Through May 20. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes.

WITH: Jordan Dean (Demetrius), Nick Gehlfuss (Lysander), David Greenspan (Francis Flute/Cobweb), Halley Wegryn Gross (Helena), Anthony Heald (Theseus/Oberon), Erin Hill (Robin Starveling/First Fairy), Chad Lindsey (Tom Snout/Mustardseed), Taylor Mac (Egeus/Puck), James Patrick Nelson (Snug/Moth), Bebe Neuwirth (Hippolyta/Titania), Christina Ricci (Hermia), Steven Skybell (Nick Bottom) and Rob Yang (Peter Quince/Peaseblossom).

The Avengers Global Box Office Haul: Record-Breaking!

Take cover, Katniss Everdeen and the cast of Think Like a Man, The Avengers is coming for you.

While this Marvel blockbuster doesn't open until May 4 in the United States, it's international box office haul from this weekend portends a record-shattering few days ahead in America, as The Avengers raked in $178 million worldwide from Wednesday to Sunday.

The Avengers Trailer (Official)

For some perspective:

• That's more than Battleship grossed in in its first two weeks abroad, and nearly what The Hunger Games has earned in over a month.
• That

  To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/04/the-avengers-global-box-office-haul-record-breaking/

  
  Filed under: Celebrities No Comments

Joss Whedon Vaguely Recalls THE AVENGERS Early Drafts Including The Wasp

Five days remain until the worldwide release of Marvel's The Avengers assembly and, based on critics reviews and record-breaking box office results overseas, the superhero spectacle lives up to its five-year anticipation. It was during the third year, 2010, that Joss Whedon came on board as writer and director. And briefly looking back at that period with NY Daily News, he informed them of an original Avenger from the comics that was included in early drafts, but evidently didn't make the cut: Janet van Dyne aka The Wasp.

Whedon will be the first to admit it almost didn’t work. There was a version of the script, back when Johansson wasn’t involved, that featured a female superhero named the Wasp. Whedon had to scrap that script, and was making changes to his final version even as the effects people were starting work on the 40-minute battle that closes the movie. “Trying to figure out the way you want to introduce all those characters, that was stuff we were still tweaking in the edit,” says Whedon.

You may recall last year a doubtful report quoting Joss Whedon on his initial "plan" to include Janet van Dyne, stating “I tried to write her in, but I could not make it work.” And with what he told NY, this seems to verify it.

Marvel Studios have yet to name the undisclosed 2014 film with Captain America 2, so the possibility remains for The Wasp to be introduced to the cinematic universe, along with Ant-Man in the Edgar Wright-written/directed solo movie, before The Avengers assemble again.

---

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble on May 4, 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013!; and “Thor 2” on November 15, 2013.

---

‘The Avengers’ flexes muscles overseas

"The Avengers" is set to dominate the domestic box office next weekend with a massive opening of more than $150 million, but overseas the film's ticket sales are already soaring.

The superhero action flick debuted in 39 foreign countries last week and has since raked in a phenomenal $178.4 million, according to an estimate from distributor Walt Disney Studios. By comparison, Universal Pictures' "Battleship" passed $170 million overseas this weekend after three weeks in international release.

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-boxoffice-side-20120430,0,5729310.story

‘Think Like a Man’ still on moviegoers’ minds

Four new films hit theaters this past weekend, but moviegoers still had"Think Like a Man"on their minds.

In a surprise win, the ensemble relationship comedy topped the box office for the second consecutive weekend, collecting $18 million and bringing its 10-day domestic total to $60.9 million, according to an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures. Based on a relationship book by comedian Steve Harvey, the movie has a predominantly African American cast and has already outgrossed a number of successful movies aimed at black audiences, including all but two of Tyler Perry's films.

Another holdover, the Zac Efron tear-jerker"The Lucky One," also had a solid second weekend in theaters, grossing $11.3 million. Driven largely by the strength of ticket sales in such cities as Atlanta, Charlotte and Cincinnati, the Nicholas Sparks adaptation has now reached about $40 million worth of receipts

Heading into the weekend, the Judd Apatow-produced romantic comedy"The Five-Year Engagement" was expected to be No. 1. Instead, the movie debuted with a disappointing $11.2 million — far below industry projections of $18 million or more and less than even Universal Pictures' modest $13-million prediction.

Three other debuts also failed to make serious dents at the box office. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits,"a 3-D stop-motion animated picture, started with a slightly better $11.4 million — though it cost about $30 million more to produce than "Engagement." The Jason Statham action flick "Safe," meanwhile, grossed an unimpressive $7.7 million, roughly as much as the lackluster $7.3 million that the John Cusack horror film"The Raven" opened with.

As a result of the weak performance of the new films, ticket sales were down 30% compared with the same three-day period last year, when"Fast Five"debuted with a massive $86.2 million.

"Engagement" marks one of the worst openings for writer-director Nicholas Stoller and actor Jason Segel, who teamed to pen the relationship comedy. The pair have successfully collaborated on projects such as 2008's"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and last year's solid hit"The Muppets."

Outside of March's"Jeff, Who Lives at Home"— a low-budget film that never played in more than 500 theaters — Segel has proven to be a reliable box-office draw in recent years. The 32-year-old actor is best known for playing overgrown man-children in movies such as "Sarah Marshall" and 2009's"I Love You, Man"and was a main reason moviegoers said they showed up to see "Engagement" this weekend.

However, moviegoers — like critics — were ultimately not enamored with the picture, assigning it an average grade of B-, according to market research firm CinemaScore. Not surprisingly, the film appealed to a 64% female audience — but the crowd was a bit older than is typical for an Apatow film, because 57% were older than 30. The movie, also starring Emily Blunt, follows a couple whose engagement is derailed for half a decade because of career ambitions. Universal and Relativity Media spent about $30 million to make the film.

"It's not quite death, because the movie was made for a reasonable price and it has potential to do well through television and home video deals, "said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of distribution.

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is the latest production from England's Aardman Animations that has failed to resonate in a major way with American audiences. Known for creating "Wallace and Gromit" and "Chicken Run," Aardman's most recent production, last winter's"Arthur Christmas,"grossed only $46 million domestically, though it raked in $100 million abroad. "Pirates" should follow that same trajectory, because it has already collected $63.7 million from 49 foreign countries.

"I think this movie will probably take a little bit longer to permeate here than overseas," said Rory Bruer, Sony's distribution president. "In Europe, there's no doubt about it that the Aardman brand is at the top of its game — their movies really resound in a big way there."

In the United States and Canada this weekend, the movie attracted a 76% family audience, who gave the well-reviewed film an average grade of B. The movie, featuring the voice of Hugh Grant as a pirate trying to become buccaneer of the year, had a budget of about $55 million. 

"Safe," which stars Statham as a former cop on a mission to save a girl from international gangs, appealed mostly to older men this past weekend. Its opening was a bit lower than that of the typical Statham film: Last year, the action star's"Killer Elite"started with $9 million, while"The Mechanic"debuted with $11 million. Audiences who saw his most recent film graded it a tad higher than any of the weekend's other new releases, giving it a B+ CinemaScore.

Lionsgate, releasing the film in the United States and Canada on behalf of film finance company IM Global, paid for only the film's prints and advertising costs.

"The Raven" received the most dismal critical reviews of any film hitting theaters this past weekend — earning a paltry 22% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Moviegoers — 59% of whom were 25 and older — were kinder, giving the film an average grade of B.

The movie stars Cusack as 19th century author Edgar Allen Poe, who ends up having to face reenactments of the scary stories he penned. The film was made for $26 million by production and financing company Intrepid Pictures but was later acquired by Relativity for about $4 million.

In limited debut, the dark comedy "Bernie"scored the best per-theater average of the year for a specialty release. The film, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black as an undertaker who commits a crime but remains popular in his Texas community, grossed $90,438 over the weekend. Playing in three theaters, that amounted to a strong location average of $30,146. The movie, being released by Millennium Entertainment, debuted at the Los Angeles Film Festival last June and has since earned largely positive critical reviews.

amy.kaufman@latimes.com

Game of Thrones Recap: New Alliances Are Formed, but Which King Is Out of the …

HBO

Last week we saw the crazy birth of a super weapon—will that change the struggle for power in Game of Thrones? The battling kings are gearing up for a showdown, but does King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) have a sound plan to keep his Iron Throne? 

Find out what happened on

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_with_kristin/game_of_thrones_recap_new_alliances_are/312397

New Orleans Jazz Fest: Choices abound

Dr. John or Papa Grows Funk? Trombone Shorty or a jazzy tribute to Alex Chilton? Bruce Springsteen or the 18 other acts that tripped over his scheduled 2½-hour set, notably the Rev. Al Green and gospel great Yolanda Adams?

Most everyone agreed on one thing: they would eventually gravitate to the Acura Stage — the festival's largest — to catch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And the vast area in front of that stage was an impenetrable mass of humanity by 1 p.m., a full three hours before he was due on stage.

• PHOTOS: New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival

Springsteen's last Jazz Fest appearance, at the 2006 first post-Katrina gathering, is considered by many to be the finest set in the event's now-43-year history. While that show with the then-new Seeger Sessions Band was all about shared grief, healing and hope, Sunday's performance promised to celebrate the Gulf Coast's recovery and — via his new Wrecking Ball material — decry the fractured state of the rest of the union. His new 17-piece E-Street band, with added horns, backup singers and a fiddler, has been on tour for about six weeks but offered a set that seemed tailored to the city and the festival.

Earlier in the day, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews rocked the crowd with his typically sizzling trombone-led show. The festival's poster (literally, his likeness is emblazoned in this year's official festival poster), Andrews, 26, re-cemented his status as a Jazz Fest must-see with a typically blistering, brassy and sassy set at the Acura stage.

Tall, lean and wielding his namesake instrument like a bazooka, Andrews and his Orleans Avenue band peppered their set with tunes from their recent Backatown and For True albums. Their blend of brass-led jazz, hip-hop, rock and New Orleans-specific funk is custom-made for vast outdoor festivals. Andrews sang, blew trombone and trumpet, rattled a tambourine, drummed and acted as indefatigable cheerleader for his group.

One highlight: a Latin-tinged rendition of St. James Infirmary Blues with guest saxophonist Dave Koz that brought rabid cheers from the crowd.

Sunday's set also showcased fluid guitar riffs, contemporized arrangements of standards like I Got a Woman, and his own smooth sweet vocals on pop and RB tunes.

‘The Avengers’ Posts Huge Global Box Office!

Disney's "The Avengers" opens on Friday, May 4 in North America, but has already opened huge with $178.4 million in 39 international territories. With an expected North American debut weekend that should easily top the $100 million mark, the film is destined to be one of the highest grossing films of the summer and the year!

Data below courtesy of Disney International:

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS (Marvel Studios) began its record-breaking worldwide rollout opening in 39 international territories representing 70% of the international marketplace. The film opens in the U.S. on May 4th.

Estimated

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.hollywood.com/news/The_Avengers_Posts_Huge_Global_Box_Office/25712044

The Avengers and Joss Whedon Explode Overseas with $178.4 Million Take

April 29, 2012

Marvel's The Avengers is proving to be a formidable force at the international box office as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) blow past the $100 million mark well ahead of the film's North American debut. Marvel chief Kevin Feige and all involved are sporting huge smiles right now.

Per Deadline, The Avengers has racked up $178.4 million in international business in five days and 39 markets. Opening weekend records are falling

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.thehdroom.com/news/The-Avengers-and-Joss-Whedon-Explode-Overseas-with-178.4-Million-Take/10641

Will and Kate mark one year of royally happy marriage

Wedded bliss: It's rare, as many will attest, but nevertheless, it's the hallmark of the first year of marriage for royal stars Will and Kate, whose destiny as a future king and queen looks ever more brilliant since the dazzling day a year ago Sunday when they were married.

True, Kate did not immediately get pregnant. But they did get a puppy, a black cocker spaniel they named Lupo, or "wolf" in Italian.

Newlyweds Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton, who is now known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have had a smashing first year, according to those who closely follow their every move (no small number) in the U.K., America and abroad.

• Photos: Follow Will and Kate's first year

"She has grown in stature and confidence — her behavior has been incredibly impressive over the last year," says Claudia Joseph, a British royals reporter and author of a biography, Kate Middleton: The Making of a Princess. "It's a tough time to be a royal in the middle of a recession, and they get the balance just right."

It's been a "hands-down great first year," says Nancy Jeffrey, an American senior editor in charge of royals coverage for People. "They've become the face of a new generation of British royals — fresh, down-to-earth, social-media savvy, in touch with the concerns of ordinary people."

The pictures appear to affirm they have not lost their bliss. "If you look at them, they're genuinely in love," says Joseph, correspondent for the Mail on Sunday. "William is very proud of her, he wants her to be popular, he's not jealous of her, and he doesn't mind if she gets the limelight. They are very much a team."

Even better, Duchess Kate, 30, has turned out to be everything the royals, the public and the news media had hoped: Beautiful, graceful and warm, the first middle-class commoner to marry a future king in three centuries "seems to have been born to the role," Joseph says.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, William's uncle and Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, was born to the role. He told British reporters recently that Kate is a natural. "She has taken to royal life like a duck to water," he said, as reported in the Daily Mirror. "She's very gracious, and the family is very proud of her."

She has helped invigorate an ancient, creaking monarchy: Since the engagement in 2010, the royal family's image has been burnished by the gushy all-Kate-all-the-time media coverage.

"They've done wonders for the monarchy as the queen prepares to celebrate (60 years on the throne)," Jeffrey says.

"Everyone thought she'd be a breath of fresh air, but no one could have predicted how seamlessly and naturally she has taken on her new role."

Welcomed into family

Jonathan Hayden, who wrote text for the photographic book William Kate: Celebrating a Royal Engagement and who is covering Kate as part of the queen's Diamond Jubilee year, said he watched her at a recent engagement where she met with young mothers and their children.

"I was within 2 feet of her, and these mums — well, they're from a social class a long way from where she is, and the connection was extraordinary. She's completely natural. There's not a hint of artificiality or patronizing about her. And these mums went completely gooey — you could see them falling in love with her."

Clearly, the royal family has learned lessons from the mournful past: William's mother, the late Princess Diana, did not have an easy first year thanks to traditional royal reserve; her own youth (she had just turned 20); and her emotional fragility did not help. But now the queen, Prince Charles and the royal family are protective of Kate and eager to help her ease into royal life, Prince Edward says.

"We were all thrilled to welcome Catherine into the family because she's absolutely lovely — very charming indeed and a perfect companion for William," he said in the Daily Mirror.

The couple will not be celebrating their anniversary in public, according to the palace, and are expected to remain behind closed doors in the U.K.

Not a lot of alone time

Their first year has been crowded with events. Eleven days after their wedding in Westminster Abbey, which was watched by an estimated 3 billion people around the world, the couple slipped away to a honeymoon on a luxury island in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Then, they returned to their farmhouse in Wales near his RAF base (he's a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot) and settled in, while preparing to move into a new apartment next year in Kensington Palace for their London home.

They appeared, glamorous and glittering, at charity and social events in London. Her fashion sensibility, mixing high-gloss couture with High Street affordability, is widely applauded and imitated. They went on their first overseas tour, an 11-day twirl through Canada and Southern California that was a success.

And later this year, they will serve as Olympic ambassadors to the Summer Games in London and will travel to Commonwealth countries in the South Pacific to represent the queen at Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking her 60 years on the throne.

When Flight Lt. Wales, 29, left for six weeks of RAF duty in the Falkland Islands in February and March, Kate told people she missed him terribly, but she did not come undone. Instead, she took on her first solo charity engagements. It was not easy, not with the whole world watching, Prince Edward said.

"She's dealt with it very well, though, and I think Catherine can only grow in confidence."

Anyway, Joseph says, it's not in Kate's personality to fall apart. "She's a military wife, she knows what's expected of her, and William has been away for periods before," she says.

'She still has this mystique'

On top of everything else, the duke and duchess have fully entered the pop-culture pantheon: Mattel is selling Barbie-doll versions of them on their wedding day. Madame Tussauds has unveiled their wax effigies in London and New York. And you can buy a version of the see-through dress that Kate wore at a fashion show in college to make her platonic pal William sit up and notice her.

"She's a beacon of hope for women — she shows that you can get a prince of a fellow," says media psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, author of Bad Girls: Why Men Love Them How Good Girls Can Learn Their Secrets.

Lieberman, who bid on the original dress at auction but lost (it sold for more than $125,000), says the couple's marriage is strong, not because of a dress, but because they have built it on trust and the support of her close family.

"She still has this mystique. She keeps herself looking attractive. There is still flirtation and a sense of intrigue in their relationship. And he seems more in love with her than ever."

It's helpful that the press and paparazzi coverage of the couple has been positive. The only thing even remotely characterized as a "misstep" was the shortness of Kate's hem at a recent engagement with the queen, Hayden says.

"Apparently it was rather too much for (the queen's) courtiers, so some of the tabloids started running commentary on her short skirts," he says. "It indicates that no matter what she does, she is going to be observed very closely, so some (in the press) will look for a negative angle to write about."

Still, because they have full-time security and live much of the time in far-away Wales, they are not subjected to the 24/7 stalking that Kate's sexy younger sister, Pippa Middleton, gets. That attention led last week to a photo of Pippa, 28, in a convertible in Paris with three French men, one of whom brandished a fake gun at pursuing paparazzi.

"But it has not impugned on Kate's standing with the public; they will draw a line and a distinction between the future queen and her sister," even as they gobble up every tidbit about Pippa, says Hayden.

Understanding fans

Is the public eager for a royal baby? Of course. By contrast, William's mother and grandmother were pregnant within six months of their weddings 30 and 64 years ago, respectively. But is the public holding the empty cradle against the couple? Not yet. (The baby, even if it's a girl, will be a future sovereign thanks to a change in the ancient rules of succession aimed at Will and Kate's children.)

"Baby fever is sweeping the U.K.," Jeffrey says. "People are hoping there will be happy news announced soon, but they also understand they are a modern couple, and if they want to take time before settling in to married life, that will not diminish them or her in any way in the public's eyes."

"They want to enjoy life," says Joseph. "They don't have a great deal of time together, so they want to enjoy it before moving on to the role of parent."