In order to pull off Friday's $34M Royal Wedding you need to practice. There is only so much you can do via paper and simulations though and so sometimes you need the real thing. I don't know who got this job, but it sounds like a story she can share for a lifetime. Early this morning in London. I mean early. Like 4am early, the entire wedding procession was practiced. All the men on horseback, the carriages, everything that needed to be done was done. They even practiced getting inside Westminster Abbey. At the center of all the attention was a brunette woman. Not Kate Middleton, but a stand in. Can you imagine what that felt like to the woman? No, she is not the one getting married, but for a couple of hours she got to be the center of attention and to experience what very few people will ever get to experience in their lives. Not a bad reason to have to wake up so early.
They really need to stop trying to make US citzens care about this wedding. I don't know one person who does.
ReplyDeleteI know the American Revolution happened quite a while ago, but I don't think Americans are over it yet. They're not interested in this stuff (generally)
ReplyDeleteLots of Americans are interested, at least in my social circle. Who doesn't love some pageantry and a parade? Yes, it's a bit overhyped, but that's the media for ya.
ReplyDeleteWho gives a crap about the useless royals and their overpriced show and tell day? So sick of hearing about it every waking minute of the day.
ReplyDeleteI may be ignorant here, I know I am, so please correct me, but isn't this wedding essentially paid for by UK's taxes? I would be upset if the President had a $34M wedding! Unless he was personally wealthy of course.
ReplyDeleteThis is only interesting to Americans who have no life.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, if I had a life, would I have time to read this blog?
ReplyDelete$34 Million Dollars is a heck of a lot of money. Who is paying for all of this? If it is the taxpayers, I would be mad as hell. With that being said, I will be one of the sheep watching it. I watched Charles and Diana's, so I have got to see this. Thankful for my DVR.
ReplyDeleteOf course the taxpayers are paying for it, much like their taxes have supported the royals' way of life for decades. You didn't think any of them (save for the Princes' military service) actually WORKED for a living, did you?
ReplyDeleteAli, that's the perks of having royalty in your blood for about a millenium.
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed me most about that video was Nancy O'Dell! Someone tell BellExpressVu to change what's on their info - I was beginning to think she was still attached to Excess Hollywood.
prince charles is worth at least a billion. he could def pay for this.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that the Queen & Kate's parents are paying for the actual wedding, and that the security costs will be paid for by the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteTwo boring people are going to have a big, fancy, grossly ornate wedding. They're going to stuff their faces with dry, disgusting cake and dance awkwardly to "The Electric Slide." Wheeeee.
ReplyDeleteHappens all the time over here. And no, I DEFinitely don't care.
i have absolutely no issue w/ the royals...in fact, i think they're adorable and will mostly likely tune into the wedding. i hope they will have a lifetime of happiness. my issue is that it's the lead story in every single news outlet, at every hour of the freaking day...there's nuclear disaster in japan, soldiers dying in afghanistan, unemployment rising...and sweet robin roberts finds it more important to report live from london on the fashions the guests will probably wear. i vomit.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't understand the vitriol I'm seeing about the wedding - first and foremost, he at least is literally Royalty - as in, inevitably at some point in his life, he will be HRH, The King of England.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, this does make this a Historic Event (capitalization deliberate) - if they were an A-list couple getting married here in the US, granted there wouldn't be quite as much a circus, but there would still be a media circus. Have we all forgotten the Pitt/Aniston wedding?
Regardless, in 10+ years when your children or grandchildren are doing a report on the wedding for school, wouldn't it be nice to say "yeah, I remember that" instead of regurgitating all this bile?
This morning I was tuned to the Today show and was surprised at the amount of coverage it's giving the Royal Wedding. Being a Canadian but born in Wales, I have an interest in it and will watch with my kids. But I honestly did think "Why would Americans care?". Other than those who also emigrated from Britain I mean.
ReplyDelete@Merlin -- "Regardless, in 10+ years when your children or grandchildren are doing a report on the wedding for school..."
ReplyDeleteWell, given the state of the world right now, I SINCERELY HOPE that future schoolchildren are given WAY loftier school assignments. In an ideal world (hardy har), kids would be more likely to encounter names like Anne Frank and Amelia Earhart in a classroom than they would Kate Middleton.
Sorry, but it's NOT a "historical event" for most of us across the pond. It's not a meterological catastrophe. It's not a chaotic election. No dictators are being overthrown. It's an inescapable media blitz for sure, but it's not exactly a life-changer -- and I honestly don't see how it would deeply impact a Brit's life, either.
I'm interested and will try to watch. At the minimum, catch the repeats. I was 13 when his parents were married and got up to watch that. I also caught the replays of Jackie O's funeral and Nixon's later in the day since they occured while I was at work. I like history, what can I say.
ReplyDeleteThis wedding is something good/happy in a world of crap. I say let's enjoy it.
And what surfer said, I heard the same thing. I think CNN or some other site posted yesterday that her parents are paying 100K towards the wedding.
Oh, and I saw somewhere where they said Kate was a no-show for this rehearsal. Well, it was a military rehearsal/run through. Why the hell would she be there?
ReplyDeleteThey seem like nice kids and all, but I'd like this to be over. The only enthusiasm I've seen is from media outlets in a sweat to get a free trip to London and tape of their performers (I won't dignify this as reporting) as "foreign correspondents."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I reallyreally want to see what disaster Camilla wears.
Meh. Only reason to watch is to see what Camilla wears/does. Have to agree with weezy.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why so many people will be interested is because it's irresistable spectacle and pomp, which is done to an excellent standard in England. As a future sovereign, William cannot go and get married on a beach. As a future sovereign, he also has to get the politics of his wedding guest list right, or offend a few nations (like USA? Was Obama invited?)
ReplyDeleteA few will be watching because they have some fascination with his nutcase mother and are drawn to him.
For my £1-odd a year it costs (and with the chopping off the civil list of a lot of the royal freeloaders and costcutting going on in the royal househould), I'd say the royal family was pretty good value for money.
So in essence it makes money for the media to concentrate on it, or find their funds being channelled to a rival station! Duh!
And Susan - Yup! I totally agree! LOL!
never mind the carriages, what the hell is up with nancy o'dell's hair on ET last nite and in the previews for tonite?? is she trying to make a hair tiara or what??
ReplyDelete@Ida
ReplyDeleteI hadn't meant it to be seen as a case for anything more than a theoretical report for say, an elementary schooler on the monarchys.
Certainly not a doctoral thesis.
Regardless, he is the future King of England, and she the future Queen Consort.
That in and of itself automaticallly puts this occasion into the history books - and therefore, potential report material.
Let the pagentry commence!
And above all else, I wish only the best for the couple.
May they live a long and happy life together.
L'chaim! To Life!
Brace yourself, people.
ReplyDeleteI agree COMPLETELY with Pookie.
110% agree.
That is all.
(then again, I want England to claim what's rightfully theirs...again...)
Also, what Merlin D. Bear said.
ReplyDeleteI endorse all of those statements.
*We now return to Everyone Loathes Nightmare Child*
@Nightmare Child -- awww. I don't think anyone loathes you. And if they do, fuck 'em!
ReplyDelete@Merlin -- I think it'll be memorable, at the very least. I mean, I woke up super early to watch Diana's funeral, and I'll never forget *that* whole experience. I've still got the issue of The New Yorker that came out the following week. It's lovely -- a shot of a palace guard with a single tear running down his cheek.
This is all to say that I'm not trying to be a hater here. I'm not one to personally care about pomp and ceremony, but I respect that other people do. I understand it, even if I don't feel that way. Distractions are distractions, and they're always welcome. That's what brings me here. ;-)
I only mentioned Anne Frank and Amelia Earhart as examples of A.I.P.'s (Actually Important People), because I remember writing reports on them in elementary school. I'd just be a little alarmed if I were a parent and my child had to research a wedding for a project. It's a joyous event and I'm sure it's exciting to be there, but still: it's JUST a bigass party.
I wish them well, but given how Prince Charles treated Diana, I'm not exactly swooning for the couple yet. Hopefully Wills will learn from his dad's copious mistakes.
Oh, and I'll bet Camilla is gussied up like a haggard peacock. I hadn't even thought of it until some of you pointed it out, but THAT should be sartorial GOLD.
the presidents of the US have never been invited to a british royal wedding.
ReplyDeletek, i do agree diana was a nutjob. i really don't think that prince charles wanted to marry her. oh, the duties of the throne.
ReplyDeleteI agree, seeing horse faced Camilla's outfit will be worth turning in for alone. @ The Nightmare Child, all I can say is awwwwww....We all do care and about you by the way. I care about all of you even if we don't always agree. : )
ReplyDeleteWell it's the story every little girl loves! A regular girl meets her prince and becomes a princess. The grooms mom died tragically when he was just a boy, that brings it up to Disney status. It's a little girl thing; mine LOVE the coverage.
ReplyDeleteI hope they will be very happy, I just don't care about any of the media coverage.
ReplyDeleteValerie, do you live in the Plains states? Anyone I have spoken to who lives on either coast couldn't give a fuck about this wedding.
I just want it to be over so I do not have to hear about it anymore. There are a lot of really important things going on right now and this being the lead story on every news channel is a joke.
ReplyDeleteKlondyke, Reagan was invited to Charles and Di's wedding but couldn't attend due to health issues.
ReplyDeleteObama wasn't invited because it's not a 'State wedding'. Not quite sure what that means but I think it has something to do with not having to clog the guest list with people you barely know in order to cull favor/be polite.
*shrug*
I live in California, I care. My mother was English, she loved all the Royal pomp and drama (i.e. gossip). My great aunt worked in B'ham palace as one of the cooks. I tried to watch Diana's wedding with my mother, but I fell asleep. I'll try again this week, but don't think I'll make it.
ReplyDeleteWhat bluebonnetmom said in regards to Nightmare Child. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda interested. Not to the extent that the media is, but yeah, I wanna see some clips. And definitely the dress. Maybe some video of the Queen doing the Electric Slide?
@Nightmare Child - I think you're awesome. Along with Ida and Rocketqueenn and others here.
ReplyDeleteAs for the wedding - COULDN'T CARE LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While in London in 2002, when Queen Elizabeth's golden jubilee was being celebrated, we watched a dress rehearsal of the parade that would carry her the next day from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's for the National Service of Thanksgiving. Fascinating and beautiful.
ReplyDelete^^ aw thanks! You're one of my new faves, too :)
ReplyDeleteAs for this wedding hoopla....I Just. Don't. Care. I guess that makes me a poor member of the commonwealth. I'll be glad when it's over cause I'm sick of hearing about it already.
I am so over this wedding. It can't be over soon enough for me so that maybe we can go back to what's really important that's going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather hear about this than Lilo or that Hilton skank. At least I don't feel the need to shower in scalding water and alcohol after reading about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the head's up on Camilla. Didn't even think about that potential eye candy of an outfit. Now I'll be glued to the TV till she's on.
I'm American and I'm excited and am definitely watching. I live in MN now, but I'd be equally excited if I was still back living in the DC area. The 6th grader in me that first read Jane Austen and "Horrible Histories: Cruel Kings and Mean Queens" is barely containing her glee :)
ReplyDeleteI think the taxpayers are paying $2 million or so for the security, with the Middleton's paying $100K or so for the hotel suites, Kate's dress and her bridal party's dresses, and the honeymoon. The rest, presumably, is coming from Prince Charles.
I just don't understand the utter vitriol people have for others who are excited. Calling people "Un-American"? (Slate article I read this morning). I don't get certain things either, but I'll respect other's right to enjoyment without resorting to name-calling.
I'm a romantic so I'm SUPER excited about the wedding! With so much ugliness in the world today, I love seeing news about a royal wedding! Any wedding! It brings me joy so suck it. :p
ReplyDeleteI plan to watch, and so do my mom and both my adult daughters. I watched the Charles/Diana wedding, and I agree that Charles had no interest in marrying Diana, but did so for political reasons. However, it seems William and Kate could be the real deal, since they've been dating so long. And I believe she must truly be special enough for him to give her his mother's ring.
ReplyDelete@Lian - your user name is my middle name! It's the first time I've seen anyone else use it, ever!
ReplyDeleteI may have missed if someone else has mentioned it, but these are the reasons I think people are interested in this wedding:
ReplyDelete1. He is Diana's son. There are many ladies out there who have been 'rooting for' those boys, especially since they lost their warm & loving mum. And she was SO. FRIGGIN. POPULAR.
2. Being of English & Welsh heritage (many generations back), it is a continuation of an historical thread that my DNA forbids me to miss.
@RocketQueen, that's so cool :) It's my first name (I'm non-creative like that ;) ).
ReplyDeleteI love everyone's comments on this site-except when the trolls come out. Nightmare Child I love your comments cause most likely we are all thinking exactly what you are but are afraid to write it!
ReplyDelete@Lian - so here's my question, do you pronounce it like "leanne" or more like "Lee-uhn"? My parents told me it is essentially the female version of Liam, and I like that pronunciation better :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...I wonder what feathered attrociousness headwear Camilla will come up with and I hope the slaughter of birds is not involved and they start to use fake feathers instead, ok there is my rant for the day.
ReplyDeleteThat said I will probably watch some of it.
@ everyone - That was a reference to Everyone Hates Chris & Everyone Loves Raymond.
ReplyDeleteQuick background info on me: I'm an Anglophile. 100% pure Anglophile. Doctor Who watchin', BBC worshipping, Queen salutin' Anglophile. My next tattoo...KEEP CALM & CARRY ON. If I could, I'd move to England in a minute, renounce my U.S. citizenship and piss on the flag & Obama's picture. That's how much I hate it here.
That being said, for everyone who is so uninterested...this *is* what's important to some of us. Especially if you can get a press pass for this.
All of the people I know in England aren't superstoked, but they're glad to have a distraction from the shitstorm of every day life. I'm pissed off 99% of the time BECAUSE of the shitstorm of every day life. This is my one little shred of joy...and I will piss down the throat of anyone who tries to take it away.
i care nothing about these people.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting bored hearing about it over and over again. I will check to see what ridiculous outfit Camilla wears (I also suspect feathers will be involved, the woman has a feather fetish apparently) and of course what the bride wears. I have a feeling she will wear something more traditonally bridal than that costume Diana wore.
ReplyDeleteI love to watch elaborate weddings and I love London, so I will definitely be watching (just as I watched Diana and Charles' wedding).
ReplyDeleteas usual I agree with Ida :o
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of interested in seeing the dress (I think Diana's dress was horrifyingly ugly) but I can't imagine watching hours of the wedding on television or hearing Barbara Walters gush on about it.
ReplyDeleteThe wedding is inescapable on the news and in magazines and I did read a few interesting things, one
and the other funny:
Kate was going to enroll at another college when her mother heard that William was going to St. Andrews so Mum encouraged her pretty daughter to change colleges, and history was made.
The funny thing: Kate and her sister have been referred to as "The Wisteria Sisters" because they're highly decorated, terribly fragrant.. and have a ferocious ability to climb. Loved that!
*one interesting and the other funny
ReplyDeleteBritish Royalty give their whole life to the Monarchy. The least you can do is throw them a nice wedding.
ReplyDeleteEh, I may or may not watch it, and my feelings for the principals are limited to pity over William having inherited the male-pattern baldness gene (he was hotter with hair, am I right?)
ReplyDeleteBut it will be quite the pageant, because the Royals do those, well, royally. And I don't begrudge them my tax pounds - hell, the tourist money it brings in will probably pay for it a few times over anyway.
But best of all, we get an extra day off work for it! For which much thanks, Wills & Kate. And congratulations!
@RQ - I go by "Lee-anne," it's just easier. I'm ethnically Chinese, and it's pronounced slightly differently there, but American's can't quite recreate the tone, so when I started kindergarten and my parents told my teacher my name was "Lian" (all one syllable - sort of slurred together, with a shorter "Lee"), she went, "Oh, Lee-anne?" And they went with it :-) My husband can sometimes get it if he tries, but it's hard.
ReplyDeleteAh! Interesting, thanks :)
ReplyDelete