tonight on "nightline" -- gold record. bricks, bars, bling. teeth. all skyrocketing in value as gold hits an all-time high. but it may not be the best investment. we'll tell you why. meet the middletons -- it's royal wedding week and our own cynthia mcfadden and tim gunn are in london as uninvited guests. >> i wasn't invited. >> i wasn't either but that won't stop us. >> let's crash it. >> tonight we introduce ourselves to the new royal in-laws. from the tattooed uncle to the chatty hairdresser. and ready for prime time -- she's known as "saturday night live's" go-to player. now kristen is going for broke in a new film. we track her down for our series "seriously funny."

good evening. i'm bill weir. with apologies to the bard, all that glitters may not be gold. but these days you might want to have it appraised anyway. at around 1500 bucks an ounce, the precious metal has never been more precious. but before you go fishing through grandma's jewelry box or grandpa's skull, or put all of your nest egg in gold, john berman has a reality check for the modern prospector. >> reporter: the great american gold rush of 1849 looked like this. the sprint for the hills. the race for the riches. the great american gold rush of 2011 looks a little different. it looks like grandpa's old teeth. it's a little gross but -- >> it's a lot gross. >> not just a little bit.

>> it's a lot gross. >> reporter: gross maybe but -- >> a couple of teeth, a crown as you can see. this is well over 500 bucks. >> i have some stuff. my gold. >> reporter: with gold at record prices up over $1500 an ounce, places like u.s. gold in new york are seeing record business. >> if you're looking to sell your gold this week, it's a great time to sell. >> reporter: up and down the julie district in new york you see prospectors like pam hughes. let me see, hold your hand up. what have you got? >> couple coins. couple of necklaces. a couple of bracelets. >> reporter: this is your stuff? >> my ex. >> reporter: she turned that horror story romance into a fairy tale ending because that pile of her ex's chains worth more than $6,000. >> want that in cash or check? >> i have to start breathing first. >> reporter: that ex-boyfriend, how do you feel about him now? >> so glad i went out with him. >> reporter: with stories like this, not to mention with m.c. hammer constantly pitching you on tv, it's hard not to think, should i sell?

but -- >> it's your responsibility to know what you're buying and selling. >> reporter: jerry aronwald of the international gemological institute says you better know what you're doing. >> what we're dealing with in this industry is facts. how much gold there is. what does it weigh. and what will a liquidator of gold pay for it? >> reporter: you see prices at 1,500 bucks per ounce but you're not going to get that much for that old necklace. $1,500 is for pure 24 karat gold. then are the fees. what the buyers are taking off the top. if you're getting 90% or higher, you're doing okay? >> i would say yes. >> reporter: the ceo of the now famous cash for gold company told "nightline's" vicki mabrey they pay out much, much less. >> and what percentage do you keep? >> for normal transaction, a decent amount of material, we'll pay out 80%. >> check it out, top dollar for your scrap jewelry. >> reporter: this precious metal

mania is all happening because the price of gold continues its relentless rise. economic jitters after the earthquake in japan. fears about u.s. currency because of the mammoth debt are driving people to gold as a seemingly safe investment. >> listen to that, that's the sound of security. >> reporter: the university of texas just put nearly $1 billion of their endowment into gold. literally storing more than 6,000 gold bars in a vault. but can this go on forever? this is what actor, economist and commentator ben stein told us in september when we did a story on the stunning rise in gold prices back then. >> i think people are counting on it to be a sure thing. are possibly in for quite a severe disappointment. >> reporter: that was seven months ago. so what does stein think now? >> there's no such thing as a bubble that lasts forever. >> reporter: despite his doubts, gold is up more than 18% since then. in fact, while gold is up big in the last seven months, it's not alone.

stocks, including the old-fashioned s&p index, up 19%. apple's stock, 31%. oil, up 46%. even orange juice is up 14%. and you can drink that. so gold is not the only way to make money. >> putting all your money into an asset which pays no interest, pays no dividends, is an inert metal, makes no sense at all. >> we can probably get you the best rates available -- >> reporter: even jose caba at u.s. gold, who is happy to take your teeth, says it can't go on forever. >> you know it's a bubble. you know it's going to keep growing. it's going to pop after a while. but before it does, it's exciting on the way up. my guys are telling me $1,800. until what time have you got to wait? >> reporter: for now, prices might be rising so much it might make you spit out your teeth. if that bubble bursts, you might wish you had them. i'm john berman for "nightline" in new york. >> our thanks to john for that.

just ahead, there's a gold room in her immediate future. but what's kate middleton's real story? in a hunt to meet the in-laws, we'll take you to bucklebury, england, as we begin our royal wedding crash. [ male announcer ] the magnificent veatrice henson is turning 100 soon, an achievement worthy of celebration. and thanks to sprint's unlimited plan, you can call or text her number or e-mail her address for no extra cost. so congratulate her. sing to her. and together, we can give a complete stranger the best birthday ever. go ahead, world. unlimit yourself. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq --

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good evening from london. i'm cynthia mcfadden. buckingham palace behind me. i'm here all week for certainly the most anticipated wedding of this young century. britain's prince william, heir to the throne, to wed catherine middleton. much of the excitement centers on royal fashion. who better to have with me than fashion guru tim gunn. there is breaking news on the bride's hair. >> there is breaking news. the first royal bride in working memory not to wear her hair up. she'll wear it down, the way we know and love kate middleton. excellent choice. >> we'll have a lot of fun this week. as we start counting the days, more and more focus is on the bride. recently, her great aunt said she wasn't so sure kate knew what she was getting herself

into. that may well be true. there is a lot we don't know about her until now. nick watt with the middletons. >> reporter: you know what, kate, you'll make a great princess. sweet, smart, sexy, but who are you? where do you come from? who are your peeps? >> this is the big -- that the palace has. her entire family now from this day onwards will be exposed to high levels of scrutiny. >> reporter: doesn't take much digging to find the black sheep. gary goldsmith, kate's tattooed uncle, her mom's brother. a millionaire businessman filmed by tabloid reporters cutting what they claim was cocaine. >> i think wills and kate will certainly be hoping uncle gary behaves himself on the wedding day and they'll be a few members the middleton clan keeping a close eye on him. >> reporter: okay, so beyond uncle gary, who's in the middleton clan? well, dad michael's side is of

decent stock, as they say. affluent lawyers from the north of england. michael was a flight controller for british airways. that's where he met kate's mom carol, a flight attendant. william's buddies called her doors to manmanual. >> i think people have been unappealingly snobby about it. >> reporter: kate's parents are regular folks. they live in a village outside london. occasionally pop down to the pub for a pint and a pie. >> they're a normal family like the rest of the people that come in here. down to effort. lovely, lovely family. very polite, very nice. >> reporter: now kate's parents are very rich. they run a successful internet mail order company. >> they're self-made millionaires. they should all be celebrating that. >> reporter: remember, britain, well, old britain, isn't a country that applauds new money. you're respected if you inherit money. not so much if you earn it. weird but true. >> a generation ago, someone like her would never have the

chance to marry a prince. >> no, she would have been called a commoner. he would have to look for some nice princess of denmark. >> it's a great moment. a real breakthrough. kate comes from ordinary common family. not lady kate middleton. >> reporter: anyway, so let's take kate's family back a generation to when they were poor. her mom's dad, kate's grandpa, was a truck driver whose parents were edith, a domestic servant, and charlie, who delivered coal. kate's grandma was dorothy whose family for generations were coal minors in the pits of northern egg gla england. up there, we found some not so distant relatives. >> i'd love to think i'm as good looking as kate but i'm certainly not. >> reporter: this is kate's cousin once removed. his family has run this fish and chip shop for 100 years. >> just to know there will be a link to the royal family, although through marriage, is a fantastic, fantastic honor. >> reporter: nearby is anna, a small-town hair dresser.

and she is kate's -- >> third cousin i think. is that right? eeh, i'm related to her. lady anna. [ laughs ] >> reporter: thoueir great-grandmothers were sisters. >> yeah, we look alike. can you not see the resemblance? we are pretty in our family, all the girls. >> reporter: but fate and money dealt them very different hands. >> she went to university, didn't she, and college. and i didn't. i left school and worked. >> reporter: kate's self-made parents sent her to private school and snooty st. andrews where she met william. >> not as if william met her in a nightclub and decided he liked the look of her. i mean, she's -- sounds awful to say but, you know, the snobs would say she's been well bred. >> reporter: yep, and now she's going to be our queen. you know what, a bit of common blood will do them good. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in

london. >> thanks, nick. tim and i are going to be blogging all week on the "nightline" page at abcnews.com. we had quite a carriage ride today. >> we followed the path of the royal procession. it was surreal. >> you'll get to see that carriage ride and lots more later in the week on "nightline." when we come back, it's back to you, bill in new york. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] an everyday moment can turn romantic anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. ♪ cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. ♪ tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications, and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. [ man ] do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis.

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any fan of "saturday night live" has a pretty good story for cast member evolution. the way they appear out of the pried moy mo pried mor pried moral ooze.

kristin wiig in tonight's "seriously funny." >> reporter: as a comedic mainstay of "saturday night live," few can look so demure and be so funny as kristin wiig. >> at least i'm popular. >> oh, okay, i know what popular means. >> reporter: she's getting to strut those skills on the big screen in "bridesmaids." after smaller roles in movies like "mack gruber" and "rock hard," her talents brought her to this "bridesmaid" set in venice, california, last august. the 37-year-old wiig is getting a chance to be the prime mover on a film. you are the star and co-writer. you can go over there anytime -- >> and just walk through the shot. i do that every day. er there shooting things and i'll just walk through the background. just to waste time. >> reporter: kristen wiig's time is now.

for the last six years on "snl," she's offered up eccentric characters. gille. the overbearing penelope. >> i was standing in a really big hallway holding a golf cart. >> reporter: plus impressions of a.m. divas like kathie lee gifford. >> can't land a house, ya heard. >> reporter: and julie chen. >> that kind of casual girlfriend language is as comfortable for me to use as the for you to watch. >> reporter: she's been part of the wave of female cast members including tina fey and amy poehler who transformed "snl" busting up the all boys club. now it's time to see if "bridesmaids" can be the same for the oh, no, they didn't comedy. >> i apologize. i'm not even confident which end that came out of. >> will you be my maid of honor? >> of course i will. >> reporter: wiig stars as maid of honor to maya rudolph's

character. a 30ish single seeing her life spiral out of her control and driven to ever more inappropriate behavior like a glam has it all frenemy. like when an engagement party erupts into a war of can you top this toasts. >> you two deserve each other as well as a halftime of happiness. >> you're my best friend and i'm so proud of you. sorry. >> you're so special to me because -- well, one of the reasons is because i've known you my whole entire life. >> one last thing -- >> sometimes girls feel like they have to claim the bride a little bit. like who knows her best. sort of. so we just thought that was a fun way to do that. >> reporter: like betty white in the body of a youthful sprite, wiig's real-life sweetness amps up the comedy in edgy circumstances. her bed fest with jon hamm for example. wiig wonders about her mother

watching this. >> this is so awkward, i really want you to leave but i don't know how to say it without sound like a [ bleep ]. >> it's a sex scene. it's gross. >> reporter: this was her first kiss on film with billy crud. >> i do remember asking the director. because i didn't know, do we like really kiss? is it like full tongue and stuff? he was lake no. >> reporter: that come up at all during "bridesmaids"? >> yeah, but i have learned that people do kiss with their tongue in movies. you're just going to use this part, aren't you? >> reporter: i didn't know this. who does it? >> you can see it sometimes. you can see. >> reporter: "bridesmaids" even has wiig discretely without clothes. you disrobed for a movie without being asked to do it by the director? >> yes, yes. that's how i -- that's how i do it. >> reporter: you do optional nudity. >> yeah, if he asks me to do it, i would be no. >> now i know, you take the tooth and you leave the money.

>> reporter: a stint with the l.a.-based improv outfit the groundlings led to her '05 arrival at "snl" where she offered a rare behind the scenes peek. this must feel like home for you. >> it does. spending a lot of hours here. i get emotional when i think about when it will be over at some point. >> reporter: she shared an "snl" performing secret. be sure to use your cue cards. >> it's something we always tell the host. i'm going to act like i'm looking at you but i'm looking at the cards. >> reporter: even as "bridesmaids" seems poised to make her mark in the movies. wiig says she doesn't figure to be waving good-bye to "snl" anytime soon. i'm chris connelly for "nightline" in new york. >> chris, the new film offers may 13th. thanks to chris connelly