Ready For His Close-Up

MARRIAGE COUNSEL Cloistered from the TV cameras and delegates, John Kerry takes a final pause with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry before she leaves to sit in the family box. In less than 10 minutes, he will enter the arena of Boston's FleetCenter to accept the Democratic Party's nomination for President

LAST MINUTE Just before his speech, Kerry takes a good-luck call from fellow Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who has helped Kerry campaign for more than 30 years. Standing beside Kerry is Mary Beth Cahill, Kennedy's chief of staff until she took over Kerry's campaign

AT THE READY Heinz Kerry peeks from behind a curtain as her husband speaks. With vice-presidential contender John Edwards and his family behind her, she awaits her cue to join Kerry onstage

WING MAN In a holding room under the stage, Edwards watches Kerry introduce himself to America. Beside Edwards, his daughter Cate shares the couch with Kerry's daughter Vanessa. In the chair is Kerry's sister Diana

A NEW FAMILY In the same room Edwards' wife Elizabeth hugs Heinz Kerry's son Andre Heinz. Both of them, along with generals and former Presidents, vouched for the Democratic ticket last week before the throngs of delegates

REUNITED Having finished his 50minute address, Kerry turns to embrace his running mate. In the speech, much of which he says he wrote himself, Kerry promised to reform U.S. intelligence, expand the armed forces and roll back tax cuts for the rich to invest in health care, education and job creation