Twins

It's rare, in the course of interviewing movie stars about their new film, that one of the actors leans over and smacks another in the head, then rips a soggy bagel out of his mouth. It's simply not done in most proper social settings, even among pampered film actors. But then, most movie stars aren't Jacob and Adam Worton, the blond, blue- eyed, 19-month-old identical twins who make their acting debuts - actually, their crawling, grinning and drooling debuts - in the new comedy Baby's Day Out. "WWAAAAAHHH!

The juggling act known as the Working Mom is hard enough for most of us. When you have a curious, energetic toddler, it's a challenge. When you have to wake up at 3:30 a.m. for work — an hour when you should be enjoying REM sleep — it starts to get a bit crazy. And when that job is cohost of Fox29's Good Day Philadelphia, a job under klieg lights that demands smart lifestyle reports, and perkiness, witty banter, and perkiness, and every strand of hair just so (did we mention perkiness?

With a doubleheader sweep of visiting Minnesota, the New York Yankees edged closer to clinching their seventh straight AL East title. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez rallied the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the AL Central champions in the opener, a possible playoff preview matching New York's Mike Mussina and Minnesota's Johan Santana. Jon Lieber then won his 100th career game and fifth consecutive decision in the nightcap, with New York beating the Twins, 5-4, behind Hideki Matsui's second homer of the day and 30th of the season, a three-run drive in the first.

The Minnesota Twins turned five doubleplays in a game for the first time in 11 years and Scott Baker pitched six strong innings as the visiting Twins beat Cleveland yesterday, 6-1, to move to within one game of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. "Guys made good plays behind me all day," Baker said. "It gives you a lot of confidence knowing guys will make the plays. " The Twins won for the eighth time in 10 games, and are 41-21 since falling 12 games behind the Tigers on July 13. Jason Tyner had three hits and Torii Hunter and Phil Nevin each drove in two runs for the Twins.

WASHINGTON - Should babies conceived through the use of the frozen sperm of their deceased father get his Social Security survivor benefits? The Supreme Court grappled with that question yesterday in the case of Florida twins whose benefits claim was rejected by the government. Their mother used her husband's frozen sperm to conceive them after his death. The case had justices trying to apply a 1930s law to a modern situation in which a man can bank his sperm for use months or years later.

The Minnesota Twins' 6-1 victory over visiting Baltimore yesterday was overshadowed by news of a fistfight last week between Twins leftfielder Dan Gladden and second baseman Steve Lombardozzi. The altercation apparently took place at Gladden's home last Thursday, an off day. Lombardozzi arrived for Friday's game against Baltimore with a black eye and scratches down the swollen left side of his face. Gladden suffered a cracked bone in his right ring finger, and his forehead still shows signs of the battle.

The shooting deaths of a brother and sister - 25-year-old twins who relatives say did everything together - have puzzled police and relatives. Dennis Floyd and Denise Floyd-Pressberry were each shot once in the head yesterday morning while sitting in a car in the parking lot of a West Philadelphia public housing project. Police say they have no suspects, and they were trying to determine why the twins drove to the West Park Plaza project at 44th and Market streets, where they were killed.

Twin brothers accused of causing a SEPTA trolley wreck that injured 57 people in Haverford Township in December were found delinquent yesterday in Delaware County Court. The verdict had the same effect as a conviction, had they been tried as adults, on 57 counts of aggravated assault and one each of causing a catastrophe and conspiracy, according to County Common Pleas Judge John V. Diggins. Diggins found the 15-year-old twins, residents of Upper Darby, delinquent after a four-day hearing that was closed to the public.

Danny DeVito and Arnold Scwarzenegger are twins. Get it? You see, Schwarzenegger is really huge and DeVito is really tiny, and they're supposed to be twins, who usually look at least a little like each other. Funny, huh? Did you follow that? Schwarzenegger and DeVito? Well, yes, "Twins" is a one-joke movie. Luckily, it's not a bad joke. And luckily, the film doesn't hit you over the head with it - representing a surprising restraint for something directed by Ivan Reitman ("Ghostbusters," "Stripes")

Twin Guatemalan girls who spent the first year of life joined at the top of the head have opened their eyes and shown other promising movement nearly three days after being surgically separated, doctors said yesterday. Maria de Jesus Quiej-Alvarez and her twin Maria Teresa remain in critical condition on respirators at Mattel Children's Hospital at the University of California at Los Angeles. Earlier yesterday, UCLA said just one twin, Maria de Jesus, had briefly fluttered her eyes after being taken off drugs that prevented the twins from injuring their brains by coughing or moving in the very early stages of recovery.

By Howard Shapiro INQUIRER STAFF WRITER A man drove onto a North Philadelphia sidewalk and struck 11-year-old twins Saturday before being pulled from his vehicle and beaten by witnesses, according to police. Emily and Eduardo Sanchez were hit in the 2900 block of North Ninth Street, near Indiana Avenue, shortly after 4 p.m., and suffered injuries to their heads and bodies, according to authorities. Emily was in serious condition at St. Christopher's Hospital, where he brother was treated and released.

The juggling act known as the Working Mom is hard enough for most of us. When you have a curious, energetic toddler, it's a challenge. When you have to wake up at 3:30 a.m. for work — an hour when you should be enjoying REM sleep — it starts to get a bit crazy. And when that job is cohost of Fox29's Good Day Philadelphia, a job under klieg lights that demands smart lifestyle reports, and perkiness, witty banter, and perkiness, and every strand of hair just so (did we mention perkiness?

The team was battling injuries to numerous starters. And all three losses were to quality teams. But 0-3 is 0-3. It stings. The Lenape boys' lacrosse team felt it. It's a feeling the Indians cite as a big reason they have won five straight, after Wednesday's 12-1 win over Absegami. Two of those wins were against key rivals. "It was rough for us in the beginning. Nobody wants to lose the first three games of the season," said senior attack James O'Donnell, a Widener recruit.

THE CLEVELAND Indians may have found a boost for their stagnant offense. The team has reached agreement on a $1.25 million, 1-year contract with free-agent outfielder Johnny Damon, a person familiar with the deal said Thursday. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because the Indians had not yet announced the agreement. Damon, 38, is 277 hits from 3,000 and was looking to catch on with a team to prolong his career. Agent Scott Boras has worked out a deal with Indians general manager Chris Antonetti, who has been looking for a player to help a Cleveland team off to a 1-4 start and batting only .176 - worst in the majors.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - When the fourth inning mercifully ended Wednesday, so too did Vance Worley's final Grapefruit League start. "I got the pitch count up, just not quite as many innings as we were hoping," Worley said after an 11-7 Phillies loss to Minnesota. "It happens. " No, but Worley fulfilled his cardio for the day with all the times he had to back up home plate. Minnesota scored 11 times off Worley in four innings. Only five of those runs were earned (two unearned runs were because of a Worley throwing error)

WASHINGTON - Karen Capato used the frozen sperm of her deceased husband to conceive twins, but the government denied them Social Security benefits as their father's survivors. Her situation, more common as reproductive technology advances, had a mostly unsympathetic Supreme Court grappling Monday with the definition of "child," inheritance law, and artificial insemination. The case, Astrue v. Capato , had justices trying to shoehorn a 1930s law that gave Social Security survivor benefits to the dependent "child or legally adopted child" of a person into a modern situation in which a man can bank his sperm for use months or years later to produce a child he will never see. "You want us to sort of apply this old law to new technology," Justice Stephen G. Breyer said to Charles Rothfeld, the attorney for Capato, whose twins were fathered by her deceased husband, Robert.

WASHINGTON - Should babies conceived through the use of the frozen sperm of their deceased father get his Social Security survivor benefits? The Supreme Court grappled with that question yesterday in the case of Florida twins whose benefits claim was rejected by the government. Their mother used her husband's frozen sperm to conceive them after his death. The case had justices trying to apply a 1930s law to a modern situation in which a man can bank his sperm for use months or years later.

DAMASCUS, Syria - Two suicide bombers detonated cars packed with explosives in near-simultaneous attacks Saturday on heavily guarded intelligence and security buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 27 people. There have been a string of large-scale bombings against the regime in its stronghold of Damascus that suggest a dangerous, wild-card element in the year-old antigovernment revolt. The regime blamed the opposition, which denied having a role or the capabilities to carry out such a sophisticated attack.

Washington Township coach Jen Natale insists the Giedemann twins don't really like the spotlight. It's a tough assertion to make. The evidence, overwhelmingly, suggests the opposite. It has been almost a year since the twins helped erase a 13-point, second-half deficit to lead Washington Township to an improbable win over Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Group 4 girls' basketball final - the culmination of a Cinderella run that Kelly and Kylie Giedemann orchestrated as freshmen.

Washington Township coach Jen Natale insists the Giedemann twins don't really like the spotlight. It's a tough assertion to make. The evidence, overwhelmingly, suggests the opposite. It has been almost a year since the twins helped erase a 13-point, second-half deficit to lead Washington Township to an improbable win over Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Group 4 girls' basketball final - the culmination of a Cinderella run that Kelly and Kylie Giedemann orchestrated as freshmen.