Fab 4 reunited: Quads back home after a six-month fight for their lives

They may look the picture of health, but this awesome foursome have spent six months fighting for their lives.

This is the first time the quadruplets have been together since their birth in January.

Gillian Holden, who defied odds of 750,000-1 to conceive them naturally, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy and doctors were forced to perform an emergency caesarean to deliver the babies when her organs began to fail.

Little fighters: The first time the quadruplets have been together since their birth in January, from left, Bethany, Millie, Ellie and Lucy.

Little fighters: The first time the quadruplets have been together since their birth in January. From left, Bethany, Millie, Ellie and Lucy.

The four were born at only 28 weeks in January and weighed just 7lb 6oz between them.

Doctors separated them at birth to give them specialist care for the first few months of their lives.

They were reunited as a foursome after Ellie was allowed home at the weekend to join sisters Lucy, Millie and Bethany.

The girls, three of whom are identical, are back with their delighted parents and older sister Abbie, aged nine, in Bolton. Miss Holden, a former nursery nurse, said: 'I'm absolutely over the moon - I couldn't be happier.

Gillian Holden and Marc Hanley quads

Happy family: Gillian Holden and Marc Hanley with their eldest daughter Abigail and (from left to right) Lucy, Bethany, Millie and Ellie after they all finally returned home, seven months since the quads were born

'It's been such a long wait and now all my babies are home.'

Miss Holden, 35, had been trying for a baby with her partner Marc Hanley, 48, for nine months before she conceived.

An 11-week scan showed triplets, but five weeks later doctors revealed there were actually four babies.

She added: 'Initially, I was a bit upset. I thought, "How am I going to cope?"

'Marc was shocked, really shocked. But happy. I felt both scared and happy, lots of mixed feelings.

'When we came home we talked about it, comforted each other.'

But the pregnancy did not run smoothly. Miss Holden soon became ill with pre-eclampsia and her kidney and liver began failing at 27 weeks, which meant the quads had to be delivered on January 28. Doctors had told her the tiny babies needed to make it to 28 weeks to survive.

Quad baby

Pictured: Gillian (left), Abigail and baby Lucy during one of the family's countless visits to the hospital to see the quads since they were born in January

Within three minutes, all four babies were delivered and placed in incubators at St Mary's Children's Hospital in Manchester.

Bethany was the first to be born, arriving at 3.12pm on January 28, and weighing 1lb 15oz. Millie (2lb 2oz) and Ellie (1lb 7oz) arrived in the next minute. All three are identical, and Lucy, who throughout the pregnancy had been separated from her sisters by a tiny membrane, was born a minute later, weighing 1lb 14oz.

Miss Holden said: 'All you could see were their faces, the size of a 10p piece. So tiny.

'That's all you see because they're covered up. They could have fitted in Marc's hand. We had visited the neonatal unit a couple of weeks before giving birth. We both cried, all the babies were so small and we were so scared.

Quad baby BethanyQuad baby Millie

Newborn: Baby Bethany (left) was born first weighing 1lb 15oz, with sister Millie next at 2lb 2oz

Quad baby EllieQuad baby Lucy

Tiny: Next to be born was baby Ellie weighing 1lb 7oz and last of all was Lucy who tipped the scales at 1lb 14oz

'They gave us the tour because they knew that's where our babies would end up.'

Lucy was finally allowed home in May, and Bethany and Millie, who have chronic lung disease and require daily sessions on an oxygen generator, were discharged in June.

But baby Ellie, who also has chronic lung disease, was forced to remain at Royal Bolton Hospital until last Friday as doctors helped her overcome her sleep apnoea.

The babies were named by their sister Abbie.

She said: 'Before, I didn't really have anyone to play with and now I have four sisters.

'I love them. I probably won't love them so much when I'm a teenager when they're getting into my makeup, but I'll always love them really.'

Cinematical Late Night: Rum Diary, Safe House, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Inception


- Why wouldn't Chewbacca fight Nazis while riding a squirrel?

- This is just a friendly PSA that if your mobile phone of choice runs on Android, IMDb's official app is now available for download from the marketplace.

- Wondering why the Hunter S. Thompson biopic Rum Diary, staring Johnny Depp, is still without a release date? Co-star Aaron Eckhart tells FSR that it probably has to do with the fact that the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean means that star Depp just simply doesn't have the time to properly promote the film on the press circuit. That being the case, we'll likely have to wait until 2011 to see the film.

- Director Joseph Kosinski's name has been attached to a few post-Tron: Legacy projects, but it looks like if he has his way, he'll be directing an adaptation of his own graphic novel, Oblivion, next. Kosinksi and Barry Levine (head of the novels' publisher) will be pitching the sci-fi story about a wasteland-wandering soldier in the future to Disney first, with a number of studios to follow should they say no.

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Smiling with relief: I finally have my adult teeth – at the age of 28

The Tooth Fairy failed to show up for the young Emily Cheeseman - but she is happy to finally have a full set of adult teeth at the age of 28.

Although she had a full set of baby teeth as a youngster, six of them failed to fall out as she grew older. This was because a rare medical condition called hypodontia that meant she was missing the adult teeth needed to replace them.

Emily Cheeseman was very self-conscious about her smile before she had adult teeth implants

Before: Emily Cheeseman was very self-conscious about her smile before she had adult teeth implants. She suffered from the rare condition of hypodontia

Now after seven years of dental treatment Emily has had her milk teeth replaced with adult-size implants.

'It's wonderful to have a full set of teeth at last,' said Emily, a travel agent from Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

'They took out my baby teeth under general anaesthetic so I didn't get to keep them and put them under my pillow.'

Emily's four upper front and two lower back teeth were half the size of her adult ones, and fragile by comparison.

She was self-conscious, rarely smiled, talked with a hand over her mouth and had great difficulty eating.

When she got to 21 one of the milk teeth chipped and needed filing down. She became worried she could lose them and embarked on years of dental treatment.

'It was very hard at first when I had the teeth removed and I felt very self-conscious. I would avoid people,' she said.

'It was a very hard time. Now I can smile broadly, which I never could do before.'

Sunshine smile: Emily underwent seven years of dental treatment to achieve her smile

After: Emily underwent seven years of dental treatment to achieve her smile

Emily had the teeth taken out at hospital in Birmingham, then needed braces to widen the gaps for adult-size teeth.

She said: 'I lived with milk teeth alongside my adult teeth until I was 22, when I decided that if I didn't opt for some sort of solution I would have to deal at some point with my baby teeth perishing, as they're not designed for lifelong use.

'I qualified for dental treatment on the NHS to have them removed and preparatory work done on my gums to create 'pegs' for implants to be secured to, but then I went travelling to New Zealand and on my return the NHS would not fund the further work, so I had to fund the rest myself.

'I had to undergo orthodontic treatment first to get all the teeth aligned correctly so that the implants would sit properly next to my other teeth, and also to create the right sized gap for the new teeth to sit in. I also had some whitening treatment and permanent dental implants.

'I used to have to use temporary ones, which were a real pain as they would often come loose and come out - I even lost them once while travelling! I also lost weight as eating certain foods became difficult.'

Oliver Harman, lead clinician at The Harman Clinic in Tunbridge Wells, where Emily was treated, said: 'Hypodontia is rare and is thought to be linked to genetic factors, although the actual cause of the condition is unknown.

'Although many patients can live with the look of their milk teeth, the reality is they are just not strong enough to stand the test of time. Dental implants have advanced which mean that strong teeth can be implanted which will last a lifetime and look real.

'Emily feels she's been given a new lease of life and bags of confidence as a result of her treatment. Emily came to see us following 18 months of Invisalign braces to align her lower teeth and open space for implants to replace her two upper canine teeth.

'The lower teeth had been moved very successfully but unfortunately, owing to her lack of jaw width and the splayed roots of adjacent teeth it had proved technically impossible to create enough space for her implants.

'Her general dentist was therefore unable to help her and so we were able to devise a plan to remove the old ones and replace them with pairs of teeth fitted to each implant post.'

Why women don’t want toyboys more than three years younger

No envy: Most British women wouldn't want a toyboy, such as 47-year-old Demi Moore's husband Ashton Kutcher, 31, a study has found

No envy: Most British women wouldn't want a toyboy, such as 47-year-old Demi Moore's husband Ashton Kutcher, 31, a study has found

As Hollywood's best-known 'cougar', Demi Moore has become the envy of millions.

But while British women may wish for the 47-year-old's youthful, toned figure, it seems they do not hanker after her toyboy husband, 31-year-old Ashton Kutcher.

New research has found that 71 per cent of women over the age of 35 said they would not date a man who was more than three years younger than them.

Two-thirds of the women told a poll they believed shared values and interests were more important than looks.

The survey's findings go against the recent publicity surrounding so-called cougars, middle-aged women who date considerably younger men.

Demi Moore, Madonna and British artist Sam Taylor-Wood are all in relationships with younger men, and the trend has even sparked a hit television series, Cougar Town.

But the research, by dating website matchaffinity.com, found that three-quarters of British women wanted relationships with men their own age.

Psychologist Dr Cecilia d'Felice said: 'For British women, the key to a successful relationship is finding someone on the same wavelength, a person whom they genuinely resonate with.

'While some couples successfully transcend conventional age barriers, many people find it more satisfying to relate to someone their own age because their experiences and outlook on life are more likely to be similar.

'Clearing up after a twenty-something who doesn't know how to use the washing machine, however gorgeous, is not most women's idea of fun.'

The Colony


dee snider ,Darryl stingley, cincinnati bengals, jack tatum, michigan oil spill ,the colony, monkfish, Maury chaykin, darryl stingley hit, concacaf champions

July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Construction executive Ronald Tutor and private-equity firm Colony Capital LLC plan to make a deposit on their proposed purchase of Walt Disney Co.’s Miramax film division, said two people with knowledge of the situation.

The buyers have informed Disney they will make the nonrefundable payment by tomorrow’s deadline, said the people, who asked not to be named because the talks are private. An announcement may come as soon as tomorrow, they said.

Disney began winding down Miramax, founded by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, in October. The studio’s 700-film library, which includes Oscar winners “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction,” was one of several movie operations on the block. Liberty Media Corp. agreed to sell its Overture unit to Relativity Media LLC last week. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is seeking buyers after falling behind on $3.7 billion of debt.

Disney, the world’s largest media company, fell 12 cents to $34.28 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has gained 6.3 percent this year.

Disney today agreed to acquire Playdom, a maker of games for social networks, for $563.2 million.

The Burbank, California-based media company demanded a $40 million deposit from Tutor and Colony by tomorrow, the New York Times reported yesterday. The buyers were also to deliver a plan to finance the purchase for about $650 million plus about $25 million in closing costs, the newspaper said, citing several people speaking anonymously.

Signed commitments from lenders aren’t required by tomorrow’s deadline, the Times said.

A Disney spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. A Colony spokesman declined to comment.

Weinstein Brother

Tutor, chairman and chief executive of Sylmar, California- based Tutor Perini Corp., didn’t return calls seeking comment. He has vied for Miramax with Los Angeles investor Ron Burkle and the Weinstein brothers, who were working on a $625 million offer, people with knowledge of the situation said earlier this month.

The Weinsteins sold Miramax, named after their parents Miriam and Max, to Disney in 1993. The two, who left in 2005, control rights to some films and are acquainted with both Tutor and Colony founder Tom Barrack, according to one of the people.

Disney was seeking $600 million to $700 million for Miramax.

Dee Snider


TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider recently spoke to Fox 5 Atlanta (the Fox-owned and operated television station in Atlanta, Georgia) and the Associated Press about "Growing Up Twisted", A&E's reality show based on Dee and his family as they navigate everyday life. Watch the interview clips below.

What happens when Dee Snider, the legendary frontman of heavy metal group TWISTED SISTER, is the "quiet one" in the family? "Growing Up Twisted" follows the outrageous and oddball daily pursuits of the Sniders, who think their zany world is just real life, perfectly normal... only it's not. The seven episode series premieres with two back-to-back half hour episodes on Tuesday, July 27 at 10 p.m and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

"Growing Up Twisted" explores suburban life in Long Island through the eyes of an off-beat but tight-knit family of six who are fiercely independent, strong willed and unafraid to speak their minds. There is Dee, a loving husband, father and newly minted grandfather who is the legendary frontman of heavy metal group TWISTED SISTER, the host of the "House of Hair" radio show and the national spokesperson for the March of Dimes Bikers for Babies; his hot and feisty wife Suzette, a clothing designer and makeup artist and the glue that holds the family together, and their children: Jesse, 27, an aspiring rock musician, husband and new father; Shane, 22, the resident comic; Cody, 20, a budding filmmaker; and Cheyenne, 13, daddy's little girl, who is making the tough transition to teenager.

The series looks at the unpredictable daily life of the Snider clan including: a baptism where a song opens up wounds between father and son; a playful sparring match that has devastating consequences; the inappropriate behavior of a local store clerk that brings the Snider men together in a show of solidarity; and a concert where Dee performs with his offspring. Throughout it all, despite their craziness, the Sniders prove the love that binds them, no matter how twisted, is undeniable.

"Growing Up Twisted" is produced by Evolution Media ("Real Housewives of Orange County") for A&E. Dee Snider is executive producer and Ron Starrantino is producer. Executive producers for Evolution are Douglas Ross, Greg Stewart, Kathleen French, Alex Baskin and Kevin Lee. Robert Sharenow and Elaine Frontain Bryant are executive producers for A&E.

Episode descriptions:

** "Carpet And Drapes" - Tuesday, July 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Dee decides to get his "Suzette Forever" tattoo redone as a surprise on their 34th anniversary, but is floored to find out that Suzette started the process of removing her "Dee Forever" tattoo. After this ruins their anniversary dinner, Suzette is on a mission to fix things with Dee and designs a new tattoo that she later seductively reveals. Throughout the anniversary plans, the kids realize they've gotten to learn a little "too much information" about their parents' sex life, especially when they find a packet of pink hair dye not intended for their mom's locks.

** "Baptism By Snider" - Tuesday, July 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT

TWISTED SISTER lead singer Dee Snider is the lone voice of reason when his family packs a whirlwind of activity into one week. Their eldest son, Jesse, wants to have a christening for his daughter, but a touching tribute song he writes for the event opens up old wounds between father and son. Then the family heads to the city for son Shane's stand-up act, but his brother Cody nearly gets into a fight with a comic that disrespects the Snider clan. Finally, the family needs to pull it all together in time to stage a very touching… and very twisted christening.

** "Are Those Real?" - Tuesday, August 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Shane announces to the family that they all need to help him shoot his sketch, "My Friend Poseidon," for his final improv class with each member of the family taking an important role in the execution. The project hits an unexpected bump when a clerk at the costume store insults Suzette's physique and the Snider boys seek justice. And mother and daughter have a sparring match to exert some pent-up aggression with one another, leaving one with a bloody nose.

** "Empty Nest" - Tuesday, August 3 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT

When her son Jesse reprimands her for trying to pierce his daughter's ears, Suzette decides the real issue is that she is starting to feel some empty nest syndrome. She urges Dee to reverse his vasectomy and visits her doctor only to find out they won't be able to have more children. Dee and Suzette begin to explore adoption but a suprise visit from a social worker from Child Protective Services shatters the couple's dream to adopt.

** "I Still Wanna Rock"

Dee gets a last-minute call to perform in Atlantic City and decides it should be a family affair. While Suzette is ready to party and hits the casino floor with sons Shane and Cody, Dee invites Jesse and Cheyenne to perform. Jess performs "Rock n' Roll Ain't Dead" at the show and Cheyenne sings "Cherry Bomb" with the legendary Lita Ford, both wowing the crowd.

** "Uneasy Riders"

With two children who were born prematurely, Dee dedicates his time to serve as the national spokesperson for the March of Dimes "Bikers for Babies" events. Wanting to involve the whole family in this year's ride, Dee asks Cheyenne to ride with him, Suzette to ride her trike and encourages Jesse to get a Harley, but keep it a secret from Suzette. When Suzette discovers that Jesse has a new bike and is going to ride, she is furious and threatens Dee, who finally convinces her to let Jesse ride. Suzette ends up stalling in the middle of the ride and nearly runs Jesse off the road in her struggle to get her bike to safety. Meanwhile, Shane and Cody don crazy outfits and concoct a competition to see who can sell the most t-shirts... the winner of the competition will wax the other brother.

** "Mommy's Boys"

Shane is graduating college and Suzette has plans for her son; he needs to settle down and find a steady girlfriend. Suzette makes it her mission to find Shane a gal enlisting the help of the family with matchmaking, a dating web site and a mixer. Dee asks that she stop meddling in the boys' lives, but she can't help it and starts pressuring Cody to spend less time with his girlfriend Annie. She reaches a breaking point and jumps to conclusions when she finds Cody editing his movie in his boxers while his girlfriend sits on his bed. Dee convinces Suzette the boys have turned out fine and she needs to stop interfering in their lives.

Pretty Little Liars Episode 8


Pretty Little Liars Watch Season 1 Episode 8 Online Stream – Please, tell me when Im gone online streaming …

“Pretty Little Liars” Shay Mitchell: Officer Wilden back with a vengeance bit more “


Shay Mitchell Emily and the other is “Pretty Little Liars” star Alison memory on Tuesday (July 27) episode, which means brother Jason Ali (Parker Bagley) Back rosewood. “It could shake the tree a bit. I’d love to be able to tell which way it shakes the tree,” said Mitchell Zap2it. “Now he’s back, he has his own perspective on things .

“Pretty Little Liars” Brendan Robinson: “cliffhanger important enough for Lucas and Hanna

“Pretty Little Liars” newcomer Brendan Robinson has high hopes for his character Lucas becomes a romantic relationship with Hannah (Ashley Benson). “In each episode, he gets closer and closer to it. There’s a chemistry there, certainly,” Robinson told Zap2it. “I know that Lucas has big plans. He jumped at the chance to be [with Hanna].

Amazing lion

Growing Up Twisted


Dee Snider who is starring in the A&E reality show “Growing Up Twisted” has worn many hats in his day. Most people think of him during his days fronting Twisted Sister where the only thing higher than the volume of the music was his hair. In reality, Daniel “Dee” Snider is quite an accomplished businessman, a stable loving father, and a very articulate person which flies in the face of his out of control stage persona,

Born in 1955, in Astoria, New York, Dee was a member of the church choir as well as a member of the All-State Chorus as a member of the Baldwin HS Concert Choir. That is in large part where Dee developed his signature style that could go from rough and ready to melodic in a heartbeat. While not many people have taken the time to actually listen to his voice from a technical skill-set standpoint, Dee has amazing range and takes great pride in having the versatility to perform vocals that are matched with any musical styling in a manner that actually fits.

Snider hardly found fame fast. He joined Twisted Sister in 1976, spent six years in clubs and on the road before getting a break to cut a studio album, “Under the Blade” in the UK, and then two more years to get an album in mainstream distribution in the U.S. That album was “Stay Hungry”, and after that everything would change. It wasn’t an instant mainstream success, but it had what MTV needed which was a great visual concept with music. When “Come Out and Play” hit, it sold 500,000 copies and the videos became instant MTV favorites.

It was then that Tipper Gore and her organization the PMRC decided to take on music - specifically heavy metal, and Twisted Sister by name. While everyone fully expected Frank Zappa to talk circles around Gore and her band of dunderheads, it was Dee Snider that put her and congress in its place. They judged Snider by his on-stage looks without considering they chose an opponent that had a command of the English language, law, and more specifically logical common sense answers to their questions which years later still make them look foolish for asking.

By 1987 when “Love Is for Suckers” was released the music world had changed. While this may actually be the best Twisted Sister album from a musical standpoint, it didn’t have the great video support earlier efforts enjoyed nor a strong tour. Snider continued making music for several more years but never really hit gold again. He began hosting his radio the “House of hair” in 1997 and began writing music for other artists - even Celine Dion who recorded “The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless us Everyone)” without knowing Snider penned it.

From 1999 until around 2008 Snider hosted several more radio shows, appeared in movies and on television. He is mostly remembered for his stint on the reality show “Gone Country” and Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares” where he appeared only once but was quite memorable. That all led up to his own reality show “Growing Up Twisted” which will be similar in some regards to fellow A&E reality show “Gene Simmons Family Jewels.”

Snider has been married to his wife, Suzette, since 1981 after they met when she served as Twisted Sister’s costume designer. They have four children, and while none are as famous dad, their eldest son Jesse hosted an MTV countdown show for a year. Snider is a self professed practicing Christian and an active political supporter, While he is registered as a Republican, he has stated many times that when he casts his ballot he votes for the best candidate and not necessarily the party line.

Grover Cleveland Alexander


Forgot to mention this yesterday, but wanted to post it:

I have a ton of emails I've gotten from readers over the past few weeks but life has just been a bit too hectic to reply to many of them. I do promise to get to them at some point in the next week though, and I'm extremely appreciative of all of you who took the time to write.

Also, if you want to stay in touch down the road, my Macon.com email account will likely be shut down soon, but you can reach me now at dhale@delawareonline.com. Feel free to shoot me a message any time. I'll probably be looking for mailbag material soon!

And lastly, among the many great comments to yesterday's post, this was one of my favorites. I figured it was worth sharing.

Posted anonymously… (See, not all Anons are bad)...

"Here is a handy-dandy comparison chart for your reference, in the hope that it eases your transition into Bizarro World:

Richie Ashburn = Herschel Walker
Mike Schmidt = David Pollack
Dallas Green = Vince Dooley
Tug McGraw = Kevin Butler
Steve Carlton = Fran Tarkenton
Bowa = Erk
Kalas = Munson
"Phiwwies" = "Dawgs"
Phanatic = Uga
Ringing the Chapel Bell = Booing & Throwing Snowballs at Santa Claus
Mitch Williams = Bryan Evans
Joe Carter (WS, 1993) = Dan Marino (Sugar Bowl, 1982)
Bobby Valentine = Steve Spurrier
Grover Cleveland Alexander & Gavvy Cravath = Frankie Sinkwich & Charlie Trippi
Whiz Kids = Junkyard Dogs
NY Mets = Florida Gators
Pittsburgh Pirates = Ga Tech
Braves = Alabama Crimson Tide
Washington Nationals = Vandy
Spring Training = G-Day
Lehigh/Reading/Clearwater = 3A, 4A and 5A GA high schools
The Vet = Between The Hedges
Citizens Bank = Butts-Mehre
Spectrum = Stegeman
Bill Giles = Don Leeburn
Ryan Howard = AJ Green
Roy Halliday arrival = Jarvis Jones transfer
Cliff Lee trade = Stafford/Moreno departure
JD Drew = Da'Rick Rogers
Blue Caps = Black Jerseys
Pat's King of Steaks = The Varsity
Cheez Wit = F.O.
Geno's = Poss's
Hoagie = Pulled Pork Sammich
Tastykake = Krispy Kreme
Ben Franklin = REM
Independence Hall = 40 Watt Club
Dick Clark = Dan McGill
ShopRite = Kroger
Wegmans = Publix
1980 = 1980
2008 = 2007
2009 = 2008
2010 = 2009
GB in Current NL East standings = UGA-UF record since Spurrier
Charlie Manuel's wet dream = Marc Richt
"You Suck!" = "Go Dawgs!"
Every Phillies Fan = Crazy Anon"

To keep yourselves entertained until the new guy starts (Aug. 2!) feel free to add to the list.

And thanks again for all the kind words.
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