A SPECIAL EDITION LEADS INTO THE SEASON PREMIERE OF ABC NEWS� �20/20,� FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Reports Include: Joined at the Hip � Conjoined Twins; Lionel and Nicole Richie Speak Candidly About Their Tumultuous Relationship; The �Widows Club� � Four Women Who Lost Their Husbands on Sept. 11, and Their Lives Today; And Eric Clapton�s Ex-Girlfriend Talks About the Death of Their Son 15 Years Ago

A new season of �20/20� gets underway FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), preceded by a special edition of the program. From 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET, the show reports on conjoined twins, from a groundbreaking separation surgery to twins living life attached to a woman who lost her twin after their separation surgery 34 years ago. The reports look at the mysterious connection, both physical and emotional, between two people born conjoined, as well as expectations to live normal lives. And in �20/20�s� regular time period, from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET, the Season Premiere episode reports on stories that show the power of the human spirit to cope with loss or controversy, including Lionel and Nicole Richie, and women who lost their husbands on September 11.

From 9:00-10:00 p.m.:

� Deborah Roberts updates the conditions of four-year-olds Kendra and Maliyah Herrin, twin girls who were born conjoined and were separated in a groundbreaking 26-hour marathon surgery in August in Salt Lake City. �20/20� finds out how they are doing both physically and mentally.

� �20/20� got exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the separation of 10-month-old conjoined twins Regina and Renata Fierros from Mexico. As JuJu Chang reports, their parents, Sonia and Federico, can�t help but wonder if the grueling and risky 24-hour surgery was worth it, and if their daughters will survive. They also ask what the twins� lives will be like afterwards. Some of those answers might lie in a surgery that was performed three years earlier. Macey and Mackenzie Garrison, another set of conjoined twins, endured the same brutal and complex surgery in the same operating room by many of the same surgeons at Children�s Hospital Los Angeles. Chang reports on their conditions and lives today.

� Dr. Timothy Johnson introduces viewers to Christine Allison, one of the most unique individuals on the planet � Christine, 34, was born a conjoined twin and survived separation as an infant only to be left to face life alone without her twin, Betsy, who died after the operation. She tells �20/20� that, less visible than the physical scars -- but far more intense -- are the private feelings she has for the sister she lost.

� Bob Brown tells the story of the Schappell sisters who, at the age of 45, are believed to be among the oldest living conjoined twins in the world. Joined at the head, they share about 30% of their brain tissue, but have distinctly separate personalities, and sometimes dramatically different lives.

From 10:00-11:00, p.m. (SEASON PREMIERE)

� Legendary singer songwriter Lionel Richie was one of the most popular recording artists of the 1980s and today, his daughter, Nicole Richie, is a celebrity in her own right, starring in a reality show as well as gracing the weekly pages of tabloid magazines. These days the father-daughter duo are close � Nicole even stars in a music video for his new CD. But, as they tell Chris Connelly, it was just a few years ago that they had a tumultuous relationship because of Nicole�s heroin use. Both speak candidly about the drug use, how Lionel thought his daughter might die, and how they patched their relationship, as well as Nicole�s highly publicized weight issue. Lionel also gives �20/20� an exclusive tour of his $20 million plus Los Angeles mansion.

� Before taking maternity leave, Elizabeth Vargas sat down with four women who for four years have met weekly to celebrate a bond that was born out of suffering, understanding and love for each other and for the husbands they all lost so suddenly on September 11. As the fifth anniversary approaches, the women tell Vargas how they have learned to live and love again (and even remarry) and the surprising journeys they have taken together, which they document in a book entitled �Love you, Mean It.�

� Eric Clapton wrote the hit song �Tears in Heaven� after the death of his young son, Conor, in 1991. Conor�s mom and Clapton�s ex-girlfriend, Lory Del Santo, a well known actress and model in Italy, speaks extensively on camera for the first time about that tragic day 15 years ago when Conor fell out of a 53rd floor window in New York City. For the first time she shares intimate videos taken of their son before his death. �20/20� airs this exclusive interview conducted by international interviewer Daphne Barak. Bob Brown reports.

�20/20� is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is the executive producer.