Duff says she feels pressure to be thin

New York – Teen starlet Hilary Duff claims she’s never had a problem with her weight, but feels pressure to be thin.

The 19-year-old actress and singer told People Magazine that she’s either perceived as too fat or too thin in the media, which she says can be “judgmental and mean.”

“And if you don’t like the way you look or feel insecure, when people say things about you – in magazines or just in everyday life – they can be hurtful. … But you’ll never make them happy,” she told the magazine.

Duff, who has sold more than 13 million albums worldwide, has a new album out April 3 called “Dignity.” Several of the songs are about her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend, Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden, but she denies that she slammed his new newest flame, Nicole Richie, in her tune “Gypsy Woman.”

And anyway, she told People she doesn’t like to discuss relationships. “It’s not my job to talk about my relationship,” she said. ” … But the more you try to keep it quiet, the more people want to know about it.”

Sheen, activists cited during nuclear protest

Mercury, Nev. – Martin Sheen was among a group of peace activists cited during an anti-nuclear protest Sunday at the Nevada Test Site, authorities said.

A total of 39 protesters, including Sheen, were released after being cited by sheriff’s deputies for crossing onto test site property following the rally, test site spokesman Darwin Morgan said.

Organizers said about 150 people attended the demonstration, but Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said it was only 75.

The site, about 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is where the federal government conducted above- and below-ground nuclear detonations from 1951 to 1992. It remains a site for non-nuclear government tests on radioactive materials.

3 wounded at party after Nickelodeon show

Los Angeles – Shots were fired at a party attended mostly by teenagers early Sunday following the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, wounding three people, and police said they suspected gang members were involved.

The party in the western part of the city was thrown by someone who had attended the awards, but it was not an official Nickelodeon function and had no celebrity guests, police Lt. Roger Deranian said.

The shooting occurred at about 12:30 a.m. at a drapery store rented for the party, which drew about 200 young people, Deranian said.

At least one person opened fire with an automatic weapon on the crowd after a group of five was denied entry, he said.

The three victims were hit below the waist and did not have life-threatening injuries, he said. They were taken to a hospital.

Bello the clown reunited with prized mini-bike

New York – Bello Nock, the daredevil clown, was all smiles Sunday when he was reunited with his lost little bike.

The star of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus thanked Ricky Robinson, who found Bello’s shiny foot-high, 6-inch-wide contraption Friday night outside a restaurant on Manhattan’s West Side.

“Give me a hug. I need my bike. That is my bike. Thank you, buddy,” Bello said, outside Madison Square Garden, where the circus was performing.

In exchange for returning the bike, Robinson, 54, will receive a $1,000 reward, a new bicycle donated by Toys R Us, and free tickets to Knicks games and the circus show named for Bello, “Bellobration.”

The bitty bike was taken from a Manhattan street Friday. Bello and two fellow clowns had put on an impromptu show for a passing camera crew, when Bello rested his bike against a street sign and forgetfully walked away.

After reading about the lost bike and seeing a picture of it in a newspaper, Robinson showed up at Madison Square Garden Sunday morning with the bike.

“I didn’t know what it was,” said Robinson, a native of Bridgeport, Conn. “I didn’t know how anybody rides it.”