Finally, a Shot at the Big Time?

--Even though Gul Mohammad giggles frequently, life is not always happy for the 25-inch-tall man. Mohammad, who sells candy in a shop in a New Delhi bazaar, is 3.3 inches shorter than the shortest living adult listed by the 1988 Guinness Book of Records, Nelson de la Rosa of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. “No one noticed me before, until a local newspaper reporter had a chance meeting with a friend of mine, who told her about me,” said Mohammad, 32, who lives with an uncle. “I want to marry someone who is of normal height so that she can carry me around, feed me and give me bath,” he said. His arms are so short that his hands “can’t reach his head while bathing,” said his aunt, Nargis Begum. “Being the shortest man is not a joke. It is a hard existence,” Mohammad said. His neighbors are fond of him. “He is our pride. When he becomes world-famous, we will all be very, very happy,” said Ashraf Rizvi, a travel agent who brought Mohammad to the attention of India’s National Herald newspaper.

--Actress Julianne Phillips, claiming “irreconcilable differences,” filed a one-page petition for divorce from rock superstar Bruce Springsteen, 38. The petition, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks unspecified spousal support from the singer-songwriter and says property rights will be determined later, said attorney Arlene Colman-Schwimmer, representing Phillips, 28. The Springsteens maintain a home in the area, Colman-Schwimmer said. The couple were married on May 13, 1985, in Phillips’ hometown of Lake Oswego, Ore. in a midnight church ceremony to avoid reporters. Rumors began circulating late this spring that the couple had separated. The filed divorce petition did not mention a specific date for the separation. They have no children.

--Once again, Steve Lewis’ public duties as an Oklahoma legislator have interfered with his private life, namely his honeymoon. Lewis and his wife, former state Rep. Nancy Virtue, were forced to put off their June honeymoon because of delays in adjournment of the Legislature. So, they got married and rescheduled the honeymoon to begin this week. But then Gov. Henry Bellmon called the Legislature back into special session to solve problems with prison overcrowding. Lewis, a Democrat who is chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, says the honeymoon plans are on hold one more time. “I’m beginning to think we may have to wait for our 25th anniversary,” he said.