Twenty yards behind the cow, which now and then jumped awkwardly, crept this adolescent lion, which did not appear to be excited or even very much interested, as though the two of them were circus animals trained to act out a scene.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Lost in Uttar Pradesh'

While his fellow Apollo 11 moon-walker, Buzz Aldrin, seemed up for anything from "Dancing With The Stars" to "Transformers 3" (and he's been a wry and inspirational figure to have on the scene), Armstrong kept his distance from the media circus beyond authorizing a biography, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, " in 2005.

CNN: Neil Armstrong, a hero who shunned fame

While the clownish antics of circus theater isn't really Mr. Morse's bag, a poignant scene between Pippin and his grandmother Berthe (Andrea Martin) connected his heart to the production.

WSJ: Poignant Scene in 'Pippin' Turns Actor David Morse's Head

Thus, the Japanese national political scene is shifting, unpredictable, largely unproductive, and hugely (for citizens) frustrating circus-like affair, a kind of diversionary entertainment, but only for people of the mind that likes riddles, puzzles, and the occasional histrionic protest (read: the Ozawa split from the DPJ).

FORBES: Osaka Mayor Hashimoto's "Restoration" Movement Auguring Change in Japan's National Politics