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