A Lion Called Christian: Two Men and Their Very Large Cat

A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion By Anthony Bourke and John Rendall 221 pages; Broadway Books The Gist: In 1969, two flamboyantly dressed, long-haired hippies named Anthony Bourke and John Rendall purchased a lion cub from London’s upscale department store Harrods — which, at the time, traded in exotic animals — and brought him to live in their Chelsea furniture store in the heart of Swinging London. Christian lived in the store, aptly named Sophisticat, for five months. He played well with children, was litter-trained, and only ruined the store’s furniture by accident.

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Is ‘West Side Story’ Overrated?

One of the perks of being a theater critic, in those dog days of the season when you find yourself struggling to sit through the latest Chekhov revival or pretentious little comedy about tightly wound New York singles, is the Broadway-musical revival. Yes, you can complain — as I often have — about unimaginative commercial producers who keep recycling surefire classics like Gypsy or Guys and Dolls. But there’s good reason they’re recycled so often: they are surefire — unfailingly entertaining, no matter how uninspired the production, the indomitable high points of a genre that is America’s great contribution to world theater.

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India erupts in celebrations for ‘Slumdog’ Oscar wins

The collective cry throughout India of "Jai ho" (May you win) received a resounding answer when composer A.R. Rahman took home two Oscars for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire." Rahman’s wins — one for the song “Jai Ho” and the other for Best Score — were just two reasons for Indians to erupt in boisterous celebrations Monday morning. “Slumdog,” which was shot in the streets and slums of Mumbai bagged eight golden statuettes in total, including one for Best Sound Mixing

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