Feeling nostalgic for election coverage these days? The less than stellar news cycle, dominated by grim economic reports and unsettling foreign affairs, has many of us longing for last year’s giddy roller-coaster campaign, in which politics temporarily became the national thrill-a-minute pastime.

Gallery Link: On Stage – Play Photos > Farragut North ( 2009 )

“Farragut North,” Beau Willimon’s engaging drama about the dirty tricks and brutal backstabbing of those conducting the spin war for aspiring presidents, attempts to reignite our tapped-out passion for political one-upmanship. The play, which is having its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse, may not be able to compete with the loony stranger-than-fiction cast of recent election battles or offer us any stop-the-presses scoops about our Swift Boat campaign culture, but it does capture the frenzied scheming and counter-scheming of would-be Washington kingmakers.

Better yet, the production has a rising superstar on board who could give Barack Obama a run for his charismatic money. Chris Pine, the paparazzi’s current object of affection after his breakout role as Capt. James T. Kirk in the new “Star Trek” film, stars as Stephen Bellamy, a 25-year-old press secretary for a Democratic presidential candidate who remains an invisible presence throughout. Imagine Karl Rove as a fit, chicly dressed media strategist for the other side and you have some idea of the nature of this latest boy genius.

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Again thanks to Jen for bringing this to my attention!

Thanks to Jen of CPN @ Livejournal for kindly posting these to share with us.

The cast of “Farragut North” poses for a group photo at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles Tuesday, June 23, 2009. From left, front row, are Isiah Whitlock Jr., Chris Noth, Olivia Thirlby and Chris Pine. Back, from left, are Justin Huen, director Doug Hughes, writer Beau Willimon, Mia Barron and Dan Bittner.

Gallery Link: Photo Sessions > Session #027

I realize that many of you might not be aware that one of Chris’s upcoming projects “Small Town Saturday Night” has a Facebook page. On this Facebook page you can become a fan and follow any updates the movie may have in the future as well as take a peek at the newly uploaded photos of Chris as Rhett Ryan, a small town dreamer who has conflicting interests when deciding which dream he would like to pursue more.

Be sure to check out the page and become a fan. Small Town Saturday Night’s Facebook

As I previously posted late last week I bring you high quality versions of the production photos of Chris and the cast on stage for Farragut North. Photos courtesy of Michael Lamont of GeffenPlayhouse.com. Thanks to Andreas for bringing this to my attention. 🙂

Gallery Link: On Stage – Play Photos > Farragut North ( 2009 )

Thanks to Leeanne for bringing this to my attention!
Star Trek’s” Chris Pine may have recently scorched the top of People’s new Hottest Bachelors list, along with fellow hunks Chase Crawford and Shia LaBeouf, but beauty pageants aren’t particularly high on his personal to-do list.

“I’m going to struggle and try my best to search out the roles that are a little more interesting and not based on how good your tan looks and how coiffed your hair is,” Pine said on the eve of the Geffen Playhouse’s production of “Farragut North,” a tense political drama costarring Pine and “Sex and the City’s” Chris Noth, opening Wednesday.

“There’s a battle between commerce and art that I’m learning that doesn’t necessarily have to prevent you from pursuing more artistic ventures, as long as you utilize your commerce, knowing you’re using it to get more opportunities to do the smaller pet projects,” he said. “I’m so new at it, I’m just learning to navigate the waters.”

So Pine, 28, has been studying the log of such other captains of his industry as Paul Newman. He says the late actor is his role model “in terms of longevity and the good he was able to do in the world.”

Pine’s other American idols?

“George Clooney, for the conversation about commerce and art. Daniel Day-Lewis for his almost monkish pursuit of protecting artistic integrity, which I’m in sheer awe of. I would certainly love to be held in the kind of esteem he is. Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, I’ve had an acting crush on for years. I’m all over the spectrum.”

Not really, if you consider the fact that all those performers are acclaimed for their acting chops. That’s clearly a goal of Pine’s and one he thinks he can balance with blockbuster films like “Trek.” That’s why his first role after the mega popcorn movie is the dark and complicated spinmeister Stephen of Beau Willimon’s “Farragut North,” named for the Washington, D.C., subway stop near the vortex of lobbyists’ offices.

source: latimes.com