Peter Krause film looks at post-9/11 paranoia

What’s actor Peter Krause been up to since “Six Feet Under” went off the air (he’s the tall one, by the way)? He has been starring in and co-producing a politically charged thriller.

“Civic Duty” is a loose retelling of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” through the prism of post-9/11 paranoia. Throughout the movie, Krause’s character becomes increasingly obsessed with a man in his apartment complex who he is convinced is a terrorist.

Before he agreed to play the part, Krause also signed on as a co-producer because he “wanted to be involved creatively.”

He told Yeas & Nays that his changes had to do with changing the character from a conservative to “being sort of the silent majority.”

The movie’s message, he said, “could be easily written off if he were a conservative.” And what is that message? “What can we do to not live in this paranoid world?” he said. He added that it’s “not an easy film,” even going so far as to refer to it as a “horror film.”

When we asked the Minnesota native whether he had a candidate in mind for 2008 who is addressing his concerns, he demurred, saying only, “I think that I would like to see the silent majority become the vocal majority, and I’d like to see [a candidate] represent the real America and not the lobbyists that represent corporate America.”

The movie, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and was screened at the Cairo Film Festival, opens in Washington on May 4.

Angelina: I’m not running, but I am political

Angelina Jolie was back in town Thursday for another event for her pet cause, the plight of children around the world.

Jolie joined Global Action for Children Executive Director Jennifer Delaney to formally launch the nonpartisan advocacy organization. Jolie, who was named honorary chairperson of the GAC, said, “This is a happy day because it is not often enough these children are represented in this town.”

Wearing a gray dress, matching gray jacket, black headband and diamond earrings, Jolie took the customary question on whether she would ever consider running for office.

“I don’t think anybody here wants that,” she said, though we’d beg to differ. “I think in some ways, I’m political in the sense I work with many advocacy groups and lobbyists.”

She acknowledged that she’s “no policy expert, as you all know.” But she certainly impressed the Center for American Progress’ Gene Sperling, who served under President Clinton as national economic adviser. “She forced me to focus more on education” for the children of conflict, Sperling said.

But what of the rumors about her and Brad? Don’t hold your breath. At the end of the carefully scripted presser, Delaney listed a bunch of topics that would be appropriate for questions during the Q&A, among them GAC, AIDS and orphans — but no Brad.

Powerful women come out for Komen

Former Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Texas, had his coming-out party Thursday as the new chairman of the board of Susan G. Komen for the Cure at a noontime lunch on the Mall to kick off the 2007 National Race for the Cure.

“I’m just going to do what Nancy tells me to do,” Bentsen joked of Komen founder, Nancy Brinker, who was standing behind him.

Joining them were D.C. first lady Michelle Cross Fenty, Hungarian Ambassador Andras Simonyi, Deborah Dingell, House Chaplain Father Daniel Coughlin, former CBS “Early Show” anchor René Syler and Komen’s chief lobbyist Rae Forker Evans.

Evans has had quite a tough few months: Her son David was among the Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape last year.

Shut the door, I’m dressing

Give freshman Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., points for trying whatever a waiter puts in front of her. Even if it’s what appears to be cold, congealed soup.

Addressing the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network this week, she told tales of life in the Senate as a newbie.

It seems that at one luncheon, she was diving into the salad and soup in front of her, only to have a fellow senator tap her on the arm and tell her the soup she was eating was, in fact, Thousand Island dressing.

Next up for Klobuchar: the salad fork versus the dinner fork.

D.C. Madam: Everything’s for sale

Call it the commoditization of justice: Only weeks after Deborah Jeane Palfrey, aka the “Washington Madam,” offered the phone records of her escort service to the highest bidder, a radio network that recorded five hours of interviews with her is offering the audio up to the highest bidder.

That radio network, wsRadio.com, which calls itself “the worldwide leader in Internet talk,” recorded the interviews with Palfrey for its “My Side of the Story” show.

Two audio clips of the interviews are available on the Web site.

Other than ABC News, wsRadio says it’s the only news outlet Palfrey has spoken to. In a news release, the company states that “since the announcement regarding the contract between wsRadio and Ms. Palfrey, wsRadio has received numerous offers to acquire the content.”

The statement goes on to say “wsRadio has chosen to offer the exclusive rights for the interviews to the highest bidder … in an effort to level the playing field.”

Hip-Hop Caucus chief cuffed

The Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president of the anti-war Hip-Hop Caucus, was among a group of 14 people arrested on Thursday afternoon in the Hart Senate Office Building on charges of conducting an “unlawful assembly.”

Yearwood and company said they were conducting a funeral service “in advance” for the next U.S. soldier to die in Iraq.

“We knew President Bush was addicted to war,” Yearwood said in a statement. “We now know that our Congress is co-dependent.”

Stephanie Aulis and Kristin Laubach contributed to this page.