Fempire Tuesdays

It's official, Zooey Deschanel and Mindy Kaling have made Tuesday nights "Fempire Tuesdays."  Witty writing, quirky storylines... the fall TV season is skipping down a refreshingly offbeat path with its female leads.

Longtime Reel Artsy fans should be familiar with all things "Fempire" related, but if you're new to the term check out its origins as you connect the dots between Zooey and Mindy to Liz Meriwether and her gang: Diablo Cody, Lorene Scafaria and Ben & Kate creator Dana Fox. Read up on Fempire 101 and 102. And if you haven't seen The Mindy Project yet, what are you waiting for? It's the best new comedy show and you get weekly doses of Chris Messina. Win, win.

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Zooey Deschanel on SNL (Super Quirky)

In case you missed it! Zooey Deschanel brings an extra dose of quirky to SNL with her signature New Girl cuteness.

There's a special segment where "Michael Cera" gets thrown in the mix.

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Zooey Deschanel Chats with Diablo Cody

The second episode of Red Band Trailer's sophomore season features New Girl's Zooey Deschanel. The two chat about Almost Famous, HelloGiggles.com and brunettes with bangs. Yeah, it's quirky.

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Zooey Deschanel is The New Girl

FOX's New Girl is the most promising show of the fall season. That means you'll get a weekly dose of all things Zooey - her deadpan humor, singing and retro inspired outfits. The series is penned by Liz Meriwether (No Strings Attached), who is known for her witty dialogue, and also referred to as one fourth of the Fempire (female screenwriters). It looks like New Girl is a match made in quirky heaven.

Mark your calendar. Set your DVRs. The series premiere is Tuesday, Sept. 20th at 9p.m.

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Zooey Deschanel on the 'Winnie the Pooh' Soundtrack

Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward (She & Him) share their feel-good music on the soundtrack for the upcoming Winnie the Pooh movie. Below is a promo for the song "So Long." Pooh hits the big screen on July 15th.

[via IFC]

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Hey! The Zooey Deschanel Show

Reel Artsy is definitely pro Zooey Deschanel, but here's a good spoof courtesy of the web series Hey! The Zooey Deschanel Show starring Noel Kristi Wells. It's a fun watch and Wells does the best Zooey D impression I've seen so far. Watch the first episode and judge for yourself...

Official Site: www.heywithzooey.com

[HT RadNerd]

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Winter Passing (2005)

Set in Michigan, Zooey Deschanel stars alongside Will Ferrell and Ed Harris in a quirky family drama. This was the first movie where I took notice of Deschanel. I'd seen her in Elf and Almost Famous (and some other films) but it wasn't until Winter Passing that I could put a name to her face, where her deadpan delivery really sunk in... and so began my search for all things Deschanel.

Another great thing about this film is Ferrell's scaled back performance. He plays a shy guy and his comedy is on the subtle side.

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Music Video - She & Him 'Don't Look Back'

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward invoke a world of retro sci-fi in the music video for "Don't Look Back."

Official Site: www.sheandhim.com

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Sundance 2011: Rashida Jones, Raul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Jesse Williams, James Franco

So many reasons to make us wish we were at Sundance.

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Photos from My Idiot Brother

Rashida Jones and Paul Rudd together again in My Idiot Brother. Check out these stills from the official website to tide you over until we get a trailer and a set release date...

(Jones and Rudd sneak around)

More photos after the jump.

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Trailer - Your Highness (Red Band)

Natalie Portman kicks butt medeival style alongside James Franco and Danny McBride in Your Highness. They're on a quest to save the princess (Zooey Deschanel) from a villain (Justin Theroux). The red band trailer is full of raunchy laughs catered for buddy comedies. 

In theaters April 2011.

Official Site: www.yourhighnessmovie.net

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Boy Meets Quirky Girl

Because we still ♥ that elevator scene. 

[By Phillip Handy]

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Rashida Jones + Zooey Deschanel

You can mark this in strange casting news, Reel Artsy favorites Rashida Jones and Zooey Deschanel will be in a movie together playing a couple. Yep, you read that right. According to The Hollywood Reporter Jones and Deschanel have been cast in My Idiot Brother alongside Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer. Rudd plays the lead role as the goofy brother to Banks, Deschanel and Mortimer.

Deschanel is a bisexual whose flakiness and lies are getting in the way of moving forward with her caring, responsible girlfriend (Jones).

It's not how I imagined their onscreen team-up but this is what we get. The film centers on the relationship between Rudd's character, his sisters and their over-bearing mother. My Idiot Brother is slated for a 2011 release.

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She & Him Cover "Fools Rush In"

It's not the Elvis Presley song but it feels a blast from the past. Zooey Deschanel's voice is retro in every way that counts and when you listen it's as if you're transported to another decade. In the video below She & Him cover Rick Nelson's 1960s song "Fools Rush In" - Enjoy!

A FREE legal download of the song is available here via Levi's Pioneer Sessions.

[HT Nylon Mag]

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Zooey Deschanel on Nylon Mag

Nylon magazine thinks Zooey Deschanel is pretty swell and so do we. Back when Reel Artsy was new I missed posting this video and in case you missed it too...

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Fashion Inspired by Zooey Deschanel/Summer Finn

Who doesn't love indie queen Zooey Deschanel? Zooey's style is a refreshing change of pace from the provocative and homogenously "trendy" looks that dominate our culture. Zooey's quirky, vintage, sweetly feminine look is a source of inspiration for me and many other girls who don't want to walk around in Ugg boots and cutoff miniskirts.

To recreate Zooey's style, dress up a little. You're not going to catch Zooey out in sweats or a ratty tee shirt. Zooey's wardrobe choices enhance her natural beauty instead of showing off her body. However, opting for more conservative outfits doesn't mean you'll have any less fun with it. Choose pieces that are visually intriguing and accessorize with vintage jewelry and fun hairpieces. Zooey has an affinity for tights which can also add some pop to an otherwise simple ensemble. Here's something I put together that was partially inspired by Zooey's folk duo She & Him's music video for their song "In the Sun."

Zooey Deschanel by Ashley Chupp featuring Great Plains tops

[READ MORE...]

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Music Video: She & Him "In The Sun"

M. Ward is too cool for you. Zooey Deschanel dances in the library and hula hoops in the gym. "In The Sun" is proof that She & Him's upcoming album Volume 2 is picking up right where their debut album left off...amazing. 

[HT The Playlist / Pitchfork]

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Notable New Releases

District 9
One of the most original movies of the year. It completely surprises you with its unpredictability. It's smart sci-fi that's also great entertainment. First time writer/director Neill Blomkamp did an amazing job creating this alternate world and taking us along a memorable journey. It's also great to see a South African movie with all unknowns do so well.

Extras include:

• Commentary
  
• Deleted Scenes
• The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log
• Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus
• Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9
• Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9
• Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9

(500) Days of Summer
Former music video director Marc Webb knocked it out the park with his directorial debut. Its equal parts sweet, heartbreaking, and creative. What I liked is that despite using every cinematic trick in the book, the film miraculously manages not to be pretentious. There is an honesty to the characters and writing that makes it sincere.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Audition tapes (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Storyboards (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Not a Love Story: Making (500) Days of Summer (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Summer at Sundance (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Six Conversations with Zooey and Joseph (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Filmmaking Specials (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Webb's Bank Dance short film (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Cinemash Video: Sid and Nancy (Blu-ray Exclusive)
• Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition music video (Blu-ray Exclusive)

[READ MORE...]

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Who Should Be Diablo Cody's Next Leading Lady?

If you enjoy Diablo Cody's stylized writing then let's play a little game. Which actress would you most like to see Cody write a script for? This includes film or TV.

Ellen Page was pitch-perfect in Juno, Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried were evil/good in Jennifer's Body and Toni Collette is brilliantly schizophrenic in United States of Tara. So who's next?

Here are my candidates:

1. Kristen Bell - Before she did voice overs for Gossip Girl she was Veronica Mars and that was pretty sweet. Kudos to the writers on that show because Veronica Mars was someone you didn't want to mess with. If anyone can handle an offbeat Cody one-liner, it will be her.


2. Zooey Deschanel - When she's not making great films (500 Days of Summer) she's making great music (She & Him) and her snarky comedic timing would be a nice fit for Codyspeak.


3. Rosario Dawson - She's worked with Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino so a gig with Cody would be a smart move. I'd like to see what quirky lines Cody would give her.


Other names that came to my mind were Lauren Graham, Anne Hathaway, Alexis Bledel, Kat Dennings and Emma Stone.

So who would you pick?

UPDATE: Exciting news! Diablo Cody will be doing a film adaptation for Francine Pascal's book series Sweet Valley High. Who do you think should play the twins?

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(500) Days of...Dancing

Joesph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel get their dance on:


This makes me want to see 500 Days of Summer for the third time!

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