Having just broadcast three episodes, “New Girl” will be off the air until November. FOX has changed its October schedule to expand “The X Factor (US)” from ninety minutes to two hours, leading to three-week absence of the new favorite comedy series.

The first original episode to be shelved is a Wednesday special “Cece Crashes” which was planned to air on October 12. “Naked”, which was supposed to air on October 18, is also pulled out of the line-up, while the network had previously decided to pre-empt the October 25 episode of “New Girl” for the new reality show from Simon Cowell.

“New Girl” recently added another actress to the cast ensemble. Former “Party Down” star Lizzy Caplan has been booked for a three-episode arc to play Julia Baker, a love interest for Jake Johnson’s Nick. She is described as a highly educated young woman with a master’s degree in art history and a highly cultured manner.

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Looks like it’s not so bad being the new girl.

Fox just announced it has ordered an additional 11 episodes of its freshman comedy, New Girl, bringing the full order to 24 episodes.

The Zooey Deschanel show, which premiered last week and was Fox’s highest-rated sitcom debut ever, held up this week in the ratings, retaining 92 percent of its premiere audience. It also earned an impressive 5.2 rating in the all-important 18-34 demographic.

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Fox may have found its newest hit.

Zooey Deschanel’s quirky half-hour comedy New Girl, debuting after the season premiere of Glee, delivered at 9 p.m. — outperforming its lead-in in both total viewers and the adults 18-49 demographic.

Drawing 10.1 million total viewers and a 4.8 rating in the ad-coveted demo, New Girl was the highest-rated show on broadcast during primetime. The comedy was up drastically (specifically 55 percent) from the debut of Raising Hope, when it premiered in the time slot last fall. Raising Hope opened its second season with solid numbers compared to last year’s comparable time period performance, drawing 6.8 million and a 3.1.

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Zooey Deschanel is totally psyched about the news her big sis, Bones star Emily Deschanel, is expecting her first child later this year with husband David Hornsby of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame.

So much so that she took to Twitter yesterday to let everyone know about it and offer her congratulations.

“My big sister, Emily (aka Bones) Deschanel and her husby, David Hornsby, are going to have a baby! I am super excited to be an aunt,” the 500 Days of Summer star tweeted.

We’re excited for you, Zooey. Really, we mean it! (by E! Online)

Is Fox about to become the network of the Deschanel sisters? Quite possibly, seeing as indie movie darling Zooey Deschanel is in negotiations to star in Fox’s untitled single-camera comedy pilot from writer-producer Liz Meriwether, while Zooey’s sister, Emily, of course stars on Bones.

The Meriwether project, originally titled Chicks and Dicks, is described as a young ensemble comedy about the sexual politics of men and women. It centers on Jessica, the role Deschanel is eyeing, an optimistic but unlucky-in-love elementary school teacher who, after her most recent break-up, moves out of her apartment with her ex and moves in with a trio of juvenile guys.

This would mark the first regular TV role for (500) Days of Summer star Deschanel, who was recently attached to star in and executive- produce an HBO half-hour project based on Pamela Des Barres’ memoir I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie. That, however, ultimately didn’t go forward. She previously did an arc on Showtime’s Weeds and guest-starred opposite her sister in a late-2009 episode of Bones.

Source: TVLine

According to a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles, Zooey Deschanel is suing Steve Madden for $2 million. Here’s why:

According to the lawsuit, in August 2010 Deschanel’s agent at CAA and Steve Madden made a binding, oral agreement stating that the starlet would be paid $2 million by the company to front a line of shoes, tentatively called “Zooey’s Shoes and Accessories.” She was told that she would be paid regardless of whether or not the items were actually produced, and that the payment would cover 13 days of work, including a photo shoot for an ad as well as press appearances.

A few weeks later, Steve Madden came back to the Deschanel camp, complaining that one retailer in particular was not keen on the collaboration, which meant they’d have to reduce the fee to $1.5 million. Deschanel’s agent agreed to the new fee. During this time, the actress refrained from entering into any similar contracts, as that was part of the oral agreement.

Except in October 2010, Steve Madden went back to Zooey’s agent and said that the deal was kaputt.

So our dear Ms. Deschanel still wants her money. Does she deserve it?

Well, under California State law, verbal contracts are binding. But it’s very difficult to prove. We’re guessing Madden will pay up, or at least settle, as to avoid more bad press.

And hopefully Zooey will “design” a line for someone else, because we bet it would be real cute.

Source: Fashionista

She & Him singer and film actress Zooey Deschanel is set to co-produce and star in an HBO series about the life of famous rock and roll groupie Pamela Des Barres. The show, currently in development, will feature work by writer Jill Soloway (Six Feet Under) and co-producer Tim Gibbons (Curb Your Enthusiasm), as well as Des Barres and her ex-husband Michael, according to LA Weekly.

The series is being called a “dramedy” that will feature Des Barres’ view of rock and roll’s glory years, a time in which she was linked to Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison and Jimmy Page, among other rock stars. As for the question of who will portray these rock stars, Des Barres says most of the legendary musicians will be cameos and more significant characters might be composites of various rockers. She says she’s open to the idea of current musicians taking on roles of ’70s stars.

“I’ve always seen Rhett Miller (of alt-country group the Old 97s) as Graham Parsons,” she said.

Source: Gibson

Having already starred in Marc Webb’s first film, actress Zooey Deschanel is said to be the director’s choice to take a smaller role in the upcoming “Spider-Man” reboot.

Webb hopes to cast Deschanel as Betty Brandt, assistant to editor-in-chief J. JOnah Jameson at The Daily Bugle, accoridng to Showbiz Spy. She would join Andrew Garfield in the lead, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as The Lizard.

Deschanel starred opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Webb’s 2009 hit anti-romcom “(500) Days of Summer,” the film that basically won Webb the “Spider-Man” gig.

“Betty was a minor character in the previous Spidey movies but Marc has big plans for her,” an anonymous insider told the site. “He wants a strong performer to carry the role and Zooey fits the bill perfectly. The role is hers if she wants it.”

Source: PopcornBiz