Zooey Deschanel Fun Facts About a Fun Girl

Zooey Deschanel has had a very busy year. In fact, her career is bouncing about like the Flubber in the movie The Absent Minded Professor! 2011 brought the launch of a successful sitcom, several film appearances and the release of her Christmas album, "A Very She & Him Christmas." This might be enough for some, but according to her very active Twitter feed, she seems to be excited about all her different projects and this includes more voice work. Deschanel posted Dec. 8, "I am so lucky I get to be on the #simpsons again! table read was so fun I went home & cried tears of sweet joy. A zillion thanks"

Are you a fan of this multifaceted chic? Do you know the following tidbits? But before we get into the details, first things first, can you pronounce her name? It is -Zoh-ee Day-Shuh-NELL, not Zoo-ee. She was named after Zooey Glass, the male character from book "Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger.

Okay, with that out of the way here are a few things that set 31 year old Deschanel apart.

She loves her tights. "I am a year round tights girl. I will wear tights even if it's 100 degrees outside," says Deschanel. "Tights are my safety blanket. In them, I know that I can do a sweet row of cartwheels anytime, anywhere without anyone catching a glimpse of my knickers." I love that she seemingly single-handedly brought these back in fashion.

Healthy Ms Deschanel, works out, but not obsessively. "A lot of people work out to be skinny. That's so boring, and it seems like a depressing goal for a modern woman." the wise Deschanel said, "I work out to be healthy and because I like it. If you are active, fitness will follow and probably a good figure too." She also avoids dairy, eggs, wheat and gluten due to allergies and does not drink alcohol.

You probably know that her big sister, Emily Deschanel is the star of the hit television show "Bones." Emily also recently made Zooey an aunt with the birth of her son, Henry, in September. These two stars were not created in a vacuum, show-business is in their blood. Their mother Mary Jo Deschanel is an actress and Caleb Deschanel, the girls father, is an Oscar-winning cinematographer.

Zooey Deschanel is not just a song writer, she is behind the fun website Hello Giggles and back when she was 17, published a feminist rant to Vogue. She tweeted, "wrote this letter to vogue when I was 17 & someone found it! proud of my feminist teen self."

More by Sylvie Branch:
Thanksgiving is for the Birds: Celebrities Who Are Leaving Turkeys Alone This Season
Betsey Johnson Celebrates 69th Birthday With New Fragrance
Dress like Zooey Deschanel: Embrace your feminine, funky self