Zooey Deschanel performed.
Zooey Claire Deschanel ( [ ˈzoʊi_ˌdeɪʃəˈnɛl ] born January 17 , 1980 ) is an American actress and singer-songwriter . Since 2011 , she has played Jessica Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl , for which she has received an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Award nominations . For a few years starting in 2001 , Deschanel performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with fellow actress Samantha Shelton .