The press conference for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just wrapped. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were on hand with the cast to answer questions about the film. Of course, many of the questions were directed at Ford and Spielberg, but a few were tossed to other cast members as well.

Spielberg, asked whose idea it was to revisit the franchise, said that the idea first came up when Harrison Ford said at the Academy Awards several years back that he'd be interested in wearing Indy's hat again; he noted that he was the hardest to convince that the world really wanted another Indy film. Asked whether there will be further sequels, Spielberg said that that depends on whether people want one, and that they'll keep an ear to the ground to gauge audience reaction to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; if there's interest, though, he said there will be more to come. So, good news for all you Indy fans out there.

USA Today has a piece up today about 16 "hot" movies to watch for in 2008. Here's the list:

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sex and the City: The Movie
The Dark Knight
Mamma Mia!
The X-Files
Quantum of Solace (aka the New James Bond Flick)
Star Trek
Iron Man
Speed Racer
The Incredible Hulk
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Madagascar: The Crate Escape
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Day the Earth Stood Still

Actress Zooey Deschanel is a busy lady these days. She has listed a solid slate of upcoming projects in the next few years, including her recently announced co-star role in the film adaptation of Bridge to Terabithia. While promoting her current project, Failure to Launch, Zooey has now annouced her involvement in an upcoming animated feature named Surf's Up, about a hotshot young penguin (voiced by the Even Stevens kid) who enters the penguin annual World Surfing Championship. According to Deschanel, she'll provide the voice to a female lifeguard penguin. She's particularly excited about the film because the studio is bringing all the actors together for voice over work, instead of recording each actor seperately. This method allows for a greater improvisational freedom- something Deshanel is thoroughly pleased about.  "Oh, my God! It's so much fun...They bring us,like, me, Jeff Bridges and Shia LeBeouf into a room, and we get to improvise. It's been a great acting experience.

Although I was rather unimpressed with Deschanel's portrayal of Trillian in the recent HHGG film, I have found that I largely enjoy her work as an actress. And honestly, doesn't she have a voice that sounds made for cartoon work? It is a perfect fit, in my mind. And come to it, the Even Steven's kid seems like a decent choice for animated voice work as well. And while I'm on this personal opinions rant, who doesn't love penguins in the movies? Seriously. Now if only Mr. Popper's Penguins could get some silver screen love...