The one and only Hayden Panettiere, along with SNL’s Kristen Wiig and many others, made the cut on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List - The 100 movie, TV, and music stars we love right now. Apparently, we’re not the only ones who think Hayden rules. Here’s the article about her:

WHY HAYDEN PANETTIERE?

The breakout star of TV’s hottest new drama, Heroes, Hayden Panettiere is Claire Bennet, an unbreakable high school girl who became synonymous with the show when “Save the cheerleader, save the world!” hit the airwaves and entered the pop culture lexicon.

“I think it was very clever,” says the New York-born actress, although she admits that calls of “Hey, cheerleader!” now follow her around L.A. “But it’s fun. It’s not an obnoxious thing.” Technically speaking, Claire does not actually spend much time shaking pom-poms. “I told [Heroes creator] Tim Kring I need to cheer at some point,” says a laughing Panettiere. “She wears the outfit all the time!”

SHE’S CROSSING OVER

Her debut record, due in 2008, reflects her diverse tastes. “I wanted to make every song sound as different as possible,” she says. “I hate sitting down and listening to an album where every song sounds the same.”

Hayden Panettiere, who trained to be a singer and even sang jingles for a time, co-wrote most of the album’s tracks, including “Saved,” about the death of a friend. “You come in with an idea of what you want to write about,” she says of the collaborative process. “It’s fun when you have a lot of different people that you get to bounce ideas off of.”

WHAT’S UP NEXT

Hayden Panettiere’s day job on Heroes should keep her busy for years, but she begins working on the indie drama Fireflies in the Garden, with Julia Roberts, in the very near future. It’s a dream job, obviously — and definitely worth sacrificing a vacation for. “I really wanted to set the tone for the kind of things that I want to do,” she says.

In the film, Hayden Panettiere will portray a young woman who leaves home to get an abortion. Heavy stuff!

SECRET TALENT

“I can ride a zebra! I had to ride one in Racing Stripes, and I’m, like, one of the only people who’s ever ridden one. The trick is to hang on tight. They’re bouncy little things. And never, ever go by the rear of it. It’s not fun. They’ll kick the bejesus out of you.”

Good advice, as always, from the lovely and effervescent Hayden Panettiere. We’ll keep that in mind the next time we’re in Tanzania.

Below is some interesting information, courtesy of Michael Ausiello of TV Guide, regarding the Heroes timetable as the hit show resumes production this week.

Question: Heroes resumes production this week, so it only seems fair that you give us some scoop.

Michael Ausiello: I caught up with Hayden Panettiere at Thursday’s Entourage premiere and she revealed that the first episode picks up four months after the finale. “A lot of things happened [during those four months] that people don’t know about,” she teased.

“A lot of things changed and people will be like, ‘Whoa!’”

Whoa, indeed.

Hayden Panettiere also hinted that someone may not have survived the season ending bloodbath, but check this out: NBC is holding a Heroes press conference tomorrow on the show’s set, and all primary cast members will be present and accounted for.

That includes Santiago Cabrera, Jack Coleman, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Leonard Roberts and Milo Ventimiglia.

Wait a second … is someone missing from that list of Heroes!?

Seating was scarce at Wizard World Philadelphia Saturday, a show of the power of celebrity and the success of Hayden Panettiere and her hit series Heroes.

According to Comic Book Resources, the crowd broke into deafening cheers as Panettiere entered and sat right of the center podium with a giggle.

A Wizard staffer primed the audience, asking if they enjoyed the first season of Heroes. The crowd erupted in the resoundingly affirmative.

The staff member asked the audience if they like Hayden Panettiere’s role as Claire Bennet on the show, and the audience roared even louder.

The staffer began by asking about Heroes, which Panettiere said she loves.

She mentioned her independent film, Fireflies in the Garden which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film also stars Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, and Willem Dafoe. Next Panettiere plugged upcoming album, produced by J.R. Rotem, which she describes as “pop-rock” but also “a mix of different things.”

The floor was then opened to questions, with fans jumping at the chance for face time with the Heroes heart throb.

The first question was whether Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimigla, who plays Peter Petrelli on Heroes, have any “off-set chemistry,” which made the actress laugh.

“I’m sensing some bonus scenes on the DVD,” she joked, to the delight of many. “We’re all very close. We’re a family.”

The next fan asked if Hayden Panettiere would star in a Supergirl movie if offered the role. “Would that require a cape?” she asked, before stating, “I’d consider it. Sure.”

Another young fan asked if the lovely Hayden Panettiere had ever been a cheerleader in real life.

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Her penchant for pets is pretty clear.

Below, Hayden Panettiere plays the role of hero (get it?) to a small friend from the Humane Society as they strut down the catwalk (get it?) at the Animal Fair’s 8th Annual Paws for Style event Monday, held at Arena in New York.

The Heroes star is the magazine’s cover girl for their travel issue. That is nothing new for the actress, whose star seems to rise by the day.

Stephen Colletti, you are one lucky dude.

Get a driver.

That was the simple, yet profound advice of Hayden Panettiere last month, when Paris Hilton was sentenced to do time for her repeated disregard for the law and Hayden was asked what advice, if any, she had for the ho-tel heiress.

Now, with Hilton back in the can after a brief taste of freedom, the Heroes star was once again hit with the “What do you think about Paris?” question from reporters as she went out to some nightspots yesterday evening.

On the way to her car as she existed Parc, the paparazzi spotted Hayden Panettiere and the flashbulbs were immediately flying.

As Stephen Colletti’s girl made her way around to the front of her SUV, she got the question about Paris - and simply giggled in response!

Yes. Our girl Hayden Panettiere is wise beyond her years. This is the case of a girl who enjoys having a good time - but unlike some, she doesn’t feel she absolutely has to behave badly or disregard the law in order to do it.

In a world dominated by Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and so many other train wrecks, that sure is real nice to see.

The totally awesome Hayden Panettiere and Stephen Colletti were caught in the act… hand-in-hand at a daytime movie Monday!

The twosome was spotted at The Grove cinema in L.A., where they locked lips and cuddled throughout a screening of Shrek The Third.

That’s right, PDA at a kid’s movie. Then again, who can fault them. They’re just kids themselves. So what if they are attracted to each other?

Hayden Panettiere was wearing a solid band on her engagement ring finger - is a commitment near for these two? Hayden can legally wed in August, you know …