Hayden Panettiere Ranked #1 On Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

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.