We Heart Hayden

“Pushing Daisies” creator Bryan Fuller (yeah, that unique show where the lead character can give back life!) was also behind “Heroes“. He recently gave an interview, and talked about “Heroes” and the character he wrote — Claire Bennet aka Hayden Panettiere. Here’s an excerpt:

You were part of the creative team behind the first season of Heroes. Do you think the criticism of season two was fair?
“I think one of the things that was so special about the first season was these characters discovering their abilities. The central metaphor for the characters was very clean and clear: you have the indestructible teenager; the single mother who has so much on her plate she needs two personalities to take care of it; the arrogant politician, so arrogant he could fly. In the second season it felt like that the central core to those characters was re-examined in a way that maybe lost a little bit of its heart.”

Where do you think they went wrong?
“I think one of the problems was there was a redundancy to some of the stories in the first season. I worked on Star Trek for five years and one of my frustrations with that show was the magical ‘history eraser’ button at the end of every episode, so you didn’t have any sense of serialisation. In Heroes season two there were a lot of things that weren’t taken advantage of, such as the Niki character. Ali Larter’s an amazing actress and as much as I loved the new characters, I missed a more thorough explanation of what was happening to the characters I’d grown attached to in the first season.”

What do you mean by “redundancies”?
“In the first season we broke up the characters so that each writer had a different character and wrote for that character for all the episodes. I was primarily writing for Claire so I became very attached to that arc. Hayden Panettiere is such an amazing actress - she could read the ‘phone book and it would be watchable - but it seemed like that the Claire-HRG relationship was going over familiar territory in the second season. I felt like I had seen those scenes before and so Claire’s story suffered from redundancies.”

The blonde actress appeared at the Ford Flex Rally 2008 in Edison Downtown in Los Angeles last weekend sporting a new haircut. The Ford Flex Rally was a charity event launching Ford’s new crossover SUV. It’s also a scavenger hunt in which 10 celebrity teams drive the 2009 Ford Flex around looking for clues. Ford partnered with charity Band From TV for ultimate adventure in the new 2009 Ford Flex. The event was hosted by “Band From TV” formed by Heroes star Greg Grunberg.

Aside from giving Heroes 3 spoilers, Hayden Panettiere also talked about her new short bob. The 18-year-old actress said that because she wears extensions, and one of the Claire’s has dark hair, she was ready for a change. She said the new short bob is easy, she can just get up and go. So what do you think of Hayden’s bob? NAY or YAY? Tell us wha you think =)

Our fave Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere gave away more Heroes 3 spoilers. The big news? There won’t be just one Claire Benett when the show returns!! There’s one good Claire, and one bad Claire. A clone? Another time shift perhaps?? Maybe that’s why Hayden was a brunette in the Heroes 3 set! Now the show may go something like this: “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” and then “Don’t save the bad cheerleader, she’s trying to destroy the world.” LOL!! According to Kristin over at E!:

Gee, well, I don’t have much to tell, other than the fact that in the first three minutes one of the lead heroes is going to bust a cap off at one of the other lead heroes. And oh yeah, the guy she pulls the trigger on just might be the guy she’s playing tonsil hockey with in real life. She also tells him (on cam), “I always loved you.” Whaaa?! Figured it out? I know you have, so discuss in the comments below! Oh, and even more shocking? We’re gonna see Claire-bear with dark hair and this also involves a shift in time. So very Lostalicious, no?

Sounds like it’s Hayden and Milo eh??

And that means Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia will figure prominently! Woohoo! If you’re not a fan of Heroes, let me introduce the Bennets and Petrellis to you: Hayden plays the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet while Milo plays her uncle who can absorb powers, Peter Petrelli. Here’s more Heroes 3 spoilers below. Forgot where I read them! If you know, drop a comment so I can credit it. Thanks! =)

FYI, I’m hearing good things about the larger picture on Heroes this season: In particular, the Bennets and Petrellis are staying front and center, and they are totally up in each other’s bidness—just the way we like them.

Someone somewhere is definitely paying attention to the fans, and the resulting twists are so good it’s killing me not to talk about them.

Suffice it to say, there will be some shocking alliances and the appearance of at least one long-lost relative.

The said awards night will be in less than two months so go VOTE guys!!! The 10th annual awards special is due to take place on August 14 and will be broadcast on US TV network FOX. Hayden Panettiere was nominated for Best Actress in Action while Milo Ventmiglia was nominated for Best Actor in Action, both for their show Heroes. Teenagers aged between 13 and 19 can select their favourite stars from an online vote on www.teenchoiceawards.com =) Here’s Hayden and Milo’s contenders:

Best Actor - Action
Milo Ventimiglia - Heroes
Matthew Fox - Lost
Wentworth Miller - Prison Break
Tom Welling - Smallville
Josh Holloway - Lost

Best Actress - Action
Hayden Panettiere - Heroes
Evangeline Lilly - Lost
Ali Larter - Heroes
Summer Glau - Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles
Kristen Kreuk - Smallville

“Heroes” indestructible cheeleader shows up at the Ford Flex Rally party to lend support to costar Greg Grunberg (with her in the photo above). After photos of her brunette locks swarmed the internet, Hayden Panettiere is now back with her blonde hair — cut to a charming bob! =) The animal-loving actress and activist showed off her do as she watched US supergroup BAND FROM TV. The group was started by Greg, who plays the Heroes‘ mind-reading FBI officer. The group also features HUGH LAURIE on keyboards and JAMES DENTON from Desperate Housewives on guitar. In the photo below, Hayden Panettiere is with Greg and Brea Grant, her new blond competition on Heroes 3.

Keep on reading about Brea and her superpower here!

It’s now almost two months in to filming of Heroes season 3 — and by the looks its behind-the-scenes pictures (see previous posts), there are lots of interesting developments! Like, why did Hayden Panettiere went brunette and donned black outfits? And why does Milo Ventimiglia (who’s back as Peter Petrelli) now sporting a slicked-back hair and facial scar?? And he’s dressed up with a “Neo from The Matrix” look at that! Also, who’s that walking alongside him in the photo below? A Petrelli clone, perhaps? The Heroes season 3 suspense is killing me!! LOL

MORE photos of Milo in black HERE!

Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia sizzles with passion (and lust??) while filming on the set of Heroes season 3. I thought they were uncle and niece in the show? Wazzup with these sexy lovers photos then?? Anyway, according to reports, Heroes season 3 is all set to open with a three-hour episode airing this September 22, 2008 (Monday). The first hour will be a clip show of the past two seasons with the final two hours containing the season 3 premiere and the opening of the third volume, “Villains”. Will Hayden Panettiere be a villain?? After all she’s gone brunette and a wore black leather outfit!

CLICK HERE for more steamy shots of Milo and Hayden

Doesn’t she look tough firing that gun?? These photos are taken from the set of Heroes season 3 while filming, and Hayden Panettiere’s cheerleader character has gone bad-ass! Can’t hardly wait for Heroes 3: Villains to start showing!!

Hayden taking a cue on how to fire the gun

MORE photos of the stunning brunette Hayden HERE!