Say what?? A genius?? LOL! The Heroes actress must be out of her mind for saying that! But according to ContactMusic.com, Hayden Panettiere did say that in defense of Paris Hilton’s airheaded party girl image. For those not in the know, the 18-year old actress has been a close friend of Paris‘ for several years. Hayden says the 27-year old socialite is actually more level-headed than the dumb “character” she projects to the media. She explains,

“She’s a nice girl and a lot brighter than people give her credit (for) but no one sees her like that because she plays this character all the time. She’s actually a marketing genius.”

Hmmm, now that Hayden Panettiere pointed that out, I’m actually tempted to believe it. Especially since Paris Hilton has launched several businesses already. Go blondes! LOL! ^_^