Hayden Panettiere has defended the fourth season of Heroes.

Some fans have been unimpressed with the show since its first season back in 2006, but Panettiere - Claire Bennet on the NBC drama - has claimed that the show is still fresh.

“It’s been very new and different,” she said. “On the show you never know what to expect, but this season has been this trip with new people. It’s very much about people with abilities hiding and them coming out.

She added that the current season has seen her character head in a new direction which has not been seen before.

“Claire’s been chasing this normal life, but maybe that’s not what she wanted. She always find a reason to jump back into it - to save people and fix things.”

Heroes concludes its fourth season tonight at 9pm on NBC in the US and continues Saturdays on BBC Two in the UK. [SOURCE]

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere said she’d like to focus on a music career and has been working on an album for three years.

The 20-year-old actress, who is best known for playing cheerleader Claire Bennett in the TV series, released her first single, Wake Up Cll, in 2008 and her vocals have also been featured on several Disney albums.

She said to UK magazine Now: ‘I’d like to focus on music. I’ve been singing for almost as long as I’ve been acting and I love it. It’s just a different way of expressing myself and getting to be me, not having to play anyone else.’

She added: ‘I’ve been working on my album for about three years.’ [SOURCE]

The CW has picked up three dramatic pilots — including shows produced by Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere and Smallville’s Tom Welling, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Panettiere’s HMS follows the lives of a sexy freshman class at Harvard Medical School through the eyes of one of the female students. Amy Holden Jones (Mystic Pizza) wrote the script and will co-exec-produce with Panettiere. [SOURCE]

Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and Hayden Panettiere are all heading up for a tribute to teenagers who are involved in charity at the TeenNick HALO Awards. All the stars are reported to join the teenagers for their own charity interests helping the kids with their charity.

The award ceremony will be aired on television on TeenNick on 11 December ’09. The award has been initiated with the help of Nick Cannon, the chairman of Nickelodeon’s TeenNick network and Mariah Carey’s husband.

“One person can make a difference, and it’s my hope that this special will encourage ongoing activism and will inspire a new generation of leaders,” Nick was quoted saying to Contactmusic.

The celebrities would be present to do their parts in the award function. Alicia Keys will hand over an award to a person involved in an AIDA education organization. Timberlake and the founder of a scoliosis education support group will team up on the occasion. Hayden, who is an animal rights activist, will work for an ocean research advocacy group, another volunteer will join her.

With these celebrities coming up with social works, it would set up an example for all others who are still to start charity for any noble cause! [SOURCE]