Hayden attended the Benefit For The Whaleman Foundation last night looking absolutely gorgeous. I love her new hair cut. Hayden’s “Heroes” co-stars, Jimmy Jean-Louis and James Kyson Lee went out to support Hayden and her good cause. Head over to the gallery for all the latest images.

Hayden Panettiere is offering fans the chance to join her as she swims with dolphins to raise money for her campaign to end commercial whaling in international waters. The Heroes actress is a longtime campaigner for dolphins and whales, and even had a warrant out for her arrest in Japan after she joined in protests against the slaughtering of the marine mammals in the historic whaling town of Taiji in 2007.

But the brush with foreign authorities hasn’t quashed the blonde’s campaign against the killing of the friendly sea creatures, and is hoping to raise cash by offering fans a day in the seas with just dolphins and her for company.

The offer is set to go under the hammer on online auctioning site eBay.com and bids will be accepted until 4 September (09). The cash raised will go towards the Give Good Green campaign.

When tabloid cover girl and paparazzi favorite Hayden Panettiere, the gorgeous, 19-year-old star of the hit television series Heroes and the upcoming big screen comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper, was asked about her feelings towards the late Michael Jackson and his music, the young actress called him a musical genius. Panettiere heroically defended Jackson’s reputation as one of the true icons of popular music and refused to focus on the dead music superstar’s sullied past (from his eccentric behavior to allegations of child molestation).

“He was the King of Pop, he was Michael Jackson,” declared the blonde beauty and Palisades, New York native. “He was a genius, and I really hope that people take a second to remember him for the brilliantly talented, amazingly successful person that he was and what he created, as opposed to ‘Jacko’ or any of those silly rumors about him. Whatever he went through, at the end of the day, I hope that people remember how brilliant he was, because Michael Jackson was so brilliantly talented.”

In addition to deceased pop stars, Panettiere has also chosen to come to the rescue of our planet’s dwindling whale and dolphin populations. Not one to simply write a check to help out her favorite charity, Panettiere recently flew to Japan to talk with government officials to encourage them to bring an end to the merciless massacre of sea mammals.

“I got involved with the whales and dolphins just from my love of animals,” she explained. “Someone asked me to be involved with it, and I said, ‘Absolutely. I’ll be there by your side until the very end, until the bitter, bitter end.’ I’m using all my energy on getting this solved, because it really is a big, big problem. Right now, we’re asking people to go to socialvibe.com and click on The Whaleman Foundation and sign our petition. We’re trying to get a million signatures for the IWC meeting in about a year. To sit in front of cameras and do PSAs (public service announcements) and tell people, ‘Save the whales,’ and then to go an event, that is one thing,” she continues. “But, I would rather go back in that water and stand in front of those animals than do any PSA or go to any meeting. I did it once (in Japan). I’ll do it again, again and again. I’ll keep doing it until the laws are changed.”

Once she finishes up promoting her new movie I Love You, Beth Cooper, Panettiere will be heading back to the Heroes set to finish up episodes for next season. However, she was anxious to clear up recent internet rumors concerning her career and private life. Panettiere denies she’ll be starring in the upcoming reboot of the 1980’s box office hit Footloose (“I’m not doing it, but I never say never with anything. But I’m on a show where we have two months occasionally to do something else, so it’s tough to fit anything in there.”) and that she’s planning to marry 32-year-old, former camera operator and current British TV presenter, Steve Jones (who cozily accompanied her, hand-in-hand, to many of the high-profile, celebrity events at the recent Cannes Film Festival).

“I’m single and mingling, I’m not dating anyone specifically,” she insisted. “I’m not pregnant if there are any rumors like that. I’m not getting married. I’m not looking for a house with anyone. What else could there be? They’re all rumors. Don’t believe any of it, none of it. None of it is true.”

Hayden Panettiere has taken to YouTube to support the cease and desist of commercial whaling! The Heroes star has teamed up with The Whaleman Foundation and SocialVibe to inform the public about the dangers of this practice. Animal rights activist Panettiere alongside the environmental activists hope to collect 1,000,000 signatures for the petition against commercial whaling to deliver in the hands of the International Whaling Commission. Help the cause by checking out the video above and signing the petition!