via Heroestheseries.com

It's no secret that Heros star Hayden Panettiere is a friend to the animals. But really, she can't get them out of her mind. Hayden is always on the lookout for their well-being. While shooting the cover for the current Teen Vogue issue in Malibu, Hayden saw a sea lion on the beach and called ASPCA and 911 to make sure that it wasn't hurt. They assured her everything was normal, and after a few minutes, the animal went back to sea.

via Telegraph

Start saving your pennies because Hero Hayden Panettiere is offering her time and energy once again for the cause that's closet to her heart: saving the whales.

The young actress has put a package on eBay which includes a private whale-watching tour with Hayden and a group of your best friends. Proceeds will benefit the Whaleman Foundation and the Save the Whales Again! campaign.

The winning bid is currently in the thousands, but Hayden has also put up tons of items from her recent Candies photo shoot for you to bid on. Check it all out on eBay. The auction ends May 30.

Find out more about how you can help endangered species here.

Every year since 1924, journalists, entertainers, and politicians have gotten together to toast/roast the President at the White House Correspondent's Annual Dinner. This year is no exception. On Saturday, April 26th, the press will meet in Washington D.C. for some food and entertainment. The night will also honor top journalists from The Associated Press, CNN, the National Journal, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The featured entertainer for the evening will be Scottish late-night funnyman Craig Ferguson (above) (who recently became a US citizen!). Past performers have been Conan O'Brian, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Cedric the Entertainer, Drew Carey, Rich Little, Ray Romano, and Stephen Colbert. The latter made waves in 2006 by slamming the current administration...even though he's a Republican (well, at least his alter-ego is). 

Watch part of Colbert's controversial speech:

Celebs who are said to be attending this year include Pamela Anderson, Donatella Versace, Jenny McCarthy, Ben Affleck, Eric Dane, Tim Daly, Hayden Panettiere, Colin Firth, Marcia Cross, Harvey Keitel, Lauren Conrad, The Soup" host Joel McHale, and Perez Hilton.

You can watch all the fun on C-SPAN on April 26th at 8pm (ET), go to the C-SPAN website for local listings.

We know and love her as the spokesperson for the Save the Whales campaign and for her work to rally the youth vote this year with Declare Yourself. (Oh, and for her acting on a little show called Heroes too.)

Now teen activist Hayden Panettiere has added another worthwhile cause to her CGG resume. Like fellow CGG Nigel Barker, Hayden is taking a stand against the gruesome slaughter of baby seals.

Hayden wrote a personal message new website, PanettiereCloset.com:

"Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your constant support of Save the Whales again! As we all know there are so many more animal issues that need to be dealt with and one of them is seal clubbing . . . These beautiful animals are not only gentle, but are killed in the most inhumane way. They cannot speak for themselves or beg for mercy, but WE can be their voices for them! It's time to put our foot down. Let's save the seals!"

If, like Hayden and Nigel, you'd like to see Canada put an end to sealing, go to the Humane Society's website and sign The Pledge!

What about the whales, you ask? Well, on PanettiereCloset.com, the real-life animal-rights hero is donating items from her wardrobe (like the "Your new girlfriend" tee above) to raise money for Save the Whales Again (which, fyi, raises awareness about the threats against dolphins too).

Hear what Hayden has to say about her dedication to this campaign:

To learn more about what you can do to help, check out Do Something's Animal Welfare cause section.

Hayden Panettiere, Josh Groban, Rosario Dawson, and Lance Armstrong were on Larry King Live to discuss the importance of getting your voice heard. Along with Saving the Whales, Hayden is the spokesperson for Declare Yourself, a nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-year-old in America to register and vote in the presidential primaries and 2008 presidential election. Rosario Dawson, co-founder of Voto Latino, also stressed how important it is for young people to get out and vote.

Check out this clip from the show:

After attending and presenting at the Kids Choice Awards, Hayden Panettiere made a beeline for the Genesis Awards where she was honored for her work to end the slaughter of whales and dolphins in Japan. We've always said we are suckers for persistence and Hayden has really proved her dedication to this cause.

The Genesis Awards honors those in the media who put the spotlight on a variety of animal protection issues. Hayden received the Gretchen Wyler Award, given annually at the Genesis Awards to a celebrity who brings attention to animal causes. An actress and animal advocate, Hayden was honored for her hands-on work to expose Japan's slaughter of dolphins and whales (Remember when she paddled out on a surfboard and protested the fishing boats??)

Hayden's parents and her boyfriend, Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia, were there to watch Hayden accept the award. Her heartfelt speech was brief but emotional-- Hayden broke into tears as she told the audience how special the award is to her.

"As an actress, you always dream of getting awards like the Golden Globe award, but I never expected to get an award that is this special and important to me as this. There are people who dedicate their entire lives to preserving the environment and defending animals, they are so much more deserving of something like this." source

Humbled and emotional, Hayden walked off stage as the audience gave her a standing ovation.

CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation also received an award for a Dramatic Series for the episode, "Lying Down With Dogs." The writers of this top-rated drama tackled the brutal world of dogfighting and, as a result, 22 million viewers were exposed to the cruelty that goes into the training and fighting of dogs.

And CNN's Planet in Peril won for raising awareness in a TV Documentary. In the Genesis-nominated episode, Anderson Cooper and Jeff Corwin go undercover to investigate the thriving, illegal trade in exotic animals in Thailand's street markets.

Find out how you can help the dolphins and whales -- and other animals! -- by clicking here or by going to the Humane Society's website!

You know me . . . I'm a sucker for sustained interest.  I love seeing a celeb stick to a cause and follow through on a commitment.  Hayden Panettiere is rising to the occasion, refusing to keep quiet about her concern for marine life.

Shown above in a Greenpeace photo from a rally in Achorage, Alaska last May, Hayden is taking her activism to new levels after speaking out in Washington this past week.  The tiny Hero is fighting against the reinstitution of commercial whaling.

She's also started her own non-profit -- Hayden's Closet -- that raises money and awareness about her cause of choice.  Visit the website for more info . . . Proceeds benefit the Save the Whales campaign.

Apparently Hayden Panettiere loves being a Hero so much on the small screen that she tried to play one in real life. Hayden put on her wetsuit and paddled out to sea to try and stop a massacre of dolphins. Joined with other activists of the Save Japan Dolphins coalition, Hayden protested against Japanese fisherman, who kill an estimated 23,000 of our sea friends each year.

Sadly, the protest was put to a grinding halt when a fishing boat blocked the surfers' path. Despite how much we all love Flipper, dolphin fishing is culturally accepted in parts of Japan where many believe that the mammals should be treated like fish. source

Hayden was extremely upset when the protest failed, coming back to shore in tears.

Oh Hayden, look at the bright side, you aren't the one dressed as a half-naked faux-mermaid.

Dwight from The Office joined Hayden Panettiere and Masi Oka from Heroes to read stories to kids in Studio City, CA recently. 

 The project, called Milk and Bookies (get it?  Bookies?), asks families to come for a day of imagination and storytelling to a bookstore where they can buy a book, have it inscribed, and donate it to a family in need.  The idea is to instill in youth the importance of giving back at a young age.  Donations go to Time to Read.

I think sometimes it's hard for kids to wrap their heads around donating to large non-profits -- where the money goes, who benefits, etc.  Something like this gives children a tangible image and experience . . . they know where their donation is going and see the good it does.  Love it!  You can set up your own Milk and Bookies event at a bookstore near you.  Learn more here.

Declare Yourself's "Hollywood Celebrates 18" brought the celebs together Thursday night to encourage every eligible 18-year-old to get up and vote! Declare Yourself is a national non-profit campaign to get young people to the polls for the 2008 presidential election.

Among the celebs that showed up for the event included Kristen Bell, Justin Timberlake, Sasha Cohen, Lauren Conrad, Nick D'Agosto, Plain White T's, Romeo, Rumer Willis, and Dave Navarro.

The night was hosted by Declare Yourself founder, Norman Lear, and 18-year-old TV star Hayden Panettiere. source

I don't mean to preach but the stars are right.. if you're 18 then take it to the polls! Your voice matters!

Related Causes:     Voting