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Cutting-Edge Hair News

"I am assuming there are a few of you who are wanting to murder me at this precise moment." So wrote Kristin Kreuk on her blog in late July - and she was not quoting a line from her TV drama Smallville. The actress wrote this about a big cut she had just made in her hair. The long locks she displayed on the show seemed to disappear faster than a speeding bullet, leaving her with a tight short cap.

Is a smaller look better for Kristin? Hair Fan opinions may not be more powerful than a locomotive, but they were strong - with 76 percent of the voters objecting (22-7). "This challenges for one of the worst makeovers ever," one dared to write. "I never realized that her attractiveness was so tied to her hair until now." Another was even more blunt: "That looks nasty and stupid." Others offered suggestions of better looks, such as bangs across the forehead or trimming "a little bit at a time."

If you're in mourning over Kristin's big change, we'd point out something else she wrote about it: "Deep breaths, it will grow back at some point." Plenty of Hair Fans truly hope so -- and soon.

Thanks to all of you who take part in our polls! And we welcome any news tips you have on changing celebrity styles. Contact us at: SuperHair@Gmail.com .

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Who could imagine a great head of hair would be hiding inside a special see-through helmet? Well, Mariel Zagunis doesn't hide it completely on the fencing floor. A long wavy ponytail flies up in the heat of battle, but never comes loose. And when Zagunis won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the women's saber, we discovered she keeps her hair in good position and condition away from the arena as well. That may explain why Hair Fans selected Zagunis as the best style of the Beijing Games.

We were wide-open for suggestions about this one, with so many athletes competing in so many sports. But 36 percent of the voters agreed with our decision to put Zagunis on the Hot List - enough to make her the leader. Then came a tie for the "silver medal" between Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice and U.S. diver Laura Wilkinson at 21 percent. (Has it really been eight years since Wilkinson almost won a Crown Award?) Russian sprinter Yulia Gushchina followed with 14 percent, and a write-in seven percent for U.S. basketball player Candace Parker.

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Hayden Panettiere's hair is not always as luxurious as it was in our left photo, from a 2007 appearance on The View (although we certainly wish it was). In her role as the cheerleader on Heroes, it's usually long and straight - and sometimes weak-looking in the heat of battle. So we were surprised when a Hair Fan sent a picture, showing Panettiere had cut her hair to shoulder-length. We're told she plans to wear extensions in the upcoming season of her series - something Eva Longoria Parker's fans may be rooting for (see below).

Was this cut a good move overall? Panettiere was panned by 82 percent of Hair Fans in our one-week poll (27-6). "Why do women feel better to get their long hair cut so short," moaned one voter. Another wondered if her TV role changing to "an 18-year-old soccer mom." And one openly declared, "Hero, I have to give you a zero on this choice!"

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You almost wonder why she didn't win the 2008 Miss World title. Greek model Aikaterini Evangelinou became the sensation of EuroCup 2008, winning all her matches with relative ease. Now she's struck again, in her toughest test so far - topping a "Top Ten" field with the strongest and most beautiful cuts we could find. Evangelinou wins your vote for this year's number-one hairstyle in the world.

The Greek's long well-placed waves gained 39 percent of the votes in our week of voting, and all of the compliments from voters. "What beautiful hair!!" admired one. Another scoffed at votes for others by arguing, "This is madness! This is SPARTA!" (OK, what movie is that from?) Evangelinou held off a late surge by veteran Top Ten Tresses member Kelly Tilghman, whose 33 percent vote sends a statement to those who are ready to write off the Golf Channel announcer. Former number-one style Alexandra Steele gained third at 17 percent, followed by a tie between Ohio reporter Monica Day and Georgia Judge Lisa Jones at six percent each.

It's noteworthy that half the Top Ten received no votes at all. Is Evangelinou that far ahead of the competition? Or as one person has suggested on our message board, is it time for a wholesale shake-up -- even though those five include some veterans of the list, with years of unbeatable hair?

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Left photo courtesy Softpedia

No, that isn't hair covering Gillian Anderson's right eye - that's a shadow of a round-brushed wave. That sort of deceptive mystery captivated viewers of The X Files for years. It wasn't only about space creatures and the paranormal - it was about Anderson keeping a shapely hairstyle in line, while investigating it all. But in the latest X Files movie, a Hair Fan noticed Anderson displaying a much longer and looser look. At least six inches have been added to a style which often emphasized firmness and bounce.

Has Anderson made an improvement here? Hair Fans were divided in our one-week poll, but 55 percent called for Agent Scully to make a cut (12-10). "The truth is out there," one voter could not resist writing, "and the shorter look is fuller and has more body." We'd tend to agree with that. But we would note the picture at right reflects a woman who's expecting a child (hopefully not one with three eyes) - so Anderson could be trying to avoid harmful chemicals while pregnant.

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What's that Bible verse about Christians being a "peculiar people?" Sometimes their hairstyle changes can draw peculiar responses from Hair Fans. Take Nashville singer and worship leader Cheri Keaggy. We first heard her music in the 1990's, and found her on a CD cover with a chin-length layered look full of bangs. So we were surprised to find her on Christian television this year with much longer hair - and wavy on top of that, instead of straight.

We presumed Hair Fans would applaud Keaggy's change, since they usually lean toward longer looks. But wow, were we wrong - as 80 percent of them in our one-week poll preferred the old style (16-4). "Shorter has better color!" one voter explained. Since the right photo was not for an album cover, we wonder if lighting played a factor in that difference. We'd raise another issue, more in terms with how we define Super-Hair. Look closely at the left photo, and you'll see a couple of bangs long enough to get in her right eye. This is an unusual case where more length actually can mean more style control.

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"Why" was the title of one comment, when Eva Longoria Parker announced a big cut in her hair. The people paying her to do commercials for hair products probably wondered, too -- but the actress had an explanation. Her character on Desperate Housewives will be five years older this coming season. She could have worn a wig for months, as she did in the last season's finale - but she decided to go ahead and make the cut, with husband Tony Parker being given the shears for the main chop.

Did Eva make the right decision with a short cut? Our one-week poll found 65 percent of Hair Fans say no (22-12). One supporter of the change says it "looks so cute on her!" But others openly hate the new look, with one explaining it "doesn't flatter her at all.... The short hair just doesn't fit her glamorous style." We agree with that assessment, but perhaps our photo from Entertainment Tonight isn't doing Longoria Parker justice. The right stylist can make any cut look special -- so perhaps this is a "tease" to get Hair Fans to watch a few more episodes.

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When TV journalists make changes in their hair, they frequently get people talking. So we wonder what the staff at ABC News is saying about the different looks reporter Linsey Davis has shown in recent weeks. Davis apparently arrived from Indianapolis with a soft rounded look (at right) -- but since then, she's occasionally appeared on camera with all-out curls, making us wonder if that's her more natural style.

We asked Hair Fans to help Davis figure out her best look, and 87 percent of them in our six-day poll said she should keep things straighter (13-2). No one left a comment either way, but we think the approach at right is the most "professional" appearance for television news. The look at left might work on The View, though -- where styles seem to change constantly.

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