8522: TGIFans Of Salma Hayek.

8225: Girl Talk.

Talking toons and trash in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Dora the Explorer received mucho dinero. That is, the 14-year-old actress supplying the voice of the cartoon character settled her court battle with Nickelodeon and Viacom after accusing producers of ripping her off. Wonder if Diego will follow suit, so to speak.

• Wayne State University zapped its Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in Media award after the ex-White House correspondent spewed anti-Semitic remarks. Last Thursday, Thomas declared, “Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. They put their money where their mouth is.” So much for the spirit of diversity. Although on Madison Avenue, no one would have seen any hypocrisy or problems with the scenario. Hell, they’d probably create a special ADCOLOR® Award for the old woman.

8060: Exploring Job Options.

Voicing the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Dora the Explorer is going to war. The 14-year-old actress who serves as the voice of the popular cartoon character is threatening to speak out against Nickelodeon via TV interviews unless the network responds to her lawsuit demands. No word if she’ll be using her real voice or Dora voice.

• A new survey indicated 17 percent of American workers believe having an affair with their boss can lead to a better job—and 7 percent admitted having actually done it. Given the current unemployment rate, at least 9 percent of American workers haven’t succeeded with the tactic.

8036: Girls Just Wanna Have Funny Money.

Money matters in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Toni Braxton is filing bankruptcy for the second time, indicating she owes between $10 and $50 million. That much vagueness in the amount deserves an immediate “morally bankrupt” label.

• Caitlin Sanchez, the 14-year-old actress behind the voice of Dora the Explorer, is suing Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and Viacom, claiming she was conned into signing a contract and duped out of millions of dollars. If her suit is successful, Sanchez can expect a phone call from Toni Braxton.

6556: Dora And Dunkin’

New models in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The revamped Dora the Explorer isn’t as outrageous as imagined. But she does come off like a Bratz wannabe. Maybe her cousin will pick up hip-hop flavor and be renamed: Yo, Diego, Yo!

• Dunkin’ Donuts is launching a campaign to promote a long-neglected menu item—donuts. Between coffee drinks and waffle breakfast sandwiches, the place had stepped away from hawking its namesake product. The company’s marketing officer said of the new campaign, “We’ve been doing so much innovation that it really is timed to refocus back on our core.” Um, a waffle breakfast sandwich does not qualify as innovation. Plus, look for a donut breakfast sandwich soon.

• A new study shows obesity can take 10 years from a person’s lifespan. America runs to an early grave on Dunkin’

6512: Dora Explores Her Femininity…?

From The New York Daily News…

Dora the Explorer dolls get controversial new look

By Christina Boyle, Daily News staff Writer

Dora the Explorer is getting a makeover.

The cutsie cartoon character is ditching her shorts and the neat little backpack for what her creators are calling a “new fashionable look.”

Although the new Dora will not be officially unveiled until fall, Nickelodeon and Mattel released a silhouette of the revamped figure that shows her with long locks, a short skirt and pointed ballet pumps.

And it has some parents up in arms.

“What next? Dora the Cheerleader? Dora the fashionista with stylish purse and stilettos? Dora the Pop Star with Hoppin’ Dance Club and “Juice” Bar?” says an online petition started by two moms, Lyn Mikel Brown and Sharon Lamb, who coauthored the book Packaging Girlhood.

“We can expect it all, because that’s what passes as “tween” in the toy department these days.”

Creators of Dora the Explorer, a favorite character among preschoolers that teaches kids English and Spanish, say they are just making her move with the times.

The tweenage Dora will live in the big city, attend middle school and have a new wardrobe and accessories.

“For nearly ten years, Dora the Explorer has had such a strong following among preschoolers, catapulting it into the number one preschool show on commercial television,” said Gina Sirard, Mattel’s vice president of marketing.

“Girls really identify with Dora and we knew that girls would love to have their friend Dora grow up with them, and experience the new things that they were going through themselves.

“The brand captures girls’ existing love of Dora and marries it with the fashion doll play and online experiences older girls enjoy.”

Critics say they would prefer Dora to grow up true to the character she is as a child.

“If the Dora we knew grew up, she wouldn’t be a fashion icon or a shopaholic. She’d develop her map reading skills and imagine the places she could go,” the petition says.

“It’s such a sell out of Dora, of all girls.”