Dora the Explorer

These Piñatas Will Make You Very Sad

From a small room in the Hammer Museum on Sunday afternoon, a group of kids and adults clapped their hands and collectively chanted two words: "Smash it!" To the casual passerby, the words probably sounded strange within the museum setting. But they were a perfectly natural thing to say in this par ... More >>

The Big Bang Theory of Product Advertising: In the Cereal Aisle, Dudes Rule

Last week the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory offered a spot-on observation about something funky in the world of cereal. As the brainiac crew of scientists settled into breakfast, astrophysicist Raj (played by Kunal Nayyar) began to rattle off the names of cereal mascots like Tony the Tiger, Toucan ... More >>

Magic Straws: A Chocolate Milk Alternative

Just when you thought nothing could be as simple and plain (or boring) as unflavored milk, Magic Milk Straws come along. While the magic is debatable, we can imagine that the straws enchant calcium-conscious parents and their kids. Stuffed with tiny candy-like pieces in pink, brown, and white, the s ... More >>

7 Ridiculously Tacky Commercialized Christmas Tree Ornaments

You know that complaints about the commercialization of Christmas are as unfashionable as figgy pudding when "Your Ad Here"-equivalent Christmas ornaments are popular store items. Companies like Coca-Cola pay big bucks to buy advertising space on billboards and bus stops, but they've cleverly figu ... More >>

Stage Raw: Krunk-Fu Battle Battle

COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGSNEW THEATER REVIEWS   Stage FEATURE on William Leavitt's Spectral Analysis Courtesy of East West PlayersKrunk-Fu Battle Battle​Though Mayank Keshaviah found thin patches in the new musical Krunk-Fu Battle Battle (book by Qui Nguyen, lyrics by Beau Sia and vocal ... More >>

New Yale Study: Kids Like Junk Food With Cartoon Packaging

An unhealthy Scooby Snack​On one hand, the new Yale study that was released yesterday, proving that children think junk food tastes best coming from cartoon-friendly packaging, seems a bit obvious and unnecessary. But on the other hand, just about every news outlet in the country seemed to run ... More >>

Midnight Countdown -- to L.A. Cable TV Blackout

As of yet there is no sign that telecom giants Viacom and Time Warner Cable have settled their dispute over new pay rates -- a no-prisoners battle that threatens to pull the plug on L.A.'s two-million Time Warner cable TV customers. At issue is Viacom's demand for an extra $39 million to be paid by ... More >>

Preschool Confidential

Season two of seminal kids’ show Yo Gabba Gabba! has arrived. DJ Lance Rock and others attempt to explain its allure

Not As Seen on TV

Hispanics and high-speed chases — bad boys, bad boys, or just a bad rap?

New on DVD: Hiya, Kids!! A '50s Saturday Morning

Attention-span hell or mother's little helper?

Feeding Boys, Ayaya