New York Times' advertising columnist Stuart Elliott recently received a query from a concerned reader who was troubled after seeing a Taco Bell commercial filmed in Bethel, Alaska, which features a pretty and "polished" woman — with "awfully" light skin, no less!

Do you like tacos? Do you like music? Do you want a taco with some music in it? Taco Bell addresses your cravings with this absurd press release:

A Vancouver, Washington woman has been accused of offering to sell her 3-day-old son at a southwest Washington Taco Bell.

Taco Bell "beef" pseudo-Mexican delicacies are really made of a gross mixture called "Taco Meat Filling" as shown on their big container's labels, like the one pictured here. The list of ingredients is gruesome. Updated.

H&R Block joins Taco Bell, GM, and Wrigley in pulling its ads from MTV's television show about teens, which isn't cool anyway.

A side-by-side comparison of fast food as it's pictured in advertising versus the food you actually purchase is even more of a fail than you'd think.

In this week's compilation of pop culture crap: a horrifying cornucopia of full-frontal nudity, Elisabeth Hasselback, and sad cats.

It's not surprising that diet companies are pushing their products hard during New Year's resolution season, but you know things have gotten a little out of control when even Taco Bell hops on the ol' weight loss bandwagon.

• Scientists believe they may have discovered why mosquitoes leave some of us alone while they devour others. No, their blood does not "taste better." Mosquitoes respond to certain chemical odors, some of which are tied to stress. •

In honor of the passing of Gidget the Taco Bell Chihuahua yesterday, we've compiled a tribute to the commercial achievements of our favorite animal thespians, from Morris the Cat's unsuccessful presidential bid to the duck that's torturing Ben Affleck.