Most parents who allow their young children to watch TV spend a lot of time fretting over issues such as which shows are age-appropriate, which ones are educational or improving, and which ones could be harmful.

The latest kids' show to be called into question is Nickelodeon's long-running cartoon series, 'SpongeBob SquarePants.' According to The Wrap, a study due to be published online Monday by the journal 'Pediatrics' found that watching just nine minutes of 'SpongeBob' had a negative effect on four-year-olds' attention spans.

Nickelodeon questioned the validity of the findings, criticizing the small size of the control group and pointing to the fact that 'SpongeBob' is targeted at children aged six to eleven, not four.

R&B star Usher has an excellent sense of style. But when he appeared on the latest episode of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' (weekdays, syndicated), the singer got some new fashion tips from an unlikely source.

DeGeneres first inquired about Usher's tattoos, suggesting a new addition to the singer's body-ink: "Maybe you want my face on you somewhere?" "...Ooh," said Usher. "As a tattoo!" DeGeneres clarified.

Watch the video after the jump.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

At first I thought 'C.O.P.S' was the long-running FOX show, but then I saw that it was only Vol. 2 and it was spelled, well, 'C.O.P.S' and realized it was another show, an 80s show about cyborg cops in the future. I barely remember it (in fact, I think I remember the logo and the toys that came from it, but that's it).

But there's a new 'MST3K!'

• 'The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' - Vol. 3
• 'Breaking Bad' - Season 1 (Blu-Ray) and Season 2
• 'C.O.P.S.' - Vol. 2

I left the Nickelodeon demographic many, many (too many) years ago, but I'll admit that there are still some shows on the cable channel that I watch. They're mostly in the nighttime schedule though: some 'Fairly OddParents,' some 'SpongeBob,' maybe an episode of 'George Lopez' or 'Malcolm in the Middle' once in a while. So there aren't a lot of shows on the list of new shows coming to the channel that I'm interested in seeing (well, maybe one...)

'Victorious' sounds a lot like 'High School Musical,' as its about a teen girl who goes to an elite arts school where everyone sings and dances; 'Kung Fu Panda' is based on the movie; 'Planet Sheen' has a character from 'Jimmy Neutron' stuck on another planet; 'T.U.F.F. Puppy' is about a group of superhero dogs; and 'Bubble Guppies' (which sounds like a medical problem) is an animated show for kids set in an underwater classroom.

The only show I might be interested in is 'House of Anubis,' since it's about a group of people who go around Europe looking for clues to a mystery and sounds a little like 'National Treasure' or 'The Da Vinci Code.' It's produced in Europe.

Are you ready kids? (Aye, aye captain!) I can't hear you! (Aye, aye captain!)

Oooooooooo...

Guess who's been asked to do 26 episodes for TV?

(SpongeBob SquarePants!)

Nickelodeon submitted the order for more hilarity!

(SpongeBob SquarePants!)

The show that Stephen Hillenburg helped create

(SpongeBob SquarePants!)

Now has episodes that total 178!

(SpongeBob SquarePants!)

Ready?

Question: who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Answer: for at least one more year, 'SpongeBob Squarepants.'

Yes, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the beloved kids show has been renewed for an eighth season, with a full slate of 26 episodes ordered by parent network Nickelodeon. 'SpongeBob,' which first debuted back in 1999, celebrated its tenth anniversary on Nov. 6 with the special 'Truth or Square,' which drew an impressive 7.7 million viewers.

The Nickelodeon family of networks is recruiting all of its top stars to fill its holiday line-up.

You might need to take a break here, as this is a pretty extensive list of specials and such -- all featuring Spongebob Squarepants and his fellow animated megastars. For all listings, make sure to check local listings for times, etc.

Starting off, on Saturday, Dec. 12, the network's "Naughty or Nice Night" will feature new holiday episodes of True Jackson, VP and The Troop.

Nickelodeon will also show repeats of holiday-themed episodes of hit SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly and The Fairly OddParents, starting this week -- with a marathon on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. The network will also serve up "Miranda Madness" from Dec. 14 through Dec. 24, from 4 - 8 PM, featuring themed marathons of iCarly and Drake & Josh.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

There are several different versions of the season 5 set for Lost being released this week, from a regular set (actually called an "Expanded Edition") and a Blu-ray version of that set, plus a "Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit" set in both regular format and in Blu-ray. Those sets have the extras you see in the pic above (deleted scenes, bloopers, interviews, etc), plus...a videotape! That's one of the cooler extras you'll find in a DVD set, eh?

• Friday - Complete Series
• The Fugitive - Season 3, Vol. 2
• Get Smart - Season 5
• Highlander - Season 1 (Blu-ray)
• The Jerry Lewis Show - The Jerry Lewis Show
• The Judy Garland Show - Collection
• Lost - Season 5
• McLeod's Daughters - Pilot Movie
• Perry Mason - Season 4, Vol. 2
• Rescue Me - Season 5, Vol. 2
• SpongeBob SquarePants - Season 6, Vol. 1

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Popularly licensed and profitable is he!"

That's not how the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song goes, but the statement is factually correct. The Nickelodeon yellow legend is still immensely popular across various age ranges. And that gives you some easy gift ideas for kids in and around your family.

Rather than merely give the kid in question a stuffed sponge for the holidays, you can dig a little deeper and offer up a couple Spongebob board games from Hasbro for less than $25 each.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Edition of "Kid Cranium" mixes up artistic activities with a trivia-based board game to let kids express themselves while they kick your grown-up butt.

• At 8, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by new episodes of Ugly Betty and 20/20.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• HGTV has a new Divine Design at 8.
• Nickelodeon has two new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants at 8, then two new episodes of The Penguins of Madagascar.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk, followed by a new White Collar.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of Ghost Adventures at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO2 has a Bored To Death marathon.
• At 10, Food Network has a new "best of" Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• At 11, VH-1 has a new Storytellers with Foo Fighters.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

The popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants amongst kids (and many adults) is almost beyond explanation.

Don't get me wrong. It's a fun show that skillfully blends little kid appeal with occasional bursts of adult-worthy humor. It also boasts an impressive voice cast, including Tom Kenny and Clancy Brown. But there are kids who can't live without this little tie-clad yellow blob.

To celebrate the little champ's tenth birthday, Nickelodeon has announced SpongeBob's 10th Anniversary Celebration (Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.) with a list of A-list celebrities, including Rosario Dawson, Craig Ferguson, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, LeBron James, Pink, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Robin Williams.

That impressive collection will appear in an hour-long special featuring SpongeBob flashbacks.

The special is hosted by Patchy the Pirate, "President of the SpongeBob Fan Club (Encino Chapter)." He sets off for Burbank -- home of Nickelodeon. (It's on Olive, near Victory -- in case you were wondering.)

• Nickelodeon has a SpongeBob SquarePants marathon all night.
• At 8, NBC has a new Kings.
• ESPN has World Cup Softball at 8, the U.S. vs. Japan at 8.
• Versus has Tour de France coverage at 8.
• HGTV has a new Divine Design at 8.
• At 8:30, FOX has a new Cops, then a new America's Most Wanted.
• At 9, CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show.
• BBC America has a new Primeval at 9.
• VH-1 has the movie The Jacksons: An American Dream at 9.
• TBS has the season premiere of The Bill Engvall Show at 9 (two episodes).
• At 10, ABC has a new Dirty Sexy Money.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has two new episodes of Bleach.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Ads for fast food kids' meals usually try to appeal to children. Not the child in all of us, actual children.

Burger King's new Kids' Meal ad doesn't just try to appeal to the parents in the room who don't care about their child's cholesterol intake. Its choice of music tries to appeal to the parents who are deaf.

The ad features a new rendition of Sir-Mix-A-Lot's classic big butt anthem "Baby Got Back" that talks about how he now "likes square butts and cannot lie." The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood isn't as amused and has started a letter writing campaign against the restaurant chain and the Nickelodeon network to express their disgust for cubed booty.

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

It's not just American children, immature American adults and Japanese women who love the little yellow guy. It looks like Chinese are big fans of SpongeBob Squarepants as well. Creator Stephen Hillenburg must be kvelling.

The beautiful thing about the show is its ability to cross cultures. SpongeBob is such an overall silly character that he does well in translation. Not bad for a sponge who's been around for 10 years already.

Given that the Chinese will own the United States within a generation (or so I believe), it's good that Hillenburg is already making conciliatory gestures towards his new Chinese overlords with this series. As the rest of us work the salt mines to pay off our massive bailout debt, he (or his heirs) will be churning out new episodes in the comfort of a small, cramped state-run studio.

On an tangential note, I'm still waiting for Nickelodeon to bring back Invader Zim. Still waiting...(sigh).

It looks like Nickelodeon is getting a little further into the games business by releasing both SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly and Dora The Explorer learning games for the iPhone. They will be available later this year.

My question is this: do children of that age really use the iPhone or iPod Touch that much? Most of the people I know who own one or the other are adults or at least teenagers. While I can see some market for SpongeBob SquarePants (which has some adult crossover appeal), I just don't see the grown-ups buying iCarly or Dora.