Latest news with #DoraTheExplorer
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Forgotten soap star shows off huge £27million LA mansion after quitting fame and marrying a multimillionaire
A FORGOTTEN Home and Away star has shown off her plush £27million mansion seven years on from leaving the soap. Pia Whitesell appeared in the programme as Kat Chapman between 2015 and 2018 but she is now living a life that is worlds away from the Aussie soap opera . Advertisement 5 Forgotten soap star Pia Whitesell has shown off her glam LA home Credit: Seven Network/ Channel 5 5 The actress showed off her stunning pool area in Los Angeles Credit: instagram/@pia 5 Pia is married to Hollywood super agent Patrick Whitesell Credit: instagram/@pia The 41-year-old actress is now living it up in a stunning £27million Bel Air mansion with her husband, Hollywood super agent, Patrick Whitesell. She took to Instagram this week to share a glimpse of the luxury swimming pool at the abode. The huge pool is surrounded by half a dozen sun loungers complete with parasols. The glam actress revelled in her luxurious surroundings as she captioned the snap with "How's the serenity?," in reference to the 1997 movie. Advertisement Read more on Soaps The Hollywood super-rich couple's home even includes its own maids quarters and boasts over 19,000 sq ft. As they renovated the home, the couple stayed in their oceanfront Malibu mansion. Pia and Patrick tied the knot in 2021 after he popped the question in late 2020. Her engagement ring is believed to be worth between $1.1m and $1.9mAUD. Advertisement Most read in Soaps Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler She was previously married to AFL footballer Brad Miller. Patrick is the boss of Hollywood media empire Endeavor, former known as WME. It is the talent agency to the stars representing a whole host of the world's A-list talent. It has earned him an estimated net worth of £303million. Advertisement The agency had dedicated teams looking after talent such as Jude Law, LIFE BEFORE HOLLYWOOD Before striking it lucky in Los Angeles, Pia began her career as a model aged 14 in Australia. After three years as a fledling teen model, she took part in reality TV show Make Me A Supermodel in 2001 which landed her a contract with L'Oreal. She transitioned into acting and TV hosting in 2011 before landing her part in Home and Away in 2015. Advertisement Her last acting role was in 2019 when she appeared in a live-action Dora The Explorer movie. She soon retired from acting shortly after and upon meeting Patrick. 5 Pia started out as a model before turning to acting Credit: Handout 5 She lives in a Bel Air home with her husband Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement
CNA
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Pint-size pioneer Dora the Explorer celebrates her 25th anniversary
Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on TVs in the US, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs. 'Hi, I'm Dora. What's your name?' she asked. This was, of course, Dora the Explorer, the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children's programming in the US on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon. 'The show allowed Latinos to be depicted on TV as educators, teaching viewers how to speak our language, and yet at the same time, just teaching ordinary things that children need to learn,' said Brenda Victoria Castillo, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Nickelodeon is celebrating Dora's 25th anniversary with the feature-length live-action movie Dora And The Search Of Sol Dorado, a third season of the rebooted animated series Dora, the podcast Dora's Mermaid Adventures, an album of songs and plenty of toys and apparel. 'The great thing about Dora is that, yes, she celebrates Latin culture through every aspect – language, food, dress and music,' says Ramsey Naito president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon. 'But she also empowers everybody to be their true self and to be brave. She's not exclusive. She's inclusive.' THE ORIGINAL VOICE Kathleen Herles had a special vantage point to see Dora's influence: She was the original voice of the pint-size heroine, cast in the role when she was seven and staying until she was 18 and off to college. 'It has been the longest journey and the greatest adventure of my life – no pun intended,' said Herles, who grew up in New York City to parents of Peruvian descent. On the convention circuit, Herles would see firsthand the power of Dora. 'I remember I would make kids cry, not intentionally,' she says. 'Their mind goes to a memory, to a moment, it's just incredible. It's so special, it's magical.' Herles has lately been the voice actor for Dora's mum on Dora, the reboot that started in 2024. It's a full-circle moment for the actor and singer: 'It changed my life forever, twice.' Dora The Explorer led to what Herles laughingly calls the 'Dora-verse' – the spinoff series Go, Diego, Go!, a sequel series Dora And Friends: Into The City! and the 2019 live-action feature film Dora And The Lost City Of Gold, starring Isabela Merced, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña. Dora co-creator Chris Gifford has watched his creation age up and down and take human form. 'She has been older and she has been younger and she has a hair clip now,' he says. 'Her essence, her positive spirit, her I-can-do-anything-with-your-help attitude has stuck through.' Dora is firmly part of the culture, as big as her Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. There's a reference to her in Inside Out 2, she's been mocked on Saturday Night Live and if you look carefully at the PBS show Alma's Way, you can see a Dora doll in that heroine's bedroom. TikTok users have embraced the Backpack Song. 'Those kids coming of age now – the ones who 25 years ago were just watching it as little preschoolers – they're out there and they're remembering,' says Valerie Walsh Valdes, co-creator of the original series and an executive producer on the new series and movie. CREATING A PROBLEM SOLVER Valdes and Gifford originally had the idea for a show about a little girl who was a problem solver. Like Blue's Clues, it would reward kids for figuring out answers posed by the host. 'Preschoolers are the least powerful people in our world,' says Gifford. 'They're not able to button their sweater and not able to tie their shoes, but if they're able to help Dora get to the City of Lost Toys and really feel like they helped, that's something special.' Nickelodeon suggested the girl be Latina and the creators ran with it, making her pan-Latina so no one would feel excluded. Latin representation on TV – then and now – has been a struggle. The Latino Donor Collaborative's 2024 Latinos in Media report found that Latino actors made up 9.8 per cent of the main cast in lead, co-lead and ensemble roles in scripted shows. In non-scripted television, Latino hosts made up only 5 per centof host roles. That's despite Latin people making up nearly 20 per centof the country. 'There were few programs at the time that featured Latina protagonists with Dora's skin tone or features, so from that perspective, the representation is valuable,' says Erynn Masi de Casanova, head of the Sociology Department at the University of Cincinnati. Dora was put in an animated world inside a computer, and the creators asked kids to help make the show better. They hired education consultants to tease out the skills Dora teaches, like spatial understanding and interpersonal. They brought in language and culture experts. 'We did it!' became her signature song. BILINGUAL HEROINE The series is seen in more than 150 countries and territories and translated in 32 languages on Nickelodeon channels and Paramount+. In English-speaking countries such as the United States and Australia, Dora teaches Spanish; in other markets – including the Hispanic US markets – she teaches English. Samantha Lorraine, 18, who grew up in Miami of Cuban heritage, had the Dora T-shirts and backpack. She laughs that she once even had the Dora bob. In July, she's starring as Dora in Dora And The Search Of Sol Dorado, which was filmed in Colombia. 'I've been doing my audition since day one,' she says. 'It's an honour to be stepping into Dora's shoes. It's such a huge legacy,' she adds. 'It's really nice to be able to be a part of representation where it counts. And Dora is the epitome of that.' Castillo, of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, puts Dora up there with Mickey Mouse in terms of an instantly recognised cultural character and says she's relevant more than ever. 'We need more Doras,' she says. 'If people were just open to being educated in other people's languages and cultures and beliefs and not see it as a threat, we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in this country and the world.'
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Pint-size pioneer 'Dora the Explorer' celebrates her 25th anniversary
NEW YORK — Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on our TVs, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs. 'Hi, I'm Dora. What's your name?' she asked. This was, of course, 'Dora the Explorer,' the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children's programming in the U.S. on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Pint-size pioneer 'Dora the Explorer' celebrates her 25th anniversary
Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on our TVs, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs. 'Hi, I'm Dora. What's your name?' she asked. This was, of course, 'Dora the Explorer,' the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children's programming in the U.S. on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon. 'The show allowed Latinos to be depicted on TV as educators, teaching viewers how to speak our language, and yet at the same time, just teaching ordinary things that children need to learn,' said Brenda Victoria Castillo, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Nickelodeon is celebrating Dora's 25th anniversary with the feature-length live-action movie 'Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,' a third season of the rebooted animated series 'Dora,' the podcast Dora's Mermaid Adventures, an album of songs and plenty of toys and apparel. 'The great thing about Dora is that, yes, she celebrates Latin culture through every aspect — language, food, dress and music,' says Ramsey Naito president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon. 'But she also empowers everybody to be their true self and to be brave. She's not exclusive. She's inclusive.' The original voice Kathleen Herles had a special vantage point to see Dora's influence: She was the original voice of the pint-size heroine, cast in the role when she was 7 and staying until she was 18 and off to college. 'It has been the longest journey and the greatest adventure of my life — no pun intended,' said Herles, who grew up in New York City to parents of Peruvian descent. On the convention circuit, Herles would see firsthand the power of Dora. 'I remember I would make kids cry, not intentionally,' she says. 'Their mind goes to a memory, to a moment, it's just incredible. It's so special, it's magical.' Herles has lately been the voice actor for Dora's mom on 'Dora,' the reboot that started in 2024. It's a full-circle moment for the actor and singer: 'It changed my life forever, twice.' 'Dora the Explorer' led to what Herles laughingly calls the 'Dora-verse' — the spinoff series 'Go, Diego, Go!,' a sequel series 'Dora and Friends: Into the City!' and the 2019 live-action feature film 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold,' starring Isabela Merced, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña. 'Dora' co-creator Chris Gifford has watched his creation age up and down and take human form. 'She has been older and she has been younger and she has a hair clip now,' he says. 'Her essence, her positive spirit, her I-can-do-anything-with-your-help attitude has stuck through.' Dora is firmly part of the culture, as big as her Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. There's a reference to her in 'Inside Out 2,' she's been mocked on 'Saturday Night Live' and if you look carefully at the PBS show 'Alma's Way,' you can see a Dora doll in that heroine's bedroom. TikTok users have embraced the 'Backpack Song.' 'Those kids coming of age now — the ones who 25 years ago were just watching it as little preschoolers — they're out there and they're remembering,' says Valerie Walsh Valdes, co-creator of the original series and an executive producer on the new series and movie. Creating a problem solver Valdes and Gifford originally had the idea for a show about a little girl who was a problem solver. Like 'Blue's Clues,' it would reward kids for figuring out answers posed by the host. 'Preschoolers are the least powerful people in our world,' says Gifford. 'They're not able to button their sweater and not able to tie their shoes, but if they're able to help Dora get to the City of Lost Toys and really feel like they helped, that's something special.' Nickelodeon suggested the girl be Latina and the creators ran with it, making her pan-Latina so no one would feel excluded. Latin representation on TV — then and now — has been a struggle. The Latino Donor Collaborative's 2024 Latinos in Media report found that Latino actors made up 9.8% of the main cast in lead, co-lead and ensemble roles in scripted shows. In non-scripted television, Latino hosts made up only 5% of host roles. That's despite Latin people making up nearly 20% of the country. 'There were few programs at the time that featured Latina protagonists with Dora's skin tone or features, so from that perspective, the representation is valuable,' says Erynn Masi de Casanova, head of the Sociology Department at the University of Cincinnati. Dora was put in an animated world inside a computer, and the creators asked kids to help make the show better. They hired education consultants to tease out the skills Dora teaches, like spatial understanding and interpersonal. They brought in language and culture experts. 'We did it!' became her signature song. Bilingual heroine The series is seen in more than 150 countries and territories and translated in 32 languages on Nickelodeon channels and Paramount+. In English-speaking countries such as the United States and Australia, Dora teaches Spanish; in other markets — including the Hispanic U.S. markets — she teaches English. Samantha Lorraine, 18, who grew up in Miami of Cuban heritage, had the Dora T-shirts and backpack. She laughs that she once even had the Dora bob. In July, she's starring as Dora in 'Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,' which was filmed in Colombia. 'I've been doing my audition since day one,' she says. 'It's an honor to be stepping into Dora's shoes. It's such a huge legacy,' she adds. 'It's really nice to be able to be a part of representation where it counts. And Dora is the epitome of that.' Castillo, of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, puts Dora up there with Mickey Mouse in terms of an instantly recognized cultural character and says she's relevant more than ever. 'We need more Doras,' she says. 'If people were just open to being educated in other people's languages and cultures and beliefs and not see it as a threat, we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in this country and the world.'
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Pint-size pioneer 'Dora the Explorer' celebrates her 25th anniversary
NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on our TVs, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs. 'Hi, I'm Dora. What's your name?' she asked. This was, of course, 'Dora the Explorer,' the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children's programming in the U.S. on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon. 'The show allowed Latinos to be depicted on TV as educators, teaching viewers how to speak our language, and yet at the same time, just teaching ordinary things that children need to learn,' said Brenda Victoria Castillo, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Nickelodeon is celebrating Dora's 25th anniversary with the feature-length live-action movie 'Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,' a third season of the rebooted animated series 'Dora,' the podcast Dora's Mermaid Adventures, an album of songs and plenty of toys and apparel. 'The great thing about Dora is that, yes, she celebrates Latin culture through every aspect — language, food, dress and music,' says Ramsey Naito president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon. 'But she also empowers everybody to be their true self and to be brave. She's not exclusive. She's inclusive.' The original voice Kathleen Herles had a special vantage point to see Dora's influence: She was the original voice of the pint-size heroine, cast in the role when she was 7 and staying until she was 18 and off to college. 'It has been the longest journey and the greatest adventure of my life — no pun intended,' said Herles, who grew up in New York City to parents of Peruvian descent. On the convention circuit, Herles would see firsthand the power of Dora. 'I remember I would make kids cry, not intentionally,' she says. 'Their mind goes to a memory, to a moment, it's just incredible. It's so special, it's magical.' Herles has lately been the voice actor for Dora's mom on 'Dora,' the reboot that started in 2024. It's a full-circle moment for the actor and singer: 'It changed my life forever, twice.' 'Dora the Explorer' led to what Herles laughingly calls the 'Dora-verse' — the spinoff series 'Go, Diego, Go!,' a sequel series 'Dora and Friends: Into the City!' and the 2019 live-action feature film 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold,' starring Isabela Merced, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña. 'Dora' co-creator Chris Gifford has watched his creation age up and down and take human form. 'She has been older and she has been younger and she has a hair clip now,' he says. 'Her essence, her positive spirit, her I-can-do-anything-with-your-help attitude has stuck through.' Dora is firmly part of the culture, as big as her Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. There's a reference to her in 'Inside Out 2,' she's been mocked on 'Saturday Night Live' and if you look carefully at the PBS show 'Alma's Way,' you can see a Dora doll in that heroine's bedroom. TikTok users have embraced the 'Backpack Song.' 'Those kids coming of age now — the ones who 25 years ago were just watching it as little preschoolers — they're out there and they're remembering,' says Valerie Walsh Valdes, co-creator of the original series and an executive producer on the new series and movie. Creating a problem solver Valdes and Gifford originally had the idea for a show about a little girl who was a problem solver. Like 'Blue's Clues,' it would reward kids for figuring out answers posed by the host. 'Preschoolers are the least powerful people in our world,' says Gifford. 'They're not able to button their sweater and not able to tie their shoes, but if they're able to help Dora get to the City of Lost Toys and really feel like they helped, that's something special.' Nickelodeon suggested the girl be Latina and the creators ran with it, making her pan-Latina so no one would feel excluded. Latin representation on TV — then and now — has been a struggle. The Latino Donor Collaborative's 2024 Latinos in Media report found that Latino actors made up 9.8% of the main cast in lead, co-lead and ensemble roles in scripted shows. In non-scripted television, Latino hosts made up only 5% of host roles. That's despite Latin people making up nearly 20% of the country. 'There were few programs at the time that featured Latina protagonists with Dora's skin tone or features, so from that perspective, the representation is valuable,' says Erynn Masi de Casanova, head of the Sociology Department at the University of Cincinnati. Dora was put in an animated world inside a computer, and the creators asked kids to help make the show better. They hired education consultants to tease out the skills Dora teaches, like spatial understanding and interpersonal. They brought in language and culture experts. 'We did it!' became her signature song. Bilingual heroine The series is seen in more than 150 countries and territories and translated in 32 languages on Nickelodeon channels and Paramount+. In English-speaking countries such as the United States and Australia, Dora teaches Spanish; in other markets — including the Hispanic U.S. markets — she teaches English. Samantha Lorraine, 18, who grew up in Miami of Cuban heritage, had the Dora T-shirts and backpack. She laughs that she once even had the Dora bob. In July, she's starring as Dora in 'Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,' which was filmed in Colombia. 'I've been doing my audition since day one,' she says. 'It's an honor to be stepping into Dora's shoes. It's such a huge legacy,' she adds. 'It's really nice to be able to be a part of representation where it counts. And Dora is the epitome of that.' Castillo, of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, puts Dora up there with Mickey Mouse in terms of an instantly recognized cultural character and says she's relevant more than ever. 'We need more Doras,' she says. 'If people were just open to being educated in other people's languages and cultures and beliefs and not see it as a threat, we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in this country and the world.'
