Winnie the Pooh

Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, wouldn't take money advice from the prattling poriferan. "He works 97 hours a week; he gets paid for 40," notes Kenny. The modern day Mel Blanc doesn't give himself much credit for his own personal finance smarts either -- but maybe he should.

It's award season in Hollywood, with the Oscars just weeks away. But stocks are forward-looking, so investors are already keying on summer blockbuster season. And a bigger-than-expected summer hit or two can indeed provide a catalyst for media and entertainment company shares.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reached a $1.25 million settlement with RC2, the Illinois-based toy company that makes Thomas the Tank Engine. The settlement pertains to the company's 2007 recall of an estimated 1.7 million Thomas the Tank Engine toys that were deemed to contain lead levels that exceeded the legal limit.