The summer of death is not just consuming people but animals as well. Taco Bell’s mascot, Gidget the chihuahua, has passed away. The lovable “Yo Quiero, Taco Bell” dog died last night of a stroke at age 15.

A chihuahua named Dinky was the original Taco Bell dog, but he was quickly replaced by Gidget. Gidget was in several commercials, print ads for Taco Bell and even went on to star in Legally Blonde 2 as Bruiser’s mom!

Here are some videos of Gidget’s finest moments

What won’t this over-exposed couple do for a spot in the limelight? At least this time it is for a good cause. The Hills’ infamous hated duo, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, helped to kick-off Taco Bell’s ‘Reality Check Challenge’ yesterday, which helps stop world hunger.

“Reality Check Challenge” 2008, which was held at a Los Angeles-area Taco Bell restaurant, in conjunction with World Hunger Relief Movement, is part of a larger global hunger-relief campaign by Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., to raise funds for The World Food Programme.

Yesterday at their local Taco Bell, Heidi and Spencer served up food to Taco Bell customers and took pictures with and signed autographs for their fans. They also encouraged customers to join in the effort to alleviate world hunger by donating at all participating domestic Taco Bell locations. Donations for the World Hunger Giving Cards begin at $1 and all proceeds raised in the U.S. go directly to The Friends of World Food Programme to help combat global hunger. At the conclusion of the event, a $10,000 donation was made by Taco Bell to the World Food Programme in Heidi and Spencer’s name.

“The reality is that hunger is a staggering problem and is responsible for more deaths each year than war, malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined, “ said Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell Corp. “Even though this is an epidemic of global proportions, people can do something about it. I encourage everyone to get involved in the ‘Reality Check Challenge’ and donate to this year’s World Hunger Relief Movement. A dollar donation will help feed four people stricken by hunger. You can make that difference.”

Last week, prior to “Reality Check Challenge” 2008 and as part of World Hunger Relief Movement, Heidi and Spencer joined Taco Bell at Los Angeles’ Union Rescue Mission to serve food to the hungry and homeless in the “Skid Row” area of downtown. During this visit, the couple spent three hours helping feed hundreds of men, women and children stricken by the effects of hunger. At the conclusion of the visit, a $15,000 donation was made by Taco Bell to the mission in Heidi and Spencer’s name. (Yeah, they’re saints.)

“Heidi and I know the importance of bringing awareness to this global problem, and are extremely grateful to partner with Taco Bell and the World Food Programme for the second straight year,” said Spencer Pratt. “Last year, Taco Bell and Yum restaurants raised more than $16 million globally, and our goal is to help surpass that number for 2008.”

About the Friends of World Food Programme (Friends of WFP)

Friends of WFP is a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to building support for the World Food Program (WFP) and other hunger relief efforts. WFP is the largest international food aid organization in the world and the United Nations’ frontline agency in the fight against hunger. For more information, visit www.friendsofwfp.org.

For more information about world hunger relief, please visit www.fromhungertohope.com.

50 Cent is suing Taco Bell for using his name in their commercial advertisements of their new low price menu.

Taco Bell’s president Greg Creed officially asked the rapper to change his name from 50 Cent to 79, 89, or 99 Cent and promised $10K to his charity of choice if he agreed.

“We know that you adopted the name 50 Cent years ago as a metaphor for change. We at Taco Bell are also huge advocates for change. We encourage you to ‘Think Outside the Bun’ and hope you accept our offer.”

You have to admit, it was a funny offer, but we all knew that Fiddy would never do it.

But Fiddy apparently didn’t think it was so funny. He felt that his fans were accusing him of being a sellout and he feels used in that the company took his name without his permission to sell their product. He is asking for $1 million in damages.

The lawsuit document reads,

“Taco Bell traded on the name of the world’s biggest hip-hop star to draw attention to its new, hip-hop-based advertising campaign, and thereby generated massive publicity for its business.”

See the full news report here: CNN.com

Watch a Fiddy Cent Taco Bell parody here: