borderfilms, Flickr

According to a new Gallup poll, United States citizens truly love our neighbors to the north — in fact, in the company’s annual favorability ratings, 96 percent of Americans said they have a generally favorable view of Canada, while only three percent view it unfavorably.

So who else is in our good graces?

Australia and Great Britain, which respectively had 93 and 90 percent favorable ratings from Americans. Unsurprisingly, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran are at the bottom of the rankings — they earned favorable ratings of 14, 13, and 10 percent.

“Iran is the least well-regarded country measure this year, with 10% of Americans viewing it favorably and 87% unfavorably,” Gallup wrote on its website. “Americans’ favorable ratings of Iran have been consistently low since Gallup’s first measurement with this question in 1989, mostly registering around 10% but with a range from 5% (in1989) to 17% (in 2004).”

Here’s the top 20 list — check out the full report for more.

2012 Favorability Toward Countries

1. Canada – 96 percent
2. Australia – 93 percent
3. Great Britain – 90 percent
4. Germany – 86 percent
5. Japan – 83 percent
6. France – 75 percent
7. India – 75 percent
8. Israel – 71 percent
9. Greece – 62 percent
10. Mexico – 51 percent
11. Russia – 50 percent
12. Egypt – 47 percent
13. Saudi Arabia – 42 percent
14. China – 41 percent
15. Cuba – 37 percent
16. Libya – 25 percent
17. Iraq – 24 percent
18. The Palestinian Authority – 19 percent
19. Syria – 17 percent
20. Pakistan – 15 percent

[Gallup]

Relativity Media / Summit Entertainment / Lionsgate / Universal Pictures

We know winter has been long and cold, so duck into a theater this weekend to shake off the doldrums — the four new flicks opening in wide release should have a little something for everyone.

The long-awaited ‘Act of Valor’ stars real active-duty Navy SEALS in a fictionalized account of SEAL operations that takes audiences on an adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-their-seat journey.

In the suspense thriller ‘Gone,’ a woman who escaped from a kidnapper a year before discovers her sister has now been abducted by the same maniac.

‘Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds’ is the story of a man jolted out of his predictable routine when the chance to do a good deed finally sparks the courage to exchange the life that’s expected of him for the life he’s always really wanted.

And in ‘Wanderlust,’ Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd star as a stressed-out couple who move in to a hippie commune, where the change of perspective could cause more problems than it solves.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Act of Valor

Directed by: Scott Waugh
Starring: Roselyn Sanchez, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano, Jason Cottle, Rorke, Michael, Dave, Ajay, Sonny, Ray, Van O, Weimy, Emilio Rivera, Gonzalo Menendez
Get Tickets & Showtimes

Gone

Directed by: Heitor Dhalia
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter, Sebastian Stan, Wes Bentley
Get Tickets & Showtimes

Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds

Directed by: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian, Brian J. White, Jordenn Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Beverly Johnson, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Andrew Masset
Get Tickets & Showtimes

Wanderlust

Directed by: David Wain
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda, Malin Akerman
Get Tickets & Showtimes

YouTube

Sophia Grace and little sis Rosie first came to our attention last October when their spot -on rendition of the Nicki Minaj hit ‘Super Bass’ went viral. Since then, the adorable British twosome have been practically adopted by Ellen DeGeneres, who has featured their unexpected hip hop abilities on her daytime show, and also sent them to the Grammys as red carpet correspondents.

Earlier this week, the girls debuted another Nicki Minaj cover, ‘Moment 4 Life,’ on Ellen.

Nicki Minaj is probably one of the more difficult rappers to imitate, due to her frantic style. But, yet again, Sophia Grace is up to the task. And Rosie seems to be starting to really come into her own, contributing more as a singer and dancer. Overlooked younger siblings everywhere are pulling for you, Rosie

Minaj sophomore album, ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’, drops on April 3rd. We can’t wait to see what Sophia Grace and Rosie are going to do with the new material.

Source: TheFW.com

Sotheby's

If you’ve got $80 million burning a hole in your pocket and want to own an artistic masterpiece, break out your checkbook. The last version of Edvard Munch’s well-known painting ‘The Scream’ to be in private hands is going on the auction block.

Sotheby’s auction house will do the honors and expects the iconic work to fetch upwards of $80 million or more. It’s one of only four versions of the 1895 painting, and is currently owned by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of Munch’s.

I have lived with this work all my life, and its power and energy have only increased with time,’ Olsen said. “Now, however, I feel the moment has come to offer the rest of the world a chance to own and appreciate this remarkable work.”

Museums own the other three copies, but this one is considered particularly valuable because it’s done in pastels and is still in the original frame that was hand-painted by Munch himself. In addition, it includes a poem he wrote in which he explains the inspiration behind the work, describing himself as “shivering with anxiety” and feeling “the great scream in nature.”

Proceeds from the sale will go toward building a new museum, art center and hotel in Hvitsten, Norway, where Olsen’s father and Munch were neighbors.

[via Daily Mail]

Source: TheFW.com

Dennis, Flickr

In this economy, people are lucky just to have a job.

Which is perhaps why the majority of Americans would pick job security over higher pay, if given the choice.

The Pew Research Center asked 1,231 adults if, all other things being equal, they would prefer a job with higher pay or more job security. Overall, 58 percent opted for the job security, and 39 percent wanted the bigger bucks. The rest were undecided.

The only age demographic who would go for more money was 18-24-year olds, which is also the group that is likely to paid the least. And even among these youngest workers only 51 percent wanted the higher pay, whereas 48 percent favored job security.

[Pew Research Center]

Lionsgate

Back in the the ’80s, all sorts of  relevant pop cultural stuff would take place in malls. Like Tiffany, who promoted her (only) number one album back on 1987 by touring malls throughout North America.

Sure, pop stars like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez still do the occasional mall pop-in. But these days, malls are mostly just places where one can buy soggy pizza and soap that smells really good. That’s all going to change on March 3rd, when the ‘Hunger Games’ movie takes a page out of Tiffany’s (and Bieber’s) playbook and embarks on promotional tour of America’s malls in anticipation of the film’s March 23rd premiere.

According to Lionsgate, which is producing the movie, the tour will give fans a chance to interact with the movie’s stars, who will appear at the events.

Each stop will include a Q&A event where fans will have a chance to ask questions of their favorite cast members and participate in fun giveaways such as a chance to win a limited-edition Hunger Games HP Folio PC from the Microsoft Store or additional Hunger Games gear. Talent will be available for select press opportunities the morning of each tour stop,” reads the press release.

Malls in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle and Atlanta will also be included on the tour, which ends March 10. Not every actor will be at every event — for example headline star Jennifer Lawrence will only be hitting LA, Miami, Minneapolis and Seattle — so make sure to check the schedule before heading out.

Source: TheFW.com

ronin691, Flickr

Family dinners for one Minnesota clan probably got a lot more uncomfortable after an uncle was sued for posting embarrassing photos of his nephew on Facebook. Unfortunately for the embarrassed nephew, it seems that a district court says the lawsuit has no merit.

Aaron Olson brought the harassment suit against his uncle, Randall LaBrie, after LaBrie posted a childhood photo of the young Aaron posing in front of a Christmas tree along with a snarky caption. LaBrie agreed to untag his nephew from the photo, but refused to take the embarrassing shot down. To add insult to injury, LaBrie told Olson that if he didn’t like it, he could just stay off Facebook.

While that certainly won’t win LaBrie any Uncle of the Year awards, he’s in the clear legally. Judge Natalie E. Hudson ruled that “to constitute harassment, words must have a substantial adverse effect on the safety, security, or privacy of another. Comments that are mean and disrespectful, coupled with innocuous family photos, do not affect a person’s safety, security, or privacy — and certainly not substantially so.”

We’re not sure which is worse: being an insensitive jerk, or being overly-sensitive and litigious. Either way, it’s clear now that you can’t sue over awkward family photos.

[via Mashable]

Source: TheFW.com

The Weinstein Company

Netflix has certainly had its share of woes over the past year, but it recently scored a big victory by signing an exclusive deal with The Weinstein Company — a deal that will allow Netflix to stream flicks from the movie powerhouse well before pay cable networks get their hands on them.

The arrangement means Netflix can stream recent releases like Oscar front-runner ‘The Artist,’ Ralph Fiennes’ ‘Coriolanus,’ Madonna’s directorial effort ‘W.E.’ and the celebrated high-school football documentary ‘Undefeated’ within a year of their theatrical runs. Having early access to the Weinstein catalog will be a boost for the beleaguered Netflix and its often-paltry “new releases” section (even if no one really wants to see ‘W.E.’).

“The content lets Netflix differentiate itself from competitors like Amazon Prime, or pay TV like HBO,” said Justin Colatosti, an analyst with Dawson James Securities in Boca Raton, Florida.

In addition to the new deal with Weinstein, Netflix is hoping to regain some of the consumer traction it’s lost over the past year by offering at least five exclusive original series on its service by the middle of 2013.

In the meantime, check out the best new titles streaming on Netflix for the month of February.

[via AV Club]

Source: TheFW.com

To be fair, Thompson already looks a bit like Gosling, but the six steps he lays out here could easily be adopted by anyone. All it takes is a new wardrobe that includes a dark jacket with a high collar, a manicured beard that’s “more GQ than it is grizzly,” a tiny thrust of the jaw and just the hint (not too much!) of a smile.

Then, Thompson says, style your hair like Gosling’s. If that’s not possible, cover with a hoodie. Finally, try to mimic Gosling’s voice and — presto! — you’re halfway to dating Eva Mendes.

Source: TheFW.com

yourdon, Flickr

When you talk on the phone, do you hold it up to your right ear or your left? Scientists say your preference could reveal a lot about you.

A new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found a strong link between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to a call. More than 70 percent of us hold our phones up to the ear on the same side as our dominant hand — in other words, right-handed people use their right ear, and vice versa.

Left-brain dominant people (whose speech and language center is on the left side of the brain) are more likely to be right-handed and to use their right ear for phone calls, even though the hearing there was found to be no better. The opposite is also true — right-brain dominant people tend to use their left hand to hold the phone in their left ear.

“Our findings have several implications, especially for mapping the language center of the brain,” says Dr. Michael Seidman, director of the division of otologic and neurotologic surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.

He added that his work also adds to a growing body of evidence that finds no link between cell phone use and cancer — otherwise, he said, since most people are right-handed and tend to use their right ears for cell calls, tumors would almost always occur on the right side of the head or neck.

[Science Daily]

Thinkstock

Adults who are obese report higher rates of daily pain than those who are not, according to a recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey.

The survey released Wednesday found the higher an individual body mass index, the more likely he or she is to report experiencing pain, with 44.1 percent of those with BMIs of 40 or higher saying so.

Sixty-three percent of the 1,010,762 people who responded to the survey were classified as overweight (38 percent) or obese (25 percent). Obese respondents were further classified into one of three obesity levels as defined by the World Health Organization.

BMI Classification

• Obese III (40 or >) 44.1 percent
• Obese II (35 – 40) 34.7 percent
• Obese I (30 – 35) 27.7 percent
• Overweight (25 – 30) 21.8 percent
• Low to Normal (<25) 18.9 percent

Survey results are based on telephone interviews, of more than 1 million adults age 18 and older, from January 2, 2008 to June 30, 2010.

Source: TheCheckup.com

Van-Halen.com

Welcome back to the David Lee Roth interview show! Tonight’s guests include everybody’s favorite rock star duo of brotherly love. No, not Noel and Liam, it’s Eddie and Alex! Roth sits down with the Van Halen brothers for a little Q&A. Who better to dig under the surface for some historical Van Halen anecdotes than the ringleader himself?

After a quick lesson on what Starbucks and McDonalds are really selling from Alex, the conversation quickly shifts to record contracts, the language used in them, and general frustrations of ‘the biz.’ It’s all talked about pretty humorously, and a particularly funny story about their first accountant follows. The trio then starts dishing some good info on the hectic time they had getting their second record done, seeing as how they were given just three weeks to do so. It’s cool to see just how at ease and happy they are, just sitting and talking together.

A similarly entertaining conversation about the Van Halen brothers’ musical educations popped up on the band’s official site a few weeks back. With another ‘to be continued..” tag popping up at the end of this one, we can rest assured there will be more tales of past lives and general merriment to follow!

Watch David Lee Roth Interview Eddie And Alex Van Halen

Source: UltimateClassicRock.com

andjohan, Flickr

For job interviews, it used to be enough to just show up in a nice suit, answer some perfunctory questions and be on your way.

But these days, some companies have changed the interview process so much that candidates wind up feeling as though they’re trying out for a reality TV show instead of simply vying for a 9-5 paycheck.

The Los Angeles Times calls the trend “extreme interviewing,” and cites the example of one company that made internship hopefuls write 13 different 140-character messages on Twitter to illustrate why they should be chosen for the gig.

In addition, other interviewees are now often asked questions for which there is no right answer, like, “If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” or “On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?”

The popular Pinkberry chain even asks potential hires to act out fake commercials and come up with marketing plans for hypothetical new products — and that’s just for a job scooping frozen yogurt. In a statement, the company said such exercises “allow us to see immediate impact on team connectedness, demonstrate service and leadership skills and unveil entrepreneurial spirit.”

Bottom line: the next time you have an interview, keep in mind that while you probably won’t have to eat anything icky in ‘Fear Factor’ style, you may very well have to prove your worth in a variety of bizarre ways.

[Time]

YouTube

Mike Myers has never been nominated for an Academy Award. A fact that shouldn’t shock anybody who has seen ‘The Love Guru.’

But despite this oversight, Myers is still a very talented actor. Don’t believe us? Check out his hilarious turn as Oscar etiquette expert Sir Cecil Worthington in this promotional video for the 2012 Academy Awards.

It seems Kevin Kline, a 1989 Academy Award winner for ‘A Fish Called Wanda,’ has been mistreating his statuette.

So the Academy has asked Worthington to retrain Kline on the ways of handling the world’s most famous golden midget. As you can see, Kline proves a worthy pupil. And Worthington, who is so obsessed with the eight-and-a half pound prize that he doesn’t even have time to watch any movies, drops all kinds of Oscar knowledge as he teaches Kline the error of his ways.

But what it all boils down to, really, is that an Oscar winner must remember to keep the statuette on an even surface. All you future Oscar winners out there take note.

Source: TheFW.com

Thinkstock/Jason Kempin, Getty/Thinkstock/Thinkstock

The Academy Awards take place this weekend. It’s Hollywood’s biggest night and it might be yours, too, if you go to a good Oscars party. If you do wrangle an invite, make sure to avoid any of the following people, who typically show up at an Oscars bash.

The woman who loves ‘Titanic’

Thinkstock/Paramount Pictures

People who survived the legendary boat’s sinking didn’t have as tough a time moving on as this woman does from the fact the 1997 movie’s moment in the sun is over. This woman constantly brings up how romantic the love story was, how sad the ending was and how Leonardo DiCaprio failing to pick up a best actor nomination was the biggest disgrace in Hollywood since ‘Ishtar.’ And don’t even get her started on how much she loves Kate Winslet.

The woman who thinks she’s Joan Rivers

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Yup, this woman is convinced she’s on E!’s ‘Fashion Police.’ She always has to give her opinion on what so-and-so is wearing and make some sort of snide remark, like she’s testing out material to use at her next open mic night. We get it — Bjork looked weird in her swan dress. That reference is over a decade old.

The gossip

Kevin Winter, Getty Images/Thinkstock

A one-person TMZ, this annoying partygoer is the Lisa Turtle of the party. When Jennifer Aniston walks out onto the stage to present an award, the gossip immediately feels the need to remind everyone about her well-known romantic history and usually punctuates it with a dated reference like, “I still can’t believe she couldn’t make it work with Vince Vaughn. They seemed so good together.” She needs to jump in the time machine she shares with the ‘Titanic’ fan and push 2012.

The dude

Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr

Generally speaking, Oscar parties are not the most masculine of events, but chances are there’s at least one guy there. And somehow he’s great friends with every woman in attendance. They all love him – like a brother – yet no one knows why he’s been single since his tragic fourth grade breakup. What no one seems to realize is he’s been harboring a crush on one of the women there since the ‘80s, but he’s gotten so far into the “friend zone” that it would take a team of EMS rescue workers to dig him out.

The person who has to get up early the next morning

Thinkstock

Why this person came to the party remains as big a mystery as why exactly he or she has to get up early. It’s a matter shrouded in secrecy because you can’t get a straight answer when you ask why they have to be up early. He or she feels compelled to tell everyone that they have a 3 am flight the next morning, claiming it’s “for work” and “I guess I’ll just sleep on the plane.” Next time, don’t go to an Oscar party, buddy. The show is never under three hours.

The woman who is always surprised

Thinkstock

No matter the winner, this person is stunned, as if the academy is pulling some sort of joke. When Natalie Portman won best actress for ‘Black Swan,’ she was in a state of disbelief matched only by the test audience for any non-animated Eddie Murphy movie, even though Portman was considered the frontrunner. This person is also the type to be caught off-guard when Meryl Streep picks up her annual nomination for whatever movie required her to wear a wig and adopt a British accent this year. “Doesn’t Meryl already have enough nominations??,” the surprised woman bellows, to anyone within earshot.

The person who hasn’t seen a movie in a really, really long time

Warner Bros/Thinkstock

The Oscars are not the best event to play catch up. If the last Academy Award-winning film you saw was ‘Out of Africa,’ then you’re probably not the ideal person to attend an Oscars bash. This person usually says things like, “I haven’t seen ‘American Beauty’ yet, but it’s in my Netflix queue” or “I had ‘The Departed’ in my Netflix queue, but it never got shipped to me” or “Someone hacked into my Netflix account just before I was supposed to get ‘Gangs of New York.’” Maybe the moral is you shouldn’t have a Netflix account.

The ‘Movie buff’

Thinkstock

You know this snob. Midway through the evening, this self-proclaimed connoisseur starts talking about how great the cinematography in ‘The Artist’ was. Here’s a little-known fact: no one cares about the cinematography. The cinematographer barely cares about the cinematography. So when this person starts blabbing on about how ‘Hugo’ is an homage to the work of French surrealist filmmaker George Méliès, make sure you have a blunt object at the ready to hurl in their general direction.

Source: TheFW.com

Ethan Miller,Getty Images

Man, those Journey guys keep getting into legal trouble! After the news last week about Neil Schon being served with a (seemingly dubious) 50 million dollar lawsuit brought by his new girlfriend’s estranged husband, now we hear that Journey drummer Deen Castronovo has agreed to complete 80 hours of community service as a result of an alleged assault case from about a month ago.

This stems from an incident last month when Castronovo was arrested after a neighbor called the police to report a man and woman fighting. The couple in question turned out to be Castrovono and an ex-girlfriend. After the incident, the Journey sticksman was charged with reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief, harassment and interfering with making a police report.

On Jan. 31, he pled not guilty to the four charges, all of which are misdemeanors, in Polk County Circuit Court. In addition to the community service, he is also required to attend anger management classes as part of a diversion agreement. That wheel in the sky, sure does keep on turning doesn’t it?!

Source: UltimateClassicRock.com

Henry S. Dziekan III, Getty Images/GQ

Anyone picked up the latest issue of GQ? Well, this time around you should ’cause Trey Songz got himself a nice little spread in there, looking suave as hell. The photos aren’t available online yet, so now’s the time to run to a newsstand and find out exactly what we’re talking about. (Or, we suppose, you can just wait that extra week or so until it hits the web.)

Trey’s GQ pics were a much needed reminder of how sexy he is. We already knew this, but lately he’s been getting upstaged in the news by Chris Brown and that singing president of ours. He’s also proving himself to be quite the style icon. (Maybe even more stylish than Kanye West. Is that blasphemous to say?)

Vibe Magazine

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Twitter, @treysongz

Andrew H. Walker/Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Daniel Barry, Getty Images

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says wireless resources are not infinite.

In fact, the smartphones to which we’re all so addicted are gobbling so much bandwidth that as early as next year, we could be paying more for our service — not to mention seeing slower data speeds and an increase in dropped calls.

The FCC calls the issue “spectrum crunch” and officials there are worried it could be a very real problem, with one saying, “Network traffic is increasing … [Carriers] can manage it for the next couple years, but demand is inevitably going to exceed the available spectrum.”

Rory Altman, director of technology consultancy Altman Vilandrie & Co., added, “We got into this principally because technology and demand exploded at a rate that nobody had anticipated.”

The current wireless spectrum is distributed among companies and entities unevenly, with some having more than they need and others having too little. In early March, Congress is expected to vote on an FCC plan to hold incentive auctions that would help balance things out, something FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says would not only help to free up spectrum resources but would also greatly benefit the US Treasury.

[CNN Money]

A composer, comedy songwriter and documentary filmmaker, Hill said he plans to establish a “Senate for Terrestrial Alien Relations,” replace military war machines with flying discs and release all top secret government UFO files on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hill also wants to build giant stone pyramids near the Hollywood sign, Pikes Peak and Alcatraz Island. The Statue of Liberty will need to be replaced too. But don’t worry, says Hill, a nifty monument to Zaxon, who he describes as “the leader of the good aliens,” will go in its place. Got all that? Good. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go work on our tinfoil hats.

Would you vote for UFO Phil? Is he any crazier than fellow candidate, self-proclaimed “friendly fascist”/wizard Vermin Supreme?

Source: TheFW.com

My Fox Atlanta

At Atlanta pizzeria is receiving both cheers — and jeers — for the notice it recently printed on its menus asking parents of noisy children to take their kids outside.

After Donnie Parmer, co-owner of Grant Central Pizza, got an abundance of complaints (both in person and on the review site Yelp) about screaming or unruly children in his restaurant, he added the following notice to the bottom of his menus:

Dear all present and future patrons: GCP is proud of its reputation as a family restaurant, a title that we will work to keep. Unfortunately a number of our diners have posted unpleasant experiences because of crying and unsupervised children. To ensure that all diners have an enjoyable lunch or dinner with us we respectfully ask that parents tend to their crying tots outside.”

Parmer says that while he likes kids and Grant Central Pizza is a family establishment, it’s not fair for little ones to disrupt the entire dining room. He cites an incident in which a child hit an adult patron in the head with a toy as the last straw that made him print the public notice.

While some parents are offended, saying “noise is just part of the experience in a family restaurant,” other customers applauded the gesture and said it’ll make them more likely to visit the restaurant.

[My Fox Atlanta]