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LOVE IT

North Dakota has replaced Hawaii as the happiest state in the U.S., according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Party in Bismarck, anyone?

TIME’s Lev Grossman calls Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction “an urgent, essential reframing of humankind’s impact on the natural world.”

Moschino debuted a McDonald’s-inspired collection at Milan Fashion Week, and it’s actually … kind of palatable?

Matthew McConaughey on the art of an Oscars acceptance speech: “If I start with ‘All right, all right, all right’ and ‘Thank you,’ I really can’t go wrong.”

HAIKU REVIEW

Solid tunes, sharp hooks–/ Her voice blasts like dynamite./ Alas, there’s no soul.

–SAM LANSKY ON LEA MICHELE’S LOUDER (OUT MARCH 4)

OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ

Soccer is known to inspire rabid fandom–but fine artwork? Don’t scoff. In advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is offering a full collection of fútbol-fueled pieces (like Kehinde Wiley’s 2010 oil painting of U.K. star Samuel Eto’o, above, which was originally commissioned by Puma), on view through June 20.

THE DIGITS

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Boxes of cookies a Girl Scout sold (including all of her Tagalongs and Dulce de Leches) in two hours–after she set up shop outside a San Francisco medical-marijuana dispensary. According to her mother, that’s a 46% increase over the product she moved in the same time span outside a Safeway.

QUICK TALK

Ashanti

It may be more than five years since she dropped a new album, but that doesn’t mean the “Foolish” singer has been sitting around. In fact, Ashanti, 33, has started her own record label, for which she recorded Braveheart (out March 4).

–LILY ROTHMAN

This album was supposed to come out months ago. What caused the delay?

Me being the head of my record label, there are so many things to deal with–and while that’s happening, I’m like, “You know what, let me go into the studio.” I love recording. I love what I do. Timing, sometimes, it wasn’t my friend.

Does your album Braveheart have anything to do with the Mel Gibson movie?

Kind of. In the movie, the Scots have homemade weapons and paint and they’re barefoot, but their drive and their passion are undeniable. I feel like that’s the position I’m taking.

How so?

Being a young female artist with an indie label, especially with the music industry changing so fast–I think it’s an extremely brave move.

And I take it you’re a fan of the movie.

It’s definitely one of my favorites.

How many times have you seen it?

I haven’t watched it recently, but one of my fans bought me two DVDs for Valentine’s Day.

Speaking of valentines, one of your new tracks is called “First Real Love.” How do you know when it’s real?

If you’re in a one-room shack eating peanut butter and jelly and you’re still happy, that’s real love.

“ON MY RADAR

Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, especially Beverly Hills and Atlanta

“I can’t lie. They get crunk. They definitely get crunk. It’s a guilty pleasure.”

BEAR WITH THEM

Yes, a theater full of paper pandas–like Taipei’s National Theater, seen here on Feb. 24 populated by 1,600 of the bears and one Taiwanese tree frog–is pretty cute. But they’re not just there for fun. Created by French artist Paulo Grangeon for an exhibition called “Pandas on Tour,” the creatures are meant to draw attention to their real counterparts’ scarcity: it’s estimated that there are only about 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild.

ROUNDUP

The Walking Dead

NBC’s decision to uncancel Heroes–the superhero drama, which went off the air in 2010, will return next year as Heroes Reborn–is just the latest network flip-flop to whip fans into a frenzy. Fox’s 24, which ended its initial run in 2010, is coming back in May. But how will these revamps fare? We charted a few of their notable predecessors.

LEAST SUCCESSFUL

FEAR FACTOR

NBC’s 2013 revival of the early ’00s obsession–hosted by Joe Rogan–debuted to middling ratings and lasted just eight episodes.

THE KILLING

Despite dwindling viewership and critical apathy, the drama series–starring Mireille Enos–has staved off two separate cancellations: one in 2012 and another in 2013. A fourth and “final” season will air on Netflix.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Netflix’s much hyped revival of the cult-hit series–starring Jessica Walter–debuted to lackluster reviews, and there’s no word on another season.

FUTURAMA

Comedy Central resurrected Matt Groening’s award-winning series in 2008–five years after Fox canceled it–and it ran for three more seasons.

MOST SUCCESSFUL

FAMILY GUY

The Seth MacFarlane series lasted just three seasons during its first go-round, but astronomical DVD sales inspired Fox to uncancel it in 2005. It’s been going strong ever since.

LEAVE IT

Lily Allen is naming her forthcoming album Sheezus. “It’s an homage” to Kanye West’s Yeezus, she explained via Twitter.

TIME’s James Poniewozik likens ABC’s Mixology, a sitcom about singles hooking up over the course of one night in a bar, to “a novelty cocktail: a daring concoction with too many ingredients that eventually leaves you with a headache.”

A U.K.-based food company is launching a line of frozen potatoes shaped like hashtags and @ symbols called Mas#tags. Their taglines: #NEW and #tasty.

After 20 years, the Milk Processor Education Program is ditching its signature “Got Milk?” slogan for the vague-ish “Milk Life.”

FOR TIME’S COMPLETE TV, FILM AND MUSIC COVERAGE, VISIT time.com/entertainment

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