On PR Newswire: Switzerland Tops List of Best Countries, La La Land in Concert, Generational Home Buying Trends

With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire for Journalists. Here are some of this week’s most newsworthy releases you might have missed.

Source: PRNewsFoto/Switzerland

U.S. News, Y&R’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School Unveil Second Annual Best Countries Rankings

Switzerland debuted as the best country in the world, according to the “2017 Best Countries” report, a joint rankings and analysis project from U.S. News & World Report, Y&R’s BAV Consulting, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Now in its second year, the rankings evaluate 80 countries – up from 60 last year – across a range of criteria, from power and economic influence to citizenship and quality of life, to capture how nations are perceived on a global scale.

Lionsgate Announces the World Premiere of La La Land in Concert: A Live-to-Film Celebration

Lionsgate announced on March 6 that the world premiere of La La Land in Concert: A Live-to-Film Celebration will take place at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on Memorial Day weekend Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27.  Composer Justin Hurwitz will conduct his Oscar-winning score and Oscar-winning song “City of Stars” (with lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul) performed live-to-film by a 100-piece symphony orchestra, choir, and jazz ensemble, accompanying the film’s original vocal recordings. La La Land is written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who won the Oscar for best director.

Source: PRNewsFoto/National Association of Realtors

NAR Survey Finds Gen X on the Mend; More Children Living with Millennials and Boomers

An improving economy, multiple years of strong job growth, and the notable increase in home values in most markets fueled a greater share of purchases from Generation X households over the past year. This is according to the “National Association of Realtors 2017 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends” study, which evaluates the generational differences of recent home buyers and sellers. The survey additionally found that a growing number of millennials and younger boomer buyers have children living at home; student debt is common among Gen X and boomer households; more millennials are buying outside the city; and younger generations are more likely to use a real estate agent.

Home Depot Simplifies Application Process to Fill More Than 80,000 Spring Positions

Home Depot has sped up its online application process by as much as 80% as it begins filling more than 80,000 positions in stores and distribution centers for its spring selling season. Applying for a job at the world’s largest home improvement retailer now takes about 15 minutes using any device, thanks to a shorter application and mobile-optimized Careers site at careers.homedepot.com. “We want everyone to have an easy and convenient experience with The Home Depot, whether they’re shopping with us or applying for a position,” said Tim Crow, EVP-human resources.

Source: PRNewsFoto/Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s First Contemporary Art Auction of 2017 Exceeds Expectations

Sotheby’s spring season of contemporary art auctions began March 2 in New York with Contemporary Curated achieving $26,187,625, above the $16.4/23 million pre-sale estimate.  The sale was led by Ed Ruscha’s Broken Pencil, which nearly tripled its high estimate of $450,000 to sell for $1.3 million, and Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (843-4) from the collection of Ed Cohen and Victoria Shaw that sold for $1.2 million, above the $800,000 pre-sale estimate. Tad Smith, Sotheby’s president and CEO commented, “Our New York Contemporary Curated Sale caught a wave of buying interest due to its clever marketing and outstanding consignments. We are thrilled with the team and further encouraged for next week’s major contemporary sale series in London.”

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Larry Grady is online content manager at PR Newswire for Journalists.  He has worked in business media for nearly 30 years and enjoys reality TV and daydreaming about travel and wine.