There's good news, New York: despite what the Internet wants you to believe, your kids probably aren't getting shitfaced off hand sanitizers.

We didn't say they're not getting shitfaced, just that they're doing it the old fashion way and aren't part of the current "trend" of teenagers using sanitation products to get drunk.

The national media has jumped on a story out of California about an alarming number of kids getting alcohol poisoning from ingesting hand sanitizers. Health officials in New York, however, tell the Voice that if kids using hand sanitizers to get drunk is a trend, it's not one that's found its way to the Empire State -- that they know of, anyway.

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Take that, Hollywood!

In the battle for Oscars, New York City is beating Hollywood by a long shot -- at least in one category.

A study released today from the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City-based think tank, shows that half of the films nominated for an Oscar in the documentary-film category were made by New York City-based directors, and four out of the 10 nominated films were produced by New Yorkers.

This is not the first New-York-City-is-actually-better-than-Hollywood news we've heard this year. Last month, our jokester fashion-loving, Gaga-kissing mayor Mike Bloomberg chilled with the cast of Gossip Girl at a press conference declaring New York City the true film capital of the country.

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Suck it, New Jersey!

More Americans like New York, your neighbor to the north, according to a new study.

Public Policy Polling has determined that 40 percent of Americans think of New York favorably -- compared to a mere 25 percent who viewed NJ favorably (via Politicker's Colin Campbell).

If 40 percent doesn't sound too impressive, consider: It's still among the top 15 states!

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New Yorkers told pollsters: "I Heart Barack Obama" in a Quinnipiac University survey released this morning.

They gave him a 50-46 percent job-approval rating, unchanged from his 50-45 percent in December. And 50-45 percent want Obama to stick around and think he deserves to be re-elected to a second term in office.

No surprise here, but New York's voters don't really like any of the Republican candidates that much. Obama beats Mitt Romney 52-35 percent, Newt Gingrich by 57-31 percent, and Rick Santorum by 53-35 percent.

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Only one third of singles expect to get laid on Valentine's Day -- about the same number that Facebook stalk their exes, a new study reveals.

The survey of 515 self-identified singles, conducted by Facebook dating app Areyouinterested.com, finds that 33 percent plan on winding up in bed on what's marketed as the most commercialized romantic day of the year. (Gross.)

Apparently, singles are not deterred by blind dates -- 74 percent would totally meet up with a stranger "indicating singles are not intimidated by the romantic pressure the holiday typically brings."

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New Yorkers really don't like the idea of giving politicians more money, but they do like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Barack Obama a lot, according to a new Siena College poll.

What specifically does our fine state fancy?

Well, pollsters from the college's research institute say that 75 percent of voters see Cuomo favorably, saying that "he's providing the leadership New York has lacked for too long." Still, they don't think he should have more money: 66-75 percent don't think that electeds or appointed officials should get raises.

Meanwhile, Obama is beating his top Republican competition Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich by a wide margin. He has a 32 to 42-point lead over them.

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New York continues its onward march toward looking just like the rest of America.

From the New York Times: "The proliferation of chain stores, banks and pharmacies in the past decade or so has robbed many neighborhoods of the quirky one-of-a-kind shops that give those places their distinct personalities."

Yep. Sounds about right.

Anyway, the City wants to stop this from happening in the Upper West Side: The Department of City Planning would cap the ground-floor width of all new stores to 40 feet on Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues -- and would limit banks to 25 feet. Broadway would also be included.

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Last week, a 12-year-old girl was struck and killed as she crossed Delancey Street on the Lower East Side, in an area that has a reputation for being dangerous for pedestrians.

Now, an advocacy group has said that this tragedy is part of an alarming trend -- that young children in low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately at risk.

A report released yesterday by Transportation Alternatives, called "Child Crashes: An Unequal Burden," suggests that crashes occur at a much higher rate in poorer neighborhoods.

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After thousands of popular websites went offline today and many more individuals took to the Twitterverse to protest SOPA and PIPA, several co-sponsors of the anti-piracy bills have just withdrawn their support, telling reporters that they were worried about the legislations' impact on free speech, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The L.A. Times details that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has taken his name off the Protect Intellectual Property Act, and that Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) have decided to abandon the Stop Internet Piracy Act, the bill's version in the house. According to the New York Times, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also deserted the measure.

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The economy is improving in New York, so prepare to feel poorer!

Because the real estate market has grown stronger recently, Manhattan rents are expected to balloon from 6 to 12 percent, DNA Info reports.

The data, from residential brokerage firm BOND New York , suggest that high rents have returned and "will only climb higher."

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