On the thread about slanguage, we've touched on the subject of accents. I've been wondering which accents are most attractive, least attractive, and most intriguing to difference groups?

For example, I think most people in the US find the British accents and Australian versions of English more pleasing to the ear than the various patterns occurring in the states, although I don't know why. Perhaps from frequent exposure to it, I can pick up a Canadian accent even when the speaker has been long removed from Canada. My favorite US accent is that spoken in Minnesota, which sounds a lot like a lot of Canadians.

I have heard that native German speakers find American accented German attractive, but British accented German unpleasant. What about Italian, French, and whatever else?