Iconic Detroiters Eminem and Bob Seger have been recognized by Billboard for accomplishments involving figures that don't have anything to do with the unemployment rate.
Em, who sold more than 32 million albums over the past 10 years, was named Billboard's artist of the decade.
And rocker Seger's "Greatest Hits" album was like a rock on the charts through the '00s, selling more copies than the Beatles "1" and Michael Jackson's "Number Ones." The album, which has gone eight times platinum since its 1994 release, is Billboard's best catalog album of the decade.
Meanwhile, for the third straight week, Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" is the nation's No. 1 album, selling 581,966 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. SuBo's disc, now certified triple platinum, has eclipsed Em's "Relapse" as the best-selling album of '09. YouTube announced the Scottish sensation's "I Dreamed a Dream" video from "Britain's Got Talent" was the site's most-watched clip of the year. It got more than 81 million page views.
The voice of McDonald's
The two U.S. finalists for the Voice of McDonald's global singing competition were announced Wednesday, and they live right here in Michigan.
Stockbridge resident Eddie Davenport, 50, and 17-year-old Fatima Poggi of Dexter beat out more than 10,000 rivals to advance to the finals. The competition is open to all 1.6 million McDonald's employees worldwide.
Davenport and Poggi each will head to Orlando in April to attend the chain's worldwide convention and get a makeover and vocal and choreography training as they compete against 10 others for a $25,000 grand prize.
For more, www.mcdonalds.com/voice.
Briefly
• Although their reps tried to deny the rumors, Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal have officially split up, usmagazine.com confirms.
• A judge has issued a temporary restraining order requiring Courtney Love to steer clear of her daughter, 17-year-old Frances Bean Cobain, TMZ.com reports.
• Garth Brooks has filed a $500,000 suit against a Yukon, Okla., hospital because the hospital didn't deliver on its promise to use money Brooks donated for an expansion project that would bear the name of his mother, Colleen Brooks, who died of cancer in 1999, according to TMZ.com.
• Roy E. Disney, son and nephew of the founders of the Walt Disney Co., died Wednesday of stomach cancer. The 79-year-old twice led shareholder revolts that shook up the family business.
