U.S. continues probe of Ticketmaster merger

U.S. continues probe of Ticketmaster merger

LOS ANGELES — The Department of Justice has asked Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. and concert promoter Live Nation Inc. for more information about their proposed merger, the companies said Friday.

It is the second request from the DOJ, indicating that it is scrutinizing the deal closer than most. The companies said the request was expected, and that they’re cooperating with the antitrust investigation.

Ticketmaster is the world’s largest seller of tickets to concerts and shows, and Live Nation is the largest U.S. operator of concert venues, with more than 140. The companies have been expecting to complete the deal in the second half of the year.

Artists have expressed concern that a combination would lead to a near-monopoly on large-scale concerts. Ticketmaster has drawn criticism recently from Bruce Springsteen fans, who say the company redirected them to its resale sites to charge more than the face value of the tickets.

Ticketmaster chairman Barry Diller said the complaints that fans were shut out of Phish and Michael Jackson concerts were due to the tickets selling out in seconds.

PSA re-enacts details from alleged beating

NEW YORK — The alleged beating of Rihanna has inspired an online public service announcement about dating violence.

A new video by the teen organization DoSomething.org features actors recreating the pop star’s grim, highly publicized confrontation with her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown.

A young man and woman re-enact details from a Los Angeles police affidavit alleging that on Feb. 8, Brown punched, bit and choked Rihanna until she nearly lost consciousness.

A narrator describes the scene in a deadpan voice. The brief clip can be viewed on YouTube. It closes with the statistic that one in three teenagers is abused in a relationship, and promotes free bracelets — one blue, two black — that spread awareness about dating abuse.

Don Cornelius gets 3 years’ probation

LOS ANGELES — Don Cornelius has been sentenced to three years’ probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery.

Court records show Cornelius’ attorney entered the plea on the “Soul Train” creator’s behalf on Wednesday.

Cornelius was charged in November with spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness from making a police report, all misdemeanors.

The 72-year-old was arrested a month earlier after police were called to his Hollywood Hills home after a report of domestic dispute. Records indicate the other charges were dismissed as part of Cornelius’ plea agreement. He was ordered not to use threats or force against anyone, including his wife Victoria, and must attend a yearlong domestic violence course.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Al Freeman Jr. is 78. Actress Kathleen Widdoes (“As the World Turns”) is 70. Singer Solomon Burke is 69. Singer-keyboardist Rose Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 64. Actor Timothy Dalton is 63. Singer Eddie Money is 60. Singer-guitarist Rodger Hodgson (Supertramp) is 59. Bassist Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos) is 58. Actress Sabrina LeBeauf is 51. Actor Gary Oldman is 51. Actor Matthew Broderick is 47. Actress-comedian Rosie O’Donnell is 47. MC Maxim (Prodigy) is 42.