An audience member was arrested at the Britain’s Got Talent semi-final on Saturday night, just hours after all the drama unfolded during the I’m A Celebrity final
22:05, 26 Apr 2026Updated 22:05, 26 Apr 2026
Britain’s Got Talent descended into chaos on Saturday night(Image: ITV)
Britain’s Got Talent was left in chaos as an audience member was arrested on Saturday night. ITV’s weekend schedule had already got off to a dramatic start with the I’m A Celebrity…South Africa final, which saw contestants like Gemma Collins and Sinitta walk off stage as the row between Adam Thomas, Jimmy Bullard and David Haye reached breaking point.
During Saturday’s semi-final of the long-running competition series, which was broadcast live from The Hammersmith Apollo in West London, ITV security teams had to get involved and remove a woman from the building.
The Sun claims that the ‘screaming’ audience member was held outside the building by the crew and after cops arrived was handcuffed and taken away in a police van.
Singer Alexandra Burke, who won The X Factor in 2008 and enjoyed major success with hits like Hallelujah and Broken Heels before going onto a career in musicals, was also outside the theatre where she was having a photoshoot done prior to taking to the stage herself.
The outlet claims that the star, who has also previously appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and served as a guest judge on The X Factor and RuPaul’s Drag Race, was rushed inside for her own safety.
The evening was not without its drama elsewhere, either, as Ant and Dec were back in full force to carry out their hosting duties following the events of the night before. As the first semi-final got underway, head judge Simon Cowell took aim at Dec. Dec tried to wrap up the judges’ feedback for magician Fraser Penman after the act and the commentary went on a bit long.
Dec was heard shouting out: “Thank you judges, thank you very much”, calling for an end to the speaking, wanting to move on with the live show. But fans noticed Simon “rudely” hit back at this.
He told Dec: “I’m still talking!” Dec appeared taken aback by this. While Simon was pointing out he hadn’t finished what he had to say, fans didn’t think it was very fair, especially after the chaos the hosts had faced the night before.
Taking to social media one fan said: “I’m still talking? F**k off Simon.” A second fan said: “‘I’m still talking’ Simon I think Ant and Dec have had enough attitude for this weekend.”
A third fan posted: “Wow @SimonCowell is a little rude I’m still talking!” Another viewer said: “‘I’m still talking’ God he’s such a d**k. Pack it up Dec, you don’t need the money.”
Another viewer said: “I’m still talking lol,” as a final post read: “Omg I couldn’t tell if he’d said that or ‘I’ll stop talking’, poor Dec, hasn’t he been through enough?”
Britain’s Got Talent 2026’s live shows air Saturdays at 7PM on ITV1 and ITVX.*
Trump says Tehran did not make satisfactory offer after Iranian foreign minister travelled to Pakistan to present a framework to mediators to end the war.
The town has a variety of independent shops and places to eat.
I live in a quaint riverside town full of independent shops – it’s one of the best places to live(Image: Sophie Harris)
From Cotswolds villages to seaside towns, the UK is home to a variety of stunning towns. I love exploring them but to live in one for a substantial amount of time it really has to tick my boxes. After living in Windsor for several years, I was sceptical about moving to a new place. But this hidden gem town just outside London is much quieter and more peaceful.
About 28 miles from London, Marlow is on a scenic stretch of the River Thames and surrounded by the rolling countryside of the Chiltern Hills. Its historic high street and picturesque setting attract visitors from all over the country, yet it still remains fairly quiet, compared to nearby towns like Henley-on-Thames. The town was recorded in the Domesday book as an established settlement, valued for its fertile land and river access.
It then developed as a river crossing and trading point before becoming known for malting and brewing. In the 19th century, the construction of the bridge began to improve connections across the Thames, and the arrival of the railway later in the century further boosted accessibility and growth.
Now, it’s an affluent residential and leisure destination known for its riverside setting, bustling high street and outstanding food scene. It’s regularly voted as one of the best places to live in the UK.
There’s a lot to do and see in the town, including hiring a rowing boat, visiting Higginson Park for a picnic, and visiting the market.
The picturesque high street is full of independent boutiques and eateries, including The Cheese Shed, The Marlow Bookshop and The Dresser. I’m also a huge fan of Laurent’s, an Italian cafe and deli serving delicious sandwiches and coffee. Marlow also hosts regular markets where visitors can find local produce, including delicious homemade gelato by Agosti Gelato and juices from Marlow Juices. The town is well-regarded for its food scene, including award-winning pubs and Michelin-starred dining.
The Hand and Flowers is perhaps the town’s most celebrated restaurant, as it was the first pub in the country to be awarded two Michelin stars, a distinction it still holds today. It’s owned by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge and elevates classic British dishes with refined techniques and bold flavours. However, dining here doesn’t come cheap, with prices for a set Sunday lunch around £195.
Housing and living costs tend to be above the national average, reflecting its desirability and commuter-friendly location. According to Rightmove, the average price of a house in Marlow over the last year was just shy of £700,000. This is more than double the UK’s current average of £290,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The town is also close to towns and villages like Bourne End, Cookham, and Bray, and exploring Cliveden, a National Trust property, is my favourite weekend destination.
Far less well-known or visited than many other cities in the UK, but a real gem.
I live in beautiful seaside city that tourists overlook — it ticks every box(Image: Getty/Steffan Rhys)
It’s the 12th most-visited city in Britain for overnight stays, according to official tourism data — below Brighton, Oxford, Bristol and Bath. To me, this means a lot of people are missing out on what is one of the finest places in the UK to live and spend time.
This has my home city for nearly 30 years and I can’t think of another I’d rather live in. London has its eye-popping palaces, Manchester has its world-famous football stadiums, Oxford and Cambridge have their iconic universities. But what Cardiff lacks in headline-grabbing tourist sites it makes up for in culture and pretty, atmospheric suburbs where you can live like a local regardless of where you’re from. It is also one of the greenest cities in the UK – and one of the most walkable. This is why I think Cardiff is a match for any city in the UK and a totally unique experience.
One of Europe’s greenest cities
Cardiff is consistently ranked among the greenest cities in the UK and Europe and has also topped a Europe-wide poll on the best cities for families with young children to live.
In spring, the blossom trees here are alive with whites and pinks, while in autumn they’ll pop with rusty reds and oranges. In summer, you can sit down and watch a game of cricket taking place, or even have a game of padel or tennis yourself in excellently-maintained courts.
Other gems are Cefn Onn Park, a grade 2-listed historic park on the city’s northern fringes which is an oasis of calm full of native and exotic trees set within an intimate valley. Or there’s Forest Farm on the banks of the Taff, where habitats include woodland, scrub, hay meadow, ponds and marshland and you can still see sections of the historic former Glamorganshire Canal and the restored Melingriffith waterpump, both relics of the city’s industrial past.
On the city’s western edge is one of the world’s most unique museums: St Fagans National Museum of History is like a walk through a rural village in which one or two buildings from recent centuries have survived. The buildings here have all been dismantled from their original locations across Wales and painstakingly rebuilt here. You can have a pint in the rebuilt Vulcan pub.
There’s a 17th century farmhouse from mid Wales, an 18th century chapel from rural west Wales and a terrace of six workers’ homes, each dated to a different year between 1805 and 1985. It’s a stunning place, free to enter and easily reachable by bus.
Walkable
Given its abundance of green space, it’s no surprise that Cardiff is also a very walkable city. But it’s not just the parks and nature reserves that are a joy to walk in and around. From the city centre, it will take you about half an hour along a very simple route to walk to the seafront Cardiff Bay and you could easily spend a day exploring that area on foot. What is today known as Cardiff Bay was previously known as the Docks or Tiger Bay and is the reason the city exists in its current form. Cardiff was a small town before the industrial revolution, when it exploded in size and population to become not just the biggest town in Wales but the biggest coal port in the world.
But by the 1980s it had become a neglected wasteland of derelict docks, mudflats and poor housing. A decade on and Europe’s largest waterfront development in the 1990s created a barrage, a huge freshwater lake and complex of restaurants, shops and bars which now make it a major draw.
Historic buildings from Cardiff’s industrial era like the pilotage office, pierhead building, coal exchange and Norwegian church still exist amid the more modern developments and walking the entire length of the barrage, with the city skyline on one side and the Bristol Channel on the other is a lovely way to spend time in the open air.
Half an hour on foot in the other direction from the city centre is the sought-after suburb of Pontcanna, where you’ll find a concentration of welcoming pubs and restaurants, including a handful of the best you’ll find in Wales all within a 10-minute walk of each other. The well-heeled Cathedral Road is a lovely street to stroll down, where the large three-storey houses remind you of the city’s historic wealth.
Food and drink
Speaking of food and drink, Cardiff has seen a revolution in this area in recent years. Lamented as recently as 10 years ago by a leading food critic as a city with a desolate food scene (he even said the best place to go for food was Cardiff Central so you could catch a train to Bristol), that is a hot take not even the most cynical of critics could claim today. There are superb places to eat in the city centre and every suburb, ranging from Michelin-starred to street food.
It’s impossible to mention them all here but here are a few stand-outs (go here for a full list of the 40 best places to eat in the city). In Pontcanna, Gorse won a Michelin star within a few months of opening, becoming the city’s first restaurant to ever get a star. Practically next door is Thomas, also comfortably one of the best restaurants in the city. And a few doors down you’ll get a great and affordable lunch at Milkwood. A stone’s throw from here is Heaney’s, another extremely accomplished restaurant serving impeccable food, and Sonder, a friendly, neighbourhood restaurant with a fine lunch and dinner menu.
In the Rhiwbina area of Cardiff (like Pontcanna, also a place with a small town within a city vibe) you’ll find Mesen, a small plates restaurant specialising in sharing dishes cooked over charcoal where I was served the best-tasting dish I’d eaten in years.
Or head to the Victoria Park area, where you’ll find unbelievable cakes at Let Them See Cake, delicious small plates at Hiraeth, cheese platters at The Welsh Cheese Company, tremendous burgers at Burger Boyz, Pakistani breakfasts and lunches at Maasi’s and exquisite breads and pastries at Pettigrew, all next door to one another.
Cardiff’s got a strong Italian restaurant culture. Casanova, Cafe Citta and Bacareto in the city centre are all excellent choices, as is the more informal Calabrisella in Canton. Its Indian restaurants are great too, with Purple Poppadom and Cinnamon Tree among the pick of the bunch.
In the city centre, Pasture serves the best steak in the city, while sister venue Parallel is also brilliant. Asador 44 and its sister restaurant Bar 44, both Spanish-influenced restaurants, are also among the best in the centre. The best food pub is The Heathcock in Llandaff. Speaking of pubs, the best in the city centre are The City Arms and The Old Arcade. You’re also spoilt for choice for trendier bars, like The Dead Canary and secret underground bar Nightshade.
Lastly, Cardiff Market is a brilliant place to try a wide variety of delicious street food, from deep fried gnocchi at Dirty Gnocchi to Keralan fried chicken at Tukka Tuk, pizza at Ffwrnes and Greek wraps at Ya Souvlaki. But don’t miss the Welshcakes, a Welsh classic, at Cardiff Bakestones.
Things to see
While it may not have tourist attractions at the level of London’s Buckingham Palace, Edinburgh’s Castle or Bath’s Roman baths, there are still plenty of attractions well worth a look. Top of the list is Cardiff Castle in the heart of the city. This site has been in use for 2,000 years from Roman soldiers to Norman conquerors and Victorian visionaries – and today you’ll see rock and pop stars performing there. Today it’s a fascinating mix of the Norman keep at its heart (with great views over the city from the top) and the lavishly decorated Gothic revival residence. Its huge, walled outdoor space hosts concerts and festivals.
Across the road from the castle, you’ll find the Principality Stadium, often hailed the best sporting stadium in the world despite being well over 20 years old. The 74,500-seater stadium is where the Wales men’s national rugby team play their home games and there are few experiences on Earth like hearing that crowd sing the Welsh national anthem.
Its position right in the heart of the city makes it a favourite among visiting fans too, who don’t have to find their way to the outskirts of cities as is the case with so many major stadiums. It also hosts concerts from megastars like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis.
Cardiff has its fair share of chain stores but its Victorian arcades are a shopping experience not to be missed. Ditch the chains and head into these six beautiful arcades packed with independent shops and places to eat.
On the outskirts of the city, but accessible by bike along the riverside path, the Taff Trail, is Castell Coch (Red Castle) perched among forest on a hill. It’s often called a “fairy tale castle” for its looks, having been built by the third Marquess of Bute, then the world’s richest man. And you shouldn’t miss St Fagans National Museum of History, mentioned above. Just outside the museum, now a field, was the site of the Battle of St Fagans, the last big battle of the long-running English Civil War. Between 300 and 700 people died in the battle.
If you’re willing to travel around 45 minutes out of the city, you’ll find some of the most beautiful scenery Wales has to offer, from the country’s second highest mountain at Pen-y-Fan in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park to the Jurassic coast at beaches like Southerndown and Monknash.
Culture and history
First things first: Cardiff is the capital of Wales so you are in a country with a culture and language that is distinct from the rest of the UK. You’ll hear plenty of Welsh being spoken and lots of signs are bilingual. It’s also a very friendly city – in 2023, Cardiff was ranked the UK’s friendliest city in a reader survey by popular travel magazine Condé Nast.
The city’s history is fascinating. If you arrive by train into the city’s central train station, you won’t see the sea at all. But, incredibly, this is where the sea used to reach at high tide and buildings here were once swept away by a storm (and possibly even a tsunami) in the 17th century. If you find yourself walking along the city centre Westgate Street, you might be staggered to learn that this street was once the River Taff before its direction was forcibly changed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Large ships would dock here and there is a mid-19th century record of a fisherman catching a salmon near where the Royal Hotel is today.
If you do happen to call into Cardiff Market for a bite to eat, bear in mind that where you’re enjoying your slice of pizza is where people were hanged and burned at the stake. And if you walk the path that runs from the back entrance of Cardiff Market to Working Street, look down and you’ll see numbers on the paving slabs. The numbers refer to burial vaults underneath the ground. The path was built right through the church graveyard so people could access the market easily, gaining the nickname ‘Dead Man’s Alley’. For more on Cardiff’s history, go here.
Places to stay
As a large city, you’re not short of places to stay in Cardiff so this is just a short selection of hotels. Voco St David’s Cardiff is a luxury hotel and spa located right on the waterfront of Cardiff Bay and within walking distance of the Wales Millennium Centre.
The city’s newest luxury hotel is the Parkgate Hotel, right in the city centre, has a range of opulent rooms and suites and a sophisticated restaurant and bar. The Angel Hotel is a classic Victorian building in the city centre. And there are plenty of popular and reliable chains like Marriott, Leonardo and Hilton.
A former executive at Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, is suing the company, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after he raised concerns about alleged financial misconduct and improper accounting practices.
Nicholas Rumanes alleges he was “fraudulently induced” in 2022 to leave a lucrative position as head of strategic development at a real estate investment trust to create a new role as executive vice president of development and business practice at Beverly Hills-based Live Nation.
In his new position, Rumanes said, he raised “serious and legitimate alarm” over the the company’s business practices.
As a result, he says, he was “unlawfully terminated,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“Rumanes was, simply put, promised one job and forced to accept another. And then he was cut loose for insisting on doing that lesser job with integrity and honesty,” according to the lawsuit.
He is seeking $35 million in damages.
Representatives for Live Nation were not immediately available for comment.
Rumanes’ lawsuit describes a “culture of deception” at Live Nation, saying its “basic business model was to misstate and exaggerate financial figures in efforts to solicit and secure business.”
Such practices “spanned a wide spectrum of projects in what appeared to be a company-wide pattern of financial misrepresentation and misleading disclosures,” the lawsuit states.
Rumanes says he received materials and documents that showed that the company inflated projected revenues across multiple venue development projects.
Additionally, Rumanes contends that the company violated a federal law that requires independent financial auditing and transparency and instead ran Live Nation “through a centralized, opaque structure” that enables it to “bypass oversight and internal checks and balances.”
In 2010, as a condition of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, the newly formed company agreed to a consent decree with the government that prohibited the firm from threatening venues to use Ticketmaster. In 2019 the Justice Department found that the company had repeatedly breached the agreement, and it extended the decree.
Rumanes contends that he brought his concerns to the attention of the company’s management, but his warnings were “repeatedly ignored.”
During Thursday’s (April 23) episode of theITV show, hosts Richard Madeley andKate Garraway returned to our TV screens as they updated viewers on the biggest news headlines from across the UK and around theworld.
Not long into the show, Ranvir Singh, who was reading the headlines, announced breaking news afterPrince Harry made a surprise trip toUkraine, urging the world not to lose sight of what the country is up against.
Speaking to viewers watching at home, Ranvir went on to say: “That breaking news from Kyiv. Hello there, very good morning to you. Well, Prince Harry has arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for a two day visit.”
She continued:”He will see some of the work of the Halo Trust an organisation that specialises in clearing landmines and explosives from war torn countries, which, of course, you’ll remember his mother, Princess Diana, was a keen supporter of.
“She worked with them in Angola in 1997. Well, the Duke of Sussex has told ITV news that he wants to remind the world what Ukraine is up against in its war with Russia, our royal editor Chris Ship is in Kyiv and is the only correspondent with access to Harry on this trip.”
The show then cut to a news report from Chris, who explained: “Prince Harry arrived here at Ukraine’s main railway station. He came in on an overnight train from Poland, and yes, an unannounced visit, they always are, of course, for obvious reasons when you come to Ukraine.”
He added: “And perhaps a reminder that at a time when the world’s attention has been on Iran and the conflict there, the fight here is still going on.”
Prince Harry made the unannounced visit to Kyiv at a time when the focus of international concern has been on the war in Iran.
“It’s good to be back in Ukraine”, Prince Harry said as he arrived. He told ITV News that he wanted “to remind people back home and around the world what Ukraine is up against and to support the people and partners doing extraordinary work every hour of every day in incredibly tough conditions”.
He called Ukraine “a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank” and said “it matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that”.
His message to Ukrainians is that “the world sees you and respects you”.
Senior Western defence and government officials are gathering in the Ukrainian capital for the Kyiv Security Conference. Harry will make a speech at the conference and tell them that the battle here is more than a simple fight about territory.
He will also see the dangerous work being carried out by The Halo Trust. The Halo Trust employs 1,300 people in de-mining work in Ukraine – its largest operation anywhere in the world.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 7am on ITV1 and ITVX
April 19 (UPI) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to launch a website on Monday to process refund requests for some Trump administration tariffs, although there are limits to which ones will be processed.
The first phase of tariff refunds comes after the Supreme Courtruled in February that President Donald Trump could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to generate revenue by imposing tariffs.
Although Trump decided to use Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to justify new tariffs after the Court’s decision, the administration still is required to refund duties collected under the now-nullified tariffs.
CBP has estimated that it owes about $166 billion in refunds, with the agency’s announcement of phase 1 expected to take care of the vast majority of expected claims, NPR reported.
The website is specifically aimed at letting businesses request refunds, and experts have said that consumers are unlikely to be affected by the refunds, CBS News reported.
“[The Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries] is being deployed in phases, and CBP will launch the first phase of CAPE on April 20,” the agency said in an update last week.
“Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation,” the agency said.
The refunds are linked to lawsuits filed in December by Costco and other companies — more than 50 companies brought filed suit for refunds — asking for duties to be returned to them if the Supreme Court ruled against the administration.
In March, CBP raised concern in court that it could not immediately handle refunding the duties based on 53 million entries from 330,000 importers who had paid tariffs as of March 4.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services in the Rayburn House Office Building near the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Bruno Mars tickets running for $2,000 and ones for SZA costing $600 caught California lawmakers’ attention. They’re advancing two bills targeting the resale market.
Earlier this year, tickets to see SZA perform at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles were selling for $600 the day before they officially went on sale at $35 a piece.
In San Francisco, tickets to see Sam Smith at the newly renovated Castro Theater went on sale for $120, only to be quickly snatched up by scalpers and resold for upwards of $600.
Those are some of the stories that California lawmakers are citing as they advance two plans to change the ticketing landscape. One caps the extent to which resellers can mark up the original ticket price while the other prohibits resellers from selling tickets they don’t yet own.
Democratic Assemblymembers Issac Bryan of Culver City and Matt Haney of San Francisco are each carrying bills that they say would protect consumers from fraudulent and deceptive ticket sales.
Both measures are backed by the ticket market’s dominant seller, Beverly Hills-based Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster. Its support has some worried that the bills will help the company crush its competitors and jack up prices.
A federal jury in New York this week found that the company illegally acted as a monopoly in a victory for, among others, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who with colleagues in other states sued the company two years ago and kept going after federal prosecutors settled. Live Nation is now awaiting penalties.
Despite these headwinds, the ticket bills are sailing through the Legislature.
Supporters say the legislation has nothing to do with the antitrust case against Live Nation and helps consumers. Opponents disagree.
“The state Legislature should really be standing up for consumers instead of advancing bills that are there to help a monopoly that has been caught on record calling its fans stupid and has bragged about robbing them blind,” said Jose Barrera, national vice president for the far west region at the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights advocacy group.
Ticketmaster’s competitors in the online resale market are lobbying against the measures, a sign that they view the proposals as a threat to their business.
Jack Sterne, StubHub’s head of policy communications, wrote to CalMatters, stating, “Passing laws that hand the Ticketmaster monopoly more power and don’t actually make tickets more affordable is the last thing California’s leaders should do.”
But Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, which is co-sponsoring the bills, argues that they will regulate the marketplace to better protect fans by limiting price gouging and encouraging the face value — or below face value — exchange of tickets.
“Ultimately, that is what these bills will do, in addition to making sure that the tickets are actually real,” he said. “That is a good thing for California consumers. It’s a good thing for artists and it’s a good thing for these small businesses and nonprofits that make up the independent stages across the state.”
A Live Nation spokesperson said in a statement to CalMatters, “The resale lobby constantly tries to change the subject by pointing fingers at Ticketmaster, even though it has less than 25% of the resale market. This has nothing to do with anyone’s monopoly, but rather is about protecting fans from scalpers and the resale sites that cater to them.”
The company has spent roughly $165,000 on lobbying efforts this legislative session, including to support Bryan’s bill.
‘Unlikely allies’
Bryan’s Assembly Bill 1349 would ban the sale of speculative tickets — or tickets that are not in the possession or ownership of the people who list them online. In an April hearing, Bryan said the bill protects consumers from predatory mark ups.
“This bill is so important that, after our introduction, it brought unlikely allies together,” Bryan said, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. “In fact, this bill brought the Giants and the Dodgers together, brought the National Independent Venue Association and Live Nation together. It brought Kendrick Lamar and Kid Rock together. It brought Isaac Bryan and Donald Trump together.”
Several secondary ticket sellers are fighting the measure, including StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. The three companies have spent roughly $1.1 million dollars on lobbying efforts this legislative session, which included opposition to Bryan’s bill.
People watch fireworks during Bad Bunny’s halftime show from a parking garage outside Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters
Opponents including Robert Herrell, executive director for the Consumer Federation of California, argue that the bill strengthens Live Nation Ticketmaster’s grip on the ticketing and live entertainment industry. According to them, the measure would give Live Nation complete control over the ticket even after it has been purchased — meaning, for example, that consumers could lose the ability to sell it or give it away.
“There’s no consumer choice in the matter,” said Herrell. “They can keep people out of shows if they want to. There have been situations where, if you bought a ticket on the secondary market, you’ve been denied entry into a show.” Proponents say Herrell and other opponents are mistaken. They say they are not trying to prevent transferability but rather, they want to protect fans from speculative costs.
“We want those rooms full,” said Ron Gubitz, executive director of Music Artists Coalition, which is co-sponsoring both bills. “So you have to be able to transfer a ticket. We just want it to be in a way that’s safe, trustworthy and not creating this run on the market that exists now.”
Gubitz pointed to a recent Bruno Mars concert, where tickets were on StubHub for $400 to $2,000 before they were on sale through Ticketmaster.
“That’s crazy,” he said. “That’s a speculative ticket that Bryan’s bill is trying to stop. That shouldn’t happen. It’s not fair to anybody, except for the secondary (market). It seems great for them.”
Price caps in a free market
Haney’s Assembly Bill 1720, also known as the California Fans First Act, would put a 10% cap on resale event ticket markups, inclusive of the ticket fees. In other words, a reseller could not charge more than 10% higher than the original ticket price.
In an interview with CalMatters, Haney said artists, independent venues and downtowns are currently being “screwed over and exploited” by scalpers and brokers.
“We can’t allow the status quo to continue if we want to ensure Californians have access to affordable tickets to see their favorite artists or if we want independent venues or the broader landscape of musicians and artists to thrive in our state,” he said.
Haney rejected the idea that his bill would strengthen the Live Nation Ticketmaster monopoly, saying that the company is one of the biggest operators and profiteers of the secondary ticket market and would therefore be subject to the same restrictions as any other platform or broker.
“I don’t think it’s a free market to allow folks to come in and buy up all these tickets and then create scarcity and then you’re now required to buy your ticket at a much higher price from someone who had nothing to do with the event,” he said. “This is not something we would ever allow for airplane tickets or even dinner reservations.”
The bill has been criticized by opponents like Diana Moss, vice president and director of competition policy at Progressive Policy Institute, who said price caps notoriously distort the market, describing them as “anti-consumer, anti-competitive and anti-artist.”
“If you shut down the resale market with price caps then guess what? Ticket buyers have no place to go but right back to Ticketmaster,” said Moss. “If (Live Nation) succeed(s) in decimating the resale market, then they steer millions and millions of fans back to their own ticketing platform where they charge monopoly ticket fees and where fans are hostage to their glitchy online platform and all of their data, privacy and security concerns that we always hear about in the news.”
Those concerns didn’t stop the bill from passing out of the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism last week with a 6-1 vote. The bill also passed out of the Assembly Committee on Privacy & Consumer Protection on Thursday with a 9-4 vote.
Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow for CalMatters.
NEW YORK — Beverly Hills-based Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary faced a bruising courtroom loss Wednesday after a federal jury found that the company operated a monopoly over concert venues.
The verdict by a Manhattan, N.Y., jury came after a five-week trial and caps a closely watched case that could have far reaching effects across the music industry, potentially leading to the breakup of the companies.
Ticketmaster is the world’s largest ticket seller for live events, while Live Nation is a dominant force in the concert business.
The civil case began when the federal government alleged that Live Nation used its clout to engage in a variety of anticompetitive practices, including preventing venues from using multiple ticket sellers.
“It is time to hold them accountable,” Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, said in a closing argument. He called Live Nation a “monopolistic bully” that drove up prices for ticket buyers.
Jurors agreed. They found that Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers by $1.72 for each ticket. The judge will assess damages later.
Live Nation, which owns and operates hundreds of venues, countered that it did not violate U.S. antitrust laws, arguing that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices.
“Success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States,” Live Nation attorney David Marriott said in his summation.
Live Nation said in a statement that the “jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter,” noting the court had yet to rule on a motion it had filed to challenge its liability in the case.
The trial revealed some embarrassing internal communications, including emails from a Live Nation executive who called customers “so stupid” and said the company was “robbing them blind, baby.” The executive, Benjamin Baker, testified that the messages were “very immature and unacceptable.”
The original lawsuit, led by a cadre of interested parties including the federal government, 39 states and the District of Columbia, dates to 2024. It alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster monopolized various aspects of the live music industry, such as concert promotion, venue operations, artist management and ticketing services.
Live Nation manages more than 400 artists and controls more than 265 venues in North America, while Ticketmaster simultaneously controls around 80% of the primary ticket marketplace and also is increasing its involvement in the resale market, according to the lawsuit.
Last month, Live Nation secured an unexpected tentative settlement with the Department of Justice in which the company agreed to several structural changes to its business, including adjustments to ticketing deals with venues, capping service fees and paying a $280-million fine.
However, more than 30 states, including California, decided to proceed with the trial. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta praised these state-led efforts to protect consumers, even amid dwindling antitrust enforcement from the Trump administration, he said in a statement.
“This is a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans, and the venues that support them,” Bonta said. “We are incredibly proud of today’s outcome … this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip-off Americans.”
Though a verdict has been reached, remedies for how Live Nation will be held accountable for its actions are still being decided by the judge.
One possibility is that the companies could be split up, an outcome favored by critics.
National Independent Venue Assn. Executive Director Stephen Parker said Ticketmaster and Live Nation need to be separate for the industry to see change.
“Live Nation and Ticketmaster must be broken up now. Ticketmaster should not be permitted to participate in the ticket resale market. Live Nation should not be able to promote more than 50% of artists’ tours,” Parker said in a statement. “And the damages paid to the states should be remitted to the independent venues, promoters, festivals, and fans that have suffered under Live Nation’s monopolistic reign over the last 15 years.”
Serona Elton, attorney and interim vice dean at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, said that the separation of Live Nation and Ticket master seems to be “on the table,” but she said it’s too early to assess the verdict’s fallout on the music industry.
Elton said fans might notice small changes in pricing, but there are factors other than Live Nation that are contributing to high ticket prices, such as the secondary ticket market as well as supply and demand challenges.
The verdict, Elton said, “sends a message of support to music companies and professionals working in the live space who have felt like they have suffered financial consequences because of Live Nation’s behavior.”
The ruling is a small but necessary step toward achieving a balanced and competitive ticketing industry, said Hal Singer, a managing director of economic consulting firm Econ One, who specializes in antitrust and consumer protection issues.
Forcing a Ticketmaster sale probably is the only remedy that will bring real change, Singer said.
“We’re not out of the woods quite yet,” Singer said. “We’ve kind of tilted the probability.… It could change the competitive balance. But that requires that a meaningful remedy follows the liability. You need both.”
Fans and some artists have long groused about Ticketmaster, which was founded in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010.
Dustin Brighton, director of government relations for the Coalition for Ticket Fairness, agreed that although the verdict is a landmark moment for fans, “it’s not the end of the road.”
“As the court considers remedies, the focus must be on restoring competition, increasing transparency, and ensuring fans have real choice,” Brighton said in a statement.
Times staff writer August Brown and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation were found to be an illegal monopoly by a Manhattan, N.Y., jury Wednesday. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
April 15 (UPI) — A jury found Wednesday that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster maintained an illegal monopoly in ticketing.
The case was heard in a Manhattan federal court over five weeks and saw testimony from dozens of witnesses. The jury began deliberations Friday.
The complaint was brought by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general in 2024. It said that the company engaged in “anticompetitive conduct” and controlled all ticketing, concert booking, venues and promotions.
Because of this, fans paid higher fees, and artists had fewer options for touring and venues.
Live Nation denies acting as a monopoly.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the verdict “a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans and the venues that support them.”
“In the face of dwindling antitrust enforcement by the Trump Administration, this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip-off Americans,” Bonta said in a statement.
The Justice Department struck a settlement deal in March, but states decided to continue with the lawsuit instead.
The Justice Department settlement with Live Nation required Ticketmaster to divest up to 13 amphitheaters, reserve 50% of tickets for nonexclusive venues and cap ticketing service fees at 15%. A senior Justice Department official said it would lower prices by expanding choices.
“This settlement will resolve all remaining matters with the DOJ, without any admission of wrongdoing,” Live Nation said in a statement.
The verdict does not mean prices will drop soon, CNN reported.
Judge Arun Subramanian now must have a second trial to decide on remedies. The states requested a breakup of the company, or he could order a sale of the business.
“It will be an earthquake in the industry in terms of people’s perception in feeling validated,” Scott Grzenczyk, a lawyer with law firm Girard Sharp, told CNN.
“There’s a big difference between people complaining about Goliath and getting a jury verdict that Goliath was a monopolist and doing something wrong,” he said.
Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, pleaded with jurors during closing arguments to “apply your common sense,” NBC News reported.
“You’re New Yorkers,” he said. “I trust that you know when someone is blowing smoke or being straight with you.”
“It’s time to hold them accountable,” Kessler said.
Shakira performs onstage during Global Citizen Live at Central Park in New York City on September 27, 2025. Photo by Derek French/UPI | License Photo
THERE’S a town in the UK which is not only beautiful, but is said to have some of the longest living locals in the country.
Lewes, in East Sussex town is known for being a big foodie destination.
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The town of Lewes has been named Britain’s most beautifulCredit: AlamyIt has also been named a place where people live the longest in the countryCredit: Alamy
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The Telegraph declared Lewes to be the country’s ‘prettiest town‘, and it’s also one of the top 10 places in the UK where Brits ‘live the longest’.
According to the publication, the average life expectancy in Lewes is 85.1 years for women, and 80.9 for men.
This is compared to the UK average which is 83 years for women and 79.1 years for men. (The lowest in the UK is in Blackpool with 78.9 years for women and 73.1 for men).
Lewes was described as a ‘hip and historic’ market town with access to the South Downs National Park.
The main feature of the town, however, is its medieval castle which sits on a hilltop looking over it.
Visitors can climb up the steep staircase, and if they do so are rewarded with the best views of Lewes and the hills of the South Downs.
Entry tickets into the castle cost £12 per person.
Heading back into the town centre there are top bakeries, breweries and pubs to explore.
The Flint Owl Bakery was recognised in the top 50 UK bakeries by theGood Food Guide 2025.
It’s well-known for its Lewes-baked organic breads and pastries that are freshly baked each morning.
Lewes has its own local brewery called Harvey’s – which should be a spot that every visitor pops into, especially as it runs its own tours around the factory.
If you don’t fancy a tour, Harvey’s Brewery Shop is in the town too so you can pick up a few bottles of beer and ale to enjoy at home.
Something very unique about it is that its drinks are still delivered to the local pubs by dray horses.
Glyndebourne is a famous opera house with beautiful gardens and groundsCredit: Getty
For more British charm, here are some of our favourite seaside towns…
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Sidmouth, Devon Take a trip to Sidmouth on the Jurassic Coast and wander down Jacob’s Ladder to its pretty shingle beach. Make sure to walk along the promenade and check out the independent shops and boutiques. Stay at the four-star Harbour Hotel for sea views and traditional afternoon tea from £135 per room.
Whitby, North Yorkshire With a history of sailors and vampires, a dramatic coastal path, and the very best in pints and scampi, it takes a lot to beat Whitby. Pop in the amusements, eat award-winning fish and chips, and board the all-singing Captain Cook boat tour on the harbour. The Royal Hotel overlooks the harbour with stays from just £68 per room.
Old Hunstanton, Norfolk This town has some of the best beach walks beside striped limestone cliffs, a Victorian lighthouse and 13th century ruins. The beach has golden sands with rolling dunes and colourful beach huts, backed by a pretty pinewood forest. Stay at a beachfront hotel from £100 per room.
Seahouses, Northumberland This is an authentic British seaside break, with fishing boats bobbing on its pretty harbour and fresh catches of the day to enjoy in local restaurants. There’s no flashing arcades here, but there’s a great beach with rockpools, boat trips, and you may even spot a grey seal, too. Treat yourself to a stay at the Bamburgh Castle Inn from £129 per room.
The Swan Inn on the high street is a popular spot to head into for a pint.
It has a unique pub garden too as it sits on the Greenwich Meridian – an invisible border which divides the world into east and west.
Another pretty spot just outside of the town is Glyndebourne, which is an opera house where Pavarotti once performed.
It sits amongst 12-acres of gardens with flowers, ponds and delicately trimmed hedges.
Every summer, it holds a festival where world-class opera singers perform – during the interval, guests can enjoy a fine dining dinner, or have a picnic on the grounds.
For more pretty gardens, head to Southover Grange Gardens, a former private garden built in 1952, which one visitor describes as a ‘gorgeous floral garden’.
It’s organised by six different societies, they each have a festival on the day with a torch-lit procession and of course huge firework displays all over the town.
For those who can’t get enough of being by the seaside, you can reach Brighton in under half-an-hour by car.
Or if you head to Brighton by train, it takes just 17-minutes from Lewes station.
Check out the other destinations in the UK where people live the longest…
Here is where people live the longest in the UK, according to The Telegraph…
Wokingham
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.6 years. Men 82.8 years
Kensington and Chelsea, London
Average life expectancy; Women – 87.1 years. Men 83.9 years
Windsor
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.1 years. Men 81.3 years
Richmond
Average life expectancy; Women – 86.3 years. Men 82.5 years
Totnes
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.9 years. Men 82 years
Bearsden
Average life expectancy; Women – 83.9 years. Men 80.3 years
Monmouth
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.2 years. Men 80.7 years
Fleet
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.5 years. Men 83.5 years
Lewes
Average life expectancy; Women – 85.1 years. Men 80.9 years
Stroud
Average life expectancy; Women – 84.4 years. Men 80.8 years
