The Boss, among others, is not a fan of a rumored merger-in-the-making between the two biggest companies in live concerts, Ticketmaster Entertainment and Live Nation. The combination would give too much power to one company, Bruce Springsteen says, "returning us to a near-monopoly situation in music ticketing," according to a statement on his Web site. Legal experts said there are major hurdles to overcome, particularly regarding antitrust issues, David Colker, Tiffany Hsu and Randy Lewis report. Word of the talks comes about a month after Live Nation dropped Ticketmaster as its ticketing vendor and started selling tickets to …

One reason for the turnaround at McDonald's is the willingness of Jim Skinner, who was hired as McDonald's CEO in 2004, to step into the real world in ways that enable him to quickly identify new opportunities and spur his employees into action, say Dev Patnaik and Peter Mortensen. They profile the Mickey D lifer (he began his career on the grill line) in their book Wired to Care. Skinner's quick actions and decisiveness stand in stark contrast to the years before he took the reins. Six years ago, McDonald's looked obsolete, the authors say, but outspoken …

Philip Morris International and Swedish Match AB will jointly sell snuff worldwide and will press the European Union to scrap a ban on the smokeless tobacco known as snus, which they say helps some smokers quit and is less likely to lead to lung cancer than cigarettes. "Markets like Russia will be the opportunity, where snus is already sold but with limited presence and knowledge," says David Hayes, an analyst at Nomura in London. The EU has said there's evidence that snus helps some smokers quit and is less likely to lead to lung cancer than cigarettes, Thomas …

The cell phone industry's best days may be behind it, Matt Richtel reports this morning. More than half of the six billion people on the planet already have phones and subscribers are spending less on phones and services, even in developing countries. As far as subscriber growth in North America goes, "we're awfully close to saturation," says Craig Moffett, an industry analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. In the Journal, Roger Cheng writes that Virgin Mobile USA, which resells wireless service on a prepaid basis, may benefit from an incoming wave of wireless customers looking …

Denny's says its free-breakfast offer -- made in its first-ever Super Bowl spot Sunday -- surpassed its estimate that it would serve up to 2 million people during Tuesday's eight-hour Grand Slam giveaway. "We thought we were going to have a great day," says VP-marketing John Dillon, "and we had an awesome day." The Denny's Grand Slam meal consists of two pancakes, two eggs, two sausage links and two pieces of bacon. The company estimates that the entire promotion -- from Super Bowl ad buy to food costs -- will total about $5 million, Emily Bryson York reports. …

All of Walt Disney Co.'s major divisions -- the movie studio, the television group, parks and resorts, and consumer products -- experienced drops in operating income for the company's fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 27, compared with the same period last year, and the company badly missed analyst's projections, Dawn C. Chmielewski reports. While acknowledging the impact of the recession, CEO Bob Iger also says that Disney is grappling with fundamental changes in how people seek to be entertained -- changes that are undermining the company's television business and eroding DVD sales. Consumers bought fewer new releases on DVD …

A "Buy American" provision in the economic stimulus package is stirring up a contentious debate that's spreading from Washington to trading partners around the world. The Senate is considering an $885 billion bill that requires all "manufactured goods" purchased with stimulus money to be made in the U.S. The House approved a narrower bill mandating the use of domestic iron and steel. To supporters, a "Buy American" requirement is just common sense at a time of economic crisis and rising unemployment, writes David J. Lynch. But opponents say it could breach U.S. trade commitments and ignite a …