COUNTRY music heartthrob Riley Green furiously kicked a “jealous boyfriend” out of his gig after being hit with a phone that left him with a bloody ear.
Riley needed five stitches to piece his ear back together following the Melbourne show on his Cowboy As It Gets tour.
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Riley Green was hit by a phone at a gig in AustraliaCredit: annaperitivo/InstagramIt left him with a bloodied face, though he smiled it offCredit: annaperitivo/InstagramThe person who threw the phone was kicked outCredit: annaperitivo/Instagram
During the gig, he was struck by a phone pelted from the pit which caused him to stop the performance and take off his guitar.
He then pointed out the offender and directed security to haul him out. Smiling with blood running down his neck, Riley then slung his guitar back on before being cheered by the raucous crowd.
The 37-year-old told them: “Damn, am I bleeding? See how tough I am?”
He then said: “You can get your phones out, and you can turn the flashlight on – but don’t throw them at me.”
The violent incident certainly did no harm to Riley’s aura. His smitten fans sent messages of support on Instagram.
One said: “My babyyyyyy was bleeding.”
Another wrote: “Brother, don’t hurt my wife’s boyfriend!”
A third said: “He was bleeding but he’s a Bama boy…that’s just a little scratch. He can do anything he wants!”
While on one video, a fan wrote: “PSA to the jealous boyfriends., don’t throw your phones at Riley Green xx.”
Riley had a fun time despite the incident and regretted not being able to play for longer.
He wrote on Instagram: “Ole buddy ’bout ran outta anytime minutes last night… but a hell of a time was had.”
Riley’s become a global phenomenon in recent years.
Heartfelt songs like I Wish Grandpas Never Died, There Was This Girl, and Different ‘Round Here (feat. Luke Combs) have resonated thanks to their honest storytelling and southern drawl.
He supported Morgan Wallen at his BST Hyde Park gig in 2024 but put on a headline-worthy show.
Speaking about his summer in the capital, he told Entertainment Focus: “I wasn’t nervous but I certainly didn’t expect what happened! I thought that there would be, maybe, a handful of folks that knew a couple of my songs but they knew every word to every song.
“To see the size of the crowd……. especially when you go to another country and Canada had been the only other time I had played outside the States….. things are usually gradual in building up a fan base, right? It was shocking to see how passionate people were about country music over here.”
And he returned to these shores last year for some sold out gigs of his own.
Riley didn’t look too upset after the showCredit: rileyduckman/InstagramHe grabbed a bottle of water before tending to the woundCredit: rileyduckman/InstagramHe needed five stitches to sew it upCredit: rileyduckman/Instagram
ITV viewers were left frustrated during Sunday night’s broadcast of the Oscars as host Conan O’Brien was ‘drowned out’ by a technical glitchCredit: APHollywood’s A-list gathered in Beverly Hills for the exclusive bash to honour the best in film from the past yearCredit: Getty
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the transatlantic stream – which was seemingly hit with technical difficulties just minutes in.
Taking to X to check whether it was a universal issue, one viewer wrote: “Is the itv oscar’s feed glitchy and weird for anyone else or is my tv screeching at me?”
“Omg ITV sort the sound outttt #Oscars,” said a second user.
A third wrote: “Is anyone else hearing an awful beeping sound on itv or are my speakers just f***ed #Oscars”.
“For everyone saying there are sound issues on ITV’s coverage of the #Oscars, it looks it’s not just us in the UK. People in other countries are complaining too so it must be,” said another.
The sharp beeping noise continued throughout Conan’s opening monologue, but appeared to be fixed by the time the first award came around.
During the show, presenter Jonathan was joined by a panel made up of presenter Elle Osili-Wood, actor Samson Kayo and social media star Fred Asquith.
They discussed the night’s red carpet and ceremony from the studio – providing commentary throughout the bash.
The exclusive bash closes off awards season and is known as the biggest night in Hollywood.
From Leonardo DiCaprio to Timothee Chalamet, the night’s nominees were out in full force as they hoped to take home one of the coveted gold gongs.
Conan returned to front the show for the second time, as a host of famous faces appeared on stage to give out awards.
Amongst the night’s big nominees were films such as Sinners, Frankenstein and Hamnet.
Who won on Hollywood’s biggest night?
One Battle After Another ran away with the night with six Oscars, while Sinners, which was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, came away with four. See the full winners list below:
Production Design: Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau
Sound: F1, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
Casting: One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis
For those watching in the UK, Jonathan Ross fronted a live broadcastCredit: ITVA sharp beeping noise came through for many viewers just minutes into the showCredit: AP
Sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna, building upon his outstanding freshman season, threw a one-hit shutout on Friday in Birmingham’s 5-0 West Valley League win over Taft.
He lost his no-hit bid when the first hitter of the seventh inning singled. He finished with seven strikeouts. In 24 innings this season, Acuna is 3-0 with 29 strikeouts, eight walks and a 1.16 earned-run average.
Cypress 14, JSerra 2: Tyler Vladic had five hits and Noah Johnson contributed five RBIs to lead Cypress.
Foothill 7, Cajon 0: Evrett Rycroft struck out two and walked none in six scoreless innings.
Huntington Beach 4, Edison 1: Tanner Brown struck out seven with no walks in six innings and Jared Grindlinger had two hits for the Oilers.
El Camino Real 6, Cleveland 1: Hudson December threw a complete game for the Royals.
Granada Hills 8, Chatsworth 5: Nicholas Penaranda finished with three hits for Granada Hills.
Villa Park 6, La Habra 1: Jack McGuire struck out 10 and threw 6 2/3 innings for Villa Park.
Garfield 3, Venice 2: The Bulldogs scored a run in the ninth on an error to break a 2-2 deadlock. Michael Santillan had three hits for Garfield.
Bell 11, Palisades 3: Jayden Gonzalez had a home run and three RBIs for 10-1 Bell.
Palos Verdes 3, Mira Costa 1: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in 4⅓ innings to lead Palos Verdes.
Fountain Valley 6, Los Alamitos 2: Ethan Cortez had a two-run single for Fountain Valley.
Marina 5, Newport Harbor 4: Three hits from Elijah Herald helped Marina hand Newport Harbor its first loss.
Santa Margarita 19, Los Osos 9: Brody Schumacher drove in seven runs on four hits, including a home run and double.
What a start to the high school baseball season for pitcher Landon Hovermale of Norco. On Wednesday in his latest stellar outing, he threw six shutout innings in Norco’s 3-0 win over Gahr.
In 18 2/3 innings this season, Hovermale has allowed zero runs while striking out 27 and walking one. That’s called great pitching for the 5-1 Cougars. He’s committed to Grand Canyon.
Mira Costa 6, Torrance 4: Joaquin Scholer had two doubles in Mira Costa’s Bay League win.
Rancho Christian 13, Hillcrest 0: Jake Brande retired all 15 batters and had seven strikeouts while Sean Downs hit a grand slam in the five-inning win.
Bell 4, San Pedro 0: The Eagles (9-1) received six scoreless innings from Jayden Rojas, who gave up one hit and struck out seven.
San Fernando 9, Cleveland 5: Armando Villegas had a three-run double to lead the Tigers.
Carson 7, Granada Hills 5: Kris Sinclair went three for four with two RBIs for Carson.
Chatsworth 1, Sylmar 0: Isaiah Sanchez threw the shutout and Vicente Martinez had two hits.
Monroe 3, Eagle Rock 1: The Vikings (8-0) received 10 strikeouts from Miguel Gonzalez, who gave up two hits.
Hart 15, Canyon Country Canyon 2: Joaquin Durazo hit a three-run home run and Matix Frithsmith finished with four RBIs in Hart’s Foothill League opener. Hayden Rhodes and Anthony Cavarretta also hit home runs.
West Ranch 15, Golden Valley 1: Ty Diaz hit two home runs and had a double to lead West Ranch. Connor Clayton and Caydin Wilson also hit home runs.
Los Alamitos 9, Fountain Valley 5: Cruz D’Errico had four hits to lead a Los Alamitos comebacik.
St. John Bosco 11, Damien 0: Twins James and Miles Clark had a big day for the No. 1-ranked Braves. James contributed four hits, including two doubles, and Miles had a home run and three RBIs. Jack Champlin showed he’s not only a closer, throwing four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks as a starting pitcher.
Servite 9, San Juan Hills 6: Mikey Cabral led the way with three hits and two RBIs and John Sullivan had two doubles for Servite.
Newport Harbor 11, Marina 2: Henry Mann had two hits, Gavin Guy had a two-run double and Ryan Williams homered to help Newport Harbor improve to 7-0.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6, St. Francis 2: Dru Wilson, Malakye Matsumoto, Jake Noroian and Troy Trejo each had two hits for Notre Dame (6-0, 2-0).
Bishop Alemany 6, Crespi 0: DC Ravago threw five scoreless innings and Chase Stevenson hit a two-run home run.
Loyola 8, Chaminade 0: Sheriff Hall threw five scoreless innings and Magnus Mayer had a two-run double for Loyola.
A moment in time. The first career home run for freshman Louis Lappe. Courtesy Harvard-Westlake. I think he’s going to hit plenty more. pic.twitter.com/jESpnQC6YN
Harvard-Westlake 6, Sierra Canyon 0: Evan Alexander struck out nine and gave up one hit in six innings and freshman Louis Lappe of El Segundo Little League fame hit his first high school home run for Harvard-Westlake. Ethan Price also homered.
Huntington Beach 13, Edison 3: Owen Bone finished with three hits, including a home run, and Jared Grindlinger had two hits and two RBIs for the Oilers.
Etiwanda 4, Rancho Cucamonga 1: Adam Ornelas had three hits and Luke Severns had a two-run single. Michael Aleman threw a complete game.
Softball
Simi Valley 4, Carson 2: Parker Ong struck out eight for Simi Valley. Ruby Grajeda homered for Carson.
Santa Monica 2, Carson 1: Ruby Grajeda had three hits for Carson.
“I respect there’s lots of discussion around our tactical plans – when you look at the end point, look at the result and you the number of tries scored, that’s completely understandable,” said Borthwick
“I think it’s more about improving that incisiveness with our attack and getting over the try line rather than necessarily any major overhaul.
“You have an overview, a structure of ‘this is how we want to approach the different aspects of the game’, and then talk about the players bringing their points of difference.”
Borthwick says that he speaks with Sweeney “at least once or twice a week” and Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance rugby, “pretty much on a daily basis”.
“Ever since I started this role back in late 2022, we have always worked very, very closely together,” Borthwick added.
“I think that I’ve always been very clear on the vision of the team, initially going very quickly into that 2023 Rugby World Cup which was just around the corner, and ever since then building through each of these competition windows since.
“We are all disappointed and frustrated.
“We came to this tournament with really high aspirations, as did the players, and we’ve been unable to meet those targets we set for ourselves.”
Twelve days ago the U.S., a World Cup host country, launched a full-scale bombing campaign against Iran, a country that has qualified to play in the tournament. That’s never happened before.
Five days later, that same World Cup host began military operations inside the borders of Ecuador, another World Cup qualifier, half a world away. That’s never happened before either.
With the tournament scheduled to kick off in three months, those events have soccer scholar Jonathan Wilson questioning whether it’s wise for the World Cup to go on at all.
“It seems to me, for each passing day, it’s less and less likely that the World Cup can happen,” he said.
That take seems unduly alarmist said David Goldblatt, a British sportswriter and sociologist who is a visiting professor at Pitzer College in Claremont. Anything short of a full-scale war inside the U.S. would not be enough to pull the plug on the tournament now, he said. Especially with FIFA expecting revenues of as much as $11 billion.
“I mean, it’s not a good look,” Goldblatt conceded. “And certainly when set against FIFA’s official pronouncements on its role in encouraging world peace and cosmopolitan celebrations of a universal humanity, none of that sits terribly easily.
“But in terms of actually running the World Cup, I don’t think it’s going to make very much difference at all.”
However, with the Trump administration open to engaging in more international conflicts, there’s little doubt this World Cup, the largest and most complex in history, will also be the most political in history as well.
Complicating things further is the fact the current conflict in the Middle East hasn’t been limited to just the U.S. and Iran. Iranian missiles have hit both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, among other countries, and Jordan has fired on U.S. assets.
Those three countries are World Cup qualifiers as well.
The fate of a soccer tournament pales in importance to the death and destruction the conflagration in the Middle East has produced, of course. But the need for unity is the very reason there’s a World Cup in the first place.
When French soccer administrator Jules Rimet founded the tournament 96 years ago, he believed soccer could be a tool for international peace. And in the early years of the tournament, Rimet, FIFA’s longest-serving president and a talented diplomat, was able to limit the impact of geopolitics on the World Cup, watering down Mussolini’s influence on the 1934 World Cup, for example, and steering the 1938 tournament away from Hitler’s Germany.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has taken a far different approach, courting President Donald Trump’s support despite his growing number of global conflicts.
A week before bombs began falling on Iran, Infantino appeared at the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace wearing a red cap with ‘USA’ on the front and the numbers ‘45-47’ — a reference to Trump’s non-consecutive presidencies. That act was so blatantly partisan, IOC president Kirsty Coventry said her organization would investigate whether Infantino, an IOC member, breached the terms of the group’s charter, which requires members to act independent of political interests.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino holds up a USA hat as he attends the inaugural meeting for the Board of Peace at the Institute of Peace in Washington on Feb. 19.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
“Infantino has absolutely breached every FIFA protocol on neutrality,” said Wilson, author of “The Power and Glory: The History of the World Cup.”
“Absolute neutrality is always impossible and not desirable, but it has clearly gone way, way, way beyond. The peace prize looked grotesque at the time. It looks even worse now. And I can’t see how the future will look kindly on Infantino. I think Infantino has to some extent legitimized Trump.”
This is hardly new behavior from Infantino, who had close relationships with Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2018 tournament played in Russia and Qatar’s leaders ahead of the 2022 tournament despite their well-known human rights violations.
The list of countries Infantino is asking to overlook poor relations with the country hosting the majority of World Cup games this summer is growing.
Consider that Denmark, which administers Greenland, an autonomous territory Trump has also threatened to invade, can qualify for the tournament in a European playoff that will take place later this month. Then there’s World Cup qualifiers Haiti, Ivory Coast and Senegal, who aren’t at war with the U.S. but whose citizens have been banned from entering the country to cheer for their teams. That completely contradicts a promise from Infantino, who said “everybody will be welcome” at the 2026 World Cup.
“If I had a crystal ball I could tell you now what is going to happen,” Heimo Schirgi, the World Cup chief operating officer for FIFA, said Monday. “But obviously the situation is developing. It’s changing day by day and we are monitoring closely. [But] the World Cup will go on right? The World Cup is too big and we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified.”
Goldblatt, the Pitzer professor, said Infantino’s action are understandable since he has few cards to play against Trump.
President Trump speaks as he receives the FIFA Peace Prize as FIFA president Gianni Infantino applauds on Dec. 5 the Kennedy Center in Washington.
(Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
“What’s Infantino going to do? What levers can you pull?” he asked. “You can threaten to take it away. That’s not happening. Moral admonishment? Who’s going to take that from FIFA? It is a farcical idea that anybody thinks that the president of FIFA has any kind of collective moral authority or any role as a spokesperson for the progressive part of the world.
“They may fantasize that this is the case. But it is morally and politically absurd that any of us should expect that of these people. So if you are Infantino and that is the case, you know what works with Trump? What works is flattery. So of course he’s gone down that path.”
The games, Goldblatt said, will go on even if bombs are still falling. And that may not be an entirely bad thing.
“Football’s a great distraction. That’s partly why it’s so popular,” he said. “It will be virtually impossible, if the war continues, for that not to be a central element of like, the meaning and the purpose of what we’re all doing here.
“How we’ll feel and what it will look like, I don’t know. It will be very strange. Football is unpredictable and extraordinary. Something will happen that will warm our souls.”
⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.
Bell’s baseball team has started in a similar fashion as it did in 2024, when the Eagles surprised everyone by winning the City Section Open Division championship at Dodger Stadium.
The Eagles are 8-1 with wins over Palos Verdes and West Torrance. Gustavo Ramirez had a grand slam last week in a mercy-rule win over Granada Hills Kennedy.
Many of the players who were sophomores on the 2024 team are coming through this season, led by pitcher/infielder Jayden Rojas, who’s 2-0 on the mound and hitting .385.
Bell won the 2024 City title at Dodger Stadium.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Senior pitcher Adolfo Esquivel is 3-0 with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. He also leads the team with 10 hits.
Bell faces San Pedro in its next nonleague game on Wednesday against San Pedro.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
QUEEN of pop Madonna is Like a Virgin all over again — in a throwback to her 1984 hit video.
The megastar, 67, wore a white bridal corset and suspenders for the shoot.
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Queen of pop Madonna is Like a Virgin all over again – wearing white bridal corset and suspenders for a shootCredit: InstagramThe outfit was similar to the look she had for her Eighties song clipCredit: Everett Collection – Rex Features
Her outfit was similar to the look she had for her Eighties song clip — as she modelled and sang for Dolce & Gabbana.
Images posted online were captioned La Bambola — The Doll in Italian — a nod to the Patty Pravo 1968 hit Madonna recently covered.
A 200-strong team descended on a top-secret location in the UK to start work on the adventurous video, which will accompany her lead single later this summer.
This video is the first of a new campaign, which comes off the back of her signing a massive deal with Warner Records — the label she launched her career with — last year.
And as well as ramping up the sex, Madonna is preparing to push herself to the extreme physically.
A source said: “Madonna is reclaiming her throne.”
Madonna posed in the white outfit as part of a campaign for Dolce & GabbanaCredit: Instagram
Two top City Section baseball teams, El Camino Real and San Fernando, faced off Friday in a pitcher’s duel that went eight innings.
Senior Ray Pelayo of San Fernando kept throwing strikes, keeping El Camino Real off balance for 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. But then came a balk that scored the winning run in El Camino Real’s 1-0 victory.
Hudson December threw six scoreless innings for El Camino Real and Andrew Katzman struck out three in two scoreless innings.
South Torrance 4, El Segundo 3: In a battle of unbeaten Pioneer League teams, South Torrance (6-0) received a walk-off single from Owen Rhodes in the bottom of the seventh. El Segundo tied it 3-3 in the top of the seventh on a two-out, three-run home run by Chase Mattoon. Issac Orozco struck out nine in five innings and also homered for the Spartans.
Crespi 3, Saugus 2: Justin Kim had two RBIs for the Celts.
Sylmar 7, Legacy 1: Rickee Luevano threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts.
Sierra Canyon 12, West Ranch 1: Isaias Tirado hit a three-run home run and four pitchers combined to give up five hits.
Mater Dei 15, Rockwall-Heath (Texas) 1: Ezekiel Lara had three hits and five RBIs in Texas. Earlier, the Monarchs gave up seven runs in the third inning of an 8-1 loss to Rockwall-Heath.
St. John Bosco 1, Gahr 0: Star closer Jack Champlin got a strikeout to end the game, finishing two shutout innings of relief. Champlin drove in the game’s only run with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Julian Garcia struck out six with no walks in five innings for St. John Bosco.
San Juan Hills 11, Cypress 0: Garrett Gandolfo threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Clay Riggs contributed three RBIs for San Juan Hills.
Santa Margarita 1, Damien 0: Warren Gravely IV had the only RBI in the Eagles’ win. Tyler Unter struck out six in five shutout innings.
Garfield 9, Cleveland 7: Omar Martinez had three hits and Victor Alvarez drove in three runs for Garfield. Joshua Pearlstein finished with three hits for Cleveland.
Palos Verdes 8, West Torrance 0: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in five innings and Asher Friedman had a home run and a double for Palos Verdes.
Valencia 12, Chatsworth 0: An eight-run second inning helped lead the Vikings to a five-inning win.
Bishop Amat 13, Gardena Serra 2: Joaquin Ortiz finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Corona Centennial 19, Eastvale Roosevelt 3: Devin Bishop and Emiliano Castaneda each hit home runs for Centennial. Ethan Miller had a double and triple.
Servite 6, Anaheim Canyon 1: Mickey Cabral went three for four and Cole Grothues struck out three in 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief.
Corona Santiago 5, Crean Lutheran 4: Jonathan Thorton delivered three hits and two RBIs for the Sharks.
Fullerton 1, Chaparral 0: Garrett Wrightman threw four innings of scoreless relief and Caleb Brown had an RBI double in the third inning for Fullerton.
Edison 11, Tesoro 7: Ben Wilson hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs for Edison.
El Dorado 10, Granada Hills 4: Lorenzo Favela hit a three-run home run to lead El Dorado.
Ayala 7, San Dimas 1: Caleb Trugman struck out nine with zero walks in a complete game.
Loyola 14, Venice 1: Wyatt Clougherty had three hits and Luca Marucci contributed three RBIs for Loyola.
Softball
JSerra 2, Norco 0: In Arizona, the Lions knocked off No. 1-ranked Norco behind Liliana Escobar, who struck out 13 in six innings.
Norco 5, Torrance 0: Coral Williams struck out 10 in six innings. Leighton Gray and Rae Logue hit home runs.
Garden Grove Pacifica 4, Anaheim Canyon 2: Natalia Amezquita had a two-run single for Pacifica, which later defeated Orange Lutheran 6-2.
Orange Lutheran 7, Perry 1: Mia Scott had four RBIs for the Lancers.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 15, Culver City 0: Ellayne Tellez-Perez had three hits and five RBIs.
