The man who left Bebe Rexha needing three stitches on her face has come up with an eyebrow-raising excuse for his behaviour. The pop star had to be rushed offstage during a concert on Sunday night after Nicholas Malvagna, 27, hurled his phone straight at her. Rexha, who was performing in New York for her ‘Best F'n Night of My Life’ tour, was filmed dropping to her knees in agony as the device struck her in the eye. But Malvagna insists he hadn’t intended to hurt the singer-songwriter and that he’d merely been trying to make his mark as part of a viral trend. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “It’s a TikTok trend where you throw your phone onto the stage, and a celebrity passes it and takes a selfie,'” the 27-year-old told arresting officers, according to Manhattan prosecutor Stephan Millan. “‘I thought she was looking in my direction,” he added. “I was about two rows back, but instead of my phone landing right next to her, my phone hit her in the face.” His lawyer, Todd Spodek, reiterated the claim in a statement, saying: “As a fan, Mr. Malvagna’s sole intention was to have Ms. Rexha take photos with his phone and return it as a keepsake. It was never his intention to injure Ms. Rehxa.” However, this justification runs contrary to a criminal complaint that was filed at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. It claims that when Malvagna was asked by officers at the scene who had thrown the phone, he replied: "I did. I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny". Suffice it to say, fellow fans failed to see the “funny” side, and Rexha ended up in stitches of a very different kind. The 33-year-old ‘I’m Good (Blue)’ singer, reassured her 11 million Instagram followers that she was, indeed, all good in the wake of the incident, despite being left black and blue. She posted two photos in the wake of the incident, showing her left eye looking purple and swollen, and a cut running across her eyebrow, as she smiled stoically through the pain. Malvagna, who is from New Jersey, is facing two counts of assault, one count of harassment, one count of aggravated harassment, and one count of attempted assault. He was freed without bail on Tuesday ahead of a 31 July court date and has been banned from making any contact with Rexha. Prosecutor Millan told Judge Valentina Morales: “Although the parties appear to be strangers, the defendant’s actions are serious. “The defendant was attending the victim’s concert. He decided it would be funny to throw his phone at her while she was performing. The phone struck her in the face which caused her swelling, redness and a laceration to her face. “For these reasons, we believe a full and temporary order of protection at this time.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Actor Angela Bassett, who played Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It, has shared an emotional tribute to the 'Proud Mary' singer following her death at the age of 83. Official social media channels for Turner, who was also known for the hit 'The Best', shared the news on Wednesday evening (May 25), remembering her “boundless passion for life” which “enchanted fans worldwide and inspired future stars”. A statement from a representative confirmed the singer “died peacefully” at her home in Switzerland “after a long illness”. Tributes soon flooded in honouring the musician, with stars such as Mick Jagger, Beyoncé and Diana Ross paying their respects. In Bassett’s tribute to Turner – born Anna Mae Bullock – on Instagram, the Golden Globe-winning actor said farewell to “a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world”. She continued: “Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Her final words to me – for me – were, ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’ “I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honoured to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. “So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. “And Tina Turner is a gift that that will always be "simply the best." Angels sing thee to thy rest…Queen.” Others commended Bassett for her words, with fellow actor Amirah Vann saying the tribute was “beautiful”. Another wrote: “You made me forget there was someone else on screen. You two were born to cross paths and I’m glad we had you to honour her.” “Beautifully put and powerfully portrayed. There will never be another like her,” commented The Princess Bride actor Cary Elwes. Elsewhere, Turner’s final interview before her passing – to The Guardian as part of its Q&A column – has resurfaced in which she revealed how she would like to be remembered. “As the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms,” she said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

CNN's ratings appear to have taken a hit in the wake of its much-maligned town hall featuring former President Donald Trump. More than a week after the controversial television spectacle, the network weathered its lowest-rated week since June 2015, according to The Daily Beast. The network averaged approximately 429,000 total daily viewers between Monday and Friday of last week. The network's viewership was also down by double digits when compared to the same week last year. Those numbers remained consistent for its primary advertising demographic of 25-54 year-olds. CNN's cable news rivals had far better viewership during the same time period; MSNBC had more than double CNN's daily audience, with 976,000 total viewers, while Fox News went beyond that with 1.4m. The Independent has contacted CNN for comment. Despite those numbers, Fox News is weathering its own storms with the abrupt firing of Tucker Carlson. Its numbers are down 41 per cent in its key demographics year-to-year, and down 24 per cent in total viewership. Its weekday demographic audience immediately after Carlson's departure was the lowest it has been since the first week of September 2001. Both Fox and CNN are suffering in their primetime time slots. Several of their weeknight primetime offerings have been beaten in the ratings by Newsmax, a far-right media channel that has served as a landing spot for conservative viewers fleeing Fox News in the wake of Carlson's departure. Newsmax saw a similar boost immediately after the 2020 election after Fox News accurately called Arizona for Joe Biden before any other news outlet. Chris Wallace's Friday night interview show on CNN scored only 224,000 total viewers in its 10pm slot; 60,000 more people were watching Newsmax during the same time slot. The only network actively gaining viewers is MSNBC, which saw its audience numbers increase 44 per cent — likely a result of the CNN exodus. CNN's town hall with Mr Trump and moderated by Kaitlan Collins included the former president further maligning E Jean Carroll — whom he was found by a court to have sexually assaulted and defamed — calling 6 January 2021 a "beautiful day," and promising to pardon Capitol rioters who attempted to thwart the nation's democratic transfer of power after his 2020 election loss. He also continued to push the idea that the 2020 election was stolen. Blowback to the town hall was so severe that CNN star anchor Anderson Cooper made a statement on-air about the debacle, ultimately asking them to view the event as a warning about Mr Trump's political aspirations. Read More Trump defames E Jean Carroll yet again after she sues him over CNN town hall insults Trump Media files $3.78bn defamation lawsuit against Washington Post over Truth Social reporting Trump slams Fox News’ Laura Ingraham over ‘hit piece’ saying DeSantis would do better against Biden than him Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

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