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Sonic The Hedgehog fans will be able to experience two different concert tours in the near future as part of the 35th anniversary celebrations.

• READ MORE: Looking back on 30 years of ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ with composer Jun Senoue

Over the weekend, Sonic composer Jun Senoue appeared onstage with his band The Sonic Adventure Music Experience and, according to reports, confirmed an official ‘Sonic 35th Anniversary x Sonic Live’ tour will take place later this year. Further details will be announced in the near future.

Senoue first contributed music to 1993’s Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and went on to serve as sound director for 1998’s Sonic Adventure. He’s worked on a majority of Sonic games ever since. 

At the Sonic Music Experience concert in Tokyo, @crush40 and @Ohtanitter announced a Sonic 35th Anniversary x Sonic Live concert series that will celebrate Sonic's music history. More details, and locations/dates, yet to come! #SonicNews

Source & Photo Credit: @Genki_JPN pic.twitter.com/1jJhHU1rfp

— Sonic Stadium ✪ Sonic the Hedgehog News & Forums (@sonicstadium) March 15, 2026

In 2000, Senoue teamed up with singer Johnny Gioeli to create rock group Crush 40, who have contributed a lot of fan-favourite anthems to the Sonic franchise. Crush 40 have put on several concerts in Japan and released two live albums, but have never done a full tour.

However, the future of Crush 40 is uncertain. At the end of 2024, Gioeli sued Sega for more than $1million over ownership of ‘Live And Learn’ but the lawsuit was dismissed last year.

Last month, Gioeli announced he would be heading out on a Crush 40 world tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Sonic. Over the weekend, he officially confirmed ‘The Speed Of Sound Featuring Johnny Gioeli’ tour but revealed the run of dates are “fan events” and not anything to do with Sega. 

“For the first time ever, Johnny of Crush 40 is hitting the road for a full-scale world tour with a full band, and this isn’t just a concert… it’s an experience. By fans for the fans,” explains the official website.  The first show will take place in Los Angeles this December with further shows in “Canada, the USA, South America, England, Scotland, Poland, Norway, Mexico and more” still to be announced.

“I’ve wanted to do this for the last couple of years. I want to bring these characters to life and have an immersive experience. I want to bring the audience inside the game. It’s going to be like seeing a movie,” Gioeli said in an interview with All Things Nintendo, describing the run of shows as his “last hurrah”.

In January, Sega confirmed it would be celebrating Sonic The Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary throughout 2026 with fan meet-ups, exclusive partnerships featuring limited merchandise, museum pop-ups and art exhibits, live concert celebrations and a brand-new narrative podcast.

In other news, Conan O’Brien is being mocked for a “cringe” Oscars joke that saw him speaking Gen Alpha slang over footage of viral mobile game Subway Surfers.

The post Sonic The Hedgehog ‘Music Experience’ confirms 2026 anniversary tour appeared first on NME.

Jack White has shared news of his mother’s passing with fans, reflecting on her influence on the family in a moving tribute on social media.

As the former White Stripes frontman announced on Instagram this Saturday (March 14), his mother Teresa Gillis passed away at the age of 95.

She was a staple of White’s live shows in Detroit, and he would frequently shout her out from the stage, once bringing her out on stage at a Little Caesars Arena gig in 2018 to sing ‘Hotel Yorba’ with him. Later, in 2023, he dedicated the same song to her as she watched from the balcony.

“She was a Saint,” White wrote on Instagram, going on to say his mother was “a woman who gave so much of her love, and gave so much of herself, to her family and everyone she met. She prayed for everyone daily. She loved the song ‘Don’t fence me in,’ and loved jigsaw puzzles and good Polish food.

“She smiled and laughed so much, especially in these last few days with her family, who will all miss her dearly,” White continued. “She was the youngest of 10 just like me, so we had that special bond together on top of everything else she gave me. They really don’t make them like this anymore, and as George Jones once sang, that tough question lingers, ‘Who’s gonna fill their shoes?’”

View this post on Instagram

As White mentioned, Gillis had 10 children and was 45 when she gave birth to White, the family’s seventh son. Per The Detroit Daily News, Gillis once worked as an usher at Detroit’s Masonic Temple and later served as a secretary for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

White credited his mother with instilling his work ethic, recalling a moment she’d visited him at work in a Nashville studio and expressing misgivings about his work rate.

“I offered to drop her off at home and she says, ‘No, you’re not dropping me off, because you’re not going to go back and rehearse and if you do, I’m going to be mad,’” he told The Guardian in 2012: “OK, Mom, I’ll stay home.”

More recently, he’d shared endearingly anecdote about her back in January, telling fans: “My 95 year old mother just FaceTimed me from Detroit and said the most hilarious joke; she said “They’re saying on the news that you should check on older people during this ice storm, so I thought I’d give you a call.“

“I laughed so loud! Love you Teresa.”

The post Jack White announces passing of mother Teresa Gillis: “Rest in peace with the Lord” appeared first on NME.

The 2026 Oscars took place in LA last night (March 15). As ever, they were a tonally uneven endurance test worth sticking out. Here are the major talking points, including a poor showing all around for Timothée Chalamet.

• Read more: Oscars 2026: One Battle After Another, Sinners and Hamnet walk away with major wins

One Battle After Another trumped Sinners

Paul Thomas Anderson’s rollicking black comedy about a sad sack former radical on the comeback trail won six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Anderson’s hat-trick was a major vindication for a visionary filmmaker who’d previously lost all 11 Oscars he’d been nominated for. It was about time, quite frankly.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a genre-blending horror romp that cleaned up at the box office, took home four prizes from its 16 nominations. A little disappointing? Perhaps, but Coogler’s Best Original Screenplay victory was no mean feat for a genre film; Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history by becoming the first woman to win Best Cinematography; and Michael B. Jordan deservedly won Best Actor for his dual performance as the Smokestack twins.

His gracious acceptance speech name-checked the five previous Black actors to win this award – Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith – as well as Halle Berry, the sole Black woman to win Best Actress. It was a classy finish to Jordan’s pretty much flawless awards season.

Marty Supreme was completely shut out

Chalamet had lost momentum in recent weeks, but he still looked like the best shot for Josh Safdie’s gonzo ping-pong flick to win something. However, as many pundits predicted, Jordan pipped him to Best Actor. Timmy can take comfort n the knowledge that Leonardo DiCaprio had to wait even longer to win an Oscar – he was 41, 11 years older than Chalamet is now. So, place your bets now on the scourge of the opera world finally winning Best Actor in 2033.

Sean Penn is now a triple Oscar winner

Penn’s villainous turn in One Battle After Another – a big swing that really pays off – won him Best Supporting Actor over well-fancied veterans Delroy Lindo (Sinners) and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value), who both would have been worthy first-time winners.

Penn, who previously won Best Actor for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009, duly becomes only the seventh person to secure a career hat-trick. Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Frances McDormand, Walter Brennan and Ingrid Bergman also have three Oscars apiece, while Katharine Hepburn remains in a class of her own with four.

Oh, and Penn didn’t even turn up to collect his statuette – maybe a case of ‘been there, done that’?

KPop Demon Hunters had a killer night

They’re going up, up, up, it’s their moment! EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – the singing voices behind the film’s girl-group Huntr/x – delivered a suitably jubilant rendition of their global megahit ‘Golden’. Plus, the Netflix phenom won both awards it was nominated for: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for ‘Golden’. The only bum note was the aggressive way the songwriters were played off before finishing their acceptance speech. Might those scheming Saja Boys have had something to do with this?

Which means the Diane Warren drought continues

The queen of power ballads is now 0 for 17 in the Original Song category – no one in Oscar history has been nominated for more awards without a win. She did receive an honorary Oscar in 2022, but stressed in her recent documentary, Diane Warren: Relentless, that she still really wants to win a competitive award. Could 2027 be her year? Well, at least there won’t be a new Bond theme to steal her thunder.

Barbra Streisand sang during the In Memoriam segment

Only a few bars of ‘The Way We Were’, admittedly, but it was still a touching tribute to Robert Redford, her co-star in the classic 1973 tear-jerker of the same name. Apparently, he always called her ‘Babs’, and she let him get away with it – no, you have something in your eye.

Conan O’Brien delivered at least one savage zinger

The host’s opening monologue was adequate rather than dazzling – he was always going to make comedic hay from Chalamet’s recent facepalm comments about opera and ballet. However, his best joke felt a little closer to the bone. “It’s the first time since 2012 that there are no British actors nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress,” O’Brien told us, his face an impeccable deadpan. “A British spokesperson said: ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our paedophiles.’”

And there was an actual tie!

Only the seventh in Oscar history, and the first since 2013. The award for Live Action Short went to both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani read the room when he quipped that “it’s ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long [to hand out]”. Well, quite.

The post Timothée Chalamet’s rough night and all the Oscars 2026 shocks, snubs and surprises appeared first on NME.

HUNTR/X took to the stage at the 2026 Oscars to perform their huge KPop Demon Hunters hit song ‘Golden’.

• READ MORE: Oscars 2026 winners – see the full list

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI are the voices of HUNTR/X, the fictional band from the Netflix smash hit, and on Sunday night (March 15) played the hit track.

The three of them took to the stage after a brief theatrical performance inspired by the film took place, and performed dressed in all-white, while illuminated by glowing yellow lights.

The set took place after KPop Demon Hunters beat off tough competition from Zootopia 2, Little Amélie or The Character Of Rain, Arco and Elio to be named the winner in the Best Animated Film category.

Later in the night, ‘Golden’ also went on to win Best Original Song – becoming the first K-pop track to win an Oscar. Other songs nominated in the category this year included ‘Train Dreams’ from the film of the same name, ‘I Lied To You’ from Sinners, and Viva Verdi!’s ‘Sweet Dreams Of Joy’.

The latter also saw EJAE deliver a powerful, emotional speech about what the win meant to her, although many viewers and audience members were left frustrated after organisers of the event cut her speech short.

At the event last night, One Battle After Another led the way in terms of wins, taking home six awards from 13 nominations. In addition to winning the prestigious Best Picture prize, the film’s writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson also collected the awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The film then went on to win for Best Casting – a new category this year – as well as Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.

Other memorable moments from the night included members of the Bridesmaids cast reuniting to present two awards, and of them, Rose Byrne was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You – but lost out to Hamnet star Jessie Buckley.

Also during the event, host Conan O’Brien poked fun at Timothée Chalamet’s controversial comments about ballet and opera during his opening monologue, Javier Bardem condemned Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for creating “another illegal war”, and cast members from a selection of Rob Reiner films appeared on stage to deliver an emotional tribute to the late director.

As well as being recognised at the Oscars, ‘Golden’ also took home the Best Song prize at the Golden Globes, won the Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media, and performed live at the BRITs (becoming the first K-pop song to do so).

The track was named as the second best song of 2025 by NME, while KPop Demon Hunters was also included in the films of 2025 list.

The movie was one of the biggest hits of 2025, becoming the most–watched film in Netflix history. However, the film was not eligible for the BAFTA Awards due to regulations surrounding cinema releases.

The post Watch HUNTR/X perform ‘Golden’ at the 2026 Oscars appeared first on NME.

Conan O’Brien is being mocked for a “cringe” Oscars joke that saw him speaking Gen Alpha slang over footage of viral mobile game Subway Surfers.

• READ MORE: Oscars 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’, ‘Sinners’ and ‘Hamnet’ walk away with major wins

O’Brien hosted the 98th Academy Awards ceremony last night (March 15) after presenting the 2025 Oscars.

He started his opening monologue by joking that he was the “last human” host of the Academy Awards before making fun of Timothée Chalamet’s recent criticism of ballet and opera and Netflix boss Ted Sarandos being at the theatre for the “first time”. O’Brien also helped create a new Leonardo DiCaprio meme that’s gone down very well on social media.

Conan O’Brien makes a new Leonardo DiCaprio meme #Oscars pic.twitter.com/OX62X798Mx

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 15, 2026

However, O’Brien’s attempt to engage with a younger audience is being criticised online.

“We here at the Oscars are always trying to figure out ways to reach a younger demographic, and I’ve been assured this next segment will do just that,” he explained before appearing next to a TikTok clip of viral mobile game Subway Surfers and providing the voiceover.

“When you’re hostmaxxing the Oscars and lowkenuinely trying to rizz up the younger demographic by going brainrot mode, and even though you’re unc-coded with a bunch of fame-filled NPCs, you’re still S-tier level aura farming. 67.”

“Well, that’s a message that the young people will definitely see on broadcast television,” he added.

this is the worst thing i’ve ever heard pic.twitter.com/3mQilqGcOg

— trin (@MAXXXXXlNE) March 16, 2026

The clip has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media but the reaction hasn’t been positive. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever heard,” wrote one X user. “I’m so tired of things that should have decorum trying to cater to the gen z audience like, what is this,” asked another. “People need to start acting their age,” said a third.

“Quotes and replies not realising that Conan was being ironic here. Yes, he knows it’s cringe, that’s the joke,” explained another X user. “Why is it that people are so dense that they can’t realise he’s making fun of people like this? What has happened to everyone,” added another.

Elsewhere, HUNTR/X won Best Original Song at the 2026 Oscars for their KPop Demon Hunters anthem ‘Golden’. However their emotional acceptance speech was cut short by organisers which has angered many fans.

In other news, Swedish heavy metallers Sabaton have teamed up with tactical battle game World Of Warships to release new single ‘Yamato’.

The post Conan O’Brien mocked for “cringe” ‘Subway Surfers’ brainrot Oscars joke appeared first on NME.

The stars of Sinners performed a stirring rendition of ‘I Lied to You’ alongside a host of special guests at the 2026 Oscars – check it out below.

• READ MORE: Oscars 2026 winners – see the full list

Led by Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq, the performance was an homage to one of the film’s most impactful scenes, in which musicians bridge the veil between past and present with their sound.

It saw a host musicians and performers – including blues legend Buddy Guy, retired ballerina Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith – join the Caton and Saadiq for the segment, which was billed beforehand as a tribute to the film’s “singular visual style”.

Saadiq kicked things off by strumming a guitar before passing it to Caton, who sang the first verse with support from Shaboozey. On a set resembling the film’s Club Juke, the all-star cast later joined them, with Howard on guitar, Smith singing, and Copeland dancing ballet as she came together with the ensemble to finish off the song.

Many on social media took the addition of Copeland at the end of the performance as a dig towards Timothée Chalamet.

The full performance of “I Lied To You” from ‘SINNERS’ at the Oscars.

See the full winners list: https://t.co/2LO8EZqZIM pic.twitter.com/hKN7g6PkmN

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 15, 2026

Chalamet was nominated for Best Actor at yesterday’s Academy Awards for his role in Marty Supreme, with the trophy ultimately going to Sinners‘ Michael B. Jordan.

Chalamet attracted a sizeable backlash earlier this month when he questioned the popularity of ballet and opera, saying “no one cares about this anymore”, which cropped up at the ceremony with a quip from host Conan O’Brien.

“Security is extremely tight tonight,” he told the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “I’m told there’s concern about attacks from both the opera and ballet community.”

When asked about this on the red carpet by Variety, Copeland said her focus was on “educating people on its importance in our society”.

Misty Copeland on Timothée Chalamet’s ballet comments: “It’s really about educating people on its importance in our society.” pic.twitter.com/PpoB8eHnyQ

— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2026

As for ‘I Lied To You’, the track itself earned an Oscar nod for Best Original Song, one of the record-breaking 16 nominations that Sinners achieved.

NME’s four-star review of the film nodded to the impact of the sequence soundtrack by the song, with James Mottram writing: “Sinners really comes to life via the musical numbers… Coogler uses it to prove just how influential the genre is via a spellbinding sequence that tracks through the juke joint, whirling around Preacher Boy and showcasing a hip-hop DJ, an MC and an electric guitarist.

“Such anachronisms add to the film’s feeling of fantasy but Coogler also tackles serious themes such as the oppression of Black Americans by white folk during this period.”

Coogler and longtime creative partner and composer Ludwig Göransson have also opened up on the film and its music in NME‘s Friends Like These interview series – check out the full chat here.

Outside of Original Song, the vampiric blues flick was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay, among several others.

The post Watch Misty Copeland, Shaboozey, and more join the cast of ‘Sinners’ to perform ‘I Lied To You’ at 2026 Oscars appeared first on NME.

KPop Demon Hunters was among the big winners at last night’s (March 15) Oscars – though their acceptance speech for Best Original Song was cut off, provoking anger from some fans online.

• Read More: Oscars 2026 winners – see the full list

Alongside Best Animated Feature Film, the Netflix phenomenon also expectedly took home the song award for ‘Golden’, which made history as the first K-Pop song as well as the first tune with more than four writers to win.

“Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song and all the Korean lyrics,” co-writer EJAE of fictional band HUNTR/X said during an emotional acceptance speech. “This award is not about success. It’s about resilience.”

After thanking family members, the creatives on the film and Netflix, she then gently encouraged co-writer Yu Han Lee to make a speech, though he was rapidly cut off by music before he could say anything, leading the others to plead for more time to the camera, while audible boos could be heard from the audience.

Viewers have since taken to social media to express their frustration at the moment, with one writing on X: “Cutting off a historic moment like this is pure disrespect. The Academy needs to do better.”

“I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech…,” another echoed, while a third wrote: “The oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry.”

“This pissed me off so so so much. So much. Not a good look for the Academy at all,” a fourth said, a fifth adding: “Using k pop demon hunters as hook to bring younger audiences and yet doing this. It was pure rudeness, and in both categories that the movie won. thats why even getting the ceremony to youtube wont help because they cannot grasp on what they fuck up every time, every year.”

Cutting off a historic moment like this is pure disrespect. The Academy needs to do better. EJAE deserved her moment.

— ismailyasar (@bayirliogluismo) March 16, 2026

I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech… #Oscars pic.twitter.com/m18K2OEJLM

— (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 16, 2026

the oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry pic.twitter.com/3tSXtT8x54

— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 (@beyoncegarden) March 16, 2026

This pissed me off so so so much. So much.
Not a good look for the Academy at all.

— Brittanie (@wapogipo928) March 16, 2026

Using k pop demon hunters as hook to bring younger audiences and yet doing this. It was pure rudeness, and in both categories that the movie won. thats why even getting the ceremony to youtube wont help because they cannot grasp on what they fuck up every time, every year.

— Paola Yam Salazar (@paola_pys) March 16, 2026

However, the other winners were given a chance to speak backstage after their victory, with Yu Han Lee and Mark Sonnenblick thanking their families and the creatives on the film.

The big winner at last night’s Oscars was One Battle After Another, which took home six awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson – who also won Best Adapted Screenplay – and the inaugural Best Casting prize.

Sinners, which made history with the most nominations ever for a film, won four, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler. Autumn Durald Arkapaw also made history as the first woman and first woman of colour to win Best Cinematography for the film.

Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for Hamnet, while Amy Madigan and Sean Penn won in the supporting categories for Weapons and One Battle After Another.

The night also saw Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet laugh off a joke by host Conan O’Brien about his recent controversial opera and ballet comments, while there was a moving tribute to late director Rob Reiner from Billy Crystal and others who had worked with him as part of the In Memoriam segment.

Meanwhile, Javier Bardem condemned Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu over creating “another illegal war” and said “free Palestine” while presenting the award for Best International Film.

The post HUNTR/X’s Oscars speech got cut off early and fans are mad: “Pure disrespect” appeared first on NME.