Listen all y’all: The 2026 Oscars kicked off in musical style on Sunday (March 15) when host Conan O’Brien took on the Beastie Boys’ 1994 hit “Sabotage” off the group’s Billboard 200 No. 1 Ill Communication.

In the spoof, the host is dressed as Aunt Gladys from Weapons — which which won best actress for Amy Madigan’s portrayal of the character — complete with the bright orange hair and white face paint. As he refuses to take the stage in his getup, the Beastie Boys’ hit starts playing as a group of wild children — rather than detectives in the music video directed by Spike Jonze — run through the door of his makeup room to chase him down.

As the comedian races through the streets of Los Angeles to put distance between himself and the little terrors, he makes pit stops with multiple Oscar nominees: pausing for a few ping pong volleys against Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), going for a ride with Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another), getting animated and capturing the hearts of HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters), enjoying a cup of tea with Stellan Skarsgaard (Sentimental Value) and even begging to be let into Michael B. Jordan’s juke joint (Sinners, the night’s biggest nominee with 16 nods).

This is O’Brien’s second year in a row to host the Academy Awards, which is broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. It airs on ABC and streams on Hulu.

Watch the 2026 Oscars cold open above.


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The black-clad crowd at Moody Amphitheater was a sea of Sad Boyz and Sad Girlz — ready to lose themselves in Junior H’s melancholic tales and hit anthems. From the moment he stepped at Billboard The Stage @ SXSW just past 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday night (March 14), it was clear that he was ready to command the scene.

Junior exuded an aura of rebellious elegance — clad in black with an Amiri bomber jacket, sunglasses and a long silver chain attached to his pants, and sipping on a red cup. He kicked off with “En Dónde Estás,” the introspective ballad from his recent No. 1 Top Regional Mexican Albums-charting DEP<3$$ED MFKZ, a duet originally with Gael Valenzuela that showcases his soul-baring musical approach. It’s moments like this, vulnerable and tender, that remind fans why Junior H became a generational voice — but make no mistake, he didn’t linger in softness for long.

Junior H at Billboard THE STAGE @ SXSW - Day 2 on March 14, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Junior H at Billboard THE STAGE @ SXSW – Day 2 on March 14, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Photo Credit: Dusana Risovic

Dusana Risovic

On stage, the 24-year-old pivots effortlessly between personas. One song sees him as the heartbroken balladeer, pouring anguish into his lyrics, while the next has him waging war, accompanied by guitars and trumpet lines, and channeling a risk-taking goth rocker. The setlist wasn’t a streamlined narrative but a mosaic of emotions. Plus, the sold-out crowd knew every word — whether he was reflecting on the ache of love lost in “Y Lloro” or diving into hedonistic chaos with “Rompe La Dompe,” originally with Peso Pluma and Oscar Maydón.

The performance, however, went beyond Junior H’s ability to make fans cry or scream on command. It was layered with deeper meaning and controversy. One of the night’s most charged moments was his impassioned “El Azul” — the song that reportedly earned him a $23,000 fine in Mexico, and a ban from performing in Zapopan, Jalisco, until 2027 for allegedly glorifying criminal lifestyles. While restrictions back home keep him from performing certain songs, the U.S. stage offered an opportunity to share his complex artistry without those legal constraints. It was a topic Junior discussed on a Billboard panel earlier that day.

The Mexican superstar also balanced heavy moments with electrifying hits like “Tres Botellas,” “Disfruto Lo Malo” and “Lady Gaga.” There was also plenty of levity, as he strung together fan-favorites that tugged at the heartstrings while still turning the amphitheater into a wild party. Yet the closing song, “Culpable” (2025), brought the house down. With its soaring saxophone and sweeping vocal delivery, Junior channeled Luis Miguel vibes, cementing the night as an unforgettable experience. The fans sang along passionately as Junior held the Mexican flag high.

Tijuana star Óscar Ortiz was the opening act for Junior’s headlining show.

Junior H will kick off his Latinoamérica en Lágrimas $ad Boyz Tour 2026 on May 12 in Bogotá, Colombia, bringing his raw emotion and signature $ad Boy vibes to fans across the continent.

Sam Asghari caught up with Billboard’s Tetris Kelly on the red carpet of Elton John’s Annual Oscars Party 2026.

The 2026 Oscars are here, and we’re following along with all the night’s winners and updating our list live below.

Of course, Billboard will be paying special attention to the night’s two music categories: achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song) and achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score).

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There’s a chart-topping powerhouse in the song category: the eight-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Golden,” performed by HUNTR/X (EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI) for the Netflix animated blockbuster KPop Demon Hunters. Their competition? “I Lied to You” from Sinners (music and lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson) — which will also be performed during Sunday’s (March 15) show — as well as “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!, music and lyric by Nicholas Pike; “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams, music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner, lyric by Nick Cave; and “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, music and lyric by the film’s subject and 17-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren.

In the score category, there’s Bugonia (Jerskin Fendrix), Frankenstein (Alexandre Desplat), Hamnet (Max Richter), One Battle After Another (Jonny Greenwood), and Sinners (Goransson).

But who will take home those prizes? We’ll be following all night as Conan O’Brien hosts the show live from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and you can follow along with us in our full winners list below.

Noah Kahan sits down with Billboard’s Co-Chief Content Officer Jason Lipshutz and documentary director Nick Sweeney at SXSW 2026 to discuss his deeply personal Netflix documentary ‘Out of Body,’ opening up about family, mental health, and the vulnerable process of letting cameras into his most intimate moments.

As insightful interviews and industry conversations took place inside, a handful of emerging artists hit the outdoor Mohawk stage at Billboard House @ SXSW.

It was a hip-hop and R&B-themed day one to kick things off on Friday afternoon (March 13) in Austin, as Dizzy Fae took the stage shortly after noon CT following DJ Cortez’s set to warm up the crowd.

The Minnesota native’s luscious vocals had the audience in a trance with her SWV cover of “You’re Always on My Mind.” She dipped into various avenues of her discography with emotional ballads like “Try,” “Magnify,” “I Can’t Lend You My Heart,” and her newest track, “Cupid’s Call,” which she bills as a “rediscovery of self-love.”

Alicia Creti is a vocal powerhouse and her candid ballads stole the show at Billboard House. She introduced a pack of new fans to the carnal desires of the weighty “Strange,” which found the Montreal native grappling with love. Creti also welcomed Mohawk attendees to the world surrounding her potent MINDFIELDS project, which arrived earlier in March.

Kairo Keyz brought his frenetic energy across the pond to SXSW. The British rapper turned the crowd up with his “Went Up” anthem and a handful of bustling tracks before passing the baton to Babyfxce E, who closed the showcase. The Michigan resident continued to build on the momentum from his 2026 Da Realest album, while solidifying himself as next up on the Flint scene.

Up-and-coming Latin artists took center stage at Billboard House on Saturday (March 14), while Sunday (March 15) saw a mix of talent highlighted by Infinity Song’s Momo Boyd, who performed an unreleased track titled “Cold Hands” for the crowd.

Hollywood’s biggest night arrived on Sunday (March 15), and not only were Tinseltown’s A-list stars dressed in their finest and most stylish for the 2026 Oscars, but so were the musicians being honored for their work in film over the past year.

Among them were the singing voices behind HUNTR/X — EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI — who delivered the glorious vocals behind KPop Demon Hunters‘ Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Golden.” The three women are set to perform the song from Netflix’s animated film during the telecast. The Oscars coproducers revealed ahead of the show that their performance would incorporate Korean instruments and dance to celebrate the folklore and culture of the film. KPop Demon Hunters is nominated not only for best original song with “Golden,” but also best animated film.

The other best song performance of the night will be by Sinners‘ Michael Caton and Raphael Saadiq, with “I Lied to You.” The film helmed by Ryan Coogler earned an impressive 16 nominations to become the most nominated movie in Oscar history.

Other musicians on the Oscars red carpet include Diane Warren, who is up for “Dear Me.” This is her ninth year in a row to be nominated, and the first musician to achieve this feat. Auli’i Cravalho as well as Brandi Carlile showed off their style as they arrived.

The 98th Annual Academy Awards are held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien as the host for the second year in a row. The show kicks off live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and streams on Hulu.

With Hollywood’s biggest night around the corner, parties popped up across Los Angeles all weekend long. At the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood on Friday night (March 13), a particularly special celebration was being held.  
 
Hosted by HarbourView Equity Partners and musical director Adam Blackstone, Las’ Set: Legacy Experience brought together some of the biggest names in R&B and soul to celebrate the life and legacy of the late, great Quincy Jones.  

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“[Jones] didn’t just create hits, he created moments that move culture. And at HarborView, we often speak about stewardship, because those of us who work at the intersection of music, story and legacy understand something clearly,” said Sherrese Clarke, founder and CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners, to open up the night. “Great work is never merely an asset. It’s history, it’s identity, it’s the living memory of a people. Quincy’s catalog carries all of that and the weight of it demands reverence.” 

An intimate pre-Oscars party, Las’ Set invited a star-studded lineup of Jones’ co-collaborators, mentees and artists inspired by his work to the stage to perform hits from the legend’s extensive catalog.  
 
At the top of the show, Blackstone — who, alongside his band, backed an intergenerational cast of singers all night — welcomed the crowd to “Q’s Juke Joint.” 
 
A range of Jones-written and produced tracks from “Killer Joe” to “Home” from The Wiz to, of course, a slew of Michael Jackson hits were performed throughout the evening. Performers included longtime Jones collaborator Terrace Martin, two-time Grammy winner Lucky Daye, “Man in the Mirror” co-writer Siedah Garrett and soul icon Lalah Hathaway. D Smoke made a surprise appearance and performed a freestyle dedicated to Jones over a sample of one of his tracks. 2026 Grammy Award winner Durand Bernarr closed the night with an electric performance of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s hit “Do You Love What You Feel” (No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1979).
 
The stars on stage weren’t the only ones in the room on Friday night. Dr. Dre, Hit-Boy and Jimmy Jam were among the revelers in the audience. Actresses Jurnee Smollett and Natasha Lyonne, singer Estelle and film producer William Packer also made appearances. Also in the audience were members of Jones’ family, including Quincy Jones III (QD3) and Martina Jones, excited to celebrate their father’s legacy. 

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2026 March Madness is almost here. Before 68 teams go head-to-head for the NABC National Championship Trophy, the tournament bracket must be filled out. Today (March 15), on Selection Sunday, the men’s team bracket reveal will air live on CBS at 6 p.m. ET, while the women’s will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know about streaming the college basketball special live online without cable.

Where to Watch 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday, At a Glance:

The basketball games don’t start until March 17, but March Madness truly beings with Selection Sunday. The selection committee will reveal the full NCAA tournament bracket for both the men’s and women’s NCAA teams. On the men’s side, Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida are the are four clear-cut favorites and will most likely fill up the coveted No. 1 seeds in the tournament.

For the women’s teams, UConn has been a solo powerhouse all season with an undefeated record and is on an impressive 50-game win streak. If you’re looking to bet, the Huskies are massive -275 favorites, the shortest odds of any team heading into the tournament in years.

Want to watch Selection Sunday? We’ve created a streaming guide to watch the NCAA March Madness special live online and for free.

How to Watch the 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday Special Online

If you don’t have cable, there are still plenty of ways to watch CBS and ESPN online. Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, so you can watch the college championship game today without paying a dime. Signing up to streamers like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Fubo, you can get right into the action.

2026 NCAA March Madness: How to Watch Selection Sunday, Livestream

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DirecTV


DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS, ESPN and more for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all of the streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll get access to local channels and the ability to stream on as many devices as you want.

How to watch Paramount+ online

Paramount+

There are two plans to choose from: Paramount+ Essential and Paramount+ Premium.


If you are already a subscriber, just log on and start watching. For those looking to sign up, Paramount+ offers an affordable Essential plan for $8.99 per month, which will give you access to the March Madness Selection Sunday special alongside tens of thousands of episodes and movies, including exclusive and original content, as well as NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League and 24/7 live news on CBS News.

If you want to go ad-free, you can subscribe to Paramount+ Premium for $13.99 per month and you’ll not only receive access to Showtime’s exclusive and original programs, but your local CBS station, additional live sports and the ability to download content to watch on-the-go.

Paramount+ doesn’t offer a free trial, but there is a slight workaround to subscribe to the platform for free this weekend. Right now, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial for Walmart+, which includes Paramount+ as one of its streaming perks.

With prices starting at just $4.99 for a day pass, Sling TV includes ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN 3 (for ABC simulcast) with its Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue packages — which features dozens of channels that can be streamed on up to three devices at the same time. Sling Orange + Blue features FS1 and the NFL Network, too.

Please note: Sling TV’s pricing and channel availability depends on your local TV market.

2026 NCAA March Madness: How to Watch Selection Sunday, Livestream

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FuboTV


Fubo is another great option you can take advantage of to watch ESPN and CBS online. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial that’ll give you access to ESPN free and more than 240 live TV channels. The service offers a promo that’ll get you up to $30 off the first month, which can get you access to ESPN and more for as low as $54.99 (reg. $84.99 per month).

2026 NCAA March Madness: How to Watch Selection Sunday, Livestream

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Hulu + Live TV


For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including ESPN and CBS for just $82.99 per month.

And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.

ESPN Unlimited is the official streaming platform for ESPN, and a subscription includes instant access to games and more exclusive content for $29.99 per month. You can save almost 17% off by purchasing an annual subscription for $299.99 per year. There is no free ESPN Unlimited trial, but it does include exclusive on-demand videos and access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider.

In addition to live sports, ESPN Unlimited has original shows to stream on-demand, plus game recaps and analysis, a shorter version of NFL Primetime and full replays of historic NFL matchups.

To expand your savings and content offerings, currently, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Hulu and Disney+ for a single monthly price of just $29.99 per month for all three services for 12 months of streaming.

Singers Corinne Bailey Rae and Ravyn Lenae joined Billboard‘s Delisa Shannon and Better Help’s Dr. Russell DuBois for the debut episode of Billboard‘s Like Minded series on Saturday afternoon (March 14) at the Billboard House @ SXSW.

Bailey Rae and Lenae discussed how they managed their mental health battles amid having success in different eras of music.

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The British singer’s breakthrough came in the mid-2000s with “Like a Star,” which led to Bailey Rae’s self-titled debut in 2006, and she’s celebrating 20 years of the LP for the rest of 2026.

Bailey Rae’s life was turned upside down as she went from performing at bars to arenas around the globe and meeting some of her heroes like Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder, while Prince pulled up to one of her early U.S. shows.

“It seems dreamlike in some ways,” Bailey Rae said. “It was a huge time of transformation. Coming from being in a band, where everybody who you knew in the audience was the full extent of the people who got to connect with the music to having a record where it just flew across the world and I had no idea who was connecting with it.”

Lenae’s breakthrough was a decade in the making, as “Love Me Not” reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2025. However, what most people didn’t see behind closed doors was the Chicago native attempting to grapple with her success and yearning for more while dealing with loneliness and isolation.

“What you don’t expect is the loneliness of it,” Lenae admitted. “I remember being on tour and I remember crying one day in my hotel room and being confused about why I’m crying because everything’s going so well. I haven’t seen my family, I haven’t spent time doing normal things I love to do, and from this point on I know my schedule’s gonna be cram-packed.”

Lenae revealed that she had gone to therapy, but she’s strayed away from visits to her therapist in recent months, although she has plans to go back.

Bailey Rae echoed a lot of the same sentiments as Lenae and championed her honesty. “The idea your life is changing and it will never change back. I wish somebody said to me that all these things are for a season. They’ll be a season where you’re the hottest thing on the planet. But guess what? It won’t last forever.”

Bailey Rae also dealt with tragedy in the midst of her upswing, as her husband Jason Rae passed away from an accidental overdose in 2008. She used the metaphor of her career being like a surfer’s and how you don’t need to catch every wave, while there are going to be plenty of highs and lows.

Look for more Like Minded episodes in the coming months from Billboard.


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