Category: Entertainment

The wonderwall of secrecy has come down and the voters’ wishes for who will make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year have become known. The eight performers voted into the class of 2026 are:

● Phil Collins
● Billy Idol
● Iron Maiden
● Joy Division/New Order
● Oasis
● Sade
● Luther Vandross
● Wu-Tang Clan

There were 17 nominees put up for selection this year, more than ever. The results of the balloting mean that nine contenders did not make it in for 2026 (the Hall would surely prefer that you not call them snubs). These are: the Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink and Shakira.

But the Hall finds other ways to be encompassing, so there aren’t just eight inductees this year, but a whopping 18. The remaining 10 are selected outside of the wider voter process, by Rock Hall committee members, and come in not as “performers” per se but in the categories of Early Influences, Musical Excellence and the singular Ahmet Ertegun Award. These additional inductees are:

Early Influence Award:

Musical Excellence Award:

Ahmet Ertegun Award:

These honorees were announced live on-air during a Monday night episode of “American Idol,” by 2022 Hall of Fame inductee Lionel Richie and Ryan Seacrest, in a Hall of Fame-themed episode.

The induction ceremony will take place Nov. 14 in Los Angeles and be seen on ABC and Disney+ at some point in December, producers announced. In the previous three years since Disney got rights to air the show (2023-25), the full show was aired live on Disney+ before an edited version was shown months later on ABC, but it appears that a live broadcast has been scotched for 2026.

Collins was already a member of the Hall of Fame, as a member of Genesis, but this year marked the first time he was on the ballot as a solo artist. Two other first-timers besides Collins made it in on their first nomination: Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.

Oasis, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order got voted in on their third try. It was the second time being up for the honor for Sade and Idol.

Notably, Parsons had been nominated three times before — the last time being more than 20 years ago — and Kuti got a nom twice, previously, but neither had been voted in. Their induction now in the Early Influence category represents one of the work-arounds the committee has come up with for artists who have proven time and again that they can’t sway enough voters to get in… and yet who constantly come up on the top of nearly everyone’s “how is it possible they aren’t in?” lists. (Cruz, Queen Latifah and MC Lyte had never been nominated.)

New Edition was the winner of the “fan vote,” which is seen as a growing tally online every year; with that collective vote not counting for much in reality, though, the group failed to earn a spot in the top eight.

With the list of inductees out now, the biggest remaining suspense may be in how Oasis singer Liam Gallagher will take to finally being admitted to the exclusive club, and whether he will be as resistant as he was in past years. In 2024, when Oasis was first nominated, the famously cantankerous vocalist reacted to the news by posting on X: “Fuck the Rock n Roll hall of fame its full of BUMBACLARTS” (sic). Still estranged at that time from his brother, Noel Gallagher, Liam additionally wrote: “The little fella loves hanging out with celebrities so he’d prob go; as for me I’m washing my hair and having a pedicure and a manicure.” With the brothers’ rift now having been repaired for a reunion tour, however, it remains to be seen whether Liam would still want Noel to show up alone.

Some nominees or honorees who are initially resistant eventually come around, like Dolly Parton; and some do not, like famous no-shows John Lydon and Todd Rundgren. (This past year, Chubby Checker declined to come, after long complaining about his exclusion, but did tape an acceptance speech at a gig.)

Perhaps the second most suspenseful question is whether current and former members of New Order will make up to perform at the ceremony. Peter Hook has been estranged from the remaining members of the group, which initially went separate ways in 2007 but then reunited without him in 2011. He sued the other members, and a settlement was reached in 2017. Hook said last year, “Everything is colored by the animosity… I don’t think they’re New Order. They don’t sound like anything like them.” (New Order’s induction is being combined with their earlier band, Joy Division, which went defunct after Ian Curtis died by suicide in 1980.)

Collins would seem like a long shot to perform at the induction; he retired in 2022 due to health issues, and has said he requires 24-hour care. But fans may hope that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Some of the other inductees remain active as performers, including Idol, Iron Maiden and Wu-Tang Clan (even if there are sometimes issues over how many members of the hip-hop collective show up for a tour). A Sade appearance would certainly be a coup for the show’s producers: as a band, Sade last released an album in 2010 and hasn’t toured since 2011.

Ticket information for the October induction ceremony, which will again take place at L.A.’s Peacock Theater, will be announced later. In 2027, the induction will rotate back for a year to Cleveland, home of the hall’s namesake museum.

Focus Asia, the industry section of the Far East Film Festival, has unveiled its full slate for the 2026 edition – 13 projects for the All Genres Project Market and six titles for Far East in Progress – alongside a new post-production prize backed by Bangkok-based White Light Studio. The market runs April 27-29 in Udine, Italy.

The All Genres Project Market selection, chosen by a seven-member committee from more than 120 submissions across 24 countries, spans drama, coming-of-age, art-house, magical realism, crime, sci-fi and fantasy. The 13 projects, each representing a distinct territory, are: “A Way to Etretat,” directed by Su-Won Shin and produced by June Film (South Korea); “Adarna,” directed by Lois Patiño and produced by Elastica Films and Matriuska Producciones (Spain); “Dear Sơn An,” directed by Kim Quy Bui and produced by Varan (Vietnam) and A Company Film (Germany); “Holy Mother,” directed by Sinung Winahyoko and produced by KrossKultur Media (Indonesia); “I Have to Fuck Before the World Ends,” directed by Andrea Benjamin Manenti and produced by Volos Films Italia, Citrullo International (Italy), Epicmedia (Philippines) and Puffin Pictures (France); “Naked in Glendale,” directed by Haohao Yan and produced by Seesaw Productions (China) and Q&A Entertainment (U.S.); and “New Life,” directed by Yingtong Li and produced by Yitis Film (China).

Rounding out the All Genres selection: “Noodles, Our Love Was Instant and Forever,” directed by Whammy Alcazaren and produced by Daluyong Studios and TwoFold (Philippines); “Route 7,” directed by Jinrung Chun and produced by Cloud11 Studios (Japan); “Snake in the Dreamscapes,” directed by Lou Yi An and produced by Content Digital Film and Hope Content Marketing (Taiwan); “Somewhere in the South,” directed by Ce Ding Tan and produced by Evil Genius Studio (Malaysia) and Giraffe Pictures (Singapore); “UFO Club,” directed by Milena Kaneko and produced by K2 Pictures and Bunbuku (Japan); and “Wake Me Up When the Mourning Ends,” directed by Kok Rui Lau and produced by Thousand Sails Pictures (Hong Kong), Volos Films Italia (Italy) and Janji Pictures Production (Malaysia).

The six titles selected for Far East in Progress, the platform for Asian films in post-production seeking international distribution and festival premieres, are: “Doppel,” directed by Jun Tanaka and produced by Keyaki Works (Japan) and Solaria Film (Italy); “Good Death,” directed by Atsushi Funahashi and produced by Big River Film (Japan), Flash Forward Entertainment (Taiwan) and Harine Films (Poland); “Midnight Sun,” directed by Zhejian Michael Cong and produced by Màn Rán Studio (U.S.) and Oui Production (France); “Picturehouse,” directed by Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo and produced by Girelle Production (France), East Films (Vietnam), Add Oil Films (Singapore) and Daluyong Studio (Philippines); “Sanamsar,” directed by Bat-Amgalan Lkhagvajav and produced by Media Crackers LLC (Mongolia); and “The Quiet Applause,” directed by Sungbin Byun and produced by Ssarinamu Film (South Korea). The strand is overseen by a selection committee headed by Marie-Pierre Vallé.

The newly launched White Light/Focus Asia Award, valued at $20,000 in professional post-production services, will go to the strongest project drawn from both the All Genres Market and Far East in Progress. It marks the first time White Light Studio has participated in Focus Asia as a prize partner.

The organizers pointed to recent alumni as evidence of the section’s track record: “Ah Girl” by Ang Geck Geck Priscilla screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year and is now in competition at FEFF28, while Yukari Sakamoto’s “White Flowers and Fruits” premiered at San Sebastian IFF in 2025.

Italy’s Ministry of Culture remains the primary institutional backer of Focus Asia, with Cinecittà providing organizational support, including a special opening-night reception and a showcase of Italian producers. The Italian Trade Agency ICE has also deepened its partnership with the market, with the stated aim of increasing the attendance of senior Asian decision-makers. Separate co-production labs have been organized in collaboration with Cinecittà, CCIDAHK Hong Kong, and Telefilm Canada. Europa Distribution and Europa International return as partners, with the latter participating for the second consecutive year.

New programming additions for 2026 include a Think Tank on animation developed with Anima Mundi, a Box Office Study panel covering the global performance of Asian titles, and a session on vertical content examining the rise of microdrama and its effect on IP development and digital distribution.

The 2026 edition of Focus Asia is expected to draw more than 200 industry delegates from Europe, Asia and Canada.

Turner Classic Movies has acquired the exclusive rights to “Beyond The Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood,” a documentary feature directed, written and produced by the sister filmmaker duo Clara and Julia Kuperberg. The film will be released in September on TCM during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The documentary will trace a “century-long struggle for Latino representation, showing how artists reclaimed their image and reshaped cinema, and the way we imagine the world,” per the film’s logline, and will feature archives and film clips. Voices featured in the film include John Leguizamo, casting director Carla Hool, Esai Morales, Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, director Gregory Nava, director Patricia Riggen, José Zúñiga and more. 

“As French filmmakers, we’ve spent over 20 years exploring American cinema and culture, so in a way, this film is part of a larger journey,” said the Kuperbergs. “What has always fascinated us is how Hollywood not only reflects society, but also shapes global perceptions of identity, power, and belonging. When it comes to Latino representation, we were struck by a paradox. Latinos are a fundamental part of American history and culture, and one of the largest communities in the United States, yet their presence in Hollywood has long been limited, stereotyped, or overlooked. That gap between reality and representation felt both striking and urgent.”

The Kuperbergs have made films together for more than two decades, writing, directing, producing and editing more than 60 documentaries through their company Wichita Films. Their work has screened at Cannes, by AMPAS and has been distributed globally across platforms including HBO Max, Amazon, Hulu and TCM.

Martine Melloul serves as co-producer for the film and Daniel Talbott serves as executive producer. The film was produced by TCM Cinema and Wichita Films, in association with Kali Pictures.

Yet into the wee hours of Monday morning, as many exhausted festival attendees headed home and many online viewers simply ran out of energy, Colombian dynamo Karol G delivered an explosive performance that leaned heavily into Latin and female empowerment, covering multiple genres of music and guest appearances while showing off her formidable talents as a singer, performer and conceptualist. The show was an explosion of music, dancing, colors and symbols that words could never do justice — it’s streaming for another few hours (and for weekend two next Sunday) so dig in while you can.

Karol was, as she noted, the first Latin female artist in 27 years of Coachella to headline. She leaned heavily into that role: The show opened with a spoken-word fable, with a translation in English appearing on the massive screens, about a young woman who “came into this world being wild, untamable, free” but was then repressed by a voice saying “If you want to belong, you must surrender to the world” — but of course she did not stay repressed forever, recovering her power as she “lloked around and felt the power of every woman by her side,” finishing with the words “Forever wild — Latina forever.”  

She and a dozen-odd limber-limbed dancers clad in gold lame bikinis then tore into that song, performing on a giant, multi-level stage that was designed like a series of caves — symbolizing origin — with her (apparently all-female) musicians on the ground floor. After a rousing start (setlist below), what followed was a vivid, loving tribute to all different flavors and musical genres of Latin culture, as loaded with subtext as Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl headlining performance. An all-female mariachi band took the stage for a brief performance; Becky G and Mariah Angeliq joined Karol for sultry duets on “Mamiii” and “El Makinon” respectively; Puerto Rican rapper Wisin performed a long medley of his hits in the middle of the set; legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval delivered a powerful solo during “Ivonny Bonita”; Karol performed back-to-back with guitarist Greg Gonzales, of the band Cigarettes After Sex on a new song.

Karol was an explosive presence throughout the show, leading a huge troupe of colorfully clad dancers onto the walkways leading into the crowd; performing atop a giant model of a macaw (another symbol of Latin culture) with its wings outstretched; performing with her dancers in a sculptured pool and incorporating the splashing water into the choreography; quieting things down with a couple of low-key ballads; and later going into the front row of the audience and looking on with an incredulous smile as a young woman rapped her lyrics note for note.

As the set wound down, Karol, surrounded by dozens of musicians and dancers, gave a brief speech, noting that it took 27 years for Coachella — which has leaned heavily into Latin music in recent years — to book a female Latin performer as a headliner before saying, “Before me there were so any legendary Latino artists that gave me the opportunity to be here tonight, so this isn’t just about me: This is about my Latino community,” she said to cheers.

“And at the same time, this is for my Latinos that have been struggling in this country lately — we stand [with] them, and at the same time I am very proud because this brings out the best in us: unity, resilience, and a strong spirit. We do this because we want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, so I want everyone to feel proud of where you come from: Don’t feel fear, feel pride!”

The set then closed out with ten minutes of joyous music and dancing from the entire troupe, punctuated by fireworks, blazing laser lights, blasts of flame and more. It was an explosive set that found Karol leaning heavily into her moment and emerging triumphantly.