Claim OwnershipCommotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.
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Culture writer Rebecca Jennings, tech/public-policy expert Vass Bednar, and media-studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan discuss how shrinking attention spans in the social-media age are impacting the way that literature, film, and music are produced and consumed.
Elamin is joined by culture critics Pablo The Don and Michael Blackmon, along with Juno nominated singer Tanika Charles to discuss ‘Here For It All’ - the new album from Mariah Carey, and why she remains one of the most iconic singer/songwriters of our time.
For almost 20 years, NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts have given the internet a chance to see some of the biggest artists and promising upcoming talents in an incredibly intimate, live setting that has made for unforgettable moments. At the same time, the series has become a crucial and trusted hub for Black pop music. At the inaugural Departures festival in Toronto, Elamin sat down with Bobby Carter, the host and series producer for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.
This year, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the group chat gathered to talk about Kent Monkman, Kent Monkman is having a profound impact on the way we understand Canada’s past – and the histories of Indigenous peoples. Riley Yesno, Susan Blight and Marion Newman celebrated Kent Monkman, whose gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is now the subject of an opera in development. They spoke with Elamin around the time parts of that opera were being performed in Montreal.
Elamin is joined by film critics Jesse Wente, Sarah-Ta Black & Jackson Weaver to discuss ‘Avatar: Fire & Ash’ - the latest installment in James Cameron’s sci-action blockbuster franchise and react to Disney’s new agreement with OpenAI that will give the public access to some of Disney’s most beloved characters via OpenAI’s popular Sora app.
Pretty much every best-of-2025 music list of note has featured Brooklyn band Geese’s third album, Getting Killed, at or near the top – a remarkable feat for an indie rock band whose members are still in their early 20s, and whose music is wilfully idiosyncratic, if not downright polarizing. Music journalist Emilie Hanskamp explains how Geese took the music world by storm this year, while CBC’s Lisa Christiansen explains why she just doesn't get the hype. Plus, ‘Tis the season of the Christmas album - a wildly oversaturated market that keeps on getting more crowded. Emilie Hanskamp and CBC Music’s Natalie Harmsen dig into what’s new and what remains a classic after all this time.
1Today, we remember Rob Reiner’s amazing Hollywood legacy, and a look back at some of the shows and films that may have flown under your radar. Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with critics Roxana Hadadi, Rachel Ho, and Radheyan Simonpillai about their favourite Rob Reiner movies, and the best things they watched this year that didn’t get enough love.
Michael Healey’s new play 'Rogers V. Rogers: The Battle for Control Over Canada's Telecom Empire,' reveals a lot about the power structures that exist inside Canada. Elamin talks to journalist and author Paul Wells and The Globe and Mail’s Aisling Murphy about the success of the show, and how a story about a dysfunctional family and a corporate struggle make for perfect theatre.
With a hot debate raging between prominent Toronto content creators Marlon Palmer and City Boy JJ about the right and wrong ways to use the Toronto accent as a comedic tool to gain online popularity, Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai is joined by culture critics Sandy Hudson and Matt Amha to discuss why conversations around who gets to celebrate and monetize local culture are more complicated than we might think.Sophie Kinsella, the author behind the popular Shopaholic series, sold more than 50 million copies of her books, and has left an indelible mark on pop culture. Rolling Stone writer CT Jones was one of her many fans. They join Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to pay tribute to Sophie, and talk about how she combined humour and the pressures of modern life in her writing, and touched so many readers.
Critics Roxana Hadadi, Angelo Muredda and Jackson Weaver chat with guest host Radheyan Simonpillai about the new Knives Out movie 'Wake Up Dead Man,’ Quentin Tarantino talking trash about Paul Dano’s acting, and all the elaborate marketing tactics movie studios are using to get you to come to the theatre again.
CBC Music’s Natalie Harmsen, culture writer Riley Yesno, and Walrus writer Erin Macleod reflect on the big albums, trends, and challenges that defined Canadian music in 2025.
Remembering Frank Gehry – one of the most famous architects of the last half-century, who had an improbable path to global stardom. Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with architect and designer Lukasz Kos and architecture critc Alex Bozikovic to talk about how Frank's love of the arts gave rise to buildings that were works of art on their own – and what his lessons will be, for architects coming up today.With the release of season two of the award-winning CBC series ‘For The Culture with Amanda Parris,’ Elamin is joined by culture critic Matt Amha to discuss the show’s episode on the growing Black tourist economy, and how its impacting the local tourism industries in Ghana and Jamaica.
Club Chalamet is a Timothée Chalamet fan club started by Simone Cromer. Elamin is joined by pop culture writers Kayleigh Donaldson and CT Jones to dig into the business behind Club Chalamet, what it reveals about the current state of fandom, and whether the parasocial obsession with Timothée Chalamet has gone too far.Plus, with iHeartMedia announcing its "Guaranteed Human" pledge, Elamin is joined by music industry insider Michelle Santosuosso to get reaction to the initiative and what it could mean for the future of human and AI music on commercial radio.
With the Netflix release of the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs docu-series ‘The Reckoning,’ executive produced by 50 Cent - Elamin is joined by entertainment reporter Taryn Finley and New York culture critic Jay Smooth to discuss the series and its approach to the Diddy scandal. Plus, Canada has a new Heritage Minister – the seventh in fewer than 10 years. The Globe and Mail’s deputy arts and film editor Barry Hertz calls it a revolving door and says it’s bad for Canadian culture workers. He explains why.
Three new movies illuminate what it means to be an absent father: Joachim Trier's movie 'Sentimental Value,' Chloé Zhao’s film 'Hamnet,' and Noah Baumbach’s movie 'Jay Kelly.' The Friday group chat gathers to talk about a new kind of Dad movie.
Zacharias Kunuk’s films are legendary for the way they show the beauty of Canada’s North and the richness of Inuit culture. His latest film 'Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)' is an epic love story, set four thousand years ago. Two artists from Igloolik, filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk and actor Zorga Qaunaq talk to Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the film and how Zacharias Kunuk’s movies have influenced Inuit storytelling in film.Theatre critic Glenn Sumi discusses the new pro-shot film version of the Stephen Sondheim musical ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ opening in movie theatres this week, and whether these cinematic versions of Broadway productions are a legitimate substitute for the live theatre experience.
With pioneering MuchMusic program ‘RapCity’ having its 35th anniversary celebrations this year, Elamin is joined by the show's original creator and producer, Michele Geister - to look back on the program’s early rise to prominence.
Imagine this: Two of the best hockey players on the best teams in the NHL are arch-rivals on the rink. Off the ice: they’re lovers. That’s the premise of a new series on Crave called Heated Rivalry – adapted from a popular series of romance novels. Lainey Lui and former pro hockey player Brock McGillis join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about a show that might be the steamiest on TV right now.Plus, people are talking about Claire Danes’ face in her new Netflix show, 'The Beast in Me.' Amil Niazi joins Elamin to talk about the response, what it reveals about Hollywood, beauty standards, and the world we’re living in today.
Choclair’s first full length album in 20 years - veteran music critic Dalton Higgins and Canadian music industry veteran Craig ‘Big C’ Mannix join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to review the new album and reflect on Choclair’s early rise to prominence. And Guardian columnist Stuart Heritage discusses the upcoming fourth entry in the action-comedy film series Rush Hour, a movie that is reportedly being made at the request of President Donald Trump.
For decades, Thomas King was considered to be one of the most prominent Indigenous authors and creators, so news that he has no Indigenous ancestry came as a shock to many people this week. Jesse Wente is a writer and Storyteller in Residence at Toronto Metropolitan University. Jesse worked closely with Thomas King on the screen adaptation of Thomas King's novel 'The Inconvenient Indian.' Jesse joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud to work through the complicated feelings of this latest news, and how he’s grappling with the fallout.Jesse's reccos:books‘The Knowing’ by Tanya Talaga‘Bad Indians Book Club’ by Patty Krawec‘The Idea of an Entire Life’ by Billy Ray Belcourt‘The Boy From Buzwah: A Life in Indian Education’ by Cecil King‘Survival Ojibwe’ by Patricia Ningewance ‘Danger Eagle’ written by Jesse Wente and illustrated by Shaikara Davidfilm/tv‘Saints and Warriors’ (coming soon to Crave)‘The Knowing’ - documentary series based on Tanya Talaga's book (on CBC Gem)‘Aki’ by Darlene Naponse‘Uiksaringitara: Wrong Husband’ by Zacharias Kunuk (in limited release in theatres)‘Meadowlarks’ by Tasha Hubbard - coming soon to theatres, it’s a drama adaptation of her documentary ‘Birth of a Family’ (available on NFB website)‘Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man’ by Sinakson Trevor Solway
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Thank you for recognizing the "F* Steely Dan" movement of 2000, a long-held grudge of *NSYNC fans!
Lot of hypocrisy in this one
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