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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Media personality Matt Hart and TV creator Derrick Beckles discuss the new Tom Green documentary, ‘This Is the Tom Green Documentary’, and how his notorious gonzo talk show from the late-’90s revolutionized television and anticipated the YouTube era.
Book lovers Arizona O’Neill and Lu Aburawi talk to Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the phenomenon of Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series as the third book 'Onyx Storm' hits shelves. And music journalist Tabassum Siddiqui reviews a new documentary
With controversy swirling around the use of AI to perfect the Hungarian accents for the actors in the Oscar-nominated film ‘The Brutalist’, Elamin is joined by Rad Simonpillai and Kristy Puchko to discuss the public reaction, and what it says about our comfort level with the intersection between art and AI right now. And culture critic Niko Stratis joins host Elamin to talk about why she got into the world of rewatch podcasts, both as a host and as a listener.
Culture writer Reanna Cruz and rapper Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a. Cadence Weapon, chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the nominations for this year’s Oscars, the hit new Keke Palmer/SZA buddy comedy ‘One of Them Days’, and the surprising new posthumous Mac Miller album, 'Ballonerism.'
The Canada Reads 2025 champions are revealed! Five celebrities each champion a book they think all of Canada should read, and after a week of debates, one will be crowned the winner.
Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with Liz Pelly, author of '‘Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of The Perfect Playlist’ and music critic Ian Kamau about how Spotify became the dominant power in music streaming. And CBC Sports correspondent Morgan Campbell talks about the Australian Open’s decision to livestream its matches on YouTube using Nintendo-like digital avatars to depict the action.
The day after Donald Trump was sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States, culture critics Vinson Cunningham and Tyler Foggatt join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to read the inauguration’s cues: what the new President’s choices tell us about where the culture is heading and what cultural resistance might look like.
The future of TikTok is in limbo. After going dark in the U.S. for several hours over the weekend, it’s back, for now. Vass Bednar joins Elamin to talk about what this means for the millions of creators who use it, and where things go next. And TV critics Eric Deggans and Jeevan Sangha to discuss the highly anticipated season 2 of ‘Severance.’
Film critics Rad Simonpillai, Kristy Puchko and Hanna Flint discuss the legacy of David Lynch, and review the new films, 'The Last Showgirl' starring Pamela Anderson and 'Better Man', a surprisingly great biopic on Robbie Williams.
Film critics Sarah-Tai Black and Jackson Weaver discuss the new film adaptation of Colson Whitehead's book ‘Nickel Boys’ with Elamin Abdelmahmoud and whether the praise it's receiving is valid. And ten years after its failed launch, music journalist Nate Rogers explains why consumers were so hostile to Pono, a digital-music platform and player developed by Canadian rock legend Neil Young.
The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have many people thinking about climate change. So why aren’t we seeing more TV or film addressing this pressing global issue? Allison Begalman, co-founder of the Hollywood Climate Summit, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, climate reporter with Bloomberg, talk with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about what’s keeping Hollywood from reflecting our environmental reality. Plus, culture writer Rebecca Jennings explains why Beast Games, from the extraordinarily popular YouTuber Mr...
Elamin is joined by hip-hop academic Mark Campbell and emcee/academic Galac to discuss the Art Gallery of Ontario’s first international hip-hop exhibit, ‘The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century’ and what it can tell us about the way hip-hop is valued in certain cultural spaces. Plus, as the fires rage in and around L.A., so much of the attention is focused on the celebrities who’ve been displaced and lost their homes. They are amplifying fundraising efforts, but also fuelin...
Mark Zuckerberg's decision to get rid of fact checking on all of Meta's platforms is being called an extinction-level event for the idea of objective truth on social media and an 'extremely dangerous time' for journalism and democracy. But is it really all that bad? Elamin is joined by wrtiers Robyn Urback and CT Jones to talk about how this decision could change the way we live.
Culture writers Niko Stratis, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, and Reanna Cruz join the Commotion Group Chat to discuss Puerto Rican rap icon Bad Bunny’s new album, the new Netflix documentary on the life and untimely death of Swedish superstar DJ Avicii, and the radical new release from rising indie artist Ethel Cain.
Inuk writer Napatsi Folger and Swampy Cree filmmaker Sonya Ballantyne discuss the new sitcom North of North, a comedy about a young Inuk mother in the remote fictional town of Ice Cove, Nunavut. The show, starring Anna Lambe, premiered on CBC Gem and APTN, and will have its global debut on Netflix later this year. Plus, Devon Ivie, staff writer at Vulture, talks about the new Netflix claymation film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and how it features one of the best cinematic villain...
As the curtains close on Justin Trudeau's almost 10 years in office, Elamin is joined by Riley Yesno, Justin Ling and Jen Gerson to talk about the power – and the shortcomings - of his particular brand as our first influencer Prime Minister. And we also dig into how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre uses the internet quite differently, and what that says about this particular moment
With last night’s debut of Monday Night Raw on Netflix, Elamin is joined by wrestling fans Pablo The Don and David Dennis Jr. to discuss the event and how it sets up this new era of the WWE’s flagship TV series. Also, author Craig Davidson pays tribute to his friend and fellow writer Andrew Pyper, the acclaimed Toronto-based horror novelist died on Jan. 3 at age 56.
Entertainment journalists Teri Hart and Aramide Tinubu join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to review the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, which officially signal the start of awards season in Hollywood. Plus, Teri reports on the legal drama between 'It Ends With Us' co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Music journalists Vish Khanna, Caryn Rose, and Ian Grant weigh in on the new biopic 'A Complete Unknown,' starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, and explain how the folk music hero has remained such a enigmatic and iconic figure in pop culture for over 60 years.
Culture critics Pablo The Don, Tristan Grant aka Wolfcastle and Rollie Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about what the music industry has in store for 2025, from Beyoncé at the Grammys, Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl to new music from rising stars Tia Wood and Doechii.
Elamin is joined by entertainment reporter Teri Hart, Mashable film editor Kristy Puchko, and NPR TV critic Eric Deggans to look ahead to the TV shows and films that will keep us glued to our screens in 2025.
From protests at the Giller Prize to revelations around the late author Alice Munro, we look back at the controversies that changed Canadian literary institutions in 2024. Reporters Josh O’Kane and Michelle Cyca join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how there’s no going back. Plus – their picks for the best books of the past year.
This year marks the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the lauded Canadian writer best known for her internationally-acclaimed novel Anne of Green Gables. The story of a spunky red-headed orphan who learns how to live and love on Prince Edward Island has transcended time and space, charming generations of readers with its wit, pastoral landscapes and rich characters. Today on Commotion, scholar Laura Robinson, playwright Kat Sandler and TV writer Kathryn Borel join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud ...
For all of the shows and films that made the best-of lists, there’s a LOT of great stuff that flew under the radar in 2024. Culture critics Rad Simonpillai, Thomas Leblanc and Ashley Ray join guest host Ali Hassan to talk about the best things they watched this past year — that most of us never heard about.
It’s been three years since Squid Game came out and surprised everybody by becoming a gigantic hit. As season 2 drops today, Michelle Cho, Regina Kim and Kathryn VanArendonk join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud for a spoiler-free group chat about the return to the world of Squid Game.
Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by culture critics Sharine Taylor, Danae Peart and Jovanté Anderson to discuss HBO's new Jamaica-set crime series Get Millie Black, and the way the show centers trans and queer Jamaican people. Plus, film critic Teri Hart talks about how Dwayne Johnson's new Christmas comedy, Red One, pulled in a record breaking 50 million views on Prime Video after a disappointing box office run.
Fashion writers Danya Issawi, Joan Summers and Gianluca Russo look back on the year in Fashion, from John Galliano’s dolls, Charli XCX’s Brat summer and Zendaya’s red carpet moments for Challengers and Dune: Part II.
As the year winds down, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Niko Stratis and Rad Simonpillai chat with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the pop culture highs and lows of 2024.
Increasing numbers of young viewers are abandoning traditional kids TV shows in favour of creator-produced online content. The Wrap’s TV reporter Kayla Cobb explains the impacts of this shift on both children and the entertainment industry at large. Plus, the ongoing protests against the Giller Prize, this country’s most prestigious literary award, has sent shockwaves through CanLit. Elamin speaks to Noor Naga. She's one of many authors who've boycotted the Giller Prize. She talks about what cha...
2024 was a year of highs and lows for the video game industry. There was a labour strike, mass layoffs and controversies around diversifying the gaming world. There were also long-anticipated new releases from big franchises and surprise indie successes from smaller developers. Culture writer Jonathan Ore and podcast host and producer Camille Salazar Hadaway join guest host Ali Hassan to talk about how the past year played out in the video game industry. Plus, comedian and culture critic Ashley ...
