Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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. Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcasts newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.
Episodes
There has never been a bigger Canadian show than Heated Rivalry – and people everywhere are obsessed. Culture critics Cassandra Morann, Jason P Frank and Lainey Lui join Elamin to take stock of how the gay hockey show became such a massive global phenomenon, and where it goes from here.
Are we in an era of insufferable TV dialogue? Screenwriter and show-runner Anthony Q. Farrell and culture writer Kathryn VanArendonk talk to Elamin about why writers are dumbing down dialogue, and what impact it’s having on storytelling and the viewing experience.
Plus, from the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, the free-form Toronto radio station CFNY was a crucial incubator of alternative music that introduced trailblazing Britis...
The new year kicked off with some big stories from the world of hip hop. There's the petition to have Nicki Minaj deported to Trinidad, Drake is facing a lawsuit over an alleged gambling scheme, and the controversy surrounding comments made by Adin Ross towards Doechii. Culture critics Pablo The Don, Jay Smooth and El Jones join Elamin Abdelmahoud to dig into this week’s biggest stories.
Millions of people are encountering the crisis in Venezuela right now through memes – from Nicolás Maduro's 'viral dance' that reportedly angered U.S. President Donald Trump to the Nike track suit he wore on the flight to New York City, which sold out in hours. Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks with New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac about how our responses to a complex crisis are different when memes shape our understanding.
AI has already transformed what we read, watch, and listen to .. and some people are already fed up. So .. are we in for a cultural reset this year? And how has AI changed our relationship with authenticity, and what we want from the arts? Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with culture critics Kate Lindsay, Joshua Rothman and Niko Stratis.
There are so many big albums to look forward to in 2026, and there are so many industry trends, like the rise of AI in music. What should we pay attention to? And what can we expect? Music journalists Emilie Hanskamp, Richie Assaly, and Reanna Cruz join Elamin to discuss.
Critics Kathryn VanArendonk and Saloni Gajjar chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the new and returning TV shows they’re excited about for the new year. And Jackson Weaver shares some Canadian movies to look out for in 2026.
2025 was a big year on and off the runway. Fashion writers Danya Issawi, Tashira Halyard and Mosha Lundström Halbert look back on a year in fashion that was full of change, with Anna Wintour stepping down at Vogue, the death of Giorgio Armani and a new crop of designers taking over at places like Dior, Givenchy and Chanel.
Coming into 2025, the phrases '6-7,' 'Italian brainrot,' 'Coldplay kiss-cam' and 'astronaut Katy Perry' were not commonly used expressions, but thanks to the unpredictable tides of pop culture, they have become permanent parts of a shared lexicon. On this episode of Commotion, writers Amil Niazi, Niko Stratis, and Jackson Weaver reflect on the most memorable pop-cultural moments of 2025 – some of which, we’d rather forget.
The phrase 'girl power' was coined by Bikini Kill in the early 1990s, but its meaning was watered down later in the decade when angry radical women in music were followed by younger, less opinionated pop stars.
Sophie Gilbert dives into 1990s and 2000s pop culture in her latest book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, to figure out what happened.
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...
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 Elam...
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 jus...
Today, 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 ...
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.
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