Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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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...
Recent Episodes
621 episodes
Weekly Wrap: Son of Sara + Emmy nominations + Marc Messier
Film critics Corey Atad, Sarah-Tai Black, and Justine Smith join the Group Chat to talk about the new Canadian indie horror film Son of Sara: Vol. 1,...
Little House on the Prairie confronts its racist past + Ray-Ban Meta glasses
Little House on the Prairie has been adapted countless times, and Netflix is adding their modern retelling into the Laura Ingalls Wilder canon. TV cri...
The Invite is hilariously awkward, and big news for Raptors fans
Have you ever been to a friend’s house for dinner and suddenly realized they were fighting with their partner right before you walked through the door...
Why film lovers are fighting to save this one lab + the end of physical Playstations
The only large photochemical film lab in Canada is slated to close .. and film lovers are lobbying the owners to reverse their decision. Film professo...
World Cup recap + the Taylor & Travis wedding
Canada is only one game away from the World Cup quarter-finals. All eyes will be on their match against Morocco this weekend. On Monday, CBC’s Shireen...
FRIDAY WRAP: Canada joins Eurovision, new Madonna album, new Carole Pope doc
Music journalist Emilie Hanskamp, broadcaster Garvia Bailey, and culture writer Mel Woods join the Friday Group Chat to discuss Canada joining the Eur...
NTBTSTM makes its Korean debut! + Did The Bear land its finale?
"Nirvanna the Band: A comedy about Matt and Jay, a duo unrelated to the legendary band Nirvana, who devise a ridiculous plan to build a time machine f...
The Canadian artists dominating 2026 (so far)
It's Canada Day, which means the first half of the year is over. Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by culture critics Jackson Weaver, Riley Yesno and Eugé...
What the Jackass movies teach us about male friendship, and Glenn Lewis' new album
Culture critics Matt Hart and Niko Stratis talk to Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai about the enduring appeal of the Jackass franchise, and w...
Why Supergirl crash landed at the box office, and an NFB film collection in France
Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai is joined by culture critic Sonya Ballantyne and CBC film critic Jackson Weaver to discuss 'Supergirl’ - the...
The CN Tower's hold on pop culture
With the CN Tower celebrating its 50th birthday today, culture writers Michael Barclay, Niko Stratis, and Dalton Higgins reflect on the various ways—f...
How Siphe November changed ballet in Canada, and a floating convenience store goes viral
Siphe November took his final bow as principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada in Wayne McGregor’s adaptation of MADDADDAM this past weekend....
Young people are leading Quebec sovereignty's new cultural wave, and Clive Davis
Saint Jean Baptiste Day is the day when Quebec celebrates what makes it distinct. But this year, more young Quebecers are embracing the idea of an ind...
Canada is locked in on the World Cup, and a strange music heist
Following Canada’s resounding victory over Qatar Thursday, it’s safe to say World Cup fever has finally taken hold across the nation. In advance of th...
Do we really need another Toy Story movie, and why some are going analog
With the release of Toy Story 5 Commotion guest host Radheyan Simonpillai is joined by CBC film critic Jackson Weaver and Mashable film editor Kristy...
Weekly Wrap: new Zoon album, Polaris Music Prize, Oliver Tree's death
Ahead of National Indigenous People’s Day, Cree radio producer Kaitlyn Swan, nêhiyaw musician Marek Tyler, and Anishinaabe writer Riley Yesno join the...
How the Knicks' win is landing in this political moment, and Widow's Bay
After the New York Knicks won its first NBA championship in 53 years the city will celebrate on Thursday with a massive parade. Elamin Abdelmahmoud is...
The Griffin Poetry Prize, and no more Hockey Night in Canada on CBC
Founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize Scott Griffin joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud in-studio for a feature conversation – about recent changes to the prize,...
What a new Indigenous dating show gets right, and the Banana Man saga
Rezervations for Two, hosted by Kairyn Potts and Scott Wabano, is the first ever reality dating show exclusively for Indigenous folks. With the first...
Olivia Rodrigo's new album, and how a matriarch's beauty shop became a hub for Canadian hip-hop
Olivia Rodrigo’s third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, begins with a love story, and ends with a break up. Music critics Melissa Vin...
Friday wrap: Spielberg's Disclosure Day, RuPaul's Stop! That! Train!
Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai, Adam Nayman and Ashley Ray join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to weigh in on Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi epic, Disclosur...
The World Cup is starting and the vibes are off
This year’s World Cup is the biggest in FIFA history, with 48 countries playing 104 matches across 16 cities. And for the first time ever – it’s being...
Carley Fortune owns summer romance, and Anderson Paak’s K-pop movie
It's not often you have this kind of Cinderella story in the Canadian book world. Carley Fortune's debut novel came out in 2022. Since then, she's wri...
Questlove’s new documentary and Steph Curry’s new sneaker deal
Culture critic Jay Smooth joins Elamin to discuss two new docs that are out. First, HBO's Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of...
Heated Rivalry gets a musical parody, the Tony Awards, and remembering Buffy star Anthony Head
An unauthorized musical parody of Heated Rivalry is taking the theatre world by storm. Theatre critic Juan Ramirez and Canadian musical theatre actor...
Friday wrap: Obsession, Cape Fear reboot
Film critics Corey Atad, Kaiya Shunyata, and Hanna Flint join the Group Chat to talk about the remarkable success of the low-budget horror movie ‘Obse...
Two GOATs return: The Jay-Z and Serena Williams comeback
With Jay-Z making his return to the concert stage at this year’s Roots Picnic and Serena Williams also announcing her return to the tennis court, Elam...
Does this Canadian military recruitment ad remind you of Call of Duty? And Pop Culture Jeopardy!
Recruitment in the Canadian Armed Forces is seeing a bit of a boom right now. It’s at a 30-year high. That could be because of a new sense of national...
How one short story got a lot of writers talking about AI, and the series Destination: Oshawa
The literary world is in an uproar after a prize-winning short story was accused of being AI-generated. But was it? How easy is it really to tell if a...
The Canadian Screen Awards, and Backrooms and the rise of YouTubers jumping into Hollywood
Heated Rivalry wins big at the Canadian Screen Awards, taking home 16 awards. Elamin is joined by film critic Radheyan Simonpillai and filmmaker/cultu...
A bad week for AI
The vibe shift around Artificial Intelligence is happening. The Pope released his manifesto warning that AI poses a threat to humanity. Meanwhile, our...
Why hockey romances are taking over television, and Hacks ends
t’s happening all over again -- a hockey romance based on a Canadian book series is taking over television. Off Campus is the number one show on Amazo...
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and why Olivia Rodrigo's babydoll dress makes people feel uneasy
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is a new AppleTV comedy-thriller starring Canadian actor Tatiana Maslany. Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by fil...
Shein buys sustainable fashion brand Everlane, and the Griffin Poetry Prize town hall
The big fashion story of the moment is Shein buying Everlane. The companies are total opposites: Shein is the king of ultra-fast fashion and Everlane...
The Enhanced Games is a 'love child of the manosphere,' and remembering cellist Cris Derksen
Held on May 24 in Las Vegas, the Enhanced Games is a rarity among international sporting competitions, in that it permits – and actively encourages –...
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is over. What now?
It’s the end of an era – when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert goes off the air (May 21). TV critic Eric Deggans, comedian Ashley Ray and political...
Talking about revenge in I Love Boosters and Is God Is, and how women are driving F1's popularity
With release of ‘I Love Boosters’ from Boots Riley and ‘Is God Is’ - the debut film from Aleshea Harris, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by film critic...
The Boys series finale: Did it stick the superhero landing?
After five critically acclaimed seasons, the superhero satire series ‘The Boys’ drops its final episode today. TV critics Kaiya Shunyata and Ben Rosen...
The lore behind Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano's 17-second fight
This past weekend the most anticipated MMA fight happened — Ronda Rousey v. Gina Carano, two pioneers of the sport, and the first matchup of its kind...
Iceman, Maid of Honour, Habibti — are we ready for a Drake summer?
Drake is the most-streamed artist in the world, but his best rap is about being an underdog. With three new albums out at once — Iceman, Maid of Honou...