Stay ConnectedBig 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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Founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize Scott Griffin joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud in-studio for a feature conversation – about recent changes to the prize, elevating Canadian poets and the power of poetry at a time when writers are struggling to find an audience.
Also, the CBC just announced it's getting out of the business of broadcasting NHL games. That's after the CBC was unable to agree on a new sublicensing deal with Rogers Sportsnet. The Globe and Mail's Simon Houpt talks to Elamin about the end of an era and what this new direction means for the CBC and the future of sports broadcasting in Canada.
Rezervations for Two, hosted by Kairyn Potts and Scott Wabano, is the first ever reality dating show exclusively for Indigenous folks. With the first season set in Winnipeg and kicking off this month, culture critics Riley Yesno and Sonya Ballantyne join guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to share their thoughts on the show’s unique (read: less toxic) approach to love and dating on reality TV.
Also, at a recent punk concert in Toronto, a fan wearing a banana suit found himself swarmed by fellow moshers trying to rip off his costume. They were encouraged to do this by the band onstage, who were annoyed by his presence. This odd incident sparked a widespread debate in music circles between those who believe costumes at shows are a distraction that’s disrespectful to the artists onstage, and those who believe the concertgoer was subjected to an unprovoked assault. Exclaim magazine editor Megan LaPierre talks about why the Banana Man controversy went viral -- and what this tension tells us about dressing up at shows.
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 Vincent and Niko Stratis join guest host Amil Niazi to dig into the new record, which includes a rare feature from The Cure’s Robert Smith.
Plus, Elamin is joined by culture critic and publicist Dalton Higgins to look back on the legacy of Monica Lewis aka ‘The Matriarch of Eglinton West’ and how Monica’s Beauty Supply became a culture hub in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood, while making Canadian hip-hop history in the process.
Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai, Adam Nayman and Ashley Ray join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to weigh in on Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi epic, Disclosure Day, RuPaul’s drag action comedy Stop! That! Train!, and the controversy surrounding the Obsession art director who went viral for revealing she made less than $7,000 working the low-budget horror hit, which is expected to make over $250 million at the box office.
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 hosted by three countries: Canada, the United States and Mexico. And while this World Cup was supposed to represent a massive show of unity, it has become something else altogether. Soccer fan and Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by three people who are part of CBC's World Cup coverage: Shireen Ahmed and John Grant in Toronto and Zameer Karim in Vancouver.
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 written four more romances and all five are bestsellers. Now her debut novel is a tv series on Prime Video. Romance fans CT Jones and Jessica Sorrentino chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about 'Every Year After' and how the setting of Ontario's cottage country is just as important as the love story.
Plus, Anderson .Paak’s debut feature film as a director, K-Pops!, honours both his own Korean heritage and his son’s love for K-pop. The film, starring both him and his son, takes place on the set of a reality show in Seoul where teenage singers are competing to debut as K-pop idols. Khadija Morong, from the YouTube channel K-pop with Khadija, shares all her thoughts on the movie and soundtrack with Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud.
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 the World) - plus he unpacks the new Netflix docuseries, Michael Jackson: The Verdict.
Plus, the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry announced a new 10-year endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning. While he’s not the first American athlete to partner with a Chinese company, he is the most prominent player to date to do it. Journalist and sneaker expert Aaron Dodson talks to Elamin about Curry’s new deal, and how footwear continues to shift the culture at the NBA.
An unauthorized musical parody of Heated Rivalry is taking the theatre world by storm. Theatre critic Juan Ramirez and Canadian musical theatre actor Mitch Wood join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain why it’s such a smash success, and they’ll weigh in on the Tony Awards – the morning after they’re handed out.
Plus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans are mourning the passing of British actor Anthony Head, who played Rupert Giles on the hit teen series from 1997-2003. Writer Hanna Flint – author of The Unofficial Buffy the Vampire Slayer Quiz Book – explains why Anthony Head became a favourite among Buffy fans, and how other memorable roles on ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Little Britain’ made him one of the UK’s premier character actors.
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 ‘Obsession’ (which recently became the first film since E.T. to see its box office numbers rise week-over-week in its first three weeks), and how a new generation of YouTube-reared filmmakers are changing the Hollywood game. The panel will also discuss Apple TV+’s new reboot of the classic thriller ‘Cape Fear’ and the Carney government’s recent directive to have Canada’s broadcast regulator revisit a plan that would force US streaming services to invest 15 per cent of its Canadian revenues in Canadian film and TV production.
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, Elamin is joined by culture critics Jay Smooth, Taryn Finley and Ian Kamau to react to these moments and what they might tell us about the role retirement plays in the lives of our great performers.
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