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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Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are back as Ellie and Joel trying to survive in a fledgling civilization while the rest of the world succumbs to a fungal outbreak that turns people into zombies. Season 2 of The Last Of Us debuts on Sunday – the morning after, Elamin talks with TV critic Alison Herman and die-hard fan Mel Woods, about why HBO’s post-apocalyptic show is meeting the moment. Plus, culture writer Lucy Ford talks about NCT Mark’s new album ‘The Firstfruit’ and why fans have been eagerly waiting for the Korean Canadian k-pop star’s debut solo record.
Jovanté Anderson, Siddhant Adlakha and Jael Richardson join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about Viola Davis’s new action thriller G20, the romantic comedy A Nice Indian Boy, and the very public spat between The White Lotus’s creator and music composer.
For more than four decades, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky has been celebrated as a national hero across Canada. However, Gretzky hanging out with U.S. President Donald Trump, in the middle of Trump’s trade war against Canada, and all the annexation threats, has caused many fans to disown ‘the Great One.’ Karl Subban, author and father of hockey player P.K Subban, sportscaster Tara Slone, and podcaster Paul Myers join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to reflect on what happens when our relationship changes to a Canadian cultural icon.
Netflix's ‘Pulse’ is the latest in the batch of medical dramas out now. What do doctors and nurses get from watching medical dramas? Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng an Intensive Care doctor and Amie Archibald Varley, a former ER and labour and delivery nurse, to get their takes. And film critic Sarah-Tai Black talks with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about ‘Village Keeper’ - the feature directorial debut by Canadian filmmaker Karen Chapman.
On the eve of the first new Bon Iver album in six years, music critics Emilie Hanskamp and Matthew Ismael Ruiz chat with Elamin about how Justin Vernon transcended underground folk hero status to become one of the most important artists of the 21st century. And columnist Marsha Lederman, also a mom to a teenage boy, says if you have kids, Netflix's Adolescence should be required watching.
With the season three finale of The White Lotus out now, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by CBC entertainment reporter Jackson Weaver and culture critic Michelle Cho to discuss who died and who survived, and whether this slow season lived up to their expectations. And futurist and former model Sinead Bovell reacts to the news that H&M, the popular Swedish fashion retailer, is working with artificial intelligence to create “digital twins” of 30 models.
Culture critics Niko Stratis, Rad Simonpillai and Sonya Ballantyne join Elamin Abdelmahmoud for a group chat on Val Kilmer’s most memorable roles and the films Flow, now streaming on Crave, and A Minecraft Movie opening in theatres.
Based on a true story, Dying for Sex asks us to think hard about what we’d do if we only had months or years to live. Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks about some surprising truths of a terminal cancer diagnosis the comedy gets right with Jen Pogue and Sophie Kohn. They share their experiences - Jen as a patient, and Sophie as a caregiver.
Jen was featured on the Women On Screen Out Loud podcast about coming to terms with her diagnosis.
CBC reporter Jonathan Ore checks in from the Nintendo Direct event in New York City, where the videogame giant unveiled its latest console, the Nintendo Switch 2. Is this highly anticipated upgrade worth the wait?
With the passing of Canadian rap legend Bishop Brigante after a long battle with cancer, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by Juno-award winning artist Choclair and ‘Views B4 The 6’ podcast host Big Tweeze to look back on the decades long legacy of the Scarborough native. And Steven Zeitchik, Senior Editor for Technology and Politics at The Hollywood Reporter, about the recent update to ChatGPT that's made it made it possible for people to create images in the style of different animators, including Hayo Miyazaki.
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