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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For this week's group chat, Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with culture critics Niko Stratis, Rad Simonpillai, and Pablo,The Don. They respond to news of O.J. Simpson's death. Plus, they review the shows, "Fallout" and "Ripley" and talk about the backlash J.Cole is receiving after apologizing for a diss track he wrote about Kendrick Lamar.
After a disastrous interview with the BBC in 2019 about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew stepped away from royal duties and public life. The story behind how that interview came to be is the focus of “Scoop” on Netflix. Elamin speaks with UK film critic Hanna Flint and royal watcher Ellie Hall about the enduring desire to see the Royals portrayed on-screen. Plus, Elamin is joined by technology reporter Cade Metz to talk about The New York Times investigation into the length big companies like Google, Meta and Open AI are going to in order to develop the smartest artificial intelligence models.
It's been just over 6 months since Hamas attacked Israeli civilians, which led to the war in Gaza. Elamin speaks with Mosab Abu Toha - a Palestinian poet whose home in Gaza was destroyed - to talk about how he and other artists are able to keep creating in the face of destruction. Mosab Abu Toha recently wrote an essay for The New Yorker about his harrowing journey out of Gaza.
Elamin is joined by culture writer Niko Stratis and Delia Cai to talk about Delia's pop up blog, Hate Read (which invites critics to write anonymous reviews of art they hate). Plus, Small Press Distribution suddenly closes up shop, leaving hundreds of independent publishers in the lurch. Jane Friedman unpacks what happened and how the world of small press is struggling in the aftermath.
Elamin is joined by wrestling fans Damian Abraham (of the band F*cked Up) and culture critic Pablo,The Don to discuss highlights of WrestleMania 40, and also the state of the franchise, given its new deal with Netflix and the controversy surrounding its former CEO Vince McMahon.
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